Hyeon was in awe of their ride. The latest Cadillac Escalade had sleek technology and its black color reminded him of those spy movies. Their chauffeur seemed decent enough since he held the door open for him. Sani mentioned that the castle was in the middle of the national park, so the trip would be around an hour one-way.

Hyeon watched the passing scenery outside. Instead of daydreaming, anxiety fueled him. Ever since he blacked out on the ferry, his body felt sore and muscles aching, especially his upper back. It was just odd.

Did I pull a muscle?

Sani was looking at his papers, talking to himself. “Let’s see. Hyeon Falken and 22 years old. Born on December 21, 20xx in Yellowknife, Canada. Grew up in Toronto… Mr. Falken?"

But Hyeon didn’t hear. He was watching the thick forest.

“Mr. Falken?”

Hyeon snapped out of his trance. “Ah, yes? Hyeon is fine. You also asked to be called by your first name.”

Sani smirked. “Thanks for your permission. I noticed this on your resume before but we didn’t discuss it during our interview. You worked temporarily in the United States on an entertainment visa. What exactly did you do there?” 

“For eight years, I did bo-staff, or bojutsu. It’s like… a type of martial art that uses staff weapons. I traveled with a troupe to perform and compete.”

This topic made Hyeon feel uncomfortable since it brought unpleasant memories. It was a significant part of his employment history, so he had no choice but to keep it on his resume. One fact Hyeon didn’t tell people was that he would’ve entered professional bojutsu when he became an adult… until that happened.

Sani continued asking questions. “And do you still perform? That’s quite an interesting talent.”

“No, I don’t do bo-staff anymore.”

“I see.” Sani pulled out paperwork. “This is your contract to work for us. I was going to go over it with you at the coffee shop but there was a delay in your arrival. If you’d like, you can read it now and sign it before we arrive.”

Sign now?

Hyeon skimmed over the contents. It seemed simple enough—be on time, clean, provide what the boss needed, and so on. Pretty standard stuff. Not seeing anything suspicious, he signed on the dotted line and returned it to his now-official manager.

“Thank you, Hyeon.”

As they got closer, Hyeon felt worse… and worse… and worse. He wanted to flee from this place. Run and never look back. Be a thousand miles away from here. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. His stomach was also feeling queasy. It has to be anxiety. 

Should I see a doctor later? Going from this location to town will be a hassle, though.

“Are you okay?” Sani asked, noticing his condition. 

“I’m just hot, I guess. It could be stress from all the traveling.”

Understanding showed on Sani’s face. “Do you also feel like escaping? Turning back?”

“Y-yeah. How did you know?”

“We will enter the spegill soon to transition,” Sani said as a matter of fact. His gaze was fixated on Hyeon’s contract.

Hyeon was confused. Transitioning? “What’s a spegill?”

The question surprised Sani. “Spegill is a common name, but maybe you’d know them as mirrors in English? Don’t you recognize the symptoms? Your family and friends use a spegill to get away from human society.”

A mirror? 

“I don’t underst—” Hyeon was interrupted.

“Mr. Dascheeni, we’ve arrived,” reported the driver.

“Thank you, Blue. Park the Cadillac here. I beg of you per usual, call me Sani.”

“I could never, sir.”

Blue got out and opened Sani’s door. He did the same for Hyeon. When he stepped out, he realized they were in the middle of nowhere in the dense collection of tall trees. Behind him was an entrance to a cave.

A creepy cave.

“Welcome to Festr Castle.”

The cave opening was the height of a small house and pitch black inside. Droplets of water fell from the moss hanging over the edge. It smelled very… damp. Even from Hyeon’s position, he could hear the raindrops create small echoes within its depths.

Hold on… This is Festr Castle? In there? In a cave deep in a forest? 

Hyeon had so many questions, all of them disturbing. Now it made sense why residents couldn’t find a freaking place on this island. It wasn’t even real!

Blue unloaded Hyeon’s suitcase while Sani retrieved his belongings. “Before we head inside, let’s—”

“N-no thanks.”

Sani paused. “Hmm? What do you mean?” 

“I’ve seen enough murder documentaries to know what’s going down. I will fight back.” Hyeon was thinking about how in the world he could grab Nammi from the car and take down these two before they had their way with him.

The “manager” doubled over laughing. 

Blue tried to remain in character but had a small grin playing on his lips. “You’re a comical one.”

Sani wiped a tear from his eyes. “Right! Anyway, I’m glad we’re finally here. I don’t feel the same when I have to hide my tail. It’s also draining to make you look human with mana, Blue.”

Cigarette-like smoke manifested around Sani’s head, trickling down to his feet until his body was obscured. The driver was engulfed in it, too. In seconds, the smoke evaporated. Like a magic trick, Sani now had pointed dog ears, extended nails that sharpened at the tips, and a fluffy tail that matched the color of his orange-red hair.

And Blue. Well, he went from a forgettable face to an actual dog…

“Again, Mr. Falken, welcome to Festr Castle,” Sani greeted with longer canine teeth.