In front of her was something she had never seen before. It was gigantic, at least ten meters high, and so big it almost filled out the whole cave. The whole body of the being was covered in light brown fur with the paws of a lion planted firmly onto the ground. Five pairs of wings connected to the back of the being and shimmered in every color of the rainbow from the light it emitted. However, the thing that horrified the young girl the most was the human-like face upon the furry body. It looked like the wrinkly face of an old man sprouted with a bird-like beak and paired with eerie cat-like eyes. 

“Child…” The otherworldly being spoke with the same metallic scraping voice she had heard before.

Seraphina bit harder onto her lip, trying to get an answer out of her dried throat. ‘Scary… They look so scary…’ She thought in slight fear, tears gathering in her eyes. Her fists clenched tightly by her side as she tried to get an answer past her lips. Fear was shaking every core of her body as the grip of her hands grew stronger and stronger. A sudden sharp pain shot through her hand along with a sickening cracking noise, the pain washing the numbing fear away from her body. The four-year-old took a deep breath as she loosened her hand, ignoring the fact she had broken two of her fingers. 

The princess raised her head to look right into the cat-like eyes of the being. “W-Who...are you?” She asked slowly, her voice only shaking slightly.

The being studied her intently before a sudden wide grin spread on its face, exposing its very sharp and long teeth. “Password?”

Sera shuddered after seeing that scary smile, carefully grabbing onto her injured hand and holding it while it healed. “P-Password?” She asked, confused.

The being stared at her, the smile dropping from its face before it tilted his head suddenly, turning it 360 degrees around similar to an owl. “If you want to pass by, Password.”

Seraphina shrieked lightly when it turned its head before taking a deep breath to stay calm, even though she was crying inwardly. ‘This is scary….’ She slowly met the gaze of the being again, gathering her courage to speak up again. “I don’t know of a password.” She replied carefully while trying to inch her way back to the entrance of the tunnel where she came from.

“No… Password?” The being asked her, its head turning back to its normal position with a sickening cracking noise. Its lion-like tail swished through the air before it suddenly let out an angry, ear-deafening tone. “NO PASSWORD, NO PASS! NO PASS, TIME UP! TIME UP, YOU DIE!”

Seraphina froze at that, staring up at the being in horror. “W-What?! But I don’t know of a password!” She shouted out in fear as her body shook. Her thoughts raced as she tried to find a solution or a way to escape this situation. 

“Five minutes left… Password?” The being asked in the neutral tone from before, sitting down on its hind legs and staring at her intensively as its wings folded on its back. 

The young angel bit hard on her lip and started to sweat lightly, her mind racing with a hundred thoughts all at once. ‘There is no way I can just guess the password. I don't even know where this password will bring me…’ 

Seraphina once more felt tears gather in her eyes in desperation and fear, her shoulders shaking lightly. But she refused to cry right now, call it her inherited stubbornness, but she refused to give up. Wiping over her eyes, she took a shaky breath and stared back up at the being. “What happens if I guess wrong?” She asked seriously.

The being tilting its head back and forth before that horrifying grin spread on its features again. “I eat you.” It replied as its tail wagged lightly, its pawn reaching to the side and brushing a few human bones her way. “You wrong, you my food.”

The Princess stared at the bones in shock before forcing herself to glance back at the being instead. “Nevermind… I regret asking…” She mumbled and stared down at her healed hand. ‘I have to do something... I can’t die here.’ She thought in determination and shot a small look behind the being. ‘But there’s no way I can try to go past the being without being undetected. It’s guarding whatever is waiting on the other side. So the only way to escape would be…’ She stared up into the eerie cat-eyes of the creature before spinning around. However, as soon as her eyes settled on the way she had come from, she found nothing there. “What?!” She asked in shock and panic, her eyes wandering over the entire cave walls, but there was no sight of a tunnel anymore. ‘No! This can’t be!’ Seraphina gritted her teeth as she looked back at the being.

The odd creature had unfolded its wings and turned onto its back. The beast's stomach was oddly… naked, no fur covering it as it almost resembled human skin. Its head, however, was still the right way up with its neck twisted completely around. 

“Three minutes left.”

Seraphina tensed at that, gulping as she shut her eyes tightly. ‘There has to be a way to find out about the password. There has to be at least a clue!” Her eyes searched her surroundings again, trying to spot anything that could give her a clue to what this was about. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Sweat trailed down her cheek as she tried to think of anything that could help her right now. ‘I shouldn’t have left papa’s side! I should have just listened to what he said!’ She thought in panic and regret before shaking her head. ‘No! No, this is not the time for that! Take a deep breath and concentrate, Sera. You can do it! There has to be a trick somewhere!’ 

She looked back at the creature as it rolled back around and stared at her with an unreadable expression. 

“Two minutes left…” Its metallic voice echoed, making the girl grit her teeth again.

“This is unfair! How am I supposed to find out a password without any clue!” She shouted upset, making the being blink slowly.

“Life is unfair. So is death. Your existence is small and unimportant. There is no easy way on the path of Life. Choose wisely.” It said oddly wisely, their cat-like eyes narrowing as the intelligent look in them caught her off guard.

Seraphina gaped at that, staring at the creature in surprise before frowning. ‘Wait a moment… Life is unfair. So is death. Your existence is small and unimportant. There is no easy way on the path of Life… And then, choose wisely. ‘ She repeated in her head as her eyes widened in realization. “The clue! This is the clue!” She shouted out in surprise as a smile spread on her lips.

The creature grinned at that. “One minute left…” It told her while the sudden noise of a clock clicking filled the cave.

The four-year-old narrowed her eyes at that and concentrated. “The clues all included meanings about life and death. But the “Choose wisely” is throwing me off. What is it supposed to mean? It wasn't said for no reason. What meaning does that part hold?!” She thought loudly, not noticing that the being listened in interest. 

“It has to be connected! Otherwise, it wouldn’t make any sense!” She mumbled as she ignored the ticking of the clock completely and focused on her thoughts.

“Thirty seconds left… Time’s almost u-”

“Shush!” Seraphina huffed at the creature, making it pause, stunned. The princess focused back on her thoughts. “A choice question! It has to be a simple choice question, most likely a two-choice question as the “Wisely” results in there being not many options.” She mumbled as her eyes widened while her thoughts started racing. Her brain went through all the different combinations she could think of until she ended up with one. “Life or death? The actual clue is Life or death! Vita or Mortem!” She shouted out in realization.

“Ten seconds…” The being told her as it started to count down. Sera gritted her teeth, not having enough time left to consider it. But she had no other choice. 

“Five… Four…”

The young angel took a deep breath and met the eyes of the creature, her silver orbs gleaming with confidence. “The password is… Viva la Vita!’ She shouted out just when the creature had counted to ‘two’.