"What is Aiden doing here?!" Mine gasped in horror, unconsciously slowing down his pace.

"Following his master like the good pup he is," the man spat on the floor. "Don't overthink, Yo- I mean, the man with white hair is dealing with him."

"…" Mine looked at the wide glass window as they walked into the empty, huge room. "I hope so," he muttered.

The man glanced at Mine and then looked forward. He's way too young…

Mine walked in silence behind the mysterious man. If he stopped, mine stopped. If he walked faster, mine also walked faster. If he strayed from the path, Mine followed.

He was tired of seeing the same hallways with the expensive and tacky sculptures, of admiring the same red velvet curtains and noticing how the chandeliers sparkled in the moonlight-

"Don't make a sound," the man covered Mine's mouth and dragged him to the nearest dark corner between two tall white marble pillars.

Before Mine could protest, two shrill, high-pitched voices resounded from the mansion's first marble-pillared room. Heavy, shuffling footsteps occasionally scratched the smooth porcelain floor along with high-pitched voices.

When the moonlight came from the glass windows, it illuminated the two intriguing characters in the room.

Mine almost made a sound when he saw the figures were the same gargoyles that had chased him when he had left that infamous garden. However, there were only two of the other gargoyles he saw, and they seemed to be injured from the way they were dragging themselves through the corridors.

"The angel… what do we do?" the gargoyle dressed in a gray tuxedo asked.

"We go back to Hell, as simple as that," the gargoyle dressed in red grumbled.

"B-But-"

"No 'buts'!" the gargoyle shouted. "The angel is dissipating Master Aiden's shell right now, and you dare stay and die for a man who sees us as nobodies?! Where's your pride?! I'd rather burn in prison than stay another minute here."

The man watched the odd duo with a very dark grin, and Mine slightly turned his eyes to the environment so that grin wouldn't be directed to him later.

A reddish mist slowly covered the ground, and the gargoyles turned agitated. In the blink of an eye, both gargoyles turned as still as statues as the eerie fog surrounded them like a living cloud.

The mist then violently penetrated all the gargoyles' cavities – noses, eyes, ears, mouth – and they fell to the ground, inert and parched. Mine tried to close his eyes, but the scene was so quick that he couldn't even do it.

When the fog dissipated, a person approached with strangely silent steps, and, wearing a different mask than the other people, he lifted the carcasses high. A large creature emerged from the boy's shadow and swallowed the two carcasses.

"Good job," the young man joyfully praised the shadow. "We still need to find him. Stay sharp," he snapped his fingers, and the shadow incorporated into his body.

Mine's eyes were widened in horror when the young man's eyes glanced at him. Those eyes were murderous and as crimson as fresh blood. Mine could even sense the metallic stench and salty flavor of the blood in the young man's clothing and face…

"!!" Mine gasped mutely.

It was the mysterious gentleman!

Mine's eyes glowed in pink and gold when their eyes effectively met. The man behind Mine tensed and brought the Chronos even closer when the same crimson mist covered the flooring again, spreading in a larger area than before.

The mysterious man walked towards Mine and Mephistopheles as a crimson mist covered their feet. It was odd and cold, dense but light, a contradiction in the form of a mist.

A screech caught the mysterious man's attention, who dashed in its direction in the blink of an eye. Mine finally exhaled when the mist dissipated, and the man behind him did the same, loosening the touch.

"Agarath's illusions are running wild in the mansion. It's like his extension, so don't stay too far from me," the man said, analyzing their surroundings. "Let's run, kiddo," the man quickly said, looking in the direction the mysterious gentleman went as gruesome noises came from there.

"I-I agree," Mine promptly fixed his posture and followed the man.

The mansion had become somewhat uncertain.

The rooms were swapped, and the hallways were distorted. The pair walked sometimes in circles and sometimes in an almost random trajectory. Every time the doors opened, it was a different sensation and surprise.

One time, they entered a room where two gargoyles were having fun with playing cards and drinks taken from the bars. Another time, they interrupted the intimate moment of a gargoyle who finally found an empty bathroom.

Finally, between rooms and more rooms, they arrived at a cohesive corridor that led to the entertainment room. They were almost at their destination, but as they approached the entertainment room, the man stopped before they took the first step into the room. As soon as the man touched the door, Mine felt all his hair stand on end, and the mark of Chronos light up on his hands and neck.

"Hey, kiddo," the man voiced, looking at the door. "Did you feel it?"

Mine started feeling his heart thump like a madman in his chest. "Y-Yes, Mr."

"Then," the man approached Mine and tied his hand on Mine's with his tie, "this way, you won't get lost in the illusions."

Mine looked at the terrible knot and chuckled. "Thank you, Mr. Mephistopheles."

Mephistopheles let out a faint chuckle and looked at Mine. "There's no way to hide the essences from a Chronos."

"That's a precise statement," Mine chuckled leisurely. "Thank you for helping me."

"…" Mephistopheles blinked, then grumbled. "I'm just doing my job," he turned to the door and opened it.

As expected, inside was a chaos.

Tables, chairs, drinks, champagne, and glasses were flying as in zero gravity. As if this vision were enough, colored mists filled where their eyes could reach like car oil drops on water, reflecting bright colors even though they did not mix with the water.

The floor seemed to change texture and depth with every blink of an eye, as did the lights, which flickered slowly, making the place even more confusing.

"Shit... How will we go through this weird shit?" Mephistopheles cursed under his breath.

Mine took a wobbly step forward, feeling his feet funny. "I-I can try guiding us," he posed composed, but his frightened eyes couldn't lie as well as his mouth.

Mephistopheles sighed and took Mine back from the room in a pull. "No, we'll find another path. You can't risk yourself this way, kiddo."

Mephistopheles closed the door and placed Mine on the steady floor.

Mine somehow felt ashamed, and the Chronos marks faded as soon as Mephistopheles placed a sigil on the door. His hair slowly turned blue, and he looked down but followed the man in silence.

"Hey, kiddo," Mephistopheles called. "You're a good kid, and I bet your skills are as the legend says about Chronos beings, but…" he turned to Mine, facing him. "You're not Superman or whatever, maybe Deadpool? I don't know superheroes things, but this is real life. Don't be reckless. I'm here to help," he touched Mine's shoulders.

"…" Mine looked at him with a faint smile, but his whole body flickered like a lamp. "Agarath is close," he breathed, eyes widening in horror. "H-He… he's close, Mr. Mephistopheles!"

"Where's he?!" Mephistopheles took his gun.

Mine's body flickered once again, and he stared at the end of the corridor. "There!"

"Stay behind me, kiddo," Mephistopheles ordered, and Mine quickly hid behind him.

At the end of the corridor, the walls began to distort like in the entertainment hall. The scent of sculpture materials masked the sweet woody fragrance mingled with a light blood-like aroma on the horizon.

The pressure also changed, and what was a simple cold and dark corridor became like a prison with a view of the moon, as when Mine looked back there was nothing but a wall.

"I see you found my dear beauty, Doggo," Agarath's voice filled their ears, but the demon was nowhere to be found.

"Geez, you never change, Agarath," Mephistopheles laughed. "A freak is always a freak, right?" he shot in a certain direction, and a screech filled Mine's ears, which he quickly covered. "How's your pup shell? Did my Sweetness treat him well?" he grinned, showing his fangs.

Agarath's illusions intensified, and the room's lights turned on. They were all red like blood from the bloodied bodies of guests lined up against the walls.

Mine's eyes widened, and he felt his throat lock. The guests were all using their masks, but their bodies were exchanged! It seemed that someone had changed their heads and bodies, like building dolls and changing their arms, feet, legs… and heads.

They were no longer human.

They were freaks made by a sicker freak.

"Kiddo! They are illusions!" Mephistopheles shouted, but Mine was lost in that view.

His mind was spinning when he saw a girl that looked like Lydia. He took a step forward.

No… I-it can't be…

He took another step forward, but Mephistopheles held his arm.

"Kiddo, it's not her," Mephistopheles argued, but Mine wriggled himself free, burning the demon's hand with a heavenly spell.

Agarath chuckled leisurely, and Mine felt a hand approach, gently patting his head. "Poor Lydia… she was beautiful but… she needed a better body, right? Look, I made her perfect now... but be careful, the stitches are too raw," he chuckled and stroked Mine's shoulders.

The woman's mask slowly slipped from her face, revealing-

"Don't look!"

Mephistopheles quickly covered Mine's eyes and pulled him closer before his body was snatched by the same hand that was patting his head.

"It's not Mrs. Lydia!" Mephistopheles repeated.

"How are you so sure of it?" Mine asked, his voice as ethereal as his looks.

"Because… because my husband's head is also there!" Mephistopheles held Mine closer. "You… You psycho!" he shouted angrily. "How dare you use him?!"

"Daring, dear Hell's Dog. Ha ha ha ha! You're in my domain, so… I do whatever I want!" Agarath screamed, and the bodies shivered.

Mephistopheles slammed the nearest wall, breaking it into pieces and making room for a person to fit in the odd space inside.

"Kiddo, run!" Mephistopheles cried, throwing Mine inside the cracks. "Look for a safe place, and I'll go find you!"

"Mr. Mephistopheles!" Mine shouted, but the crack had fixed itself. "N-No…" he muttered, feeling his arm itch, and Mephistopheles's summoning mark stained his skin before fading.

Mine looked around. He found himself in a crowded lobby where people were dancing and drinking, waiters were serving orders, and prostitutes were working as usual.

This is not right.

Mine took a step forward and tried blending in the crowd, but as soon as he touched a woman, everybody immediately stared at him. The music stopped, and everybody was still staring at him.

A loud whistle resounded in the lobby, and the nearest people started grabbing Mine to the crowd.

"Let me go!" Mine broke free from a few grabbing, but there were too many people.

He was dragged to the crowd's core quickly. Mine's breathing was erratic and fast. His arms were tied, and it was a miracle he hadn't lost the roses adornment from his head nor pieces of his dress.

"Ah!" Mine was thrown to the flooring, right in an empty space surrounded by the crowd. "W-what the hell?!" he shouted and stood up.

"My dear Chronos, you're making me upset..." Agarath's voice resounded in the room, and Mine widened his eyes. "Take him, my puppets. It doesn't matter if he's alive or not."