Some time had passed since Frederick and Lian Hai settled in to admire the otherworldly scenery. Without any clocks or notable changes in the sky, Frederick couldn’t tell how long they'd stayed. Nonetheless, he suspected that he needed to wake up soon. He stood and prepared to head back before realizing he didn’t know which direction to go.

Lian Hai glanced over and stood. “Are you heading back? I can show you where to go.”

Frederick was about to say he could find his own way, but the thought of wandering this expanse alone made him reconsider. Based on how they arrived, he suspected they’d have to descend the hill or rocky cliffs. Since the thought of scaling such a rough and steep path with his eyes closed made Frederick’s palms sweat, he preferred the former. 

He conveyed his opinion to Lian Hai, and they descended the grassy hill. The breeze faded, the air grew warmer, and the crisp grass reverted to plush carpet. Nonetheless, Frederick waited until his outstretched hand met a wall before opening his eyes. They were back in the church hallway.

“See, you made it back on your own,” Lian Hai said. “If you keep it up, you can visit all sorts of cool places.”

“Thanks, though I doubt I’ll go on any wild adventures anytime soon,” Frederick replied. “Also, thanks for showing me all this. I don’t know if I could’ve figured it out on my own.”

Lian Hai waved a hand. “I’m sure you could have, with a lot more trial and error, hopefully more of the former. And it’s no problem. Like I said, if I can help even one beginner traveler avoid my mistakes, I count that as a win.” 

She started to say more but froze. Her eyes narrowed, and she whipped her head around.

Frederick was about to ask what was wrong, but before he could get a word out, it hit him. Unlike when they first arrived, the air crackled with tense energy. His neck hairs stood, and a faint but distinct chilliness trickled through his blood. Although he couldn’t put his finger on a specific cause, something was wrong.

Lian Hai rushed past Frederick. He followed and struggled to balance keeping up with her, scanning the energy trails, and not plowing into walls and furniture. By the time she stopped, he paused to reorient himself, and it didn’t take long to recognize the far corner of the lobby. Ceiling-high windows provided a view of the grassy plains and pond in the distance.

Although they looked interesting, they weren’t Frederick’s biggest concern, and he suspected Lian Hai felt the same.

Even in the darkness, inky splotches formed a visible trail leading to and around the pond’s edge. They contrasted the faint moonlight and absorbed the nearby energy trails.

“We need to get out of here,” Frederick said. “Now.”

Lian Hai set her jaw. “It doesn’t seem to be nearby. If you leave now, you should get away without any problems.”

Frederick nodded and searched for a nearby seat. Unfortunately, the cleaners had pushed all the chairs up to the tables, leaving little room to squeeze in. Although he could move small items like pens and piano keys, he didn’t want to risk moving something larger. Additionally, he feared that using too much power now would make him a target for these energy-draining monsters, putting himself and Lian Hai at risk.

Instead, he lay on the carpet and took deep breaths to settle his racing heart. After a minute, he started to relax, and he closed his eyes.

All his relaxation went out the window when he opened his eye a crack and spotted Lian Hai rushing away with her hands glowing.

“Wait,” Frederick called while springing from the floor.

Lian Hai flinched and spun around. “What are you doing?”

“I should be asking you that.” Frederick paced over. “What happened to leaving?”

“I said you can leave now,” she replied. “I’m going out there.”

“Why? Are you that desperate to get into another fight so soon?”

“It’s not just that. Can’t you feel it?”

Frederick was about to ask what she meant, but a slow chill creeping down his spine made him freeze. He might’ve brushed it off, but a gut instinct told him his reaction didn’t stem from natural factors. As he waited for any further reaction, that same unsettling chill permeated the rest of him. From how Lian Hai tensed and eyed him, she must’ve felt something similar.

“Someone’s in trouble. I can feel it,” Lian Hai said, her tone dead serious. “I don’t know who it is or what’s going on, but if those bastards are targeting someone else, I refuse to stand by and let them go unchallenged.”

She spun on her heel and sprinted toward the church entrance. Although Frederick didn’t follow her right away, his mind spun as he weighed his options. He could return home to safety and trust that Lian Hai had the skills and knowledge to fend for herself, or he could accompany her and put himself at greater risk.

His cautious side urged him toward the former, and he almost followed it until he recalled how Lian Hai had struggled to restrain the monster alone.

Frederick ran after her. “Wait.”

Lian Hai turned to him but didn’t slow down. “Don’t try to stop me."

“I’m not,” he replied. “There’s a side door that will lead us to the pond more quickly. I’ll show you where it is.”

She nodded and was about to turn but stopped. “Hold on. You’re not trying to come along, are you? I thought you wanted to leave.”

“I did, but not if it means leaving you to face one of those fiends alone.”

“You realize if you do this, you’ll be putting yourself at even worse risk. I’m talking more than just a cut on your arm.”

“So are you." Frederick set his jaw. "Try to discourage me all you want. I’m not letting you face this alone.”

Lian Hai gritted her teeth, went silent for a moment, then said, “Where is this shortcut?”

Relief filled Frederick, but it disappeared soon. He rushed back to the lobby, flung open the door leading to the mini cafe kitchen, and sprinted past the many counters and boxes. Along the far wall next to the refrigerator, a back door led to the lawn outside, and Frederick propped it open for Lian Hai before following after her. 

By the time they reached the lake, the inky black splotches had started to fade. Lian Hai kneeled in the grass next to a splotch the size of her hand and squined. Even with the moonlight illuminating her, the green glow from her eyes stood out. Frederick considered doing the same, but he stayed upright and scanned the area for any signs of attackers.

“It’s not on this layer anymore,” Lian Hai said while standing. “From how faint these marks are, I suspect they didn’t stay here that long. This would’ve been a midway stopping point at most.”

That the monster hadn’t chosen his church as a destination reassured Frederick, though he questioned why they would make a stop here. However, a question made his stomach churn. Although he doubted he would like the answer, he wanted to know what he was dealing with.

“Wait, how is it faint if we spotted it from inside? Do these trails fade that quickly?” he asked.

“Let me clarify. This individual monster’s trail is faint,” Lian Hai replied. “However, when you have enough of them close together, they grow much larger and stronger.”

Frederick gulped. “How many would you guess there are?”

“At least three, but that’s just from what I can detect.”

“Well, that sounds great. And where exactly did they all go?”

Instead of replying, Lian Hai crouched in the grass and gestured for him to do the same. Frederick kneeled next to her and watched for what to do next. At first, she just squinted at the inky splotches the monsters left behind.

Then, she hovered a hand over each one, the faint glow of her palm disappearing into the darkness. Frederick shuddered as he remembered how doing that burned his hands. If the sensation hurt Lian Hai, she showed no signs of it.

“I’m getting a feel for these monsters’ trails,” she explained. “It’ll make it a lot easier to track them and reduce the chances that we’ll get lost. I recommend you do the same in case you get separated from me.”

Frederick reached out for the largest ink splotch and snapped his hand back when his fingertips burned. Gritting his teeth, he held his hand over it and braced himself against the pain. His hand burned and froze at the same time. The sharp and contradictory sensations made him grimace and want to withdraw, but he bit down on the urge.

Eventually, they faded, and Frederick was about to relax when that icy burning feeling stabbed through his chest. He doubled over and clutched the afflicted area.

Lian Hai scrambled over to him. “Breathe. It hurts like a bitch the first time, but it’ll fade eventually.”

He nodded and took several deep breaths. With each one, the pain subsided until only a dull ache remained. Part of him wanted to slump over, but he forced himself to remain upright. That threatened to change when Lian Hai crawled to the edge of the pond.

“This is a bit shallow, but it’ll do,” she muttered before turning. “Are you ready?”

“Whoa, whoa," Frederick said. "You expect me to go there. Didn’t you say it was a terrible idea?”

“It’s a terrible idea if you’re not prepared. Now that we have the monsters’ trails, we have a clear route down, so the process will be more controlled. Additionally, you know how to travel between layers now.”

Although she had a point, Frederick couldn’t ignore the pounding of his heart or the icy paralysis that threatened to lock him in place.

Lian Hai leaned forward. “It’s not too late to back out. I can handle this.”

Despite his growing terror, Frederick stood. “No. I’m going with you. If I leave you to deal with three bloodthirsty monsters alone and something goes wrong, that’ll be on me.”

She nodded and held out a hand. “Hold on as tightly as you can. Keep a hold on the monsters’ trails and don’t lose track, no matter what else you may see or feel. Most importantly, keep a level head. Panicking in such a situation is a surefire way to get lost or sink too far.”

He grabbed her hand. Together, they stepped into the pond and plunged into the pitch-black abyss. The moonlight and grassy ledge disappeared within seconds, and frigid pressure pushed in on all sides. Despite the overwhelming urge to hold his breath, Frederick forced himself to inhale. The painful pressure on his lungs subsided, and he could breathe in a controlled albeit labored way.

To his relief, he was still holding onto Lian Hai’s hand. Although he couldn’t see her, he could feel her presence, and if he closed his eyes, he spotted a faint green silhouette amidst the blackness. She squeezed his hand, then gestured into the distance before walking away. 

Frederick tried to find his footing. At first, he continued to sink slowly. However, when he closed his eyes and focused, he managed to stand on a semi-solid surface. His feet still dropped, though at a much slower rate, and the non-physical ground collapsed under him if he put too much pressure.

Despite that, by keeping his footing light, maintaining his grip on Lian Hai’s hand, and tracking the monster’s trail, he at least had something to walk on. With that shaky platform established, he followed Lian Hai and traversed the abyss rather than just sinking helplessly into the darkness.

Before long, the darkness turned to a dark gray. The icy burning in Frederick’s chest strengthened, which he took as a sign that he was approaching the monsters. He suspected Lian Hai felt the same from how her aura brightened. They drew closer to the gray splotch, which revealed more details as they neared it. Frederick was trying to figure out what it deciphered when it suddenly overtook him.

As the foggy gray enveloped his line of vision, Lian Hai’s hand slipped away. Frederick cursed and grappled around for her, struggling to see even with his spirit-based vision. Eventually, it cleared away, allowing him to scan himself and his new surroundings.

Once he registered both, his jaw dropped. Thick fog hovered over the ground and obscured his vision, but he spotted silhouettes of trees and distant land forms. Ice covered the ground, and even in his incorporeal form, the chill cut to his core. Although the jarring landscape startled him, they didn’t compare to what he saw when scanning himself.

Just like when he first traveled to Lian Hai, his appearance had changed. Instead of a polo shirt and trousers, he now wore a heavy cloak, a tunic, and trousers. One of his paled calloused hands glowed red, while the other held a dagger as long as his forearm.

Blood dripped from the blade.