Feeling the coldness from the palm covering his mouth, Sky's first thought was that the ghostly woman rumored to haunt the castle had found him.
The "ghost's" face drew closer to Sky's, their cheeks nearly touching. A pleasant voice whispered, "Shush, the werewolf girl has very keen ears. Let's keep it down, don't want her to overhear us."
The voice was soft and gentle, like a lover's murmur. Then, the hand covering Sky's mouth withdrew, and he whispered in surprise, "Lilianna, what are you doing on my bed in the middle of the night? And why are you so cold?"
"Feeling cold and yet holding on so tight? Let go of me, quick," Lilianna whispered back. "I came to ask you something in private, but you grabbed me as soon as I tried to wake you. I had to release some chill to cool you down," she said, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle.
Sky, speechless, quickly released his hold and asked softly, "What's so urgent that it couldn't wait till morning?"
"A very, very important question," Lilianna whispered, her voice ethereal and magnetic, only audible to Sky, "Dear player, are you enjoying this realm?"
Enveloped in darkness, Sky shivered, his eyes snapping open in full alertness.
Another soft laugh followed. Lilianna moved her head away from Sky's cheek, relaxed against the pillow, and stretched languidly. "Your bed is really comfy," she said softly.
Propping himself up, Sky leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Who exactly are you?"
As he spoke, a row of text appeared above Lilianna's head, glowing faintly: Player Lilianna Nocturne. About 2 seconds later, the floating text vanished.
"Your turn," Lilianna whispered.
Sky, catching on, summoned his player ID using his mind, displayed it for a few seconds, and then hid it again.
Lilianna nodded in satisfaction and giggled, "Handsome, let's be friends. I've sent you a request. Confirm it, will you?"
Sky clumsily navigated the system in his mind, reminiscent of the time he friended Echo before crossing into this realm. "How did you guess I was a player?" he asked quietly.
Lilianna's smile widened, "Didn't you find it odd how calm you were about everything tonight? And the goddess invited you for an interview to become an apostle of the divine realm, right? Isn't that our mission in this traversal?"
Sky remained silent for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his face in the dark, "I see. Is Lumiya a player too?"
"She doesn't seem to be. I've tested her. She thinks it's some online game. Doesn't seem like an act," Lilianna replied.
Having added each other as friends, they could now send text messages through their consciousness to stay in touch.
Lilianna put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence. "Let's support each other tomorrow to complete our mission swiftly. This is our little secret," she whispered.
After speaking, Lilianna transformed into a mist of blood red vapor and vanished from the room.
Dawn broke, enveloping the castle in a thin mist, erasing all traces of the previous night's fierce battles and strange events. That is until Lumiya started banging loudly on Sky's bedroom door.
"Landlord, landlord, time to wake up!" Lumiya called cheerfully.
It took a while before a yawning Sky, dark circles under his eyes, opened the door. "Good morning, Lumiya. What time is it?"
"Good morning, landlord. It's 6 AM," she greeted energetically.
"Only 6 AM?" Sky groaned. "Didn't we agree to leave at 8? Why so early?"
"Because I'm hungry," Lumiya stated matter-of-factly, her ears and tail still in werewolf form, perky and alert.
Sky gave her a long, silent look, then asked lazily, "Did you wake your master up for food like this when you were with him?"
Lumiya nodded, "Yeah. At first, he used to pin me down and give me a beating every time."
"And he stopped doing that later?" Sky wondered about his own combat prowess compared to the werewolf girl.
"No, I grew stronger, and normal physical attacks didn't affect me much. So, he started using the 'Five Thunder Laws' to strike me. Every time, I'd be frizzy for hours," Lumiya recalled, tail wagging as if these were fond memories.
Sky sighed, "You're lucky to have made it this far."
He checked the fridge, lamenting, "Only two bottles of milk left, nothing else to eat."
Lumiya's ears drooped in disappointment. "What now?" Then her eyes lit up, "I can catch some rabbits from the forest! I saw a few the other day. Let's have roasted rabbit for breakfast."
Sky quickly shook his head, "Who eats roasted wild rabbit for breakfast?"
As they were talking, a flock of bats flew in through a half-open window, circling the living room before transforming into Lilianna, who landed gracefully on the floor.
"Wow," Lumiya gasped in surprise, then noticed the bag of assorted sandwiches in Lilianna's hand and pounced on it with glee. Lilianna quickly grabbed a sandwich from the bag, "This one's for Sky, the rest should be enough for you."
Lumiya, with her mouth full, could only grunt in protest as she sat down at the dining table to eat.
Handing the sandwich to Sky, Lilianna smiled slightly, "Here, I had quite a time snatching it from a dog's mouth."
Sky took the sandwich, breathed in the fresh air from the window, and smiled, "Thanks, you always think of everything."
"Let's eat up and set off early to complete our mission," Lilianna said.
"I'm already feeling energized," Sky replied.
An hour later...
"Lumiya, how much longer? I can't take it anymore!" Sky called out, his voice trembling as he navigated through the forest.
In her werewolf form, Lumiya was sprinting at an incredible speed, with a faint mist around her, likely some Eastern mysticism ability, shielding her from the wind resistance. Lilianna, transformed into bats, followed closely behind.
Sky, far from looking dignified, clung desperately to Lumiya's back, trying not to scream out loud, experiencing the thrill of a werewolf rollercoaster ride through the forest.
"We're almost there," Lumiya responded.
"You said that ten minutes ago," Sky pointed out.
They had been traveling for half an hour, the two supernatural females showcasing terrifying speed. In just 30 minutes, they had crossed dense forests and climbed over two hills. They even crossed a rapid stream a couple of minutes ago.
Sky thought the scenery in the forest behind the castle was beautiful and worth enjoying at a leisurely pace, under different circumstances.
After another ten minutes of swift running, the sound of water grew louder. Ahead, two steep cliffs formed a hidden valley entrance, the sunlight casting mottled shadows through the leaves, adding to the entrance's mystery and depth.
"We're here, we're here!" Lumiya excitedly announced, speeding into the valley.
As they turned a corner, the sound of water became overwhelming. A magnificent, towering waterfall came into view, its myriad droplets cascading from the cliff top, shimmering in the sunlight with vibrant colors.
Beside the waterfall stood a large, deep cave, its entrance smoothed by time and radiating a sense of age and mystery. The cave's depth and destination were unknown, but the echoes of the waterfall inside it sounded like deep, mournful cries.
Sky looked ahead, marveling at the hidden splendor of the valley, as Lumiya eagerly bounded into the unknown.