The stone corridors spiral downwards, leading us ever deeper into the castle's bowels. The air grows cold and dank as we descend. Sconces with flickering torches line the walls, revealing dark patches of mold growing between the bricks. Drops of water drip from the ceiling, and the sound echoes eerily in the narrow passages.
Despite the grim surroundings, Yumi seems surprisingly unperturbed. I, however, cannot shake the feeling of unease. Every step I take, every shadow I pass, I am always on high alert, ready to react at the slightest hint of danger.
"I'm sorry, but where are we going?" I ask the knights. "Isn't the summoning chamber on the higher floors?"
"Ah, that one is only for summoning you guys into this world," one of them, a knight with a big beard, replies. "For reverse-summoning, we have to prepare another magic circle in a different room."
But that seems very unlikely. Given the sight I saw when we first arrived here, summoning magic seems to require a large amount of resources and manpower. I assume reverse summoning magic would be the same. Then, the time it would take for them to set up a reverse summoning ritual shouldn't be less than a day, at the very least. But how long has it been since we last arrived? Just a couple of hours. They could have prepared the reverse summoning circle first-hand though, but that makes no sense. After all, what if we all awakened great blood talents and chose to stay? Wouldn't it be wasteful if reverse summoning was not needed? There is no rush, so we would all be fine with waiting a couple of days for it to be prepared anyway. And furthermore, they should have sent some mages to go with us, instead of just two knights.
But I could be wrong, as I have no knowledge about how magic works in this world. There is no way I can tell if the knights are telling the truth or not. It's not like they would tell me if I really pressed them either. So, the most reasonable thing to do right now is to follow them but keep a cautious mind in case something bad really happens.
In the end, we come to a halt before a colossal iron door. After two resounding knocks from a knight, the door groans open, and another woman comes out to greet us.
"Good evening, my name is Sophia. I'm the one who will be responsible for the reverse summoning spell," she introduces herself.
And for a brief moment, I am stunned.
She is very beautiful, almost too beautiful to be real. It feels like the Goddess of Beauty is standing right in front of me, incapacitating me with her unrivaled charm.
And then, as she speaks, her voice is so sweet and super seductive to the ears. Her hooded mage robe conceals much, but her beauty is undeniable. The tendrils of her raven-black hair peek out from beneath the hood, cascading down like a waterfall of night. Piercing blue eyes lock onto each of us, and for a fleeting moment, I feel as if she is peering straight into my soul. As she stands in front of us, the air is imbued with a heavy perfume, so rich and sweet it is almost cloying.
"Wow, you are beautiful! And your perfume is amazing!" Yumi exclaims. Even she is entranced by that woman's beauty.
"Thank you, dear," Sophia replies with a gracious smile. "So, you all want to return to your world?"
"Yes, please," I reply.
"Okay, come in then. Everything is ready for your return."
"Thank you," Yumi and I bow, expressing our gratitude.
However, as we cross the threshold into her chamber, another, much subtler scent tickles my senses. It is almost lost beneath the overpowering aroma of her perfume, but its metallic tang is unmistakable.
Is it... blood?
And where the heck is the reverse summoning circle???
There is nothing! It is just an empty room!
Shit! I was too careless!
I knew we were walking straight into danger. Yet, something about that woman has made me lower my guard.
Was it her beauty? Her friendly demeanor towards me and Yumi?
No… I wouldn't be so easily fooled by any other woman. But with her, it's like an instinct, a connection I just can't explain, even though we have never met. It's like… the feeling towards a close friend or family member, assuring me that this woman would never harm me.
And I guess that's how I have fallen for such nonsense. It's irritating, it's so damn annoying. But, ultimately, it's my fault. There is no one to blame but myself.
Now, Yumi has already ceased all movement. It's as if time has snatched away her animation, leaving her as a mere statue, her eyes all glassy.
And me, my body freezes too.
For a moment, my consciousness gets plunged into the void, sinking into a deep ocean of nothingness.
But then… I hear it, a voice inside my heart that has been there with me for so long.
You can't give up just yet, Jack…
You have to find her.
You have to find Anna!
As the voice pulls me up from the black sea, my consciousness returns again, and I'm still there, standing in the mysterious chamber with Sophia and the two Knights.
So that's what magic can do in this world. How dangerous!
Lucky for me that my mental resistance was high enough to escape her mind control spell. Back on Earth, I had trained my mind to resist any psychological attack by self administering tons of psychedelic drugs and built up resistance to all. I don't know if that training actually helped me in this situation or not, but that's the only explanation I can give now.
Anyways, how I did it doesn't matter. What really matters here is the fact that I'm free. And now, there are two critical questions that need the answers right this moment.
What does she want from us?
What should I do now?
Not only the two knights, but Sophia here doesn't seem to be weak either. A woman, yes, but she is a mage. Any mage who works directly under the King should not be underestimated. And since this world has the element of magic, I can't really judge anyone's combat potential just from their physical appearance alone.
But the good thing is, judging from the lack of reaction, Sophia still probably thinks that I am under the effect of mind control magic or whatever trick she is pulling.
Thus, I decide to stand still and play along, waiting to see what she will do, and waiting for a chance to act.
Sophia then opens an ornate wooden cabinet and takes out three big iron collars. The next moments are a blur of motion; her finger pricks, blood is drawn, and the collars shine with a ghostly white glow.
"I'm sorry," she turns to us, shakes her head and says coldly, "You should have told the king that you wanted to stay instead. Now, your only choice is to become our slaves. Please don't resent me. I'm just following orders, after all."