"Whatever the case, we need to find her if we want to clear this dungeon." Xerxes originally didn't care; in fact, he had thought it might be better if he died in the dungeon since he had nothing worth living for. Yet, somehow, he couldn't abandon the idea of surviving. At the very least, he wanted everyone else to live. They all had something they wished to live for, something they deserved to live for. So, Xerxes had made up his mind: they would clear this dungeon and survive, no matter what.
"Now that we have a clue and an objective, we should head out. It's already getting dark outside." Lucas stood up, the drawing still in his hand. "Savannah, you stay here with Bailey. It could be dangerous outside."
Savannah reluctantly agreed. They couldn't leave Bailey alone, but neither could they take her outside. She had a baby, and no one knew what might be lurking out there.
With the exception of Bailey and Savannah, everyone was heading out to search for more clues. "You can also stay in the house if you want," Nova suggested to Kai, but he immediately refused, shaking his head. "I'm the only one with a theory on the story right now." With that, everyone headed outside. Lucas opened the front door. The evening air was calm, and the quiet, empty view outside strangely appeared peaceful.
Everyone quickly scattered around the house to search. Xerxes was gazing at the lone tree beside the house when he heard the meows of a cat. He turned to see Kai playing with a white cat, its black stripes making it look wild. The cat playfully scratched Kai's bare knee, causing him to step back.
"Did you get hurt?" Xerxes bent down to examine his knee, noticing two bloody scratches on his left leg.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt," Kai dismissed it, returning to play with the cat.
Xerxes stood and followed behind him. "The cut on your face hasn't even healed yet, and you're getting hurt again."
Kai didn't respond, too focused on the cat to care.
Nova noticed them under the tree and approached, curious. "Where did the cat come from?"
"It was always here. We just couldn't see it in the dark," Kai replied, then looked up at Xerxes. "With this cat, I'm 80 percent sure about the story," he grinned.
Xerxes felt a strange sense of pride in Kai. For once, he believed the decision to save this little kid had been the right one. Though he had ended up trapped in a dungeon, he had no regrets. He patted Kai's hair, as if petting a cat.
"If you're that sure about it, just tell us the story. It might be the right one," Nova said, his frustration growing. "I know you just want to get out of this dungeon and use a clean, separate restroom. That's why I'm not going to tell you until you've had the full dungeon experience."
The cat quickly became comfortable in Kai's lap, purring and rubbing itself against his clothes.
"You're not planning to experience a dungeon again, are you? Enjoy it while it lasts," Kai said, picking up the cat and running off behind the house, already knowing what awaited him.
Nova didn't get a chance to defend himself, and his frustration mounted. He gasped in exasperation. "Is he related to you?" Nova asked, a thought that had crossed his mind ever since he saw Xerxes rush ahead to protect the kid. No person in their right mind would throw themselves in front of a car for someone random... or so he believed.
Xerxes was uncertain whether it was a compliment or an insult, so he didn't know how to respond. He thought long and hard, and in the end, he only gave Nova some honest advice.
"Just use the toilet. It's not good to hold it in for so long." He patted Nova's shoulder a few times before heading toward the mountain in the distance, leaving Nova speechless. Why were they so concerned with his bowel movements? Never in his pampered life had he been treated so poorly. He wanted to go online and complain to his fans, but in the dungeon, even someone as famous and rich as him was on the same level as everyone else.
Nova took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and followed Xerxes to check the mountain. It wasn't like he wanted to follow Xerxes, but there wasn't much else to look at outside besides a mountain and a tree, which he had already seen. To be honest, he was sure that even if someone laid out the entire plot of the book in front of him, he still wouldn't get it right. Why? Because he had never read any storybooks. He already had plenty of dramas to keep him entertained. He had become an actor in the first place because it seemed fun—and it was. Playing a variety of characters, he never had time to be bored, always filming one project after another. But now, with nothing to do, the only source of entertainment seemed to be the little girl, so he was trying his best to find her first.
Xerxes and Nova circled the small mountain a few times. It was strange: the mountain looked small, yet also steep and imposing. But when they tried to climb it, the trial was surprisingly easy.
"You can go back; it's dark outside now," Nova suggested, thinking that if the little girl was truly a ghost, she would likely come out at night. Ghosts were known to appear at night, after all. He planned to search alone now that night had fallen.
"You sure? Come back quickly and don't wander too far from the house," Xerxes replied, starting to descend the mountain. He had no complaints; the growing darkness was making him nervous.
Halfway to the house, he started to feel uneasy about leaving Nova alone.
Let's just go back. Being alone was scary. Nova might be too frightened to return later.
He turned around and began walking briskly toward where he had last seen Nova. Upon reaching his original spot, he looked around, but Nova wasn't there. No matter how much he searched, he couldn't find him. Just as he began to feel distressed, he heard clear footsteps behind him. Instinctively, he turned toward the sound.
"Papa, can you get the moon for me?" A little girl stood before him, her piercing red eyes fixed on him. She smiled eerily wide, staring at Xerxes without a word or any movement.