"She will…?" Jack asked.
His copy which was in the altar hall saw that Master was still drawing his rune diagram. The rune diagram he was drawing was very complicated and he made it so it covered the entire hall, hence it took him hours for the task. Jack saw the rune diagram take shape already but he was not sure how close to completion Master was.
"How long before she arrives…?" Jack asked Talia.
"I don't know. The world you mentioned that the battle royale is taking place sounds pretty large. She should need time to power it down before she can leave. I say a few minutes… Or seconds."
'That is not good…,' Jack thought after hearing Talia's words. "Give me a moment," Jack said.
Talia sensed Jack becoming hollow again.
*
At the altar hall, Master was still applying the mana paint with precise precision.
He had noticed Jack near the hall's entrance. He ignored him at first, but he then felt strange since Jack had been silent all the time. He didn't believe this chatterbox could afford to be a silent spectator. He had been expecting Jack to throw him some ridiculing remarks for some time now.
So, he used one of his bloodline powers, Demonic True Eye. He saw then that Jack was just an illusion. He fully ignored the copy afterward. Jack probably sent the copy to keep an eye on him. It made sense that Jack didn't trust him.
An earthquake suddenly shook the hall. Master's brush stroke almost veered off course when it happened, but he was quick enough to affirm his footing.
Master stopped drawing and waited until the earthquake was over.
He knew for a fact that worlds in hidden dimensions didn't have natural earthquakes. This only happened when the power controlling the dimension was experiencing a jolt of energy or emotion. He knew then that his time was short.
A voice soon confirmed his suspicion.
"Euphosine is coming. How much longer do you need?" Jack asked.
"… Five… No, three more minutes," Master answered. With that statement, he went back to his drawing. His drawing speed picked up. It was now speed over perfection.
Jack didn't disturb Master further, he changed places back to the copy that was still with Talia.
Jack said to Talia, "The trap is almost done at the altar hall, but we can't enter the hall yet for another three minutes, or else Euphosine will know what we are up to. We need to be close, though. Let's head over there first."
Talia nodded. She wasn't sure what trap could be useful against Euphosine but she didn't waste time asking for an explanation. Euphosine could arrive any second.
The two moved through the hallways. Jack ran at full speed but Talia had no trouble keeping up. She moved by hovering over the floor like Arlcard did.
They soon arrived near the altar hall's entrance. Jack stopped. There was still around a minute before the three minutes Master advised earlier.
"We can't go in yet… I take it that since it was your freedom that triggered Euphosine's alarm, she will come for you first?" Jack asked.
Talia nodded. "Yes. We three sisters have strong mental links. She knows my position at any time. She will come for me first. That's why it makes no difference even if I flee this place. She will be able to find me easily."
"I see… hopefully she doesn't come for another minute," Jack said and cast Barrier.
"I don't think that will make a difference," Talia said. She suddenly went tense afterward.
The air near them shimmered and an ethereal woman with a glamorous robe appeared.
"I must say. I am not amused when I felt you break free from your restraint and after forcefully ending the control of my game, it is even more irritating to find that all my game participants are no longer in my arena."
The voice brought the same chill as what Jack felt when he first met Euphosine several days ago. He couldn't perceive Euphosine at the time. Now he could properly see her.
It turned out that the three sisters of the Council of Charites were not actual sisters. They were from three different races. Talia was elven. Aglea was human, and Euphosine was ethereal.
"It's you again…," Euphosine lay her eyes on Jack.
Jack felt the chill multiplied tenfold. Talia was right. His barrier couldn't do shit.
"You are the newest favorite in my game. I've been rooting for you," Euphosine said. "I've been hoping you can dethrone that old fart as my new champion. I've been eager to watch that happen… But I guess I will have to let you go. There are only so many times an owner may let her pet disrespect her."
Talia sensed Euphosine's intention. She wanted to act first. She tried casting a spell.
"Is there any point in doing that?" Euphosine asked with a ridiculing tone.
Talia felt the air around her solidify. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't even articulate mana properly. All she could do was just watch.
When Euphosine turned her attention back to Jack, Jack used the last switch of his body double. He changed places with his copy which was still inside the altar hall. All his copies disappeared afterward.
Euphosine turned her sight to the entrance of the altar hall. Jack and Talia were heading that way, so Jack might have fled there.
"After I eliminate that troublemaker who keeps on coming between us, sisters. I will bring you back to your room," Euphosine said. "Stay put in the meanwhile."
Euphosine was not in a hurry. She just floated slowly toward the door. Her prey was trapped in her world. There was nowhere Jack could run or hide. She was happy to play hide and seek if that was what her prey wanted.
When she entered the hall, she was surprised to see Jack just standing in the middle of the hall, waiting for her. She had expected Jack to run or hide. Perhaps the prey had given up? It's not fun this way.
She felt another presence within the hall. She turned to where this second presence was. It was an ethereal. She then remembered this ethereal was another participant in her game. This ethereal was having his hands on the floor.
Suddenly, the whole hall lit up.
She was confused, but not alarmed at first. She even felt curious about what all this was. Then he felt something within her getting ripped. For the first time in so long, she felt what she used to feel.
Vulnerable, weak, empty, and afraid.
