Scared Out of Her Wits

"Buzz!" A sound rang out.

A beam of white light shot out from the mirror. In a flash, the dust vanished without a trace, revealing the mirror's true form.

So beautiful!

Gold and silver crafted together, inlaid with deep, dazzling gemstones—the exquisite workmanship alone made it a treasure.

As for the mirror's surface, who knew what material it was made from? It was as clear and deep as water, and if you looked closely, it felt as vast as a starry sky.

"It really is a treasure mirror!" Grace couldn't help but reach out to touch it.

The moment she touched it, the Spirit Barrier moved.

The mirror, which had been completely still, responded to her touch.

Grace's face lit up with joy. She gripped it with both hands and took it down—Benny, her Flying Demon Drake, would be so proud!

The Blood Rite was a success...

She just didn't know what it was for.

But she had no time to figure out its use now.

Because right after she took down the mirror, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

Grace grabbed the mirror and ran outside.

Outside, a wild wind was blowing. Grace looked up at the sky—and nearly lost her soul from fright. (Okay, not literally, but close!)

She saw that the withered Soulbane Vine, which had been embedded in the Spirit Barrier, had already fallen to the ground.

It looked like... the Spirit Barrier had vanished!

The Spirit Barrier disappearing wasn't the scary part.

The scary part was—a pitch-black rift had appeared in the sky.

That's right! It was a rift!

It was like during an earthquake, when two plates split apart—a bottomless chasm.

And the rift kept growing, creating a suction force that pulled everything inside!

Grace bolted toward the Portal Array.

Behind her came a terrifying sound, as if the sky and earth were collapsing.

She glanced back. The Elder Spirit Tree, the house, the Soulbane Vine—even the soil itself—were all swallowed up by that dreadful rift.

She didn't dare look any longer and raced to the Portal Array, placing the phoenix-shaped key on it.

The Portal Array slowly lit up and began to activate.

Grace stepped onto it, waiting to be teleported.

When she arrived, she hadn't thought the Portal Array was slow at all.

But now, it was so slow she could scream.

The rift kept growing, and its rate of devouring accelerated.

Grass and trees were ripped out by the roots, dirt and stones were crushed to dust, all disappearing into the darkness.

Grace's breathing grew rapid as she watched, then thought, It should be starting now, right?

She looked down... and suddenly, blood rushed to her head and her mind went blank.

The phoenix-shaped jade token was gone!

Maybe...

Grace saw the lighter stones at her feet start floating up. Maybe the jade token had been sucked into the rift!

"Benny!" Grace screamed, diving into her sanctum to fetch him.

A huge Fire Demon Drake appeared out of thin air, staring in terror at the monstrous black rift in the sky.

Grace leaped onto his back, surprised to find that, despite Benny's sharp spines, his qilin-shaped back was actually comfortable to ride.

"Fly! Get us out of here!" Grace shouted.

Benny flapped his wings and took off, flying away from the rift.

But the suction in the air was even stronger. As soon as Benny rose up, he was pulled backward uncontrollably.

He quickly beat his wings, struggling with all his might. After a dozen desperate flaps—his eyes bloodshot—he finally managed to break free and fly away.

Grace looked back. The only patch of green left on the dark ground was soon swallowed up by the darkness.

The darkness kept expanding, stretching longer and longer, as if the whole world was splitting apart...

After flying for a long time, they finally left the area behind. The rift was no longer in sight.