Kei and Shima were still hiding under one of the beds in the room.
Shima, who was shocked to see the creature's feet entering the room, frowned as she watched its footsteps.
Kei, beside her, covered Shima's mouth to keep her quiet.
Like Shima, Kei also watched the creature as it walked around the room.
"Is that what you heard?"
One of the three creatures spoke.
Can they talk?!
Kei thought in shock as he clearly heard the words coming from the creature.
"Yes. They are here."
Another one replied.
Crap! They know we're here?!
Kei gritted his teeth.
"We need to be careful. Don't let them see us."
"I don't think it's safe for us here. They'll know where we are."
Who are they talking about? Aren't we the ones they're looking for?
Kei wondered.
The two creatures walked out of the room.
Kei and Shima both let out a sigh of relief.
For now... we're safe.
Kei thought.
"Shima... you're thinking the same thing I am."
Kei whispered as his eyes shifted between the door and Shima.
"Yes. Aren't they looking for us? Or do they really not know we're here?"
Shima asked in confusion.
"I feel like... they're also enemies of those strange creatures."
Kei assumed.
"I don't think so. They look like monsters too. Their feet weren't human."
Shima replied.
Kei remained silent and nodded.
Shima was right.
They didn't look human.
But who were they?
Weren't they the Devil Monsters of the Dark Moon?
Whoever they were, they needed to investigate them.
Kei and Shima slowly crawled out from under the bed without touching anything nearby.
Kei quietly walked to the door and locked it.
Standing beside the window, Shima secretly watched the strange creatures they had seen in the CCTV footage.
She was shocked to see with her own eyes the creature that had killed the civilians yesterday.
Slowly, she called Kei, who was still standing near the door.
Kei walked over and crouched beside her.
At last, they saw the strange creatures with their own eyes.
The creatures were enormous.
From a distance, they looked like wolves.
However, judging by their size and height, they were almost as tall as the five-story building they were hiding in.
Then Kei noticed another creature among the giant beasts.
This one looked like a tiger with entirely black fur.
It was much smaller than the wolf-like creatures.
It was only about the size of a large dog.
Is that... a cat?
Kei smiled slightly before looking around the bird park.
There seemed to be only two different species there.
"Hey... we need to move to another room."
Kei whispered.
"Why?"
Shima asked.
"It's not safe for us here."
Kei replied as he tightly grabbed Shima's hand and quietly walked toward the door.
Shima simply followed him.
Kei slowly opened the door and carefully looked around the hallway.
After making sure no one was on the sixth floor, the two of them quietly left the room and headed for the stairs.
However, when they reached the first floor, Kei saw the tiger-like creature climbing the stairs.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Shima's hand and ran back up to the seventh floor.
They searched for another place to hide until Kei found the master bedroom.
They immediately entered the room and locked the door.
Shima pulled the wardrobe toward the door, and Kei quickly helped her push it into place.
Both of them took deep breaths before letting out nervous laughs.
"Huh... That was close, Kei."
Shima rubbed her chest as she felt her heart pounding rapidly.
"Shh... We're not safe yet."
Kei whispered as he noticed a shadow passing outside the room.
"They know?"
Shima whispered.
Don't you want to open the door, the ugly creature!
Kei shouted in his heart.
He started to panic when the shadow didn't move.
Shima, who was standing beside Kei, was almost in tears as she stared at the shadow.
Without thinking any longer...
Kei slowly knelt down and looked through the gap beneath the door.
To his surprise, the creature was looking straight at him with sharp eyes.
Kei was startled and immediately sat back, pointing his finger toward the door.
"You don't mean... they know we're here!!"
Shima whispered as she saw Kei's shocked expression and his finger pointing toward the door.
Tsk... They know.
Shit... There's nowhere to hide!
Kei gritted his teeth.
A few minutes later, the shadow finally moved away.
Kei slowly let out a breath.
He quietly walked toward the wall and pressed his left ear against it.
He tried to listen to the creatures' footsteps.
He could hear them clearly.
Tsk...
They're still around.
Not just one... probably three or four.
We don't have time to calm down.
Our lives are in danger.
If we stay here and do nothing...
They'll eventually find a way to get inside.
Tsk...
I shouldn't have brought Shima here.
I've put Shima's life in danger!
Shit!!
What should I do?!
Shima gently held Kei's arm.
She knew he was blaming himself for bringing her there.
But she trusted him.
This wasn't the first time they had been in danger together.
"Kei... Calm down..."
Shima gently rubbed his shoulder.
"Shima... I'm sorry."
Kei lowered his head.
"Don't blame yourself. I'm the one who wanted to come with you."
Shima replied in a trembling voice, trying her best to hide her fear.
"Besides... do you really think I'd let you die here alone?"
She tried to meet Kei's eyes.
Kei gave a bitter smile.
I can't be weak.
I'm not alone anymore...
I have to get Shima out of this place.
But how...?
Think, Kei...
Think!
(Do you hear me?)
"Did you hear that, Shima?"
Kei asked, frowning.
"Hear what?"
Shima asked in confusion.
(I can't communicate with the girl beside you.)
Who are you?
Kei asked silently.
There was no answer.
...
"Who are you?"
Kei repeated.
Shima looked at him strangely.
"Who are you talking to?"
(Who I am... you don't need to know. But I know who you are.)
Kei frowned.
"You're one of the leaders of the Devil Monsters, aren't you?!"
Kei shouted in a low voice.
At that very moment...
A loud roar echoed from outside the room.
Kei immediately fell silent.
(I'm not one of our enemies.)
Our...?
Kei frowned.
"What do you want from me? You're the one who told those creatures where we were hiding, didn't you?"
Kei tried to keep his voice under control.
(I didn't tell them. They found you because they could sense a magical aura.)
Kei was stunned.
A magical aura?
From where?
He looked around the room.
"A magical aura? What do you mean? Is this room a magician's relic?"
Kei asked as he searched the room.
(No. The magical aura is coming from you.)
(A Golden Magician...)
(The Last Magician.)
Kei slowly opened one of the desk drawers.
Then he suddenly froze.
He was shocked by the mysterious voice's words.
Is it true...?
But...
Why didn't I realize it before?