As soon as Ice laid eyes on them, a strange feeling washed over him, especially when he looked at the man. And this time, it wasn't his usual mistrust acting up. He had long accepted that control was no longer his to hold. But this man... this man was simply different.
He stood with an air of quiet confidence. He wasn't particularly tall, at least not compared to Jilius, but his posture commanded attention. He had black hair and striking features, almost rivaling Ray's, and wore gloves for no discernible reason.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Candice," said the woman beside him, stepping forward with a warm smile.
It was a far cry from the first impression Natasha had made.
She too had a distinct presence. With short black hair and a bow slung over her shoulder, she exuded a warrior's grace while easily rivaling Natasha in beauty. Her clothes, however, stood out the most—far too luxurious for someone trapped in a deadly prison.
"So, what brings you here after all this time?" the man asked. "And by the way... where's Julius?" He glanced behind them, as if expecting to see him emerge.
"He's not here anymore," Natasha replied curtly.
A flicker of something passed across the man's face (Elpis, if Ice remembered correctly), but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced once more by cool detachment.
"I see."
When it became clear that Natasha wasn't going to explain their presence any further, Ice cleared his throat.
"We're here to escape," he said. "Julius told us we weren't tied to the Departing Ones."
He hesitated, then added, "Well... two of us aren't, anyway."
Elpis and Candice exchanged a glance, frowning slightly, surprised but not shocked.
"Let's talk inside," Candice said, stepping closer to Celestia and gently patting her shoulder.
"Hey, stop that!" Celestia recoiled, startled by the sudden gesture. The woman's casual approach completely shattered the strong, composed image she had tried so hard to maintain.
"So cute," Candice said with a soft chuckle.
Then a noise reached them — something closing in, fast.
Ice flinched, as if suddenly remembering something urgent.
"Right... we're being pursued by a rather dangerous beast."
Panic started to claw its way into his chest. His mind raced. How could they possibly explain this without angering their would-be rescuers? They had just arrived and already brought trouble to their doorstep.
But oddly enough, nothing happened. No tension. No concern. Elpis and Candice remained calm, unaffected. Even Natasha, who had been practically trembling when they were climbing the stairs earlier, now seemed oddly at ease.
That only made sense. She wouldn't have stood a chance against that creature without Jilius's help.
Candice released Celestia's cheeks, straightened gracefully, and walked to the edge of the wall. She reached for her bow with practiced ease, nocked an arrow, and drew the string, aiming skyward. A faint, inexplicable glow lit up her eyes as she focused.
She released.
The arrow soared into the sky, disappearing from sight. Then it plunged down like a meteor, landing with a faint shockwave. Silence followed. No more footsteps. No growls. Not even a death cry.
Just silence.
"Done," she said casually.
She had effortlessly killed the very same beast that had pushed Jilius to his limit, even requiring Natasha's intervention. And she'd done it from this distance, without breaking a sweat.
"So, shall we?" she added with an innocent smile.
Ice would've almost believed the harmless act if he hadn't just seen her annihilate that monster with terrifying ease.
They followed after Elpis, who had already started walking ahead. Quickening their pace to catch up, they fell in line. When Natasha passed Candice, the two women exchanged a brief glance. Candice was smiling, but Ice could sense something — an undercurrent of hostility buried beneath the surface.
"Well... there are more important things to worry about," he told himself.
As they walked, they introduced themselves and briefly summarized their situation. Within minutes, they arrived at their home.
"And I thought I'd seen everything…"
Ice stared, wide-eyed.
The house, if one could even call it that, stood across from a small wooden cabin. From the outside, it looked unusually spacious, far larger than he would have expected in a place like this. It was big enough for four or five bedrooms, maybe more. Even the entrance featured a flower bed.
"Where are we now?" Ray muttered, squinting like he was trying to verify if reality had just changed again.
Ice shrugged. "Still not paradise... but definitely closer."
They stepped inside and sank into some comfortable-looking sofas.
"This is getting more and more ridiculous," Ray muttered.
"If I understand your situation correctly," Elpis began, completely ignoring their awe, "two of you have no connection, and one of you does. And all three of you escaped from the Double."
"That about sums it up, minus the dozens of times we nearly died," Ray said.
Elpis chuckled. "Well then, congratulations. You're the first in history to do it."
He glanced at Ice and Natasha.
"But for the ones with connections, it'll be more complicated. The two without ties should be able to escape relatively easily. As for you... you'll need to earn your freedom."
Ice raised an eyebrow. That was already more hope than he'd allowed himself to consider.
"Earn it how?"
"They'll be waiting for you at the gate," Elpis said. "Two openings will be made, one for each of you. But your path won't be easy. You'll have to fight monsters and defeat them fast enough... before the Chamber of Torments comes."
"Wait, what is the Chamber of Torment?" Ice interrupted.
Elpis scratched the back of his head, pausing. "It's... a bit like a miniature version of the Tower of the Three Mysteries, back on Earth."
Ice's gaze darkened with resignation. Every answer felt like a detour into more questions, spiraling further and further away from clarity. He could already feel the invisible weight of a thousand unsolved riddles pressing down on him. If he kept going like this, he'd probably end up questioning the origin of the universe itself.
"That might be enough for Natasha," Elpis went on, "but for you, it's time to begin your ascent toward perfection. At the very least, you'll have to learn to wield the raw form of Essence."
Ice straightened slightly, the words hitting harder than he expected.
"The ascent... and this House of Madness you keep mentioning," he said, locking eyes with Elpis. "What are they exactly?"
His voice was calm, but the fire of long-standing curiosity burned beneath. He had told himself not to chase meaningless questions, but this one had lingered too long to ignore.
Elpis didn't answer. Instead, he gave a small nod in Candice's direction.
"She's better suited for this than I am."
Candice let out a soft sigh as she stood.
"I'll go make some tea," she said. "It's going to take a while."
Ice's heart skipped. Finally — answers. The House of Madness. The strange aura around Jilius. The power they seemed to draw from somewhere deeper than magic. He was about to peel back a layer of truth that had eluded him since the very beginning.
But before Candice could leave the room, Celestia spoke up.
"But if this ascent only makes you stronger," she said, arms crossed, "why call it perfection?"
Elpis's lips curled into a smirk, half amused, half unsettling.
"What could be more perfect," he replied, "than a man capable of imposing his will on others?"