The rumbling behind us intensified far too quickly. It felt like the mountain itself was seconds away from swallowing us whole. If we did not act in the next ten seconds, we would be buried under tons of ice and stone. Even if I could create some kind of ice chamber to shield us, the air inside would run out long before help arrived. Suffocating slowly in a frozen tomb sounded worse than getting crushed in one swift blow. But not today. I had no intention of dying here.

"If there is no way out, then we make our own," I muttered under my breath, refusing to accept this dead end as fate.

The halo behind me flared awake in an instant, spinning with a sharp glow that painted the collapsing passage in shades of emerald. The green flower bloomed fully in my right palm, its crystalline petals pulsing once like a heartbeat. Frost surged through my veins, rushing outward in a cold burst that made my skin tingle and my breath sharpen.

It felt like a roaring tornado had been born inside me the moment I pushed out my palm, signaling the others to fall back. The power surged upward so fast it rattled my bones, rising through my chest like something ancient and alive.

A violent blast tore through the dead end as I directed all of that frost into a single focused point, forcing it forward like a spinning drill. Ice cracked, stone shattered, and in an instant a wide tunnel opened before us. Light seeped in from the other side, bright and warm, something I had not seen in what felt like an entire day trapped inside this cursed mountain.

"Fast! Go!" I shouted, not giving myself time to think.

I wrapped an arm around Elira's waist and pulled her close, my wings flaring wide in pure instinct. The wind caught us as I pushed forward with everything I had left. Beelzebub darted at my side, wings buzzing frantically as we dodged chunks of falling ice and stone that crashed behind us like thunder.

We burst through the exit just as the mountain roared in collapse.

The bright sky hit my eyes with a shock of color. The sun's warmth washed over my frost-hardened skin, and I let out a breath I had not realized I'd been holding.

My feet struck the ground harder than I intended, and momentum carried us forward. Elira and I tumbled together across the soft dirt and fresh grass, rolling several times until the world finally stopped spinning around us.

Only then did I realize I was still holding her. "You're okay?" I asked, my voice far too gentle for my own comfort.

"Mhm," she nodded softly, and I exhaled in a wave of relief that loosened every tight muscle in my body.

It's all over now… no more system tricks, no more danger breathing down our necks.

I pulled away carefully and pushed myself to my feet, letting my eyes wander over the world outside the cave. Fresh air filled my lungs, warmer than anything inside that frozen mountain. Beside me, Beelzebub shook himself like a drenched puppy, dust puffing off his fur in tiny clouds.

His chubby cheeks jiggled a little as he stretched out his tiny body, one paw reaching forward, the other dragging behind as if he had just woken from the coziest nap in the universe.

At least somebody is in a good mood. The sight made a small smile tug at my lips before I could stop it.

"Where are we?" Elira suddenly asked. Her steps carried her forward with that familiar quiet grace, and when she casually stretched her arms behind her back, her posture arched in a way that made my throat tighten. I swallowed hard and forced my eyes elsewhere.

"From the looks of it…" I scanned the landscape around us. The trees were scattered and thin, their branches reaching toward the sky like bony fingers. Behind us, the mountain stretched upward in a sheer cliff face, impossible to climb or descend without specialized tools. Or in this world, without powers strong enough to make the impossible feel casual. There were no guards anywhere: no patrols nor signs of human presence.

This had to be the other side of the mountain… which meant we might have finally reached the Holy Knight territory.

I needed to verify it. There was one environmental feature that separated these lands from all the others, and the moment I found it, I would know for sure. I remembered it vividly from the book. It was too unique to forget.

"We must find a river. Then I can confirm exactly where we are." I moved ahead and gently scooped Beelzebub into my hands. He was still stretching his tiny limbs, blinking in surprise as his little nose twitched rapidly.

"Listen, Beelzebub," I said softly, lifting him closer to my face. "I need you to fly as high as you can and search for a river nearby. Tell me the moment you find it. You are the only one who can scout safely. My little champion."

I pressed a kiss to his forehead. His face dipped forward from the impact, but when I pulled away, his expression brightened immediately. His wings fluttered, and with a proud squeak, he launched himself skyward, spinning once before rising into the clouds.

"Why did you send him out?" Elira's voice drifted to my side, calm but edged with curiosity.

I straightened, a more serious look settling on my face. "If I were to fly high, someone might spot me. Even if the chances are small, I cannot risk it. Beelzebub is safer. He is tiny, fast, and easy to overlook."

Elira nodded slowly, understanding flickering in her golden eyes, though her gaze lingered on me as if she had more questions she wasn't saying out loud.

"Is there something on your mind?" I asked, deciding to nudge her a little. I could tell she was hiding something the moment her smile slipped at the edges.

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