Chihiro stopped and smiled as she glazed over the various paintings hung across the walls of the hallway they now strode in. They all ranged in style and details, from intricate masterpieces not unlike Renaissance paintings she saw in her history books, to the more hieroglyphic-esque abstract pieces, but all of them resonated with some kind of ancient magic. From portraits of famous undead people to replications of important historical events, it all felt like she stepped into another world!

However, the one that caught her attention the most was the one she stood before at the moment, one that also was the sole portrait of what appeared to be living beings as opposed to the undead's ranks.

On it, several humanoid figures fought alongside giant creatures and beasts in what appeared to be a fierce battle with several equally-gigantic robots who had red and blue metals adorned with fancy golden markings. A tan-skinned man with black hair and brown eyes who donned robes that vaguely reminded her of a king's clothes led the charge alongside a giant whale with barnacle-covered arms who wielded a gigantic anchor like a flail. However, they weren't without opposition, as a kingly-looking robot who wielded a giant glowing fist countered them. Beside them was a paler-skinned woman with white hair and pink eyes who dressed in something that vaguely reminded Chihiro of an intricate kimono. She was surrounded by a rosy glow as she levitated and healed the injuries of a large tree ent. At the back of the group, a dark-skinned man who had black hair striped with streaks of light blue shot energy beams at a slightly smaller enemy robot, while a woman with skin dark as night and purple hair stood on the shoulder of an… Elf… Genie… Person, their arm outstretched as if they were ordering attack.

"Wow," was Chihiro's only comment as she brushed her fingers against the painting, oblivious to the dusty residue it left behind, "sure would be cool to meet these guys."

Chihiro beamed as she drank in the painting's beauty, and turned around to find that Hex, Cynder and Ghost Roaster left her in the paintings' dust!

"Hey, wait for me!"

Chihiro raced down the halls and back to them, but got caught up in another painting's beauty instead and completely forget about Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster. But, could anybody really blame her? These paintings were so cool and lifelike that it almost felt like she was right there in a time long past the time she lived in right now, ready to make history. She just had to absorb the entire thing! Chihiro giggled as she hopped towards a painting of a man wearing a ferocious looking mask not that far from where Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster currently stood, and turned her eyes aside as Hex shuddered.

"You alright, Hex?" Chihiro asked as she laid a hand on Hex's shoulder, but Hex gently lifted her hand away.

"I'm fine, Chihiro," Hex whispered as she stretched back up and cast a cold gaze on the halls down below. "There was a spike in Undead Element energy just now, we have to be close!"

Chihiro's eyes lit up the moment those words hit her ears! Finally, they could get the Eternal Undead Source and get this over with! She wanted to jump up and cheer with glee, but before she could, a wave of dizziness washed over her and she leaned against the nearby wall. She let out another soft groan as her head started to go fuzzy, but quickly shook it off as she caught sight of Hex's worried look.

"I, I'm fine, don't worry about me!" Chihiro insisted as she just barely took notice of a strange light below her chin. "Let's just worry about getting the Undead Source!"

"It's not that, Chihiro." Hex floated closer to Chihiro and lifted up her amulet, which now flashed with a faint white light. "Your amulet's spell needs to be recharged. Give me a moment."

Huh, Chihiro got so caught up in the mission that she forgot about her amulet! Guess that would explain why she felt so dizzy all of a sudden. So, Chihiro just sat cross-legged and watched as Hex wrapped her hands around Chihiro's amulet. Though Hex was perfectly silent, the twitch of her fingers as they sparkled with magic showed she was clearly hard at magical work. Her focus was so intense, yet so subtle that it was almost enchanting. Chihiro almost couldn't look away!

Well, almost. While Chihiro watched Hex work away, a loud crash and cursing caught her ears; but from what? Surely they were the only ones here, right? Whatever it was, it quickly drowned underneath the sounds of skittering feet and chattering. It almost sounded like, spiders, Chihiro wanted to say? Not just two of three, though—it was more like an entire army!

"Say, what's that noise?" Chihiro whispered.

She turned around, and bit back a scream as she stumbled backwards! There down the halls was none other than a gigantic black spider with red and green markings, a large sore on its head, and an army of what seemed like at least a thousand, much smaller spiders behind it!

"A gargantula!" Ghost Roaster cried as he drew back. "At a time like this?"

Did something wake the spiders up? Well, whatever reason they came here, those spiders were ready to kill! They hissed as they swarmed past Cynder and Ghost Roaster, their eyes all fixed on Hex and Chihiro!

Hex gasped as she lifted her hands from Chihiro's amulet and got ready to fire, but before she could, she stopped short as Chihiro groaned and fell down. Though Hex's eyes were completely blank, they clearly dashed between Chihiro and the oncoming spiders, as if she wasn't entirely sure which ones she should take on. However, she didn't have much time to hesitate, because the gargantula dashed forward and snapped right at her! Hex thrust herself out of its way just in time, but the gargantula wasn't going to give up there! It snapped and bit towards Hex at every given opportunity, and though Hex kept dodging, it seemed they both knew she couldn't keep it up forever.

Unfortunately, Chihiro wasn't in any better position! Though she kept trying to blast away the smaller spiders that had swarmed, she strained and whimpered with every shot, as if every blast of magic she shot sapped her own life force! Given how her amulet's glow continued to dull, that was probably the case for all she knew. As she shot out one last magic blast, she collapsed and grunted as she held her racing heart.

"Chihiro!" Hex called as she dodged another blow from the gargantula.

Hex tried to rush to Chihiro's side, but before she could, the gargantula skittered in front of her and roared! Its cry was so mighty that Hex herself flew straight into ones of the walls from the force! The painting above her rattled as she slunk down and cringed, while Hex herself tried her best to force herself up. Unfortunately, she didn't do it in time, for the gargantula immediately rushed in front of her and widened its jaws.

"This should give you a jolt!" Cynder cried as she rushed out from the shadows and slammed right into the gargantula's side!

The gargantula wailed as it stumbled back, but it was quick to regain its footing as it roared and chased after Cynder! Cynder, however, just snarled as she dashed further and further down the hall, but before she left, she looked back towards Hex and nodded. Hex understood Cynder's signal well, as she immediately teleported over to where Chihiro was, and dashed away the spiders that surrounded Chihiro with a flick of a skull-fueled orb!

"Chihiro, are you alright?" Hex asked as she propped up and situated Chihiro, and winced as she caught sight of the amulet's fading glow.

Her lips pursed, Hex immediately clasped the amulet and went back to spellcasting once more. The amulet glowed and glimmered as Hex silently cast her spell, an almost peaceful scene compared to what went on a few steps below!

Chihiro forced a smile as her body started to ache a little less, she turned her gaze aside to where the spider army waged their war.

With the gargantula safely out of Chihiro and Hex's way, Cynder and Ghost Roaster went all out! Lightning black as night rained down from above as Cynder flew over the spiders and shocked them, and while they crackled with lightning, Ghost Roaster zipped every which way in his giant skull form and splatted them against the walls! But, unfortunately there were a lot of spiders, and not even Cynder could get every one! A few of the larger ones dashed their way through her blitz, and their beady eyes were set as they ran towards Hex and Chihiro!

"Not on my watch, you don't!" Cynder proclaimed as she swooped in front of them and got ready to strike, but a large spider rammed into her before she could charge!

Cynder shouted out as she flung to the window, but before she could get up, the smaller spiders swarmed around her in a flurry of creepy-crawly legs and dust! "Hey, stop! Quit crawling on me!" Cynder flailed all about as she tried to swipe away the spiders with such force that it kicked up even more dust. "What do you creepy things think you're—"

Cynder froze as the dust settled, and revealed that those spiders had stuck her to the wall with bona-fide spider silk! Try as she might, no amount of struggling on Cynder's end could free her! All she could do was grunt and squirm as she tried to free herself.

"Dang, these guys really don't mess around." Cynder gasped as the spiders skittered back down the hall and tried to shake a fist at them, though she was unable ultimately because of current predicament. "Hey, get back here and face me like a—"

Cynder just faltered off and snarled as the spiders merrily scurried away. They hadn't hear her at all!

"Ghost Roaster! I've got a big problem over here!"

"Not right now, Cynder!" Ghost Roaster snarled, his giant skull form's flames bright as he butted heads with the gargantula. "I've got one of my own—"

Ghost Roaster winced as the gargantula slapped him right down the hall! His flight ultimately came to a close as he flew into a marble statue and smashed it to bits, which forcibly reverted him back to his original form. Ghost Roaster grunted as he sat up, caught sight of Cynder and groaned.

"Got yourself a little stuck there, didn't you?" Ghost Roaster asked.

"Don't worry about me!" Cynder bit back. "Some of those spiders got past me, and they're on their way to Chihiro and Hex! We can't let them get her while Hex is recasting the spell!"

"That kid's a magnet for trouble, isn't she?" Ghost Roaster shook his head, then flipped over and transformed into his giant skull form once more. "Don't worry, I'll show those spiders some chain!"

Ghost Roaster flew back down the halls, but not for long, as a thread of sticky silk grabbed him by the back of his skull! Before he knew it, he soared back and smashed straight into the leftmost wall, dust and rubble and all that.

"HEY, WATCH THE SKULL, BUDDY!" Ghost Roaster shouted as he emerged from the wall's newborn opening and shook a fist. "It's the only one I've got!"

Ghost Roaster snarled as he got ready to transform back, but before he could, the sound of clanking armor completely stopped him!

"Don't tell me that's what I think it is—" Ghost Roaster turned around to find several large suits of knightly armor raise their swords high above his head "—and it is."

Ghost Roaster screamed as he dashed down the hall with the suits in close pursuit, while Cynder still struggled against the spider's silky bonds.

And as for Hex and Chihiro, well, unfortunately, they weren't much better off! Those spiders had them completely surrounded. With their creepy little eyes set, and with Chihiro too weak to fight, Hex had her hands full!

"Stay back!" Hex demanded as she shot off orbs towards the attacking spiders with one hand while she cast a spell with another. Hex narrowed her eyes as the spiders rolled on their backs, but her frown grew as they jumped back up like it was barely a scratch!

"It's no use! Dividing my magic between these spiders is breaking my concentration."

"In other words?" Chihiro asked as she held her amulet close to her chest, and ducked as a string of spider silk flew over her head.

"Trying to keep an eye on all these spiders is keeping me from casting spells at full power!" Hex knelt back down to Chihiro and claimed Chihiro's amulet for herself. "Let me see if I can speed up the recharging spell."

Hex held the amulet so tight that her nails practically dug into its surface, while her whole face grew void of all emotion as she chanted. It was kind of creepy, but, it seemed to get the job done, for the amulet glowed brighter and brighter!

Chihiro beamed as she looked down at the amulet with a new life in her eyes, but Hex didn't seem to take notice. It seemed as though Hex focused most on casting her spell; that is, until one of the spiders crashed into her and bit her in the arm! Hex opened her eyes, cried out as she recoiled, and made a very ugly snarl as she shot off the spiders. The spiders jumped and dashed past every single orb she threw at them before they leaped onto her in one big pile!

Hex squirmed and cursed as she thrust through the spider pile, though her cries were muffled by the collective weight of the spiders! It seemed as though their ranks doubled in the time they first arrived, or maybe the spiders themselves grew bigger, but either way they had Hex completely stopped!

"Hex!" Chihiro cried, before she snarled and clasped her amulet.

Chihiro shuddered but nonetheless forced herself to stand and hold out her hand. A bright blast of energy shot out from her hand, and it jumped on the ground and slowly shaped itself into a gigantic, magical cannon, fuse and wheels and all! Chihiro dashed over to the cannon's fuse, snapped her fingers and created a match out of magic. With a pinch of her fingers, fire sprung to life at the match's tip, and the match flew out of her hand and brushed against the cannon's fuse. The fire burnt down the fuse in an instant, and from the cannon came rounds of smooth, heavy-looking magical spheres! The spheres smacked straight into the spiders and tossed them off Hex, with a few unfortunate ones caught on the spheres themselves and splatted against the walls!

"That," Chihiro panted as she slunk down to her knees, "that was close." Chihiro made a weak laugh that sounded more like a whisper as she crawled towards a wall and laid down. "Good thing I got there just in time, huh?"

Hex got to her feet, dusted herself free of stray spider silk, and gasped as she floated towards Chihiro's side and held a hand over Chihiro's forehead.

"You have to be more careful with yourself, Chihiro," Hex warned as she went back to charging up Chihiro's amulet. "If you had done anything more demanding, your amulet's spell would have been completely exerted!"

"But, but…" Chihiro winced as she looked up at Hex, "I, I had to protect you!"

"I would have found a way to free myself." Hex closed her eyes as the amulet shimmered in accordance with her silent spell. "You may be a portal master, but you're still a living being in the underrealms. You're much more vulnerable to its energies, so you can't risk—"

Hex stopped and snarled as the sound of crawling spiders and hissing echoed across the hallways, lifted herself from Chihiro and held out her hands.

"BOTHER US NO LONGER!"

Something bright and magical spiraled out from Hex's palms, and as it flew out, it manifested into a gigantic skull that flared with magic! The spiders screeched in horror as the skull sent a rain of magical orbs down upon them, but Hex was hardly bothered as she turned her attention back to Chihiro and held the amulet once more.

The amulet sparkled and faintly glowed for a few more moments, its shimmer in tune with Chihiro's pants. As the amulet's glow grew brighter and brighter, Chihiro's panting grew less heavy and labored, before it finally stopped altogether as Chihiro sprang back to her feet.

"YES!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sprang back to her feet and twirled around with a new life. "Man, for a moment I thought I'd end up like those skeletons! Now, let's go get that Eternal Undead—"

Chihiro beamed as she stretched her hands to the ceiling, but gasped and ducked as a sword flew over her head! As the sword disappeared into the hallway's depths, Chihiro turned ahead and grimaced as she spied Ghost Roaster wrestling with a living suit of armor.

"And I forgot there was a battle going on."

As the battle raged before them, Hex swept forward, then blasted the knights in the chest with eldritch, magical orb that tore nicely-sized holes in their chests!

While the suits fell unconscious on the ground, Chihiro teleported over to where Cynder was stuck to the wall, tore through the spider silk and yanked out Cynder.

"You weren't stuck there too long, were you?" Chihiro asked as Cynder hopped on the ground. "Get it, stuck?"

"I'll spare your awful puns this time," Cynder replied as she stretched her legs.

Chihiro forced a smile and a chuckle. She wasn't entirely sure if Cynder was joking or serious, but then again, it was kind of hard to tell with Cynder. So, Chihiro stared down the stretching halls before them and clasped her fist.

It seemed as though they'd shaken most of the opposition—were things finally done? The knights were hunks of broken metal, most of the spiders fled or were splattered, and the sounds of war were replaced with silence. Something in Chihiro's gut told her that they were forgetting something, something that egged at her head…

"GRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR!"

Chihiro winced and jumped back as the gargantula stomped forward, its eyes beady and its mouth wide open and slobbering. Yep, that was it! The gargantula splayed its mouth a bit wider, and shot out silk strings in every which way! Cynder jumped into the shadows just in time to avoid it, and Chihiro herself quickly teleported away, but Ghost Roaster and Hex weren't nearly as lucky!

Ghost Roaster was the first to go down as a silk string hit him in the back and stuck him to a large rock left among the rubble from the earlier battles, and Hex herself were struck and stuck to the walls right as she got ready to teleport away!

"Just my luck, huh?" Ghost Roaster grunted as he squirmed against the silk, and raised an eyebrow as he looked down at it. "I wonder…" Ghost Roaster unhinged his jaw, took a quick lick of the silk, and gagged as he yanked his tongue back in. "Yuck, way too bland!"

"Now's not the time for a taste test, Roaster!" Chihiro shouted, turned around and squeaked as a silk string head straight for her! However, instead of teleporting again, Chihiro just stood her ground and cast a sticky, magical web of her own from her open palm!

The two webs stuck to each other like glue, and pulled against each other in a twisted game of tug-o-war—the gargantula in all its might against the magic of a portal master. Who would come out on top? Ultimately, the gargantula won out! Its grip was so much stronger that it yanked Chihiro forward, straight into its open mouth! Chihiro screamed as she flew closer and closer into the gargantula's jaws, but before it could get a taste of human flesh, something dashed out from the shadows and straight through the silk string! While the string snapped clean in half, that shadowy figure dashed behind Chihiro's back and rolled her onto the ground.

"Thanks for that, Cyn!" Chihiro said as she watched Cynder become visible once more.

"Don't call me that," Cynder replied as she dashed off towards Hex and clawed through the spider string. "Just get cutting!"

So, Chihiro teleported over to Ghost Roaster and tugged and tore through the spider silk that kept him bound tight, but, it was hard! After all, this silk was tough and tight, a bit like rope—it must have been some pretty impressive stuff!

"Can't you do this any faster?" Ghost Roaster whined as he struggled against the silk and nearly flung his ball and chain in Chihiro's face. "I'm getting a crick in my head!"

Chihiro winced as she dodged Ghost Roaster's chain, huffed and summoned a gigantic pair of scissors made of magic! With a smile, she slid them under the silk and cut away!

"If you say so!"

Ghost Roaster, however, didn't seem particularly keen on the idea—in fact, he just started squirming even faster! "Hey, watch those scissors, you're gonna—"

Ghost Roaster stopped short as the silk came undone, got up and stretched. A slashing sound right beside them showed that Cynder had free Hex, so all four of them instead turned their eyes on the gargantula. What would it do now?

The gargantula paused and blinked for a few minutes, snarled and made another loud roar before it charged right at them!

However, this time they were all prepared! With a step forward, Cynder shadow-dashed passed the gargantula! While the gargantula paused and looked beside it, Ghost Roaster flew up to it in giant skull form and spun it in circles, literally! By the time he released the gargantula from its spin cycle, its eyes were in eight different direction as it stumbled around and bumped into the walls.

Hex stepped forward with her eyes set on the gargantula, and held out her hands as said hands glowed with a magical aura. From those hands, she cast out a twin blast that fused into one, gigantic skull which burst with magical flames! The gargantula watched in horror as the skull charged towards it with a gaping mouth, and in one snap of its jaws, the skull swallowed the spider whole and burst into a shower of magic and… Spiders? Yes, spiders! Tons of smaller spiders burst out and rained down from above!

"Crap! It was a mom!" Chihiro exclaimed.

Chihiro, Hex, Cynder and Ghost Roaster tried to race past the newly-formed herd of spiders, but it was hard, given that those spiders were as persistent as they were small! It didn't seem like there was any kind of exit in sight, either; just endless stretches of hallways and artwork. Were they ever gonna make it out?

Chihiro herself paused and wondered that, but stopped as something that sounded like an earthquake crashing rumbled through the entire hallway! The sudden sound pulled Chihiro's attention backwards, and as she caught sight of what made it, she screamed and jumped back! Behind her, the crowd of spiders turned into a massive wave of spiders, ready to crash down like a tidal wave! Chihiro immediately ran like she never thought she could have, and judging by the way that Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster dashed with her, it seemed as though they noticed too!

"There, a door!" Hex exclaimed as she pointed ahead!

Chihiro looked ahead and gasped, for Hex was right! Right before them was the end to their troubles—a simple, wooden door with a round metal handle that would lead them out of the mess! Chihiro teleported ahead and yanked the door open with all her might.

"Get in!" Chihiro shouted as she watched Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster rush inside.

As all three of them to safety, Chihiro looked down and frowned as she saw a splintered, broken wooden crate crushed underneath a pile of round rocks by her feet. Though broken crates were hardly a unique sight, this one seemed fairly new judging by the quality of its wood, as did the shiny, smooth rocks that stood above it. Why would something this shiny and new be in such an old, abandoned castle?

Chihiro winced and bit her lip at the sight without even realizing, but the cries of oncoming spiders reminded her that she didn't have all the time in the world to muse! So, she screamed as she dashed inside and slammed the door shut! A loud thunk echoed as the spiders presumably hit the door, and hissing sounds with a vaguely pained tone were heard as the sound of skittering noises grew further and further away. Yep, seems like those spiders gave up.

Chihiro slunk against the door in relief, paused and glazed around the room she entered. It reminded her a bit of an old ballroom, with its sleek pearly floors that were pristine save for the lack of a shine, and worn, dust-covered curtains held up by a dimly-lit crystal chandelier. A winding staircase separated an empty balcony from the ballroom itself with its pearly stairs and intricate railings, while the part underneath the balcony was blocked off, literally, by cinder blocks. The walls were covered in paintings of ghosts and vampires and zombies in fancy clothing dancing with each other in rooms that looked suspiciously like this very room. Other than those paintings and blocks, this room lacked the haunting aura of the rest of the citadel; it was just like something out of a fairy tale!

Chihiro grinned, so completely taken back by all the sights that she made no words, but Cynder didn't seem nearly as enthralled with its beauty as she did. Rather, Cynder just leaped up and flew onto the balcony, paused and tapped the empty wall at its end.

"Completely solid," Cynder shouted as she hopped onto the balcony's railing and sighed. "Doesn't look like there's a way out here."

"Think we hit a dead end?" Ghost Roaster asked as he crossed his arms.

"Probably." Cynder flew down from the balcony and crept back to the door. "Looks like we got the wrong place—"

"I wouldn't be so certain," Hex interrupted as she floated further across the room. "That undead presence grows stronger the further I go. Perhaps there's some kind of hidden passage here?"

Cynder stopped in her tracks, and turned around with maybe a bit of hesitation in her eyes for a moment. She paused for a moment and pursed her lips, as if she was hesitant to respond, but finally she nodded and stepped aside.

"If you say so, Hex," Cynder replied as she flared her wings and turned to Ghost Roaster. "Search the entire ballroom if you have to! We're not leaving this room until we find that secret passageway!"

So, Cynder flew off to one of the walls and lifted the paintings in some search of say, a secret button or hidden passageway, while Hex teleported back onto the balcony perhaps to see if there was anything Cynder missed. Ghost Roaster, meanwhile, just sighed as he crept up to the stairway's banister and fiddled with its décor.

While he did that, Chihiro just shrugged. After all, they were in a ballroom right now! What better thing was there to do than dance? So, Chihiro took a step forward, spun around and leaped aside.

"Chihiro, what are you doing?" Cynder asked as she turned around and laid a painting back on the wall.

"Dancing, of course!" Chihiro replied as she turned back to Cynder and beamed. "What else is there to do in a ballroom?"

Chihiro chuckled, sprung forward and spun around in great, elegant strides, just like how they did in those pictures she had seen. A pirouette here, a couple fancy leaps there, a stride there…

Beep!

Wait a second, did the room just beep? Chihiro stopped her dance recital short, and perked her head up as a shooming sound resounded through the empty ballroom. Her attention turned back to the cinder blocks underneath the balcony, except there was one missing! At least, she thought there was one missing.

"Wait a second, wasn't there another block underneath that balcony before?" Chihiro asked as she looked down at her feet.

Chihiro frowned, and pressed her foot against a panel of the ballroom that seemed suspiciously discolored compared to the rest. With another whoosing noise, that cinder block shot back up!

As her eyes sparkled, Chihiro turned back to Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster and pointed towards the blocks. "You all saw that, right?"

Ghost Roaster and Hex both turned around and nodded as they came back to Chihiro's side, while Cynder flew over and examined the discolored tiles on the floor.

"Seems like we found our secret passageway," Cynder remarked as she lifted her head.

Chihiro grinned and nodded as her eyes drifted over to another oddly-colored floor tile, and she stepped forward and went to press it—but before she could, Cynder leaped on it like a cat leaped on a mouse! The second block went down in another swift blow, and the third was quick to follow as Hex nailed down a third discolored tile just a little further off with a skull.

Ghost Roaster crept to a fourth tile just a few steps above that one and slammed it down with his flail, or at least, he tried, but he missed it by just a hare! Ghost Roaster snarled as he slammed it again, but all he managed to do was brush against it with his flail's spike! Seems as though he wasn't having much luck!

So, Chihiro stepped on the discolored panel once more and smiled as the last of the blocks fell down and allowed their passage. As they all passed through the dark depths underneath the balcony, the world around turned into a dimly-lit hallway that kind of look like a dance hall, what with its sleek floors and beaming spotlights. Oddly enough, the walls held large, gaping round holes unlike the room before it. What for?

Chihiro frowned as she focused her gaze on the strange holes, and shrieked and ducked down; out from the holes came sharp-looking axes dead-set to cut! Chihiro fell back and rolled out the way of one, and winced as another one came straight towards her! It was so fast that she could only sit and watch as… The ax passed right above her?

Sure enough, the ax dodged her and spun around with a dancer's grace as it grazed past Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, who all seemed equally as confused as Chihiro was. Really, all the axes did as they spun around the room with rhythm and wide strides, almost like a dance!

"That's it!" Chihiro shouted as she smiled, popped over to Cynder and took Cynder's paw.

"Chihiro, what are you doing?" Cynder asked as Chihiro held her close.

"You'll see!" Chihiro winked as she swept into the axes' fray like it a ballroom dance, Cynder close to her side. "These things are best with a partner, after all!"

Chihiro spun around an ax as it whirled by her and Cynder, and dipped down as an ax swung above her head. "Isn't dancing fun?" Chihiro asked as she strode past an ax and spun Cynder around by the paw.

Cynder cried out as she spun around in rapid time, and as the spinning finally stopped, she swirled her head around in a dizzy haze. Whoops, guess Chihiro might have taken her for too fast a spin! As Cynder shook her head, she wrangled her paw out of Chihiro's grip, shot Chihiro a glare, and stormed off with a huff.

"I'm not made for this dancing stuff," Cynder grumbled as she stepped forward.

She shook her head as she muttered something probably unsavory under her breath, but screamed and leaped backwards as an ax flew out from the ceiling! Chihiro yipped and leaped ahead as another ax slashed the air behind her, and pushed Cynder down as a third ax flew in from the ceiling!

As the ax receded back into the ceiling, Chihiro winced as more and more shining silver blades swept in and out from the walls beside them! She and Cynder rolled back and forth in perfect sync as they swept left, right, left… Ugh, this was getting dizzying! Chihiro wrapped her arm close around Cynder's waist, held Cynder's paw just as tight, and lifted up and pirouetted them both through the storm of swinging blades!

Chihiro giggled as they dashed hand in paw out of the fray, but Cynder seemed less amused as her jaw dropped wide-open. "Alright, I guess I am made for this dancing stuff," Cynder panted as she pressed her cool, scaly body closer to Chihiro's. "Just don't spin me anymore, got it?"

"No promises~" Chihiro giggled and stuck her tongue out at Cynder, who just sighed and rolled her eyes in response.

Chihiro just shook her head, her smile still fixed on her face, but that smile quickly faded as she looked ahead and saw that her trials weren't over just yet! After all, just ahead of them lied an entire row of saws that popped in and out of the ground with rapid speed!

"Alright, Cyn, you might wanna hold on tight!" Chihiro said as she narrowed her eyes and fixed herself on the saws. "We're gonna have to jump!"

"Jump?" Cynder repeated as she looked at the saws with wide eyes. "Over that?"

"You bet'cha!"

Chihiro giggled as she leaned down, and dashed off past the blank strip of stone that lead straight towards the axes! Her feet echoed around the halls in time with the gnashing of the saws' blades as they sheathed and unsheathed themselves out from the ground, but that noise was of no concern to Chihiro!

"Un, deux, un, deux," Chihiro whispered as she drew just closer to the saws. Her footsteps slowed down in time with her counting, but not enough to slow her momentum as she bent down and leaped right over the saws' blades!

"TROIS!"

Chihiro bent down as yet another ax swung above them, and finally she released Cynder and sat down on the floor. The heavy breaths she breathed rattled her chest just a bit, but the exhaustion didn’t kill her by any means; heck, she felt great! Though she went entirely off what she saw of ballroom dance in cheesy princess movies, she aced that ballroom dancing stuff! After all, she completely dodged the axes' blades! Even Cynder didn't complain as she stretched out her legs despite the impromptu dance Chihiro roped her into, which said a lot!

Chihiro twirled past a pair of axes, strode forward and leaped past another pair! As she landed on the floor and spun around, something depressed underneath Chihiro's foot and froze the axes right in place. The axes whirred as they slowly drew upright and disappeared into the depths of their holes. Looks like Chihiro found the shutdown switch!

With the axes gone, Hex and Ghost Roaster swept down the halls and joined them, and with their party regained, they all crept down the path ahead. It seemed completely identical to the rest of the hall before them, but completely dull and dark compared to the rest. Heck, Chihiro had to summon a light sphere just to make sure she didn't trip over anyone's feet!

Though the hallways seemed like they'd span forever, evidently Chihiro was mistaken as she stopped at an empty hall with what seemed like no sort of exit.

"So we were walking to a dead end all along?" Chihiro asked as she released her light sphere and huffed, "Darn."

"But that can't be right," Hex remarked. "There were no other entryways at that ballroom..."

"You sure 'bout that?" Ghost Roaster asked as he flicked his chain and promptly bonked Chihiro's back by accident.

"Hey, Roaster!" Chihiro whined as she leaned over and looked at what she thought was where he stood. "Watch where you're flinging that thing!"

Chihiro scoffed, and frowned as a soft light against her face that she hadn't noticed before brushed against her face. Light? But where did it come from? No light sources came from these walls around them! Unless… Chihiro looked down, and sure enough, the light's source was in the floor! Specifically from an oddly-shaped crack in the paneling. Suspicious! Chihiro dug her fingers underneath the crack, and slowly lifted the panel to find it wasn't a panel, but the cover to a secret passageway to a stone room flooded with soft light! Its gap bridged itself with a worn, but hopefully still usable, pair of stairs!

Chihiro beamed, pushed the tile aside and crept down the stairs. The soft light faded away, and this time, it unveiled a smaller, but still elegant-looking ballroom with elaborate murals and cinder blocks that hid what was surely an entrance of some kind at the back of the room. Geez, how many ballrooms did these people need, anyways?

However, unlike the ballroom before, this one completely lacked the opalescent coating that made that floors shine and sparkle! Rather, the tiles were duller and looked less maintained, and some were oddly-colored compared to the rest. Not in a case of discoloration, no; rather, seated there on the floor were four tiles painted in an entire rainbow of colors!

Chihiro hopped off the stairs, tapped the first rainbow tile down, and looked up as a shifting sound announced that the first block was gone! She smiled as she teleported to the second and got ready to touch down, but the block shot back up before Chihiro could reach the second tile! Chihiro sighed as she fell down onto the second rainbow tile while the second block went down in accordance.

"Guess I'm gonna have to be a little faster!" Chihiro chirped as her body sparkled with magic.

Chihiro teleported back to the first tile, lightly tapped it down, and whisked herself away to the third—but both of the blocks shot back up and threw her off! As Chihiro stumbled back, she turned to the blocks and huffed.

"Oh come on!"

Chihiro sighed as she teleported back to the first panel, and tapped her feet against the floor. Blue, magic wings manifested on her heels, while the itch to run rose in her heart, as if staying put a moment longer would kill her! That's right, she had the perfect fix if speed was what she needed! Chihiro leaned down as she slammed her foot down on the first panel, zoomed from that one to the second, and slammed it down as well! Chihiro craned her head around and grinned as she dashed en route to the third panel, for the first two blocks were down! She was doing good, but she couldn't get her hopes up just yet!

She dashed closer and closer to the third panel, so close that she could almost taste it, but, in a cruel twist of fate, she lost her footing and flew right past it! Chihiro's eyes went wide as the third tile passed her by, and she crashed face-first into the floor right as the blocks shot back up! Chihiro pulled her face off the floor with a pop, and groaned as she repressed the urge to say several words that were highly inappropriate for someone of her age to say. Well, that was a bust.

Chihiro heaved a sigh as she sat up, drifted over to the walls and glazed over the murals drawn on them. They all depicted pairs of undead dancers spinning around on a rainbow floor, with another pair taking the place the pair before them vacated every time one had moved on, all while arrows pointed from one movement to the other. Hey, wait a moment! The whole thing almost seemed like it was painted to look more like instructions, and those rainbow floor tiles did look awfully familiar…

Wait, that was it!

"Hey, everyone!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around and waved across the floor. "Come on down, I found something!"

Chihiro frowned as her voice's echoes faded away—had they heard her? Thankfully they had, as Cynder swooped down the open hole while Ghost Roaster and Hex crept down the stairs soon after! Chihiro waved Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster, and beamed as she pointed first at the painting.

"See these?" Chihiro pointed to the painting once more for emphasis as they all joined her, spun around and gestured to the rainbow panels on the floor. "I need you to stand on those tiles so we can take these blocks down!"

Chihiro grinned, hopped onto the first rainbow panel and narrowed her eyes as the first block slid down. As she vacated it to take the second, Hex floated over, gently drifted onto the first panel, and lowered down and sat still on it! Chihiro turned around, fixed her eyes on the blocks, and grinned so wide it stretched from ear to ear. She was right! Both those blocks were down, and this time, they stayed down!

So, Chihiro hopped onto the third right as Cynder took the second panel, and hit the fourth and final with a grin right as Ghost Roaster hit the third! As her feet hit the cold floor and pushed down that fourth panel, a cheery piano tune a bit unfitting of the undead atmosphere played while all the blocks went down!

"Finally!" Chihiro cheered as she shook her head. "I never wanna see another ballroom for the rest of my life after this!"

"You and me both," Cynder grumbled as she flew up to Chihiro.

The two of them shared a soft chuckle as they looked towards each other, and for a moment, the tension and cold of Cynder's look let up a little. But, it was quick to fade as Cynder flew up and over to the dark tunnel that the blocks formerly hid. Hex and Ghost Roaster trailed after her in response, so Chihiro just frowned and summoned a magic sphere as she trailed after them.

Shudders ran down everyone's spines as they sifted through the darkness of the tunnel, a sure sign that the Eternal Undead Source was definitely close by.

Kaos was awfully quiet the whole time they ran around; would he be waiting for them, Chihiro wondered? Had he already stolen it, or perhaps they were lucky enough that he hadn't stormed the castle already? Now that she thought about it, those knights started glowing really weirdly and those spiders showing up out of nowhere seemed pretty suspicious, as did that oddly new crate she had found earlier… Chihiro didn't know what was going on here, but the anticipation to find out was tying her stomach in knots again! Just the thought of it made her sick, so she shook it off and tried to push it to the back of her mind, but it just prodded at her the way animals scratch at doors to rooms they so desperately want to get into.

Chihiro sighed as the darkness started to relent, and with one last step, she found herself on a gigantic stone platform dimly lit cyan by glowing holes in the walls and floor. Cynder, Hex and Ghost Roaster all stood on the platform and frowned as they looked around, and Chihiro could definitely understand their silent concern! After all, not only was the Eternal Undead Source decidedly not here, but the whole area was blank and vacant! Outside of those lights, nothing else was here. Why would an empty room be hidden behind so many bells and whistles? Something wasn't right.

"Weird," Chihiro remarked as she looked around while the cyan light grew brighter around here. "Shouldn't there be something—"

Before she could even finish, however, the platform let out a burst of bright, blue light that whisked them all away in the blink of an eye!