Before leaving the roof, I made sure Rose would be fine on her own for the duration of her shift watching for danger. As much as her pink hair and fair skin made her seem fragile and doll-like, she had a strong mind. She'd been shaken for a moment, then her demeanor had shifted and a look of determination overtook her features. I'd made the right decision to tell her everything, but there was someone else that'd probably benefit from what I knew.

Rose was sure that Garta and Rila should know everything as well. Then from there, we'd figure out how to approach Professor Widhia and Kadhi about it since they seemed less likely to believe me. If they refused to see the truth after revealing it to them, then they'd have to decide whether to risk keeping them around or ditch them.

Garta sat up from his bed as soon as I opened his door. I didn't bother knocking.

"What?" he asked, looking annoyed but not at all like he'd been sleeping. There was even a new candle flickering light at his bedside.

I closed the door behind me. "We're in hell."

"I know." He flopped onto his back again with a sigh. "Got a visit from Tinnek."

The demon who'd possessed Garta's uncle. Belatedly, I glanced to the armoire in his room and found there were no mirrors. There had been a pair, though. I pointed to where they should've been on the doors to ask if that was where he'd been visited from Tinnek.

He nodded. "So you got a visit, too?"

"Earlier. Just a pride demon." I took a seat on his bed and explained quickly about [Demeot Eyes] the same way I had with Rose. Best to keep my stories straight. "One appeared in the mirror in the room Rose and Rila chose, too. Rila's the one that encountered it, but Rose was the one who destroyed the mirror. Where'd yours go?"

Maybe Garta had suspected I had some ability like [Demeot Eyes] already because he didn't care to even give me a questioning look. "You really don't know anything about magic, do you?"

It was my turn to sigh. "Tell me about your visit from Tinnek."

He gave me a long look but obliged after a moment. "I woke up with the feeling I was being watched about two hours ago. I got up to check for any intruders. At first, I thought there weren't any but then found Tinnek in my mirror."

From what I remembered of Tinnek, he wasn't a handsome demon. Garta made the same face I made at the idea of looking into a mirror and seeing that demon's reflection instead of my own. That didn't explain why it was Tinnek instead of a pride demon like the one I saw or the one Rila saw.

"Why was he in your mirror though?" I asked because I could tell there was part of the story missing. There were a number of questions I could ask. Probably some that'd get a more full answer from him, especially if I pressed. But I wouldn't have wanted Rose to push me and so I wasn't going to push Garta.

He grumbled and pinched his brow. I hope I didn't appear to debate my options so openly to Rose.

"Fuck. Fine. You were honest with me, so I should be honest with you." He sat back up so he could look at me properly. "Tinnek disguised himself as a pride demon, likely because he thought I wouldn't recognize him and make some deal with him out of ignorance because he's that kinda bastard. That or he just wanted to find me so he can kill me once and for all. Either way, Hokra gave me a reality stone after I survived him once so I could survive him again."

Well, that was something for sure. Hokra was the god of wisdom, the Shevira of realism and selflessness. Hokra's corresponding Rashirat was Ozzomoth of what we'd surely be introduced to as the [2nd Dominion] where chaos was maintained by him and his Order of the Real.

"So what's this reality stone do?" I asked.

"I'm assuming it works a bit like your [Demeot Eyes]. I see the Demeot as they are rather than as they want to appear. Whether they're possessing someone or taking the image of a reflection."

That was why he'd known where we truly were. He'd seen everyone as the demon they were the entire time. "Then you won't be too surprised when I tell you the rest." I proceeded to tell him about the demon I saw in the mirror as well as the one Rila saw, then about deciding to keep watch on the roof with Rose for half of the night each. "When I was up there, I saw very few demons."

"What do you mean?" Garta asked, frowning now.

"All the demons you saw today? All the people they copied their image from march around at night with a rock in a big loop around the city. They don't seem to stop to take a break, either. Carrying different sized rocks. I think based on how many pride demons they made a deal with--how many of them ended up taking their image."

Garta's eyes widened but then he nodded while looking away to process what I said. Much like Rose, he accepted our situation rather easily. He could've gone up to the roof to see for himself, but he said he didn't need to do anything like that. "How are you going to tell Professor Widhia and Kadhi?"

"As soon as they wake up, I'll tell them the same I told you and Rose... with some details missing."

"What if they don't believe you? They don't have [Demeot Eyes] or a reality stone. Or whatever insight Rose must have--likely a gift from her patron god, right?" He shrugged and looked at the ceiling. "Will you make them believe you?"

I could try to use [Silver Tongue] to convince them, but I had a feeling my skill would have little sway over a situation created by the System. "Doubt that's an option," I decided. "And ultimately, it'll be more dangerous for us to split from them than stick together. Professor Widhia's the strongest of us. Even if he doesn't think we're in hell, that doesn't mean he can't protect us from it still. Might also start believing us at some point."

"You think so?" Garta scoffed. "I think it's more likely that they've both made contracts already. I'll know when I see them."

"We could use that to our advantage though. We need more information about this dungeon, and if the demon that takes the professor's image wants to tell us in order to keep their cover, that'd work for us. There's also the problem that we don't know if clearing the [10th Dominion] will lead us out of the dungeon or into the [9th Dominion]."

Garta didn't love the plan, but it was all we had. Before I knew it, I picked up on the sound of Professor Widhia waking up. Not even half a minute later, I was knocking at his door with Garta behind me, waiting to make his assessment.

The professor opened the door, clearly still tired. "...Gerard and Garta...? What's this early morning greeting for...?"

"We've learned some new things about this dungeon," I said, waiting for my [Demeot Eyes] to tell me he was a demon. "Cover your mirror if you haven't already because--"

"--Ah," the professor said. He smiled and gave a good-natured chuckle that made me want to punch him. "Yes, the pride demon. So they appeared in other mirrors as well? How unfortunate that I didn't check on all of you after I took care of the one in my own mirror. They just usually go for the leader of groups like ours. Well, we can certainly talk more about it over breakfast. Let me get ready and make something to fill all our stomachs."

With that, he closed his door and left me in the hall with Garta trying to decide if the professor as a demon or not. But one look at Garta, I could tell the professor hadn't registered as a demon to him.

"...Professor Widhia is known to be very survival of the fittest," Garta said quietly. "Let's just prepare for the worst and keep listening for Kadhi."

The situation hadn't improved at all after seeing the professor, which was annoying. As I got my stuff sorted for when we left this apartment, my mind churning over what all could possibly go wrong from here on. There were too many bad outcomes awaiting me. My odds of living through this were dwindling the longer I stayed here, but rushing an escape would probably get me killed even sooner. I didn't have enough information.

I needed to talk to Di'at. I'd hoped to get reliable information out of the professor or the demon who took the professor's image but that didn't seem wise now. I could trust a demon to give me good information if they were trying to gain my trust. I could even trust the professor under the same circumstances. But he was neither a demon nor was he trying to gain my trust. The professor couldn't give a fuck about my trust.

The only way I knew how to talk to Di'at was through that tea Rose had made for the Tespana party. I'd brought the more common ingredients for it using [Deep Pockets] since they had medicinal properties as well. Given that this island city was supposed to be a paradise, I might be able to find the other ingredients I needed if I had the time.

Ideally, though, I wouldn't have the time.

The professor did as he said; after getting dressed, he made us all a hearty breakfast with magic. Like something from a diner in a movie. Rose and Rila joined once the food was ready, and Rila seemed more angry at the world than ever before. I took it that she believed Rose. With that in mind, I broached the subject of whether we were in [Silvernight].

"Given how different this place is to what we know about the [Silvernight] dungeon," I said between bites. Keeping it casual. Not trying to make it seem like I was trying to tell the professor what to do since I knew how that'd go over. "Shouldn't we approach this place... more like a dungeon we don't know anything about?"

"I suppose you are right," the professor said. He cleaned up his magic cooking set-up between bites. "The tower's readings don't map exactly onto [Silvernight], and so I will grant you that we are likely not in [Silvernight]. However, by my calculations, this dungeon shouldn't prove any more challenge for you all. The tower should not prove to be something your group can't overcome. For example, if the pride demons were your first challenge, I'd say you all passed."

"That's how you're thinking about it?" Garta asked. I could hear the fuck you in the hard blink he made after.

The professor chuckled. "Everything is a lesson, Garta."

That was when Kadhi's door opened.