"———, why are you so slow?" Barineer said.

"You're too fast." The Scholar Girl shook her head. "Your manner right now is unladylike. If you keep doing it, you won't find a husband before you grow old with your hair turning grey."

Barineer stopped running and turned around. Her eyes widened with anger, then contracted as she pouted. She crossed her arms and tilted her head away from the Scholar Girl, trying her hardest to ignore her friend.

The Scholar Girl held her breath. She rushed to Barineer, swaying her arms to her side. Her calm facade shattered into countless fragments of childishness, flipping her personality from courteous to mischievous. This sparkling innocence captivated Barineer, who ceased her anger and laughed at her friend's clumsiness.

From behind, Iris walked at a moderate pace. Though she was relatively far from them, her distance from them remained unchanged. As they played by themselves, Iris kept wondering, her eyes admiring the indecipherable paintings on the walls.

After observing them for a while, Iris connected the muddled paintings with the story inside the diary. The pictures, each containing myriad meanings and movements, resembled the descriptions of Barineer's life.

A real mind palace is considerably stranger than what Artium described. I should have asked her to tell me more back then. I didn't listen carefully, and now I can't glean much information from the symbolism. Still, it's fascinating. Maybe, I can use this way to become more intimate with others without doing those lewd things?

Why do I think it's regrettable?

"Madam Iris, do you really like arts?" The Scholar Girl slowed to match Iris’s pace. "May I know what you think of them?"

"I think they're precious. These still pictures, they give me a sense of nostalgia. I can sit and muse over them for hours. The contemplative emotion they evoked is what I love about them."

"What are you two gossiping about?" Barineer walked back to Iris. "I have no idea what's Lady Iris's talking about. I only see pretty pictures; are there words hidden inside them?"

Iris pointed at a picture. Barineer stared at it, tilting her head. Iris softly laughed.

"Every picture is unique, not just from other pictures but also from each viewer."

"Can you give me an example?" Barineer's eyes reddened as she refused to blink. "I'm not slow; your wording confuses me."

"Of course, you're slow," the Scholar Girl said.

"No worry," Iris smiled. "Imagine a picture of your bedroom. When you see it, you feel comfortable, right?"

Barineer nodded. Her dull-green eye sparkled.

Iris flipped her palm. "However, to me, if I saw your room. I'll think that it's luxurious and pretty. After all, your bedroom is not somewhere I'm familiar with. I will never feel the warmth you felt."

"Then, can I invite you to my bedroom so you can feel the warmth?"

"I'm grateful for the invitation, but it might not be appropriate."

"I see." Barineer dropped her head.

Iris controlled herself from reaching out to pat Barineer. Such lovely personality. How did she change so much? There is no trace of cuteness in her adult version. Has this little girl disappeared along with her best friend?

Lost in thoughts, Iris strolled forward. With each bubble of imagination rising in her mind, her speed dropped. The distance between Barineer and she widened, but the Scholar Girl compensated her speed for it. She raised her right hand, which held the thick tome, and waved it lightly before rushing forward.

Her voice echoed from afar, distracting Barineer.

Peace came to Iris. She turned to the side, pressed her hands against a golden-framed white door, and pushed forward. The door creaked, but its firm lock didn't budge. Piercing whispers seeped through the gap under the door as hazy mist crawled out of the room. The atmosphere instilled drowsiness into Iris.

She curled her fingers and pinched her palm. Her milky blood oozed from her wound. Holding a small puddle of blood in her palm, she wiped her hand on the door. The dull, crimson trail tainted the door, then congregated, forming a complex hexagram.

"Memory is the window to the past and heart to the soul," Iris said. "Open for me, sealed chamber of sentiments. Let me untie that knot in your mind and free you from your regret."

The milky blood boiled, producing bubbles. The locked door trembled as it absorbed the blood. Patches of grasses and colours grew atop the blood trace. Their roots permeated the wood, penetrating the invisible confinement.

Smiling, Iris gently tapped the door. It rotated open, revealing a sea of mist whose boundary extended beyond the horizon. Despite the room's small exterior, the interior defied logic as if it were the outside.

Iris turned to Barineer, who talked and played with the Scholar Girl. The two failed to notice the commotion; their fun conversations distracted them from the existence of Iris.

Those two will not be looking for me any time soon. I don't know why that girl is helping me, but it's beneficial to me. Our goals align, so I'll help you as much as you help me.

Taking a long, deep breath, Iris stepped through the door. The mist shrouded her figure and blurred the surrounding. A flood of emotions and memory assaulted her.

...

Why is the fire so big? Are they trying to cook me?

Barineer slammed the door open. Her momentum dragged her out of the bedroom, crashing into a crumbling wall. The blazing flame surrounded her, spewing endless heat, which reddened the air and burned the world into a vortex of black smoke. The lanterns hanging on the walls fell from their melting handles, shattering into countless fragments, sending sparkles all around.

As she tripped, Barineer screamed. The shards cut her, then she suppressed her voice by biting her cheeks. Must not cry. I’ll disappoint them if I cry. I must get out of here alive!

Panting, Barineer grabbed a crack on the wall and pulled herself up. The splinters cut in her palm, but the shocking pain from the shards had already numbed it. Shivering, she looked around the messy hallway, finding no one.

Before she moved, she grabbed her dress and flapped it. I need to be clean, but there is dust everywhere. They will not blame me if my blood dirties my dress, right?

Barineer walked forward. Behind her, the passage which led to the nearest exit had collapsed, drowned under the roaring fire. The aberration of heat, flickering in and out of existence, crawled towards her. Because of her injuries, her speed was barely enough to outpace it.

Toxic smokes gradually filled the ceiling, drifting up the higher floors through cracks and holes in the ceiling. Their blackness obscured her path, but Barineer still remembered the general direction to the other exit. She passed through the broken hall, crawled under the wreckage, and slipped behind the shattered walls.

Alone, she pressed forwards, yet she did not feel sad. She had always been alone; it was better this way, no one to judge her, no one to blame her.

Once I get out, maybe I can stay at her house? Will she accept me? Barineer shook her head. The pain subsided. Don't think badly of your best friend, Barin. She has always been with you; she will help you. You're not alone.

As Barineer walked through the collapsing ballroom, the room shook. An explosion erupted, flashing a bright ray of light, enveloping the mansion in its midst. Its shockwave crushed the supporting pillars, collapsing the higher floors onto the first floor.

Barineer, who was moving along the wall, slid beneath the wreckage and cowered in the darkness. She pressed her hands on her head and crouched down, pushing her frail body deeper under the ruin. Stone fragments and tiles rained on the ballroom, breaking everything that remained intact.

Dust and ashes rose from the ground, coating the world with dull air. Barineer covered her mouth and nose, but she could not stop herself from coughing. As she tensed up, her wounds reopened, and the pain sapped her stamina.

When the world quietened, the all-consuming flame reached the ballroom. Barineer crawled out of her hiding. Her blood soaked her colourful dress, turning it dark crimson.

She grabbed her left shoulder, trembling. There was a large wound on it, so large she almost screamed when she saw it. If not for the aching agony which exhausted her, she might cry until her lungs burst.

I need to get treated. If I leave it be, I'll get sick, or I might have to cut off my left arm!

But where is everyone? Have they successfully escaped? Did they forget me, or did they not care?

Fatigue and stress plaguing her mind, Barineer dragged her body onward. Once she passed the ballroom, there would be a short hallway, followed by the exit. Outside, there would be rescuers who would save her. She had to persevere until then.

Why is walking so tired? Did I not sleep enough last night? Her strength left her. Despite the overwhelming flame behind her, she could only feel the chill inside her. It seeped into her flesh and froze her movement.

Her legs refused to move, then crumpled like lifeless twigs. As she fell head-first on the ground, she braced herself, closing her eyes, but she did not reach the ground. A pair of quivering hands supported her, and a familiar warmth enveloped her body, embracing her entire being.

"Barin, don't sleep!" The Scholar Girl's voice echoed. "Listen to me: you must not fall asleep. Keep breathing, keep talking, and don't let your mind wander!"

"Why . . . why are you here?" Barineer opened her eyes and held onto the Scholar Girl's shoulders. "Leave, quick. The fire is coming."

"Barin, you fool. How can I leave you? You're coming with me." The Scholar Girl supported Barineer, slowly making her way past the ballroom. "I came early today to meet you, but everything was on fire. If not for you, I wouldn't have risked coming here. Remember to pay me a lot!"

"Everything is burning down. I might be homeless after this, let alone paying you."

Barineer turned her head to the side. Through the cracks between the walls and ceiling, moonlight glimmered, filling the quiet forest with tranquillity, which suppressed the flaming mansion from bursting into a gigantic commotion.

Liar, no one would come to play at this hour. Barineer frowned, but the headache kept her from thinking too deeply.

The Scholar Girl and Barineer slowly passed through the ballroom and the hallway. Their conversation kept going as if there were no destruction around them. No matter how boring the topic was, the Scholar Girl maintained her pace, forcing Barineer to talk, keeping her awake.

"Hang in there. The exit is within sight." The Scholar Girl lightly tensed her arms. "Once we get out of this, I'll get you to the clinic. You won't need to worry about anything after that. So, please, don't sleep. Talk to me, keep talking."

"———, have you seen my family?" Barineer said. "Do you think they forgot me?"

"No. They wouldn’t forget you, but I haven't seen anyone except you." The Scholar Girl's voice grew hoarse. "You don't need to worry. You can stay at my house. Once you're ready, you can go back to them if you want."

Barineer fell silent. The Scholar Girl grew anxious, then calmed down after realising that Barineer was contemplating, not sleeping. The two dragged each other until they crawled under the last crumbling pillar and reached the outside.

Dark green garden and broken fragments of buildings surrounded them. From behind, the entity of fire formed a massive behemoth, whose size towered over the falling mansion. It greedily devoured everything, yet there was no sound in its path of destruction, no scream, no wail, no call for help.

Silence persisted amidst the inevitable downfall.

"Let's go, Barin," the Scholar Girl said. "Don't look back. It isn't pretty."

"Oh, there are still some survivors?"

The Scholar Girl halted her footstep and turned to the shadow behind a tree. Her eyes narrowed as she reached her free hand behind her back.

From the blackness, a man walked out. He held a long sabre in his right hand and an extinguished torch in his left.