“So,” Tafel said and glanced at Vur. In front of them, on the bed, the rabbit was staring up at them with its eyes wide and its front paws pressed together. “Do you believe what it’s saying?”

Vur shrugged. “It doesn’t seem like it’s lying,” he said and picked the rabbit up. He moved it over as if he were moving a stuffed animal and peered at the portal that had been behind it. Vur stuck his right hand through the portal and wiggled his arm around. After a bit, he pulled his hand out, and it was completely unharmed. “The portal’s safe.”

Tafel nodded. “Entering a portal and getting stuck in another place does sound like Mary would do; she does get lost quite easily,” the demon said and scratched her head. “However, that wasn’t what I was uncertain about. Do you really think this tower has the ability to make someone stronger than a dragon?”

Vur shrugged again. “I’ve never heard about the tower before,” he said and picked up the rabbit again. It seemed to have learned it couldn’t escape, so it didn’t even try to resist Vur’s hands. “Why don’t we ask Grimmy?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Tafel said. “If anyone would know anything about something like this, it’d be a cursed dragon, huh?” After all, cursed dragons were the ones who poked their noses into other people’s business all the time in the name of sealing calamities. At least—to Tafel—that’s the impression she had obtained after visiting the evil-sealing tower.

Vur nodded. “Portal?” he asked.

“Grimmy is at the roost, right?” Tafel asked as her horns glowed silver. Seconds later, a portal materialized in the air beside her, the little window in space revealing four sunbathing dragons: two silver and two black. They all raised their heads at the same time, staring at the sudden intrusion. Upon seeing who had opened the portal three of the dragons put their heads back down while the fourth one, Ramon, waved at Tafel.

The baby holy dragon climbed to his feet and scampered over to the portal before Tafel and Vur could even pass through. “Hi! What are you two doing? Anything fun or interesting? It’s so boring here.”

“Hello, Ramon,” Tafel said and nodded at the holy dragon as she exited the portal. When Vur passed exited with the rabbit in his grasp, Ramon’s eyes lit up.

“Is that rabbit for me?” Ramon asked and licked his lips.

“You like rabbits?” Vur asked and held the rabbit out towards Ramon. It went completely stiff upon realizing where it had been brought.

“He likes biting their tails off,” Gloria said from her sunbathing spot by her parents.

Vur glanced at Ramon, and the holy dragon bobbed its head up and down. “I do,” Ramon said. His eyes shifted down to look at the rabbit. “Can I?”

“If it misbehaves,” Vur said and brought the rabbit closer to his own body much to Ramon’s dismay. This was a special rabbit from the tower. What if it didn’t agree with Ramon’s stomach? As a responsible adult, Vur had to eat the things in the tower first to make sure they were safe for consumption before feeding them to his baby cousin.

Tafel cleared her throat and approached Grimmy with slow steps. “Grimmy?” she asked and held the torn black envelope up in front of herself. “Do you know anything about the tower? It’s supposed to be a place where someone can become stronger than a dragon if they can complete the tower’s tasks. It opens up rifts to multiple dimensions to populate itself with the residents of those dimensions, and Vur received an invitation to enter.”

“Hmm….” Grimmy tapped his claws on the ground of the valley as his forehead scrunched up. “A tower that opens rifts to other dimensions….” After thinking for a bit, he shook his head. “Nope. I’ve never heard about it, but I’ve heard about dimensional rifts opening before. When people fall through them, they never return. I’ve always wanted to know what was inside of one. Maybe the two are related.”

Tafel frowned and turned to look at the rabbit. “If we enter the tower, can we leave whenever we want?”

“If, if you’re capable enough,” the rabbit said through chattering teeth. Ramon’s gaze had never left the rabbit despite Vur refusing to let the holy dragon chomp its tail off. “If you’re strong and the tower acknowledges you, it won’t be difficult to establish a connection between the tower and your home dimension that you can use whenever you want.”

Upon hearing that, Tafel’s frown deepened. “Mary is strong. Where’s her portal home?”

The rabbit blinked. “Maybe she’s … not as strong as you think? Or! Or she, uh, doesn’t want to go home. Yes, that must be it.” The rabbit’s head bobbed up and down, and Tafel stopped glaring at it.

“Sounds like the two of you are planning on entering the tower,” Grimmy said and raised an eyebrow. “Can you take another person with you?”

“The, the entrance isn’t big enough to accommodate a dragon,” the rabbit said in an extremely small voice.

“That doesn’t matter,” Grimmy said and snorted. “Besides, I wasn’t talking about myself.” His gaze shifted onto Vur. “If you’re going, take Lindyss with you. If she doesn’t want to go, tell her I told her to.”

Vur nodded. “Okay.”

“If we’re bringing Auntie Lindyss, should we invite Alice and Mr. Skelly as well?” Tafel asked. “They’re a part of our party after all.” She frowned. “Then again, they’re still on their honeymoon, right? They did just get married. I think I’ll just ask them.” Another portal appeared beside the first one that hadn’t closed. Soft music and low giggles sounded out the moment she did. It was hard to see, but flickers of candlelight lit up some portions of Tafel’s face. Less than a second later, the portal closed faster than Vur had seen Tafel close a portal before. “Nope. They’re busy.”

“Are you sure?” the rabbit asked. “You didn’t even—”

Tafel glared at the rabbit and enunciated each word as she spoke. “They are busy.”