My eyes widened as I heard his words, but I didn't let the excitement get the better of me. Calming my racing heart with a deep breath, I looked down and asked with a raised eyebrow.
"So, can you tell where we exactly are or, better yet, even use your abilities?"
"Are you not expecting too much…?" Franz said in a meek voice he felt the expectations being placed on him were off the charts.
"Ah, sorry but not so sorry for placing my expectation on the so-called seasoned awakened…" I replied sarcastically; his words felt like nothing but complaints.
I had understood one thing perfectly about him: that he was nothing more than a slacker who talked big, but at the time of need, he turned useless somehow.
"Are you thinking something rude somehow?"
"Yes, I am. Please don't waste our time anymore."
Franz, unable to argue, nodded and grumbled. "I was just trying to lift the mood…"
"Anyway, I can only sense Lyra… but I don't know where she is, or more like where we are."
I nodded and peeked inside the room where Leo was being dressed up by Ayla.
I bit my lips and sighed, 'We are running out of time.'
And have found nothing useful till now; the only discovery that can be considered as an improvement was the newfound powers, but even then it was not a guarantee it will continue to work till the last moment or even in the next loop.
"I see… Our next move is to find an exit or at least the source of those white flames." I said and moved my hands to pick him up from the floor he was sitting upon.
Franz turned to look at me in confusion as he found himself being picked up by firm hands.
"I agree with your points, but… why are you picking me up?"
I blinked twice and said with a tone matching his humor. "Because, Franz, you are just a cat."
"Ah, good point. I shall get carried then."
'This guy is just shameless.' I looked at him in amusement and threw him inside the room.
That day, for the first time in their lives, the kids saw a cat fly.
*****
"Butler I can't believe you threw him inside like that." Ayla continued to scold me as she walked through the corridor; in her hand Franz, or the so-called kitty, rested gently, looking back at me with his tongue out.
"I didn't know Mr.Nits could fly that high." Leo said with a fresh smile, his eyes looking at his sister, who was holding his right hand.
"I know, right?" I chuckled.
Ayla frowned and glared at Leo before scolding him as well. "Leo, don't copy him. Mr.Nits could have gotten hurt."
Leo's expression froze as he looked back at me with a sorrow-filled expression; he really wanted to do it once.
I chuckled and told him in a surprisingly light tone that didn't show any of my initial tension regarding our tight situation.
"Don't worry, Ayla, cats are used to being thrown and landing on their feet; they can never get hurt from something like this."
"Really?" She asked with interest.
Franz facepalmed as he suddenly struggled in her grasp; seeing his distress, she patted his back reassuringly before saying,. "I won't throw you like them."
Leo looked at us both as we shared our conversation, talking about trivial things. He looked up and said,. "Big Sis, it's not fair!"
Ayla's brows furrowed up in surprise as she gently asked. "What's not fair, Leo?"
"Butler is only calling you by name and not me…"
"Should I address the young master by name as well?" I asked, coming to his left with a fast step.
Surprised by my speed, Leo nodded, not letting Ayla say anything in between. "Please do!"
"Alright, Leo, it's a promise." I leaned toward him as his face flushed with happiness. I raised my pinky finger in his direction, hoping to make a childish promise.
"It's a promise… hehe." He giggled and grabbed my finger without any second thoughts.
Ayla smiled seeing this and joined us without delay.
"Me too, me too!" She said excitedly.
"Meow…" Franz, still acting like a cat, purred in between, his fate hanging between the whims of these children made him sweat profusely.
"Yes, yes, you too, Mr.Nits." Ayla said, tugging his paws over our hands. This small, childish act somehow felt like a team-building exercise.
I smiled warmly as we stood here in a circle, standing side by side. Our palms held above each other.
"Sorry to break your smiles, but Leo, Ayla We need to hurry. Your father must have arrived by now." I said.
"Ah, you are correct. Leo, let's hurry." Ayla said, her hand moving to grab Leo's hand.
We all moved through the corridor, then came downstairs. My observation remained passive for now, as most of the rooms held the same grey fog obstructing my view.
This world was like a dream, with many memories hidden behind fog. Was this world the same as a dream? A power to bring those outside here through some kind of mental powers or dream catcher ability.
If my guess remains true, then it would make sense why the kids can control everything and nothing at the same time.
'This is rather problematic.'
How are we supposed to break the dream? Using some kind of brute force doesn't seem possible.
'Franz can't use his ability just like me but still feels Lyra's presence…'
'Does that mean she is near? I can't believe that he could feel her from other dimensions, so this should be the only reason'.
That our real bodies are still in the mansion while we have been trapped in a dream by that jaw.
Sigh…
We reached the door, and both I and Franz simultaneously tried to look around us. This was the place where the white flames started and burned us alive.
Or whatever it was…
'Anny has told me that body types are more common among awakeners, yet I meet fire ability users more.' I chuckled at such thoughts and shook my head.
The doors opened, once again in the same sequence as last time; a blinding sunlight entered our eyes, making us squint, and then a carriage arrived bearing the crest of Pristel.
My gaze moved to look behind the newly arrived carriage, the garden as green as ever, which was well lit by flowers, but beyond it the grey fog surrounded us like caged birds. Last time I was unable to inspect it properly due to Franz's sudden intervention.
This time I would like to check it out first before taking any new actions.
The carriage doors opened as the man and the woman came out of it. Following that, the same events repeated with Leo asking about his mother, the woman calming the situation down in her own way, and all of them leaving one by one.
I had tried to touch Ayla's shoulder to calm her or maybe show some compassion. But I was ignored; my presence seemed to be ineffective here. Any kind of changes looked impossible.
"Butler, go bring the suitcase to my office." Lord Owen told me before leaving that I didn't bow my head or nod in his direction; to me, he was not real or someone I wanted to respect. This seems to be the most appropriate behavior on my side.
"Franz, go follow the kids; I will join you in a few minutes." I told him, prompting him to leap away from his position and dash towards them.
I took the suitcase out of the carriage and went to the office he had spoken of.
But there was a subtle doubt I had wanted to check last time as well.
Click—!
Opening the door, I saw the same sight as before. Owen was writing something on the table while ignoring my presence. I put the suitcase beside his table and looked at him.
"Sir, I would like to ask you something." I said.
But no response came back. I stood there in silence, waiting for a minute for him to look at me.
My lips curled up into a smile as I realized the truth of these puppet-like moments.
'Just after coming back, being in office was strange to begin with. If I remember, his clothes are different as well; he couldn't have changed them so fast.'
'He was just a memory of the past all this time!'
The Owen came back to the mansion, and the Owen from here was different; this was maybe also the reason why the woman in the purple dress couldn't be found. The ghost is not aware of what happened after they both left, so their presence is just a puppet. Maybe the woman inside the guest room will either be filled by fog or just be sitting there like a statue.
I had no desire to find anything; it was obvious at first glance something was wrong with her. I had felt a sudden chill after meeting her, yet a calmness I couldn't describe.
I looked at the sitting figure, then at the room, pursing my lips down, I decided on my next action.
'Let's search in this room.' I hesitated but then started to look around. The shelves contained many books, or more like records, without any labels on them, so I pulled out one of them and opened it.
'It's empty.' I sighed and closed it. Then moved to see the next one, again nothing.
I moved to see the drawers next, but none of them seemed to open. Taking a look at the table, I tried to look for anything useful among the pens, files, and other things. Then my gaze fell on the metallic plate with some decorative inscription; it was not big, but the size of my palm. I grabbed it and knelt beside Owen, who continued to ignore me.
Bam—!
Hitting the drawer without any hesitation, a dent appeared over it. But it was not enough to open it.
Then, once again, I hit its handle with all my arm strength, breaking it.
Thud—!
The handle came out and fell on the floor, rolling away. I ignored it and grabbed the drawer's corner and pulled it.
"Empty…" I looked at it in disappointment, then felt a cold sweat run down my back as a sudden chill ran through my spine.
I slowly lifted my gaze to look up, my face instantly darkened as I felt the room go colder, shadows seemed to have covered the sky outside, leaving a dim pale light in the room, but my gaze was stuck on the sight in front of me.
Owen was glaring at me….