The pink smoke kept rising, spreading thicker across the sky. From a distance, Shaan could already see it swallowing parts of the Twilight Sanctum. Miss Khaya was right. They had to move now.

"M-Miss Khaya… but what about the other daemonists?" Chelsie tightened her grip on her staff, fear still clear on her face. "W-We can't just leave them behind, right?"

"I agree," Shaan said firmly. "We should go back and pick them up. They must be waiting for us."

"Hey… you do realize how far we still are from the Twilight Sanctum, right?" He clicked his tongue and crossed his arms. "If we go back for them, we'll waste too much time."

His gaze shifted toward the horizon, toward the spreading pink sky. "We need to head to the Twilight Sanctum now—before it covers the entire place."

Shaan immediately turned to the side. "Miss Khaya, so what should we do?"

Miss Khaya stayed silent for a moment."…We'll do this instead." She looked at them one by one. "The four of you will go ahead to the Twilight Sanctum."

Theo frowned instantly. "And how exactly do we do that?" He gestured at the vehicle. "We only have one ride. How do you expect us to get there like this?"

Miss Khaya shook her head slowly, a faint smile forming on her lips."There is another way." She paused. "You'll ride a phoenix."

"Heh?" Chelsie's eyes widened. "B-But how… is that even possible?"

"P-Phoenix?" Theo let out a short laugh. "Miss Khaya, you're not joking, right?"

Shaan scratched his head, his expression growing increasingly confused. "Miss Khaya, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Follow me," she said calmly. "I'll show you."

Miss Khaya stepped out of the vehicle and walked several meters away. The others exchanged uneasy glances before following her. She stopped. Raised her hand and began to chant a spell.

The air shifted instantly. A glowing sigil appeared in the sky above her—a massive, book-shaped symbol unfolding in layers, its pages formed from light itself. Heat spread outward. Fast.

"From ashes that remember death… from flames that refuse to fade…" Miss Khaya's voice echoed, steady and commanding. "I call upon you—the sovereign of fire."

Instantly, the sigil ignited. radiating intense heat. From within the blazing sigil, a massive silhouette pushed forward—wings unfolding, embers scattering like falling stars. The air trembled. Power pressed down on them like a physical weight.

Theo's smirk faded. "…No way."

The flames parted, and the creature stepped out. A phoenix. Not just fire, but something older. Something watching.

Shaan's eyes widened. 'Y-You've got to be kidding me…'

Shaan's mouth fell open. He didn't blink. The sheer size of the astral creature stunned him—it dwarfed anything he had imagined. The being resembled a colossal bird, its entire body covered in golden-yellow feathers that shimmered under the firelight. Not only that, when the creature spread its massive wings, Shaan froze. Crimson light ignited across the vast span of those wings, racing along each feather in blazing veins until it formed a pattern—elegant, radiant, almost sacred. Beautiful. Overwhelmingly beautiful.

'I never expected the Phoenix to look like this…'

"Phoenix…" Miss Khaya stepped closer and gently stroked the creature's head. "It's good to see you again."

"Miss Khaya…" Chelsie rubbed her eyes again and lightly tapped her cheeks, as if trying to wake herself up. "Uhm… I didn't expect it to be this big…"

"So," Miss Khaya said with a faint smile, "do you believe me now?"

She guided the Phoenix to lower its body. "Get on. It will quickly take you to the Twilight Sanctum."

"…Alright," Nalira said, still staring. "Let's go."

One by one, they began climbing onto Phoenix's back until all four of them were successfully perched on it. Miss Khaya then whispered something to Phoenix before the bird finally spread its wings, preparing to fly.

"I've given the Phoenix its instructions. It will take you to the Twilight Sanctum," Miss Khaya said. "Dark creatures may try to attack you while you're in the air. Stay alert."

"We understand." Chelsie nodded. "Uhm… Miss Khaya, please be careful too."

Miss Khaya gently patted the Phoenix. The massive bird responded instantly. It beat its wings. A powerful gust of wind burst outward as it lifted off the ground. Flames trailed along its feathers as it climbed higher and higher, leaving the place behind. The distance grew quickly—until Miss Khaya shrank into a small figure… then vanished completely behind the clouds.

***

As the phoenix flew toward the Twilight Sanctum, Shaan sat in silence. Her hands were trembling. His face paled. His heart pounded violently against his chest, each beat louder than the rushing wind. He stared straight ahead, unmoving, as if he feared that even the slightest glance downward would break him.

'Shaan… get a grip.'He drew a slow breath, forcing himself to steady it. 'Everything will be fine…'

"Hey, weakling. What's wrong with you?" Theo glanced back at him. "You haven't said a word this whole time."

"…."

Chelsie gently patted Shaan's shoulder. "Uhm… Shaan, calm down. Everything will be okay."

Theo smirked. "Don't tell me… you're afraid of heights." He tilted his head slightly. "That's it, isn't it?"

Shaan rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Theo."

"…Theo, enough. Focus ahead," Nalira said flatly. "Watch for dark creatures."

"Hey, relax. I'm sure everything will be fi—"

Suddenly, something shot rapidly toward the Phoenix and struck the giant bird's left wing. Instantly, the Phoenix lost its balance, but fortunately, this creature still possessed enough resilience to withstand the impact.

'Gh—!' Shaan covered his mouth, trying to suppress the nausea churning inside him. 'Hold on, Shaan… hold on.'

"Holy—!" Theo leaned forward, eyes wide as he looked down. "What the hell was that?!"

"I—I didn't see anything!" Chelsie shouted, gripping the feathers beneath her.

"…A threat. We have to be careful," Nalira said, scanning the sky with sharp eyes. "Stay alert. That strike could—watch out!"

Hearing Nalira's shout, Theo reacted instantly. He yanked the Phoenix to the side. However, they couldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet. But the attack didn't stop. Another streak. Then another.

"Argh, damn it!" Theo bit his lower lip, his jaw clenching. "This attack just won't stop and keeps hitting us."

"…We're too exposed," Nalira said. "They can track us easily like this. We need cover—now."

"B-But how do we avoid all these attacks?!" Chelsie looked back, her voice shaking as she saw a swarm of fast-moving shapes closing in behind them.

"D-Down there…" Shaan forced himself to focus, his vision blurring as he pointed toward the ground. "That forest… we can dive into it…"

Theo nodded immediately. "Yeah… not bad, weakling." He leaned forward, gripping the Phoenix as he shifted its direction sharply. "Hold on tight," he said. "This is going to get rough."