Michael moved his body closer with quiet steps despite his rapidly accelerating heartbeat, approaching the large wooden door reinforced and plated with steel and brass, which formed the sole exit to their presidential suite.
He lowered his head slowly and placed his ear against the cold surface, trying to catch the faintest whisper or movement that might creep in from the other side.
Two heavy seconds passed as if they were an entire eternity, during which Michael held his breath so as not to muddle his hearing. After ensuring that the immediate surroundings behind the door were completely clear, he turned to Elliot and gave a firm nod, granting her the green light to unleash the spatial skill.
Their plan was clearly to begin by opening a spatial portal starting right behind their door—that is, directly in front of them—with its other exit reaching the furthest end of the wide corridor where two branches intersected, specifically at the turning point that veered into the sharp viewing angle of another hallway.
It was absolutely essential to reconnoiter that bend with extreme caution to see if there were guards or servants moving around during that time.
Suddenly, a faint, fluctuating light of magical blue cleaved the air, forming a precise spatial hole right in front of the door. Through the spectral membrane of the portal, their direct line of sight opened onto the corner of the distant hallway, where the right and left bends appeared partially exposed before their eyes.
At that critical moment, Elliot hesitated for a split second over who should take the risk and extend their head through the spatial membrane to scout the corridor.
However, Michael summoned his courage and took charge of the task; he slowly pushed his head through the ethereal hole, allowing his visual consciousness to suddenly materialize at the far end of the empty corridor.
Michael began scanning the path with cautious eyes, looking for any moving shadow or approaching feet near the point they intended to cross to.
Suddenly! The loud sound of heavy, rapid footsteps echoed in their ears, heralds of an approaching demon servant coming from the right bend!
With smooth, swift terror, Michael immediately pulled his head back into the suite, and Elliot instantly closed the spatial portal, letting its sparks dissipate into thin air.
"Phew, man!.. I nearly choked from pure terror!" Michael exhaled heavily in a shaky voice as he wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
Elliot replied, her eyes fixed on the empty air: "We must be even more careful and cautious.. Any small mistake means our doom!"
Michael agreed with her through a serious nod. After several minutes passed and the echoes of the distant footsteps swallowed up, Elliot reactivated the spatial portal to check the situation once more. Once she made sure the path was completely clear and the passing demon had vanished, she decided to move forward.
Elliot stepped forward steadily this time, crossing through the spectral membrane with her feet while swallowing hard with difficulty.
As soon as she crossed, Elliot turned and gestured to Michael with her palm to remain in his suite until she completed the mission and returned. Michael nodded understandingly; moving together with two bodies would have doubled the probability of them being detected and exposed!
"Elliot.. Give me one of the two ceramic cups in your possession," Michael said in a low tone, adding in clarification: "You won’t be able to move and sneak around with absolute freedom while carrying two cups filled with a suspicious liquid in your fists.. Don’t worry, I have a plan by which I can get rid of one of the cups, and although I’m not certain of its complete success, it’s better than being shackled by both of them together!"
Elliot looked at Michael with a scrutinizing gaze, wanting to question him about the details of his plan, but at that moment, she felt her friend was trustworthy enough and wouldn’t commit a foolish act that would expose their secret.
Elliot handed him one of the two cups, leaving her with a single cup held tightly in her right hand.
Michael bade her farewell with strained features, and the spatial portal closed between them instantly.
Now, Elliot stood alone at the end of the dark corridor, gripping the single ceramic cup. Her next destination for spatial teleportation was to reach the closest possible point to the servants’ restrooms—specifically, the castle servants’ locker room.
The task demanded supreme nerve control and immense courage from Elliot, as her knees trembled with suppressed terror. From her current position at the turning point, her current spatial ability was insufficient to open a direct portal that would jump straight inside the servants’ room!
She had to rush out from the end of the corridor, sprint toward the left turn, and then reach the target point to create the portal and jump into its depths before anyone caught sight of her! Better yet, she needed to aim the portal to open inside one of the large steel lockers to hide immediately upon landing.
Elliot urged herself to hold together with strict internal dialogue.
She stepped out stealthily from the end of the hallway toward the left, treading the floor with light feet mimicking the night breeze.. one foot after another.. a quiet step followed by a step.
Ever since Elliot acquired this spatial ability, a rare "magical spatial sense" (Spatial Perception) had developed within her, allowing her to feel the dimensions and angles of an enclosed space before activating the skill inside it, letting her consciousness know automatically whether the point was capable of hosting the portal or not.
Therefore, she partially closed her eyes while advancing on tiptoe, focusing all her mental energy to visualize the coordinates and push the magical sensation to its absolute limit.
And just as Elliot felt she had reached the precise distance that allowed her to create the portal and make a direct jump to the locker room..
Tap... tap...
That was not the sound of Elliot’s light feet! It was the sound of heavy, distinct demon footsteps invading the hallway and approaching rapidly toward her position!
Panic swallowed Elliot at that fatal moment, and a surging urge swept through her body to retreat and flee backward while carrying the cup she gripped!
Yet she halted her movement with sheer force and iron determination, refusing the thought of retreating.. on the contrary, she charged forward with rapid, audible steps, unconcerned that her robe might be heard, because if she didn’t reach the proper spatial point to jump toward the locker room very soon, she would be exposed and caught red-handed!
And when she felt the alignment of the proper spatial point, she raised her hand and opened the spatial portal before her without the slightest hesitation, jumping to the other side with her entire body, then rapidly closing the membrane behind her like fire!
Thud!
Elliot landed on the floor of the empty locker room.. but due to her haste in jumping and her clumsy landing, her hybrid foot tripped on the stone floor, causing the cup in her hand to tilt and spill a few drops of that suspicious yellow liquid, landing on the floor!.
Sizzle!...
The yellow liquid emitted a faint effervescent sound upon touching the floor!
Elliot cursed her bad luck internally, finding no option before her except a steel locker with a partially open door. She rushed toward it, cramming herself into its narrow interior, then pulled the metal door to hold it with her fingertips from the inside, seeking to hide herself completely while breathing with extreme difficulty, trying to hold her breath and minimize the sound of her chest trembling in terror.
The locker was far narrower than her current body size, but she pressed her limbs together and squatted tightly inside so that no part of her would stick out!
In those critical moments, Elliot heard with absolute clarity the sound of heavy footsteps entering the locker room.. the sound of the demon’s feet was distinct and unmistakable!
The demon stopped suddenly and said in a rough, inquiring tone:
"Huh?.. What is this liquid spilled on the floor here?! Did one of the comrades drop it by mistake?"
The evil demon bent down and dropped to his knees toward the ground, then dipped his fingers into the spilled liquid, examining its texture with viscosity and bewilderment:
"What is this?.. Is this a new drink distributed in the sector?"
Fortunately, the demon didn’t pay much attention to the matter; he stood up, wiped his fingers on a piece of cloth, and headed straight toward his personal locker to open it with a metallic creak..
That locker was literally right next to the dark locker inside whose depths the terrified Elliot was hiding!