Back in their room, the girls discussed the game and everything that had happened.

  "I'm glad we made some money. You know, sometimes I feel guilty about spending that much money that isn't even ours."

  "Oh, don't be, K. I bet the Agency is making millions. Anything we spend here, I'm sure it's nothing for them."

  "If you say so, May... But I gotta be honest, it feels good getting money. Don't you think so?"

  "Alright, I'm willing to admit it, it was fun winning. Especially that game, I felt so nervous! For a moment, I thought that man had me. I felt like I was about to lose at any moment."

  "You don't know how glad I was that you were the one to reach the final rounds. I don't know what I would've done in your place."

  "Shut up, you're great at these kinds of games too. I believe it was a matter of luck at that moment."

  "I guess so. But anyway, what was the thing with that man? He got crazy. For a minute, I was scared he was going to attack you. And you wouldn't be able to use magic."

  "I was terrified. He had that look in his eyes. K, it was desperation. If I had to guess, I would say it's the look of a man that lost everything."

  "That's horrible. Even though he attacked you, I hope he's ok. No one deserves this. That's why I don't like this kind of stuff, the losing part of the games."

  "But it's like that woman said, isn't it? The games are all about losers and winners. Most of the time, everyone playing is losing, and the only one winning is the house. This is why they have so much money."

  "Yeah, it seems you can gain a lot by owning a casino. Do you have any clue who owns this place?"

  "I don't think so, K. I tried to search before we came here. But I didn't find any reliable source. In my opinion, the owner would rather stay anonymous."

  "This is shady, don't you think so? Working in the shadows. And considering everything strange happening here."

  "Yeah, this is another thing about the mission that doesn't sit well with me. I mean, if the Agency, if they thought for a moment that there was a big fish behind it all, why send us? We're not strong, at least not yet."

  "If anything, I hope we get strong enough in time."

  "There may not be enough time, I don't know. Sometimes I get this feeling, and I can get pretty pessimistic. But I don't know, let's hope for it."

  ***

  The girls also talked about the missions and everything related to them. May was about to sleep when, out of nowhere, she felt a flicker of something. A chill passed through her body, and it was like she had crossed a barrier made of water. It was the same magic she had felt before that covered the whole place. But this time, she couldn't let it go. She needed to discover what it was.

  "K, did you feel it?"

  "I did. Just for a moment. What do you think it is?"

  "I have a hypothesis, but I don't know for sure. There are some things I gotta do first."

  "If you say so."

  "But it's something... It's risky, I'll need to do it alone, K."

  "Wait, why?"

  "Because if my hypothesis is right, I will need your help, after everything. But if you come with me, you won't be able to do it."

  "I guess I'll have to trust you, May. But there are things happening here that we don't know yet for sure."

  "I promise you I'll be okay, you'll see."

  May explained to her friend what she wanted to do. Because there were things under the surface, and they needed answers.

  When it was deep into the night, May was ready to test her hypothesis. But that night, the darkness didn't appear: the halls were illuminated by faintly yellow lights. The girl saw people coming and going from their rooms. As such, May needed to be discreet. She concentrated her magical power and let it cross through her body. May couldn't do any kind of complex magic, or the remaining guards would get to her. But she didn't need to, if she was right, one simple trick would give her the answer.

  The girl let her hand move through the walls. She felt the textures and temperatures. The way her magical power flowed, almost akin to her blood, enhanced all the feelings and sensations.

  "It must be here somewhere. This is where Karina and I were earlier. I'm sure it's here."

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  And there it was. If she weren't looking carefully, she would probably have missed it. It was like feeling a fold of paper or fabric. The feeling was there, but when she inspected the wall, it appeared to be perfectly normal. May grasped the feeling the best she could. She let it envelop her hand. And she focused her magical power in the palm of her hands and forced the wall.

  Everything went black, and May felt like she was being pulled in all directions. But as it had started, it ended, and she found herself in the same hall she was before. The weird thing about it was that suddenly it was empty. Was she wrong? She was sure it was still the same place.

  "Ugh, I thought it would take me somewhere else. So I guess it's not two spaces overlapping each other..."

  May decided to get back to her room and talk to Karina about all the possibilities. She had felt something in her hand, so there was something over the place. But now she was even more confused about what it was.

  The girl was immersed in her thoughts as she walked, so she didn't realize she had passed three completely empty halls.

  "Wow, everyone decided to sleep at the same time? Strange."

  But the more May took notice of everything, the stranger the things she noticed. The lights seemed a little off compared to minutes before. The walls appeared to be closer. And not to talk about the silence. She swore she was able to listen to distant sounds that came from the gaming room.

  But the strangest thing was when she didn't find the room where she stayed with Karina. It was like the room had vanished from the place completely. She remembered the number, but it was like the room itself didn't exist in the first place.

  May was worried, and she tried to run, but all the doors looked the same. She opened some of the doors to the rooms, and they were not only all the same, but they also led to empty rooms.

  "Maybe I was right. This seems like a different place, I mean, it seems to be made to look the same. But I can spot tiny differences..." As she spoke to herself, she heard footsteps running in her direction.

  May prepared herself for an inevitable fight, but she was surprised that the face she saw was familiar.

  Even though he seemed tired and beaten up, May could recognize her friend anywhere.

  "Wren!!! What the hell are you doing here?"

  "I'm the one who should be asking, what are you doing here, May?"

  "I'm on a mission, the Agency sent me here."

  "Wait. Are we still at the Casino?"

  "Yeah, of course. Karina is here too. Are you also on a mission?"

  The man contemplated everything in silence for a minute. His face was painted in worry.

  "I guess this means you didn't receive my message."

  "Message? What message?"

  "The one I tried to send through your familiar. Oh, man, this is bad."

  "Wait, so you were the one who sent the 'don't come' message with Otto."

  "Indeed, it was me. But I wasn't sure if it had been successful or not. I guess part of it got lost in the process."

  "But tell me, what are you doing? Are you on a mission too?"

  "I guess... I was. I don't remember exactly what I was doing. I've been trapped here for a while. I tried to get out using magic, but it's hard."

  "Is this some sort of labyrinth?"

  "I believe we could call it that, but at the same time, it's not a conventional labyrinth."

  "Wait a minute. There's something strange. You said before that you don't remember what you were doing. How so?"

  "When I was thrown inside the labyrinth, I lost all my memories. Eventually, they started coming back, from the long-gone past to the most recent events. Yet, everything about what I was doing specifically in the Casino, I can't remember. Nothing."

  "It's strange. I will tell you what I know."

  And May explained everything about the investigation she and Karina were sent on. The strange events that surrounded the Casino. The games they played and the guards they had fought. Wren listened to everything. Once or twice, he asked for more details.

  "And when I felt some kind of barrier that fell over the place... I thought it was a pocket dimension that overlapped with the Casino."

  "I don't think you're exactly wrong. But it seems to be a little different than that."

  "You said you tried to get out with magic, right? But I didn't feel anything outside. And I would've detected your magic if I had felt it. It probably means that we can use magic here and they won't detect us." May said, before she completed. "The bad part is that it's me here. Karina would be more helpful to you, at least if we consider brute force."

  "I tried everything. But the witch or wizard that created it... They're powerful, that's for sure."

  "Well, we can try it together. I'm not very good with offensive spells, but I can try enhancing yours."

  "It's an idea, let's do it. Do you remember how my powers work?" Wren asked.

  "Of course I do, Wren. It'll be easy. Is there a better place to attack?"

  "I don't know, everything here looks the same. But maybe there's a secret spot."

  "Well, I came here by finding a fold in the labyrinth. But I don't know if I can trace it back."

  "Let's try an attack on this wall and see what happens."

  May positioned herself next to Wren; she had never enhanced the powers of other people besides Karina. But in theory, it seemed easy. She let her magical power flow through her as she muttered the enchantment. The magical flow that came from Wren was intense and gentle at the same time. It carried the same carefree nature as the boy.

  The girl noticed the boy whispered a prayer; she knew that was how he carried his powers. He concentrated and focused on his hands. The air got denser, and May could distinguish the different currents of air in the room.

  "Explodere." Wren said, almost too casually to be a functional spell. But May knew better than that, so she wasn't surprised when the air in front of the wall contracted before it expanded in an explosion.

  But to their despair, the wall was intact from the attack.

  "Well, it appears to be the same as when I tried by myself."

  "This is not a very good position. I guess I'll try to find the fold again. Although I'm not very sure this will work out."

  "At least we gotta try. Shit, we can't lose hope. I wandered here for days before you suddenly appeared. You don't know how good it is to have someone to talk to."

  May smiled, and deep down, she wanted to say something to reassure her friend. But she couldn't help but feel her heart sink in her chest. If he was trapped there for days, it meant the chances of escaping were even slimmer than she had thought. It also meant that time moved differently there.

  "Well, I hope I'm wrong." May thought to herself.