C.C. said, "I truly don't understand how you humans think. Fighting over every little thing, refusing to stop until someone is dead — do you actually find that entertaining?"
Rulu shot C.C. a sideways glance and said irritably, "C.C., stop standing there making snide remarks. Some things can't simply be left undone just because you'd rather not do them. Either way, this is over now — we need to go. There's another important matter waiting for me."
Rulu and C.C. then left the cave and rejoined Kallen and the others waiting outside. Kallen asked what had happened inside. Rulu only said that Princess Meiyu had received the punishment she deserved. He told Kallen nothing of what had been said between them. Kallen sensed he was keeping something from her, but she didn't press further.
Rulu then suggested that C.C. take them now to find what they had come to the Sanctuary to look for. C.C. agreed, and asked W.W. and Six-Tail to come along as well to protect the group along the way.
They traveled through the night. Leaving the forest behind, they crossed through the mountain range and headed north toward the heart of the Sanctuary. The journey was unhindered. Just as the sky was beginning to brighten with the first faint light of dawn, they arrived at a vast open plain on the northern side of the mountains. C.C. said that what they were looking for lay at the very center of this region.
"It's here?" Rulu studied the expanse carefully. The ground before them was a shimmering silver — a great metallic plain stretching in every direction, devoid of any living thing. Not a single tree stood anywhere in sight. Strange lights danced through the air like auroras, making it impossible to see clearly into the distance.
"What a peculiar place. What is this ground made of — is it metal?" Kallen crouched down and ran her hand across the silver surface. It was extraordinarily hard, nothing at all like soil.
Rulu crouched beside her and touched the ground as well. "It really does look like it's made of metal. I never imagined the Sanctuary would have a place like this. I've never been here before."
He stood and looked around. The sky above the plain was alive with strange lights — red, blue, green, every color imaginable — flooding the entire region and making it nearly impossible to distinguish anything in the surroundings. "C.C., which way do we go? Do we just keep walking straight ahead?"
C.C. said, "It's more complicated than that. The environment here is highly unusual. Most people who enter this place get hopelessly lost and can never reach its center. W.W. and I know this place well — I'll lead the way from here. Just follow me."
"Then let's move quickly," Rulu said. "We can't afford to waste time. The longer we take, the greater the risk of being found."
The group pressed on. C.C. took the lead, guiding everyone deeper into the silver plain. As they moved further in, the aurora-like lights grew even more intense. Their senses began to blur and distort — it felt as if they had wandered into some strange dreamscape, the world saturated with colors that made it impossible to tell what was real and what was not.
"Wait — what is that? There's a river up ahead!" Kallen suddenly cried out, pointing ahead. And sure enough, a vast river came into view — over two hundred meters wide, churning with rapid currents and crashing waves.
"There really is a river. It looks quite wide — getting across won't be easy." Rulu stopped and scanned the area, looking for a way around it.
"Ignore it. Just keep following me." C.C. didn't slow her pace and continued walking directly toward it. Rulu was puzzled, but followed anyway.
Then, just as they were about to reach the river's edge, it vanished entirely. Where the river had been, there was only more silver ground stretching ahead of them.
"What just happened? There was definitely a river there. Was I hallucinating?" Kallen said, bewildered.
"No," C.C. said. "The river is real. There is indeed a wide river in this region."
"Then why can't we see it anymore?"
"Because the river isn't where we saw it. It's somewhere else entirely."
"I don't understand."
C.C. explained, "The space and time in this region are distorted. Things that appear close are actually far away. Things that appear distant may be right in front of you. Sometimes when you think you're moving forward, you're actually moving backward. The space here is constantly shifting — like a living maze. Anyone who enters without knowing this will become trapped here forever, with no way out."
Kallen shuddered visibly, her expression turning anxious. "This place is terrifying. I never imagined somewhere like this could exist. C.C., are you absolutely sure you know where you're going? Please tell me you won't get us lost."
"Relax," C.C. said. "No one knows this place better than I do. But even so — don't any of you wander off. Stay close to me at all times. If we get separated, it would be very difficult for me to find you again quickly."
At those words, Rulu and Kallen instinctively moved a little closer to C.C. Rulu asked, "Since you know this place so well, do you have any idea how long it will take to reach where we're going and find what we're looking for?"
C.C. said, "I can't say. Could be a few hours. Could be a few days."
"Why?"
"As I said, the space and time here are in a constant state of flux. The path through this place is like a road that never stops changing shape — sometimes straight, sometimes endlessly winding. If we're lucky and find a straight path, we could arrive quickly. If we hit the winding road, it will take much longer. There's also one more thing to be aware of: this region is home to Strange beasts unlike those found anywhere else. They actively attack outsiders who don't belong here. If we run into them, things will get considerably more complicated."
"Stop, stop — please stop talking. Just hearing this is giving me a headache. I'd rather not know." Kallen clamped her hands over her head, visibly rattled by C.C.'s words.
Rulu, on the other hand, was thoroughly intrigued. "It sounds like this place is extraordinarily well-guarded. Which just shows how important whatever we're looking for must be. Come to think of it — what exactly are we looking for? You've never actually told me, C.C. Can you tell me now?"