Chapter 137: Answer My Questions
[Planet Gaia.]
[Next day - On the Flourish zone, two days have passed.]
A beast-like man with the powerful upper body of a lion and the legs of a man paced anxiously.
"Are you sure the Commander and the rest are alive?" he asked, his deep voice filled with concern.
"We don’t know," a human woman replied, her face etched with worry. "It’s been two whole days."
The beast-man, turned to face the ten soldiers behind him before glancing over his shoulder at the swirling black barrier.
"We can’t leave. Not until we know what happened to them. She is the King’s sister; if something happens, we are done for."
"Are you suggesting we enter there?" a man with wolf ears asked, a frown on his face.
"We don’t know what’s in there," another soldier said, rubbing her arms. "And besides, it gives me the creeps."
Denny stared at the group, a deep sigh escaping his lips. He, too, had no idea what lay inside the barrier or if the Commander and the others were still alive. Leading them forward could endanger all their lives.
"What do you all suggest then?" he asked.
The soldiers looked at each other, their faces blank. They had no answers.
"Okay then... We will leave the warship here and enter together." Denny’s voice was firm now. He turned back toward the barrier.
"In three... We enter." A hint of hesitation lingered in his tone.
"One." A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. "Two."
The soldiers all stood grimly, their eyes fixed on the dark barrier.
"Three!"
WHOOSH!
"Whoa!"
Denny quickly opened his arms and caught Alexandra, who tumbled out of the barrier. Mia, Mike, Joseph, David, and Vancouver followed, collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air.
"Denny? You’re alive?" Alexandra asked, looking at him in shock.
"You?" Denny’s gaze swept over the group. "The rest? What about the Commander?"
"Only the Commander, the King, and the Princess are still in there," Mia said, breathing heavily.
"What?!" Denny yelled, his eyes wide. "The King is in there?!"
The group nodded.
"Why did you leave the King behind?!"
"It’s a long story," Joseph said, slumping to the ground.
"Then start. And by the way, who are these two?" Denny asked, pointing to Vancouver and David.
The group looked at one another, and Alexandra began their wild tale.
______
[Forbidden Zone.]
[Some hours ago.]
"Come on! The gate will open soon!" Alexandra yelled, taking long strides.
"How do you know that? We don’t have a timer or anything!" David pointed out.
"I don’t know!" Alexandra hissed, her frustration evident.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The six of them stopped in their tracks as a huge gate appeared out of thin air, right in front of them. They blinked, staring at the massive red steel gate. Its entrance was like a dragon’s jaw, wide open, with steel-like teeth lining its sides.
"Is that the gate?" Mia asked in mild confusion.
SWOOSH!
They all tensed as a ripple of red light shot out from the gate, smashing into the sky to form a red dome around them, trapping them in the center.
"What do we have here?"
A light appeared above the gate, then faded, revealing a creature with a woman’s head, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.
"What the hell is that?!" Vancouver asked, quickly summoning his sword. But just as he did, the weapon turned into light particles.
"PIFFF!!"
He vomited a mouthful of blood, looking up at the creature in horror.
"You... You destroyed a Grand-class weapon in a second?"
"No fighting in my zone, human." The creature landed on the ground directly in front of the gate.
"I am Sphinx," she said, her gaze moving over the six of them.
"Alexandra Fox. Mike Vino. Joseph Vol. Mia Walters. Vancouver Draco. And David Morgan... Nice meeting you all."
"You know us?" Mike asked in surprise.
"I know everyone who gets here. I just hope you can answer my questions."
"Questions? What questions?" David asked, frowning.
"Not difficult, only three riddles... If you get them right, you will have free passage... But be warned, if you give a wrong answer, you will die on the spot. So think before answering."
The six looked at one another in confusion. Before they could say anything, three people in black cloaks appeared in the space.
".....?!!"
Alexandra and her group stared in surprise and shock.
’They are other people in here?’ she thought.
Jabez, one of the cloaked figures, moved his gaze around the red dome and then at the creature.
"Let us through!" he yelled, taking a step forward.
BOOM!
An unknown pressure descended, forcing him to his knees.
"This?!"
"No fighting or arguing... Just answer my questions, and you can pass," Sphinx said, flying up to land on the gate.
"Are you together?"
"No! No! We are not!" Alexandra quickly yelled.
Jabez stood up, gritting his teeth:
’Whatever this thing is, it is a lot stronger than a God-rank... We can only go with its words,’ he thought.
"Good... Two teams then... Don’t worry, I will place a sound barrier around both teams so they won’t get any answers from you," the creature explained.
"Okay... What are the riddles?" Vancouver asked.
The creature nodded, turning to Jabez. "Are you ready?"
Jabez looked over his shoulder at his two companions, then back at the Sphinx. "We are ready."
"Lovely... You have an hour and thirty minutes to answer the questions... Failure to do so will result in the disappearance of the gate... You will have to find me again to answer it," she explained.
The group nodded, readying themselves for the first question. Seeing their determined expressions, the Sphinx nodded in satisfaction.
"Here comes the first question."
She flew into the air and landed before them. Words written in blood appeared above her head.
[What is there one of in every corner and two of in every room?]
The group looked at one another in confusion.
"That question doesn’t even sound correct," Vancouver muttered in a low voice.
"What is there one of in every corner and two of in every room?" Mia repeated the words, then snapped her fingers.
"Calm down, Mia," Alexandra said quickly, stopping her before she could say anything.