"Help! Help!"
As he continued forward, the highlighted trail and the Source of Chaos's guidance both pointed down the left-hand path, yet Shade heard the familiar sound of a woman calling for help ahead.
He had not intended to pay it any mind, but the voice was actually drawing closer. Shade instinctively looked up at the road ahead, wreathed in flames, and then saw Margaret—who absolutely should not have been here—standing not far down that path.
She was being held at knifepoint by her brother, Prince William. Blood had already begun to flow from beneath the sharp short knife at her fair neck, like cracks appearing on an exquisite piece of porcelain. As she cried for help, she reached both hands forward as though trying to grasp Shade.
Fake.
Shade froze for a moment, then swung his sword:
"I hate it most when people turn into women to fool me!"
The arcing silver sword-light cleaved both the illusory Margaret and Prince William in two. Still not satisfied, Shade walked over to see what was going on, only to discover that the path was a dead end. Behind where the illusion had stood, a big-tailed squirrel was pinned beneath a broken tree trunk, squeaking frantically.
This one was real.
"She" spoke gently.
The end of this side path was not far from the intersection where Shade stood, so it would not cost him much time. After hesitating for a moment, Shade ran over, bent down, lifted the trunk, and rescued the big-tailed squirrel from beneath it.
But at that very moment, rustling sounds suddenly arose. Then the tall burning trees on both sides toppled toward Shade. With Laguerre's Leap, Shade could have dodged them, but the squirrel in his hand could not.
There was no time to raise a shield. He