The Mage Paradox [BOOK THREE]

Chapter 14: Death in the castle

Nana was trying her best to run from Grock who was chasing her. Every time she turned she thought she would see any sign of her friends but it's always empty corridors looking back at her.

How big was this place? She had no idea.

Finally, she reached a dead end and spun to see Grock advancing, an enormous gas tank on his shoulder blade.

She can't run anymore, she had to fight, now. Nana tightened her grip on her boomerang as Grock approached.

He raised the gas tank, ready to swipe it at her-

Nana summoned a ghostly version of how her friend Molina looks like. Her eyes glowed red and she ran towards Grock who didn't know what to do-

As soon as Molina touched him, Grock transformed into a small blue leopard cat. Nana saw her chance and- 

 "Come down from the heavens and protect your best friend, lend me your magic, and fight alongside me once more!" she threw her cat paw print-shaped phone and an unknown force smashed down on the floor in front of Nana, leaving an enormous paw print. "Molina Blitz!" the next paw print smashed directly at Grock whose gas tank goes hissing and as the last enormous paw print smashed down, purple smoke erupted from his gas tank and blurred Nana's vision.

Stomping footsteps grew fainter and when the smoke cleared, Grock was gone.

Nana grinned triumphantly. Who said that she can't take care of herself? Now look, she made this giant lizard who's twice Nana's size run away. Those who doubted her would be eating their words after this!

Now all she had to do was find Harith, who she was supposed to be assisting.

"Nana!"

Nana twirled to see Lylia, Dyrroth, Lesley, and Cyclops running towards her.

"Guys! How did you find me?"

"We heard something, and here you are!" Cyclops trilled. "We were so exhausted, all of us were almost defeated by Hanabi and Angela, but they retreated all of a sudden without doing anything to us."

"Retreated?" Nana repeated. Then she recalled that Grock ran off too, at the same time when the smoke cleared. Does that mean Nana didn't scare him off? Grock just ran off like Hanabi and Angela?

Nana gritted her teeth. Now she would be eating her words.

"Wait, Nana why are you here?" Lesley asked. "If you are here, then where's Harith?"

Nana told them everything about Harith picking up a coin then smoke appeared when he flipped it over. And when the smoke cleared Nana was all alone, and Harith might be in a different location.

They were as white as death after hearing it.

"No way, it's not possible to perform a teleportation smoke, and I recall that I don't think that the Harley we were facing can do that." Lylia froze to stone. "That means someone is helping them."

"How would we even know? This guy is literally from another dimension." Dyrroth groused. But if someone helps them then we are doomed."

"Does anyone know why Hanabi, Angela, and Grock retreated when they almost killed us?" Nana asked.

"No idea," Cyclops shrugged. "you can never be careful."

Cyclops' eye flicked up and it sparkled with sudden hope. "Guys..." he pointed at the sign of the door they were standing in front of. The words read "Laboratory".

Cyclops slowly pushed the door open and green light shone on all of their faces. There was a big table filled with documents or other paperwork in the center, a small closet labeled 'spare parts', three big glowing tubes at the far end of the corner, a computer with a transparent screen, and a pinboard.