"These are the ruins?"
What stood in front of the two was a crystal palace that encroached on the forest landscape. The ground beneath them appeared more like ice. Light refracted off the surface which created the appearance of numerous reds and oranges and purples. The girl gulped and found the air to be different. She breathed through her mouth, but it still felt suffocating.
"Are you all right? The mana in the air is significantly denser. You can stay out here," Nevra said.
Klein shook her head and took in another breath of air. "I'll be fine. If I faint, then you can carry me back like you always wanted to."
"Mm, I would prefer if we were near headquarters to do that. Stay close."
Once inside, Klein resisted the temptation to gawk at the interior. Intricate designs covered the walls and ceilings. It reminded her of one of mansions on Earth. Crystalline flowers were at their feet. She plucked one, but it soon dissipated into dust.
"Hey, don't get distracted. Something might be waiting for us." The vampire continued to walk along a spiraling staircase.
"Like?"
"Not sure. But leaving a treasured weapon unguarded is unlikely."
Klein managed to catch up, but she found herself panting. Nevra slowed his pace, meanwhile. They traversed through hallways and looked through different rooms. Glass furniture stood in particular sections; perhaps, it were as if they stumbled upon an abandoned home. Did anyone live here at a point in time?
"Let's take a short rest. Are you sure you're going to be fine?"
"You're wasting time on worrying, Dracula...Hah, where is the spear exactly? And who built this place, by the way?"
They stopped by some double doors.
The vampire clicked his tongue. "Even we don't have much information. In fact, today was a gamble. This place moves to a different location at every sunset."
Afterward, their attention focused on those double doors. A peculiar pattern–or was it better to say a collection of scenes– decorated them. Countless battles with someone's impalement were surrounded by a circular rune pattern.
"Well, I suppose this is the only place to check. We're on a time limit, right?"
Klein reached for the handle, but a shock passed through her. The girl jumped back while the runes glowed from red to orange to yellow.
"Klein...?"
She coughed; blood stained the floor. Yet a single gesture kept Nevra in place.
"Fine. I'm fine...! But..."
A rumbling sound reverberated through the area, and the doors swung open.
"Hah, I guess the claims were right. It recognizes a specific race in order to unlock these doors," the vampire said.
She narrowed her eyes. "And you didn't tell me?"
"Would there have been a difference? I'll go first."