Hyeon was in awe of their transportation. This year's Cadillac Escalade had the latest sleek technology and its black color reminded him of those spy movies. Their chauffeur seemed decent since he greeted them and held the vehicle door open. Sani mentioned that the castle was in the middle of the national park, so the trip would be around an hour.

Hyeon watched the passing scenery outside. Instead of daydreaming, anxiety filled him. Ever since he passed out on the ferry, his body felt sore as if he worked out, especially his upper back. It was just odd.

Sani was looking at his papers, saying to himself. "Let's see...Hyeon Falken...22 years old...born on December 21, 20xx in Yellowknife, Canada...grew up in Toronto, Canada...Mr. Falken?"

Hyeon didn't hear. He was watching the trees zip by.

"Mr. Falken?"

Hyeon snapped out of his trance. "Ah, yes? Hyeon is fine since you also asked to be called by your first name."

Sani smirked slightly. "Thanks for your permission. Anyway, I noticed this on your resume before but we didn’t go into detail about it during our interview. It looks like you worked temporarily in the United States on an entertainment visa. What exactly did you do there?" 

"For eight years, my hobby was bo-staff, aka bojutsu. It’s a type of martial art that uses staff weapons. I traveled with a troupe to perform and compete.”

This topic made Hyeon feel a little uncomfortable since it brought up unpleasant memories. It was a significant part of his employment history, so he had no choice but to keep it on his resume. One fact Hyeon doesn't tell people was that he was going to be a bojutsu professional when he turned 18 until...that happened.

Sani continued asking questions. "And do you still perform? That's quite an interesting talent."

"No, I don't do bo-staff anymore."

"I see." Sani pulled out some papers. “This is your contract to work for Festr Castle. I was going to go over it with you at the coffee shop but there was a delay in your arrival. If you don’t mind, you can read it now and sign it before we arrive.”

Hyeon skimmed over the contract. It seemed simple enough – be on time, clean, provide what his boss needs, etc. He signed it and passed it back to his now-official manager.

As they got closer to their destination, Hyeon felt worse and worse. He wanted to run from this place. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his temple. His stomach was also feeling a little queasy. 

It has to be anxiety. Should I go see a doctor later? Going from this location to town will be a hassle, though.

"Are you feeling okay?" Sani asked. 

"I'm just hot, I guess. It could stress from all the traveling."

Understanding showed on his face. "Do you also feel like escaping? Turning back?"

"Uh, yeah. How did you know?"

"We'll enter the spegill soon to transition,” Sani said as a matter-of-fact. His gaze was fixated on Hyeon’s contract.

Hyeon was genuinely confused. Transitioning? "What's a spegill?"

Sani was taken aback by the question. "Spegill is a common name for them, but maybe you'd know them as mirrors in English? I'm surprised you didn't recognize the symptoms. Doesn't your family or friends use any sort of spegill to get away from human society?"

A mirror? 

“I don’t und–”

"Sir, we've arrived." said the driver.

"Thank you, Blue. Park the Cadillac here.”

Blue opened Sani's door and did the same for Hyeon. He stepped out and realized they were in the middle of nowhere in the thick forest. Behind him was an entrance to a cave. A creepy cave.

"Welcome to Festr Castle, Hyeon."

The cave opening was the height of a small house and was pitch black inside. Droplets of water fell from the moss hanging over the edge. It smelled very…damp. Even from Hyeon's position, he could hear the raindrops create small echoes within its depths.

Hold on...

THIS is Festr Castle? In there? In a cave deep in a forest? Hyeon had so many disturbing questions. Now it made sense why residents can’t find a freaking castle on this island. It wasn’t even real!

Blue was unloading Hyeon's suitcase while Sani carried his own belongings. "Before we head inside, let's –"

"N-no thanks."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Sani paused.

"I've seen enough crime and murder documentaries to know what's going down. I will fight back." Hyeon was thinking how in the world he could grab Nammi from the car while fighting these two off before they had their way with him.

Sani doubled over laughing. Blue tried to remain in character and chuckled, "You’re a comical one."

Sani wiped a tear from his eyes. "Right! Anyway, I'm glad we’re finally here. I don’t feel the same when I have to hide my tail. It's also draining to make you look human, Blue."

Cigarette-like smoke suddenly appeared around Sani's head, hands, and rear end. The driver was engulfed in it. In seconds, the smoke disappeared. Like a magic trick, he now had pointy dog ears, longer nails, and a fluffy tail which were the same color as his orange-red hair.

Blue...well, he went from a forgettable face to an ACTUAL DOG!

"Again, Mr. Falken, welcome to Festr Mansion."