Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

It was an eerie, cold, and dark mansion. They both did not know how but they both were standing inside a dark mansion which, by any means, was not of a prince's mansion. More like a dead prince's mansion.

Stranges posters and portraits were hung across the tall walls of the mansion. A big silver-gold chandelier was hung down the roof. Barely any furniture was left but whatever furniture was left, it was ruined.

"Where is the exit though?" Reon broke the silence. Hitori kept walking without replying to her, "and what is up with your flame… are you out of mana?"

Hitori turned his head around, he lit a flame that did not last five seconds, "no," the flame extinguished.

Reon started walking with Hitori when suddenly, she felt someone pass behind her. To double-check if they were alone, she glanced behind her.

"The third point… is a ghost mansion," Hitori finally revealed the mansion's name to her. As if she did not know already.

"Do you think it was wise to take this path? You know, if we would have followed the three players, maybe we would have had some help with the mummies and now… these ghosts,"

"No," Hitori shook his head, "we have to reach to the boss's lair before they do,"

"Huh? Why-" she stopped when she again felt someone walk past her. She gulped, "No, please…" she clasped her hands together and prayed to God.

Hitori raised his hand, "fire torch," he chanted the spell once again. His normal flame lit up as flames appeared in his hands. But unfortunately, they extinguished again within a few seconds.

He clicked his tongue and continued walking. He had got a rough glimpse of the house by now but not being able to use his torch raised the difficulty. And Hitori could not risk setting the whole mansion on fire. It will ask for too much mana, and he might burn the key to exit this mansion.

"Leonine~" she gasped as she stopped walking, "come with me~" she heard a soft feminine voice whispering in her ears, "Leonine~"

"R- Ryu-san…" her voice barely reached Hitori's ears.

She hesitantly glanced behind and let out a shriek, "Aaah!"

"What?" Hitori turned around. Reon felt her foot hitting something hard which made her stumble and lose her balance.

Reon spread her arms out to reach for Hitori, well, she did reach for him but his reaction totally blew her out.

He stepped away from her, her fingers managed to grab his cloak but he quickly pushed her hands away from him.

"D- Do not touch me… please," he requested.

Seeing Hitori in such a condition, the fear washed off from Reon's face. She stood straight and started at Hitori who was acting… weird.

"Ryu-san…" she spoke hesitantly, "w- is something wrong?"

"P- please maintain your distance, and do not touch me," he rubbed his blue mage's cloak.

Reon was confused but she was scared to ask any further. She did not know what to do either, so she casually brought her eyes down to see what she hit with her leg.

She looked down and saw a golden border glowing in the dark, it was some sort of mirror, she bent down to check it.

"Ryu-san," Hitori was still not over the fear he felt when she touched him but, guess you can not keep dwelling on your worst fears.

"What, Reon-san?" he replied this time.

"Look at this mirror," she grabbed the mirror in her hands and pulled it up, "but… you can not see yourself in it," Hitori would not bother to look at anything right now.

"Why is that?" he still asked.

"I do not know, its screen is…" she started talking slowly, "dark… total black, it is like a mirror with no mirror in it,"

"Do not be ridiculous…" Hitori started talking but Reon, could not hear his voice anymore.

She had immersed herself in the mirror. Her eyes did not move from the mirror, she kept staring at it. Her face started turning pale, her eyes had turned cold. She could not feel anything, she could not move her eyes–

"Reon-san," a flame of fire flickered in the darkness. Hitori's cold face appeared out of nowhere, his blue eyes shone like two pinpricks.

"Uhh," Reon felt her heart skip a beat. The flame extinguished with her panic, "do not startle me like that," she let out a sigh of relief.

"Let us… move ahead?" Hitori tilted his head by lighting the flame once again.

Reon kept the mirror down on a table in front of her, from where the mirror 'fell' down. She pulled a smile on her face and turned to Hitori.

"Let us go, Ryu-san," he did not pay much attention to her cause the flame had extinguished and he was seriously pissed and annoyed about it.

Hitori took the stairs and reached the first floor together with Reon, she was walking right behind him.

They had walked halfway through the first floor but still had not found a clue or a treasure or something like that. Hitori and Reon did not speak at all on the way.

After clearing the first floor, they started to head for the second floor. Slowly, from behind, a slender pale finger approached Hitori.

She touched his back with her finger, "Uh-" he sighed. She did not stop, she lifted her finger and landed it on his shoulder, "please… do not,"

They had explored one-third part of the second floor. The rooms which were present on the floor were all locked. Not a single one Hitori would risk opening forcefully.

She raised her pale finger once again, "what is it?" Hitori asked this time. He kept walking and did not turn around.

Reon said nothing, she lifted her finger and touched his shoulder ONCE AGAIN.

"For god's sake!" Hitori was finally annoyed, what was the deal with her? He demanded, "what is it?" he raised his voice a little as he turned his head around and stopped walking.

Hitori lifted his hand near his side and lightened a flame. He had opened his mouth to speak but… words would not come out.

A pale figure stood in front of him. Her hair was all over the place, her eyes were blank with no pupils in them, a few wrinkles had appeared on her face, and a mouth… even a devil would not wish for.

He froze. His eyes were fixed on the hideous creature in front of him. And for the first time, the flame in his hands had not extinguished.

Hitori wanted to turn and run for his life but his legs would not move. A living ghost was standing in front of him- wait, a 'living' ghost?

After a few seconds of silence, the flame went out. Hitori quickly lit up the torch with another flame. This time, Reon was standing in front of him with her… somewhat beautiful avatar.

"Run…" she was panting, "run, Ryu…" the flame extinguished, but was lit up again, "San!!"

She had transformed back to the ghost version. She had looked straight into Hitori's blue eyes and warned him in a way deeper voice than Reon's original one.

..

…

Will Be Continued…!