Key (And Element) Hunt

That's for you to figure out, Wei Feng,"

he said.

"But I can give you a hint. The first key is guarded by a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a serpent. It can be found in the Hall of Mirrors."

Wei Feng nodded, not knowing what and where the hall of mirrors are in the first place.

"Thank you,"

he said, trying hard not to sound nervous.

"I'll find the keys and escape this game."

Danny nodded in approval.

"Good luck, Wei Feng,"

he said before disappearing into the shadows.

Wei Feng took a deep breath and looked around the room. He had a feeling that this was only the beginning of his journey.

…

Jiu Li quickly searched the room and spotted a glass cabinet in the middle of nowhere. He approached it and found that it was filled with different types of lighters.

He thought that one of these might be the element of fire, so he started picking up each lighter that stood out to him and examining them closely. As he picked up a black lighter with a dragon design, he felt a sudden warmth emanating from it. Jiu Li knew he had found the element of fire.

Jiu Li pocketed the black dragon lighter, as soon as he picked the lighter up, the safe burst into flames. Jiu Li flinched but continued his search for the remaining two elements after a few seconds of processing what just happened.

As he searched the room, Jiu Li noticed a bookshelf hidden within a bush. He walked over to it and examined the books on the shelves. One book stood out to him, with a cover made of pure silver. As he picked it up, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He wanted to look back, but his body didn't respond.

When Jiu Li was able finally look back, he saw the stuttering cannibal. No! This can't be happening! How did he sniff me out?!? Jiu Li looked at him in disbelief.

Just then, he was able to move his body. Jiu quickly grabbed the glistening silver book and ran from the murderer.

Surprisingly, the stuttering cannibal didn't move a single inch. When the stuttering cannibal was out of sight, Jiu Li opened the silver book to find that its pages were blank.

But as he flipped through them, he noticed that his hand left behind a trail of water. He realized that he had found the element of water.

…

Wei Feng wandered to who knows where mindlessly, searching for the hall of mirrors.

When he saw a glimpse of a mirror behind a tree, he walked over to it.

But somehow, there was no mirror—where did it go?

Just then, he heard someone calling out to him.

"Wei Feng, are you still here?"

a familiar voice came from behind him.

It was Jiu Li. But wasn't Jiu Li in the other hallway? Did he(Wei Feng) take too long so Jiu Li searched for him?

Wei Feng turned around and faced him.

"I'm looking for the hall of mirrors,"

Jiu Li said.

"It's over there."

Wei Feng was surprised that Jiu Li knew where the hall of mirrors was located at. He got a better look at Jiu Li. Wei Feng realized it wasn't Jiu Li at all. His expression turned grave.

The impersonator's voice was almost like to Jiu Li's but the impersonator looked entirely different from Jiu Li.

Then, they asked,

"Wei Feng, what's wrong?"

Wait—how did they know his name? Wei Feng was visibly confused. The impersonator couldn't see Wei Fengs face since it was kept in the shadow of the tree.

Wei Feng turned around and walked away from the hall of mirrors and the impersonator. He knew that if he trusted the impersonator and walked into the direction they were pointing, it would likely cost his life.

As Wei Feng walked away, he saw a reflection of the sky behind a mirror. A blinding light illuminated the entire area. It was as if the sky had taken the form of a flashlight.

It was beautiful, if only this view was available in reality. Wei Feng stopped to admire the night sky.

Hmm….a mirror?!? Wei Feng snapped out of his trance and rushed over to it. Inside the mirror's reflection was more mirrors.

Wei Feng was shocked. Was this the entrance of the hall of mirrors?

Wei Feng approached the mirror. He felt his body go numb as soon as he stepped into the reflection.

He saw a maze of mirrors ahead of him.

The creature Danny decribed was in the center of the maze. The mirrors were moving around, reflecting different images of the maze. It looked like the maze was alive.

As he tried to get out of the reflection, he saw the creature stop and point at him.

"Wei Feng, what are you doing here?"

the creature said. How did every single living being except for the clowns in this game know my name? Wei Feng wanted to ask.But he was too terrified to speak a word.

"Answer me!"

the creature yelled at him.

"I…I came to get th-the...key!"

the creature furrowed his eyesbrows.

"What key?"

"The key to…to escape this place!"

The creature seemed to become even more enraged.

"Answer me! Tell me where this key is!"

"I don't know! I came here to find it, i was just told it was here!

The creature's eyes widened in surprise.

"Who told you that the key was here?"

"I…I don't remember. It was just a voice!"

Wei Feng lied. He couldn't imagine what the enraged creature would do to Danny, and he didn't want to endanger the very person who told him how he could escape "Danny's Circus".

"Do you know how to get out of here?"

"I…I think so. It was the same voice that told me where the key was."

The creature lowered its head in thought.

"Then, I will lend you the key… in exchange that you help me get escape."

The creature turned around and walked away. Wei Feng followed the creature to the center of the maze.

Wei Feng was confused. How could he help the creature escape when it could cause a ruckus in his world? The creature walked up to a door in the maze.

The creature opened the door and stepped through it. Wei Feng followed the creature through the door.

The creature kept walking. The door disappeared as soon as Wei Feng stepped through it. In front of him was a pitch black hallway.

The only source of light was coming from the creature.The creature stopped and turned around.

"Get in."

The creature walked in. Wei Feng followed the creature into the pitch black hallway.He couldn't even tell what direction he was walking in.

He heard the creature walking away from him. After a few moments, he heard the creature open another door and close it behind him.

Wei Feng walked down the hallway for what seemed like eternity.

As he walked, he began to hear the most alarming sound in this world: laughter.

It was a deep, maniacal laughter.

As Wei Feng continued walking, the laughter grew louder. He began to feel concerned. Why was there laughter? Didn't he and the creature walk in silence for what seemed like an eternity?

Wei Feng stopped to catch his breath. The laughter began to die off. When Wei Feng started walking after he caught his breath, he began to hear the laughter again. It was so loud that he was certain that something was going to happen.

Suddenly, the laughter had stopped. Then, there was silence. Wei Feng walked in silence for what seemed like hours. There were no doors.

Just then, Wei Feng realized that the creature kept silent the whole time.

"Hey, are you still here?"

The creature didn't respond.

"Hey! I said are you still here?"

Wei Feng felt something grab his shoulder.

"Ah—apologies, my mind wandered somewhere."

The creature began walking again and Wei Feng followed. The hallway eventually opened up into a large room that finally had light with several doors.

"Which one do we take?"

Wei Feng asked.

"That depends on what you choose"

the creature replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that each door leads to a different place. One might lead to the key, while another might lead to Danny's Circus. You have to choose wisely."

Wei Feng looked at the doors in front of him. They all looked the same, but he knew that they each held a different fate.

"Can you give me a clue?"

The creature shook its head.

"No, I cannot give you a clue. You have to use your intuition and choose the door that calls out to you the most."

Wei Feng took a deep breath and walked up to the doors. He closed his eyes and focused on his instincts. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and chose the door on the far left.

The creature nodded its approval and opened the door for him.

…

Now all that is left was the wind element.

Jiu Li searched frantically for the wind element.

Jiu Li began to feel hopeless. He had searched every inch of the room, but the wind element was nowhere to be found. Just then, he heard a faint whisper in his ear.

"Look up."

Jiu Li looked up and saw a small whirlwind swirling above him.

Jiu Li reached out his hand and caught the wind element in his palm. He couldn't believe his luck and thanked who ever whispered into his ear in his mind. He had no time to ask in his head: who whisperer that because just then, the room started to shake. The walls began to crumble, and the ground beneath him gave way. Jiu Li was plummeting into a dark hole.

He tried to grab onto something, but he couldn't find anything to hold onto.

As Jiu Li fell, he realized that he was falling into a vast expanse of darkness. But suddenly, he felt himself slow down. He looked around and saw that he was surrounded by a shimmering blue aura.

He realized that he had activated the wind element. He closed his eyes and focused on his intention to fly. Suddenly, he felt himself rising up into the air.

Jiu Li soared higher and higher into the darkness, guided only by the power of the wind element. As he flew, he saw flashes of memories: images of things related to rhe Zheng Hu, again. Jiu Li didn't question why, all he knew was that it would be dangerous to stay any longer.

Suddenly, Jiu Li saw a glimmer of light in the distance. It was the door, the way out of this escape game.

Jiu Li flew towards the light and unlocked the door. He landed on solid ground, looked around and saw that he was back in the room where he started the game. The walls had returned to their normal state, and everything seemed just as it was before.

Jiu Li felt a sense of relief wash over him. He had completed the escape game and had all the elements he needed. Now he really should just wait for Wei Feng at the promised meeting location instead of looking for him. Jiu Li really didn't want to move anymore, but he trudged his way to the meeting location.

…

Wei Feng walked through the door. Suddenly, he found himself in the middle of Danny's Circus. Again? Wei Feng frowned as it's been the third time this happened. Suddenly, a familiar sinister voice boomed,

"Welcome to Danny's Circus!"

Wei Feng turned around to see a tall, dark figure standing behind him. It was the clown that was chasing him earlier. Wei Feng angled his body away, prepared to flee at any moment.

The clown turned to face Wei Feng and started to run into Wei Feng's direction. Wei Feng turned as white as a sheet and ran as fast as he could.