Lu Na took two steps forward and stepped on the first stone platform. It was gray compared to the yellow labyrinth walls. That’s when everything activated.

  Circles lit up in bright colors, yellow, red, and blue. There were no patterns to them aside from how each of the matching colors were within reach of each other.

  “What do I do?” Lu Na asked.

  “You want a hint?” the game master asked. He stroked his beard.

  “No, I want the rules. You can’t expect me to play a game without knowing that much.”

  “Have children become dumber since the time of the Xia? All you have to do is step onto the circles without stepping out of them. Walk through the bridge to the other side. This is a game for little children.”

  Lu Na wanted to believe the ghost, but there was something off about the circles.

  “Why do they have different colors? What do they do?”

  “They’re just circles. Walk across already! Your friends are dying and you’re questioning the colors of the circles?”

  Lu Na closed her eyes and activated her spirit vision technique. When she opened her eyes, the circles showed a different story. The yellow circles looked like snakes. The blue circles looked like birds. The red ones looked like a circle of small ants crawling over each other. They all looked beautiful, but she couldn’t see what each technique did. She couldn’t see how they were made.

  Lu Na remembered her spirit tool. She took it out and plugged it into the blue circle. The moment her tool touched the circle it made a popping sound and smoke came off it. The only reading it got was a large surge of spirit energy.

  “I know I’m dead, but I’ll probably die again at this rate.” The game master yawned. “See? You’re taking so long that I’m getting sleepy. Just step into one of the circles already.”

  “Shut up!” Lu Na yelled at the game master. “If you’re not going to help, just be quiet.”

  The game master scowled.

  Lu Na feared that she made this test a lot harder because she was so disrespectful. Yet, there was something nagging her as the game master kept hurrying her. She doubted the old ghost was there to help her. Almost none of the ghosts were helpful in any way and only Zi Xu was helpful when he felt like helping.

  They were all dead. Lu Na didn’t want to join them.

  Lu Na looked back at the circles. She took out a piece of yellow paper and one of her last remaining silver sycees. When she put the yellow paper on the blue circle, nothing happened. If only she had her spirit wand. She could have tested one of her wards on it.

  Next she dropped the silver sycee onto the blue circle. Nothing happened again.

  Maybe it needed something living? If only she had a mouse or even a spirit. The thought of using Nugua to test out these circles made her chuckle.

  There was only one thing left for her to test. Lu Na put her left finger on the blue circle. The technique activated and right away she felt intense vertigo. The world was spinning and she lost her balance. If she wasn’t already squatting down low, she would have fell off the platform into the lava.

  When Lu Na pulled her hand back the feeling was still there, but muted. It felt almost as if she spun around too many times.

  When the world finally stopped spinning, she glared at the game master. Lu Na was right. The old ghost didn’t want to help her.

  So what would happen if she avoided the circles and crossed the platform? Despite what the game master said, there was nothing stopping her from doing that right?

  Lu Na gently put her right foot forward in between the circles. The moment she touched the platform, a loud boom sounded above, forcing her to cover her ears.

  “What is that?” Lu Na asked after the sound faded away.

  “That is your warning for trying to cheat. Do it again and the entire walkway will collapse.” The game master had his arms crossed and the smuggest smile Lu Na had ever seen on anyone. It reminded her of when her little brothers thought they had the upper hand in the games she played with them.

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  Except Lu Na knew that no matter what, she would analyze the technique and overcome it. It would take a little more trial and error.

  Lu Na looked at the circles again. If the blue one with the birds made her feel dizzy, then what would the yellow snakes and red ants do?

  This time, Lu Na sat on the floor right in front of the circles. She reached over with her right finger and placed it into the yellow circle.

  There was instant regret.

  It felt like a million slimy snakes wrapping them all around her body. It would be like if she took a bath filled with these snakes as they writhed all around her. The worst part was it felt like the snakes would touch a part of her that she normally didn’t think about.

  Lu Na pulled her hand back. She had to close her eyes to force the feeling away. It wasn’t as bad as the blue circle as she could probably still walk through with that feeling. The only fear she had was what if she felt that slimy, wriggling on the bottom of her feet and it made her slip?

  “Well, since you don’t care about my feelings, maybe something else can motivate you to move faster.” The game master waved his hand, the long sleeve moving like a flag.

  A large image appeared in front of Lu Na. It looked like the fight happening outside of the puzzle room between Sun Ren and the feral spirits. Except, this one was moving. It was just like Sun Wukong’s moving images on the scroll he gave her.

  Sun Ren’s forces were being overrun. The feral spirits were running over each other to get to them. They pulled back to the door and made a small defensive circle around it. Elder Hen sat against the door with a large gash across his forehead. Sun Ren was now holding the line with a spear alongside Hen Li and Yang Deli.

  Lu Na hated to admit it, but the old ghost was right. She needed to hurry. The only had one last thing circle to test. She put her finger into the red circle with ants and all she felt was a small itching on her arms. It was like ants crawling over it, but no pain.

  That was the least offensive to Lu Na. Besides, she didn’t have time to test it for longer. She looked up and saw that the red circles went all the way through to the end of the platform where there was a small pillar and a glowing button.

  Lu Na could do this. All she had to do was avoid the other ones. This was child’s play. She took the first step into the red circle and jumped to the next one.

  The feeling of ants crawling up her arm became more intense as she moved. Lu Na scratched at her arm while moving forward. Soon the crawling sensation was at her shoulders and her neck. They went down her back. With every hop into a new circle, the ants kept crawling further and further all over her. Soon her face itched and she rubbed it with her itching forearm.

  When she made it to the end of the platform, she finally stepped out of the red circles. Lu Na wasn’t sure if it was luck or how the game was designed, but she didn’t step on any other circles. It was almost too easy, except… the itching didn’t stop.

  Maybe it had something to do with the short pillar. Lu Na walked up to it and saw a big blue glowing button on it. The itching was getting onto her ears at this point. She didn’t care about being cautious before she slammed her fist onto the button.

  A small image appeared in front of her. It was the same type of image that the game master conjured up. It asked a simple question:

  How do spirits gain the ability to talk?

  Lu Na didn’t know. Nugua had always talked with her the moment she bonded with her. Her mother never explained anything as she left not too long after. It was almost as if her mother was in a hurry and didn’t bother leaving any instructions on how anything worked.

  Her father was of no use either. He never bothered to provide her proper lessons.

  The itching was now in her nose. How the heck did it get in there? Lu Na reached up with her fingers to try to scratch the insides of her nose. Now it was in her ears.

  “I don’t know the answer, game master,” Lu Na said. Her entire body now felt like there were ants crawling all over. No matter how much she shifted, it continued. “Please, tell me. Make it stop.”

  “Oh, I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair of me to help you cheat.”

  Lu Na felt blood trickle on the back of her hands from where she scratched. It was more intense than any mosquito bite she’d ever had and she couldn’t help herself despite the burning pain from bleeding.

  “Please, please make it stop.”

  The game master smiled and nodded toward the floor of lava.

  Lu Na looked down at the hot floor. She got close to it and felt the intense heat radiating off the river of burning. There was an intense temptation to shove her hand in there, but she knew that it would only make it worse.

  The only relief she could get was if she jumped into the lava itself to end this misery.

  “Don’t be so mean, you old fool,” Zi Xu said. The ghost appeared beside the game master again.

  “What are you doing back?” the game master asked.

  “I got bored. Besides, wouldn’t it be more entertaining if the girl reached the last stage like her mother only to fail there?”

  The game master crossed his arms again, staring at Lu Na.

  All she could think of was how much she hated the ghost right now. He did this to her and the itching somehow spread to her hair. Lu Na undid all the ties in them and scratched with all her might.

  “Fine, I’ll give you a little help.” The game master waved his hand and the itching softened.

  Lu Na crawled into a ball on the floor, hugging herself and scratching at her sides.

  “You only get this one chance. Do you want help from one of your friends?”

  Lu Na looked up at the moving image of Sun Ren. It was almost as if her thoughts controlled it as it focused on her best friend.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Then I shall grant you this wish.” The game master made two fists and pushed them together. An orange glow surrounded them before dissipating. There was a large flash that blinded Lu Na for a moment.

  As soon as the flash of light disappeared, the itching came back in earnest. There were parts of her body that were itching that she couldn’t reach. And even if she could reach them, it wouldn’t relieve it anyway.

  “Sun Ren, please, help me,” Lu Na said.

  “Sun Ren? What happened? Where am I?” a man’s voice said.

  To her horror, Lu Na opened her eyes to see not her friend, but Elder Hen standing over her holding a spear. Blood dripped from the gash on his forehead over his face, making a small rivulet to the floor.

  “You’re welcome,” the game master said. “Don’t ever say I didn’t do anything for you.”