Everyone's eyes widened in hope. "The night sky," Fishlegs observed with a grin, "of course!"

"It was so obvious that we overlooked it," Hiccup agreed, "the entire Beneath is one big clue."

"Which also explains why things are more normal down here," Endeavor added, "we haven't fully escaped, but we aren't exactly on the island either." She began to pace as she thought aloud, "and no creatures here have wings. Because if we could fly, we'd all be able to escape with ease."

But this only made Hiccup frown. "But we can't fly," he reminded with a sigh, "so how are we supposed to get to the stars?"

"Maybe we don't have to fly," Ruff suggested, "I mean, things don't really make sense here, right? There might be more disappearing stairs or something."

"Stairs that go into the sky?" Snotlout asked with an unamused look on his face. Just then, he caught a glimpse of crimson dripping from Tuff's arm. His eyes widened as he asked, "what happened to you?"

Tuffnut looked down at his hand where three long scratches ran acrossed the back of it. Endeavor walked over to him and frowned. "That was me, wasn't it," she observed,taking his hand to examine it, "..sorry."

When she began to wipe the blood away with her hands, Tuff blushed. "I-it's alright," he assured, "I've survived way worse."

Endeavor closed her hands around his, willing it to heal. Even though she knew it was a power of hers now, it still shocked her to see her hands begin to glow blue. Withing seconds, Tuff's hand was back to normal, not even a scar in place. "That was awesome," he admired with an impressed look on his face.

Looking back into his eyes, Endeavor smiled proudly. For a few moments, they just looked at each other, taking in the details of one another's face.

Hiccup looked to Astrid with a sideways grin and a single eyebrow raised. She gave him a similar look, as if they knew there was a spark between Tuffnut and Endeavor. Then, Astrid cleared her throat as casually as possible. "We should probably get going now," she announced.

Endeavor looked back to the other five who were staring at her and Tuff. She gave them a determined grin and agreed, "definitely. I don't trust that Loki will like that we've found our way out."

"Unless he wants us to escape," Hiccup spoke sugggestively, "especially you, Endeavor."

"Me?" She asked in disbelief. She laughed dryly and frowned at him. "Hiccup, if I was meant to escape, why would I still be here?" She questioned rhetorically. She then moved past him and began to lead. "This way. We have to make it before the sun comes out."

• • •

The seven reached an opening that led out to the top rim of the bowl-like stone structure around the island. It was, however, unsettling. "Well, that just seems way to convenient," Snotlout muttered as he looked down at the jungle below. It had looked so beautiful the first time the riders saw it. But now, knowing what demons lurched in every shadow, even the air seemed toxic.

"Yeah, I thought trying to escape was supposed to be super dangerous?" Tuffnut recalled what Endeavor had said before about how deadly the task would be.

"That was when no one knew what they were doing," Endeavor answered, though she was also quite confused as to why this was so easy suddenly.

"And we do know what we're doing?" Tuff asked unsurely.

"This doesn't feel right," Hiccup put in his thoughts, scrunching his eyebrows curiously.

Endeavor felt her hope beginning to crumble. "But...no....this has to be it," she urged, "we have to keep going."

"Going where?" Snotlout questioned, crossing his arms, "we don't exactly have wings. And I don't see any stairs appearing."

Looking up at the starry sky, Endeavor felt as if she had hit another dead end. She sighed in frustration and looked back down at her feet. And annoyed growl gurgled in her throat as she kicked at a pebble. But she didn't completely lose hope yet. She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked back up. Clearing her mind, she searched for something that could've been easily overlooked.

"..You know, for as long as I've been here, that moon has never moved," she spoke in a calmer voice, "just like the tunnels."

"Except for when it's the sun," Astrid added on.

Endeavor nodded, squinting her eyes. "If there is a clue to an escape," she went on, "an escape has to exist."

"Unless this is Loki's biggest trick yet," Hiccup countered with a frown, "to make us believe there is an escape..when there isn't."

But Endeavor shook her head. "No, Loki would want there to be an escape. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a game," Endeavor thought aloud. She moved abruptly, climbing ontop of a taller ledge of stone. Slowly, she reached her hand up to the moon. "I wonder..." she mumbled.

Then, something solid met her palm. The stars that looked miles away, hung just above their heads. She let her fingers close around the goofball-sized glowing rock. It didn't moved when she tugged at it. "No way," she muttered, a grin spreading over her face, "it is stairs."