When they arrived to the gates of the castle the day was half gone already.  Thorin lead the group into the castle as Takeshi and Lihua brought up the end of the group.  The group used their qi to light up the dark castle as they made their way through each room.  With the many hands that were there they were able to search the rooms quickly while picking up treasures on the way.  

They picked and chose what they wanted to bring back with them, while Lihua and Takeshi stayed back and watched everyone search for treasures.  There was nothing there that interested them yet.  Lihua had her animals roam around the castle to ensure they were there alone and there were no hidden traps set up.  

As they made their way up the castle,  they split up in groups of fours and chose the rooms that were before them.  Lihua, Takeshi, Chiyo and Xin were in one group as they went into the room at the end of the hall on the second floor.  Takeshi and Xin entered first to make sure the room was safe.  Chiyo then Lihua came afterwards.  The room they entered was a huge bedroom that was dusty.  There was a four poster bed along with  three huge chests and dresser drawers that were located against the wall.  The three tier window glass was broken as the sunset rays filtered through, lighting up the room as they searched through each drawer and chest.   

All they found was fine clothing and and jewelry.  Xin had given all the jewelry to Chiyo as they kept searching the room in silence.  

"What do you think happened to all of them?"  Lihua asked.  "How could everyone just disappear?"  

"I don't know."  Takeshi said as he stayed by the door. 

"This castle can hold about 100 people.  How could 100 people just disappear?  There were no over turned furniture, no dry blood, no skeletons.  It's as if they all just disappeared.  How could this have happened?"  Lihua said.  "It just doesn''t make any sense!"  

Takeshi went over to Lihua and held her in his arms.  Her uneasy feeling was affecting the rest of them.  

"I don't have a good feeling about this."  Lihua tells him.  "I think we should meet up with the rest of the group and leave the castle.  I feel better in the forest.  In the forest, at least I know there are beasts out there.  But in here.  Even with the empty castle, why is it that the beasts have not made the castle it's home in all these years?  Not even an overgrown weed has made it's way into the castle.  If a beast nor a weed has made the abandoned castle it's home, don't you think we should also leave?" 

"You have a point."  Takeshi said.  "Lets go meet up with the rest."  

The four of them opened the door and called everyone to come out from the rooms they entered.  When no one answered, Takeshi pushed open the door closest to him while looking inside.  The room was empty.  There were no signs of anyone entering nor searching the room.  Although the room was dusty, there were no evidence of their people ever entering the room.  When Takeshi knew for a fact that he saw his Devil's Soldiers enter the room.  

The four of them start opening the doors to look inside the rooms, and like the first door they opened.  The dusty rooms looked neatly put back together and there was no evidence of their people ever being there.  

"Where are they?"  Chiyo whispered in horror.  "How could they just disappear?"  

Lihua counted her animals that she sent out.  Six lions and six monkeys came safely back to her.  They too have not seen anything.  Lihua shook her head no, letting everyone know that they didn't run into anything as well.  

"Lets search each room, one by one."  Takeshi said as he held on to Lihua's hand.   The four of them searched each room and found nothing out of ordinary.  "They couldn't have just disappeared without saying a word or putting up a fight.  It doesn't make any sense."  

After searching each room and not finding anything, they retraced their steps and went back to the original room that they entered.   And like the other rooms, every drawer they left open were closed and every clothing item were neatly folded and put back.  The several inches of dust still laid untouched.  

For the first time there, Lihua felt fear.  She didn't like not knowing what happened to the others when they were just there together.  

"Come lets keep on moving."  Takeshi said.  "Maybe they have been moved to a different location."

"Stay close and stay together."  Lihua tells them.  

The four of them made their way up a tower.  They climbed the winding stairs Takeshi taking the lead, followed by Lihua and Chiyo with Xin bringing up the rear.  When they reached the top, Takeshi opened the door as quiet as he could.  The squeaking door opened to the darkening sky as their qi lights lit the room.  In the middle of the bare room was a large white circle drawn in the middle of the room.  The four of them walked around the white circle, refusing to step inside, just in case it was a trap.  

"Should I send in my lion?"  Lihua asks as she stood by the door and left the door wide open so they couldn't be ambushed.  

"Lets try."  Takeshi said. 

They all watched as Lihua's lion came forward from her body, it walked around the white circle a couple of times, hesitating in crossing the line.  When it felt comfortable enough to cross the line, it crossed.  When nothing happened when it's paw reached the ground on the other side of the circle, it slowly went in the circle, one paw at a time until it's whole body crossed the white line.  

The lion looked walked around in circles within the white lines then it disappeared.  

"Lihua--"  Takeshi said as he turned around wanting to ask her about what happened to her lion.  But when he turned around, he only saw Chiyo and Xin.  Lihua was gone as well.  

"LIHUA!"  Takeshi shouted.