It’s not letting me go?

Keeping his eye on the distant red candle, Xu Qing backed up a bit. Then, skirting the halo of light surrounding the candle, he flew in the direction of the rift leading to the second level. Upon nearing the area, he found… that the rift was gone.

Not only is it not letting me leave, but also, the rift to the second level vanished. But why…?

Looking grim, he pondered the situation, eventually coming up with three possibilities.

First, it could be related to the mask. Maybe it’s the karma I developed with the mask. Or maybe the mask is incapable of leaving the pocket dimension. Perhaps the power of the mask itself is preventing me from leaving until I complete my wish.