Keep exploring.

Another turn. Another dead end. This happens a few times over, and while you trust Nyllia's markings, it really does start to feel like you're going in circles. Because of a couple intersections, hugging the left wall has barely continued to function. The maze's creators thought of everything. They weren't fools. Without your ability to Bunny Hop out, you do start to feel genuinely worried, though you try not to let it show on your face.

"Hey. Whatever happened to that little magic crystal thing you had?" Niki asks. She looks a little funny trying to make conversation without turning around, and also continuing to cover her butt with her shield.

"Oh. The crystal star Lady Sulta gave me?" she asks.

"That's right. I remember it gave you extra spells or something, but I feel like I haven't seen it in awhile. Do you keep it inside you or something?"

"No! Well... Actually, kinda."

Masumi chuckles. "Oh my. What a fun magical trinket it must be."

"N-Not like that. I mean, when I started leaning into my magic eater cravings, I found myself sucking on it. Eventually, all the magic was drained. I was mortified. But then I realized I had actually absorbed a couple spells. Permanently. The downside is that there were a couple others in there that are now gone, but I absorbed most of the crystal star's power into my body."

"If you eat enough carrots, will you turn into one, or just get the powers of a carrot?"

"How many leaps in logic did you just make?!"

"I just felt something," you say. You look straight forwards down the next hall as you turn, though it isn't far until another dead end. Still, you know some person or object is near. It doesn't feel like it's coming from behind either. For just a split second, you swear you got a glimpse of a mysterious shape ahead, and whether it's your Kitty Sense or some kind of dungeoneering instinct, you get the vibe that something animate is nearby, or at least something that can move.

Nyllia steps forwards, past Niki and to the wall. She lays her hand upon it. To the surprise of the party, it flickers like it's no more then a projected hologram. It still stops her movement, however. It's solid. Though as she runs her fingers down the artificial stone, you can see waves of magic rippling out as if it were a sideways pond.

You join her. It feels strange. As in, it definitely resembles the texture of stone, though you can nearly push through it. It isn't solid. There's just a force pushing back.

"Stand aside," Niki says. Then after preparing for a moment, she flushes and brings her shield down. It seems she completely forgot she was bottomless. "But nobody watch me do it!"

Then after a deep breath, she rams shield-fist into the false wall.

It does bend. It isn't like it did nothing. Though Niki bounces right off and lands flat on her back--legs spread in a rather undignified position. "Ah... Magic," she mutters.

"Then allow me," Eva says, cracking her fingers. She lays all ten fingertips against the dead end, and focuses in silence there for a lengthy moment.

Through the quiet pause, Masumi whispers, "We may have to find some sort of lever or button."

Eva grumbles. Then, she squats down, extends her tongue, places it against the wall, and licks all the way back up until she's standing again, all while making a noise of distaste. It looks bizarre, though as she does it, the wall rapidly flickers to such an extent that you can see straight through it several times. The hall does continue. Not only that, but there's something floating on the other end.

The levitating object looks almost like a tiny UFO. Upon realizing it's seen, it moves about in a rapid panic.

"Good job!" Niki, back on her feet, cheers for her companion before sprinting towards it a second time. "Now move side!"

As Eva dodges out of the way, Niki shatters through it like a pane of glass. Instead of leaving behind shards, however, it dissipates--fizzles out like a dying television screen, until you're left with nothing but a clean passage through, as if it were never there.