42.5 A Ruined Surprise Part 1

 "Who's that? Who's there?!" A young woman yelled as she looked around frantically. 

This night seemed lonelier and colder than any she had experienced before. Despite the moon and Celestial Sphere's light, she felt engulfed in darkness. The wind blew as though it would pull her away, and the trees appeared to stare like faceless hecklers as their leaves rustled. The young woman could not pinpoint who was following her or if it was just one person. Without sparing another moment, she took off running, trying to get to her room as soon as possible. After a few paces, however, she could barely go on. She was practically breathless; she felt a pain in her chest, and her heart raced. She crouched over and placed her hand on her chest, trying to regain her composure. She then heard a branch snap- someone was there. She turned around to see a figure approaching her at a frightening speed. She tried to run but ended up falling. She began to crawl but didn't get far before the figure had caught up to her. She grabbed handfuls of dirt and started throwing it at the figure. Her efforts were pointless. The figure loomed over her. Soon she could make out a hand reaching towards her.

 "No! Stay away, stay away!" screamed the young woman as she struggled.

Before she knew it, everything went black. 

Once the young woman regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was a bone-chilling cold. When she opened her eyes, she was almost blinded by an overhead light. She instinctively squinted her eyes and weakly turned away. As she moved, she suddenly felt ambushed by a wave of pain radiating from her lower region. As she struggled to lift her head, it felt more like trying to overcome a large weight. It was at this point that she got a better understanding of her situation. Her arm trembled as she slowly lifted it to remove the white sheet that covered her. She was dressed in a light off-white gown, which was loosely tied to the left of her hip. She released the sheet and then slowly moved her arm to the area where the pain radiated. She surveyed the area with her hand and discovered an anomaly. She traced her fingers along a wound she discovered. It felt as though she would never get to the end of it until she finally did. She could feel each individual suture. It felt as though the shape was formed into a half crescent. It was almost as though she was supposed to be sliced in half. Panic rushed over her. Her muffled cries gradually grew louder. She had to do something. Although faint, she could feel her strength slowly return. She, as best as she could, closely observed every inch of the room. Before her, there was a door to the right corner. Dim streaks of light peeked below the door sill. To the left of the door, there was a glass panel, and from this, she could make out the figures of two people. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could tell that it was a male and female. The young woman watched for some time until the figures disappeared. Once they left her sight and she could no longer hear their footsteps, she hurriedly tried to get down from the table, falling to the floor and knocking down a few articles in the process. The loud clanging of the objects made her anxious. As she tried to get to her feet, her hands accidentally pulled on her lengthy blonde hair, pulling out a few strands. This sharp pain drew her attention for a moment before something else stopped her. She realized that something was wrong. Her off-white gown was now being dyed red at a frightening pace. Before she could address this matter, however, she heard footsteps approaching. She hysterically searched the floor for anything useful until her hand chanced upon a small, sharp blade with a smooth handle. She pushed her hair aside and then rushed towards the door. With bated breath, she hid next to the door, gripping the blade tightly. She waited anxiously. While she tried to calm herself, it was no use; a pounding sound filled her ears, and she shook uncontrollably.

All of a sudden, the creaking of the door attracted the young woman's attention. As the door swung outward, the young woman rushed out. The hallway was dimly lit and seemed just large enough for two adults to walk next to each other. At that moment, the young woman saw a bald elderly man with a thick white beard. He was a bit on the shorter side and had a slender build. Fueled by adrenaline, the young woman charged at the elderly man and tried to stab him. Despite his appearance, he reacted quickly, dodging and then knocking the blade from the young woman's hand. With no other weapon, she bit into the elderly man's neck. She placed her hands on his head and neck, driving her nails into both places. He tried to push her away, but it was no use; she was latched on like a rabid dog. 

 "Do something, you stupid wench!" screamed the elderly man.

The young woman felt a pair of light hands pulling at her. This additional force coupled with her fleeting strength was enough to break her hold. The elderly man pressed his hand against his neck as he groaned in pain. He leaned against the wall as he slowly fell to the floor.

Once the young woman fell to the floor, she peered through her messy, thick tresses of hair to see who had pulled her away. She spit a mouthful of blood in the figure's direction. At first, it seemed to have just been a familiar figure, but as the young woman gained more clarity, she realized that it wasn't just a familiar figure; it was her personal maid! An older woman who had been with her for years. Why was she not helping her? Why was she with that elderly man? The woman tried to approach her calmly, but the closer she got, the less the young woman could make out her face. Her kind eyes were gone. It was as if it had been smeared in black. Seeing that the woman was not in a haste to restrain her, she took the opportunity to make sure that she could never do anything again. She picked up the blade and stabbed the woman in her lower abdomen over and over. She used to help the young woman arrange tea parties. The young woman could feel the blood gushing. She helped the young woman prepare for her wedding. The young woman tried to drive the knife even deeper, but it didn't seem possible. She was with her when the young woman found out she was pregnant. The young woman threw the blade to the floor and started punching the woman in the same spot. She was the first person to hold the young woman's first child. The woman's legs seemed to give out. As the young woman followed her to the floor, she grabbed her head and started smashing it into the floor. Over and over, until everything appeared blood red. At some point, the young woman lost strength in her arms. It was time to go. She looked over to see the elderly man with his eyes closed. The young woman took a moment to catch her breath and then slowly got to her feet. She leaned on the wall for support and followed the pathway framed with lit candles.

After some time, a figure emerged from the darkness. At the same time, the elderly man opened his eyes.

Another figure soon approached.

 "Reporting! She has made it out of the building. What should we do, Your Majesty?"

 "... let her go."

The cheers from the audience were thunderous. The final match was about to begin!