The weeping tree..
~~ INSIDE ALBANI, THE FORST OF THE CURSED CASTLE ~~
The full moon shone brightly as three figures in a black cloak could be seen walking inside Albani, the forest of the cursed castle. They were the figure, Michelle and Louis. The figure was in front of them while Michelle and Louis were about three foots behind him.
After a while, they slowly halted their steps, seems they have arrived. In front of them was very huge stumpy tree with huge dry roots that could be seen literally everywhere. The tree was about ten foots tall, four foots wide and scary.
It was the only stumpy tree there as the other trees were fresh and healthy.
However...
As Michelle and the figure stood about two foots forms the tree, Louis stood extra two from them making it four foots from the tree. No one could blame him, he was being wary of the tree.
At that moment...
The figure stepped closer to the tree, he took out a small dagger and slight his right palm. Immediately his palm began bleeding, he placed it on the tree, his blood dripping down the tree.
At that moment..
"Decum.. Decum.. Etes hocos diabulus.. metes hojom.."
("Tree.. tree.. grant me the desires I have come with...")
The figure muttered the spells and took his palm off, handing the dagger to Michelle to do the same.
Michelle did her's just the same way the figure did his and so did Louis.
After a moment...
The part of the tree where they had placed their bleeding palms began glowing together with the trails left behind by their blood on the tree.
The place glowed and in the next minute, three small glowing orbs came out of the tree and hanged in the mid air on each of their heads.
It represents the life or chance that each of them has for the next thing coming up for them, that is none other than riddles.
Right now each of them has a full life, that is each of them has three tries each.
Knowing fully well what they came looking for, the weeping tree thus began its riddles but at first, a part of the tree opened like an old wooden scroll.
Almost immediately, a written rule appeared on the scroll and it read this:
I. Each person has three trials.
II. One riddle goes for one person each.
III. No one answers for another.
IV. Any one can answer any riddle.
V. Whoever fails the three trials dies..
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After they finished reading the rules, the figure didn't wait a minute and he grabbed his orb into his hands. Looking at him, Michelle took a deep breath and grabbed her's just like the figure did.
But however, Louis stood like a statue, he didn't know what to do as he stared at the last rule and a shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to step back but one glare from Michelle made him grab the orb in his head instantly.
At that moment...
The rules on the scroll disappeared and another appeared saying..
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The words disappeared and...
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At that time, the written words disappeared and a riddle appeared almost immediately.
As they read it, both Michelle and Louis couldn't answer it. They were still thinking of what the answer might be when...
"Water.."
The figure said and instantly his orb glowed brighter. At that moment, both Louis and Michelle's eyes widened in surprise.
He managed to get the riddle right at the beginning, was it a good sigh?? Louis thought.
However..
As the riddles kept appearing, they kept answering till both Michelle and Louis answered their's too.
At the end of the riddle, all of their orbs were still glowing even after they have answered three riddles each. With that, their faces beamed with smiles of relief especially Louis.
But wasn't the riddle easy that the three of them got the answers correctly.
However, all of a sudden...
Louis's orbs suddenly went off.
Before he could know what was happening, his body went still as he slumped on the ground with a thud dying instantly.
What??!
"Louis..! Louis..! " Michelle called in fear and she bent to him shaking his limped body and her body froze.
"Tell me he isn't dead, is he?" Michelle asked but the figure didn't say a word.
"No..! What happened??" Michell asked with a fear laced voice.
"Seems he only got one riddle out of the three.." the figure said and Michelle's eyes widened.
But his orb was glowing brightly like there's!
Or does it mean that they were also going to die?
"No..!" Michelle screeched inwardly at the thought.
"Then what of us, from what I remember we failed one each but nothing happened to us?" Michelle queried in fear.
Was she going to die too?!
"The tree gives the last chance to those who got two riddle and.."
The figure was still talking when the scroll glowed again and a riddle appeared.
This was the last chance..
However...
It took a time before both of them could answer the riddle and after they did. Their orbs were still glowing brightly but this time Michelle was trembling with fear as she stood staring at Louis's corpse which had now dried up leaving only his skeleton.
His face was beyond recognition...
When did this happen?? She thought still staring in fear at Louis's dried corpse when all of a sudden...
Her orb also went off and she slumped with a thud on the ground.
Before she could say a word, her body went still just like Louis's, her breath hitches and she died at the spot.
Almost immediately that happened, a hysterical laughter echoed inside the forest and it was coming from the figure who was still standing with the corpse of Michell and Louis beside him.
He squatted to Michelle's dead body that has already dried up just like Louis's. Dipping his hand into Michelle's inner cloak, he took out the only thing he was after..
The Grimoire...
Immediately, the Grimoire was in his hand, he placed his hand on Michelle's body and it disappeared, then he muttered..
"You can stop now.."
Almost immediately, the weeping tree disappeared and changed in a human figure, also dressed in a black cloak. At that moment, they began walking away towards the direction of the cursed castle.
Actually, the weeping tree was just a strategy the figure used in taking out Michelle and Louis for the Grimoire.
Thou, there was such thing as the Soul of Albani, the weeping tree but from the scenario, it was actually a fake one.
However...
Weren't Michelle and Louis so foolish that they'd think I would risk my life for their stupid quest for immortality..?? The figure thought as he walked with the other figure that changed into the weeping tree earlier.
However...
They were still walking towards the cursed castle when the figure that changed into the weeping tree turned towards the other one and said...
"Do we still need to hide ourselves.." the figure said earning a scoff from the other figure who immediately took off the veil covering his face and the latter did the same.
With their face revealed, it turned out that the two figures were not men but actually women...
And they were none other than Lucia And Graciela...