Chapter 32- Caught in the dark

Chapter 32- Caught in the dark

Those who look into his eyes

will forever be haunted by the darkness they see.

~Unknown.

***

The portraits on the walls seemed to move and whisper, adding to the haunted atmosphere. It had a mysterious aura that made Medusa curious about its secrets. What secret could such a place as this hold?

The demon’s den, they call it. Medusa had to wonder if there was another name for such a mysterious yet desolate place as this. Perhaps, she could call it a graveyard where a void lay buried and a voice luring its victim into its tomb.

The silence was suffocating, and for once, she preferred the noise. Even if little, as this serenity of elegy gave her a view of no return, within the thick and high walls.

This tower was said to be cursed with the spirits of the dead haunting its halls and bringing misfortunes to any who entered. She knew of the story of how the late King’s mistress, Hazel Hawthorn, had died birthing the Lord right in this tower.

Rumor had it, that after the Great War occurred, the entire castle had been burnt but Medusa could see how this one stood as a reminder of the mysteries and pain it once possessed. Even the shadows seemed to move of their own accord, adding to the sinister atmosphere of the place.

There was a huge black double door as soon as she trespassed, standing proud. It held a strange message, or perhaps, warning of the danger that lurked ahead. But what could frighten the real danger when it was all that stood coming to its trail?

Sliding her hand into her apron’s pocket, she reached out for the bunch of keys. Medusa was surprised how Esther took hold of such a trivial thing in such a short period but she chose not to ponder at the thought. She could ask another time.

She slid all the keys, testing every one of them, until she finally heard a click that echoed in the thick silence. The massive door creaked open, revealing the portentous spiral staircase in a clockwise fashion, which was narrow, and felt it was closing in on them.

She stood, staring at the darkness from within and the penetrating silence that followed suit. The gust of wind brought up her dress, taking it in its movement that didn't just seem normal, but held something heavy with warning. But what could stop Lucifer from getting a soul?

Mentally reminding herself time was against her, she held the hem of her pooling dress and up the stairs she went, not bothering to hide the sharp and urgent steps she took when she began to ascend them. As she began her very first mission as a void soul, with darkness in her eyes.

The stairs were covered in dust and for a strange reason, something covered her feet, like a dark vapor, crawling up towards her ankle which didn’t go far from there, but she couldn’t stop.

On and on she went, until she ascended the seemingly unending last stair. Medusa panted and paused to catch her breath. Her face was covered in thin polish of sweat, masking her breathless state. Time stood still when everything finally felt like the end. Where her stained hands were just about to hold something to close the chapter of a story. But could this be the very beginning?

After ensuring no one was in sight, she raised her head and was greeted by another black door, but unlike the huge one she once came across, there was something about it that daunted her.

It was carved in a way meant to frighten any who sighted it, but not Medusa. She had never been frightened and was made to live with only one feeling that could complete their mission; anger.

But she was about to find out.

She twisted the knob slowly and pushed the door that creaked open, stepping into the room. The air inside was normal rather than the air of decay she thought it would possess. It was as expected, empty.

Medusa shut the door behind her, bolting it. That same silence came after, reminding her to be wary of even her appearance. A chill ran down her spine as she took another bold step, as though something behind the darkness watched her proceed.

It brought her a certain unease that had a rich and dark past that left its mark on the room and dared to encrypt one on her body. Though the room looked magnificent, it was surrounded by a desolate moor, with no sign of life in them.

She scanned the room taking in the ornate furniture that was blatantly luxurious, elaborate ones and the cobweb-shrouded tapestries. The antique chairs that look too delicate to sit on, tables too small for anything but a slender lamp and a cup of tea or a glass of wine.

The furniture was carved and finely painted- not just color, but a type from ancient days. The room was large and the place was dark. The window without a curtain which was supposed to accommodate the moonlight that appeared in the sky covered in half of the blanket of clouds, oddly and for some strange reasons didn’t reflect at this part of the room.

The lightning raced across the sky, thrumming with charged energy that was desperate to release, causing Medusa to almost flinch. It seems like the rain would be vengeful tonight, she thought, scanning the room.

It was still utterly quiet, bleak, and cold without a single noise, leaving some sort of dangerous eeriness in the atmosphere. The light of the lantern reflected the space, where her eyes wandered around for a start.

The first object that she caught where the wardrobe beside the bedpost, a little far from where she now stood. Then she began her search, quickly approaching it.

Medusa dropped the lantern at the top, and crouched, rummaging through the massive oak wardrobe, its doors creaked as she opened them. Though they were less intricate, they felt somewhat familiar to her. Did it?

Brushing the thought off, she had to remind herself yet again the reason for this hidden approach. She continued, opening them without finding anything related to what she aimed and her search yielded nothing.

Then she ventured for the tapestries, looking beneath, scanning and searching for any mysterious opening. She turned it, her hands spraying on its carving, feeling and focusing.

And then she went off to the decrepit bookshelf holding volumes of space. No books, nothing. Just the shelf. She thought she might find something, something slightly noticeable, perhaps a sparkle or faint light or anything dead that could hint her to the whereabouts of the stone.

But still nothing. Could they have mistaken where it was safely kept? Was she wrong? She searched and scanned everywhere for a long period, but nothing to show for it. It made her wonder if they were maybe a secret passage that could lead her somewhere.

Underground, perhaps?

Grabbing the lantern as she stood, her feet collided against something hidden beneath the bed, and her brows knitted. She rested the lantern back at the top, and sat on her knees again, drawing her head under the mattress to discover something.

Medusa stretched her hand and reached it, gently grabbing whatever was in there, out of the dark. It was a black book tucked away in the far corner, almost invincible.

It looked old and dusty, where the remnants of specks of dust remained in its cover and webs stuck at the side of the pages. Book? She blew off the dust, carefully removing the webs sticking the pages together.

Of course, the castle had lots of libraries, vast to her knowledge, and it made her question why this particular one had been kept so hidden. Strangely, light angled towards the cold and small bed instead of the place books belonged. By the looks of it, it appeared to be ages old.

Somehow, the appearance created an anticipation that made her feel she was on the verge of discovering something. Something… she couldn’t explain. What was this book?

Medusa wanted to throw it off and continue her search but her hands stopped midway, bringing it back towards her. Why the pull, she didn’t know. An unease or discomfort lingered in the air, as if something disturbing may happen. But curiosity got the best of her.

'Ianthe,'

Those words came to her without warning, a name which felt like a sinful prayer. It whispered, without a voice, without any melody it should bear. What would speak without a tone, causing the latter to recall a name she had heard whisper. But why did it have to feel like something she knew? Why does everything have to look like she has seen everything?

Her ocean-blue eyes were focused, not dreaming. For one moment, her eyes misted. Her head throbbed slightly, perhaps heavy with an unending flow of thoughts. Medusa’s hands were splayed out on the cold book, as though she could read what was inside without opening it.

The soft wind came through the opened window taking her hair that was once braided and loosened, framing her face, as the breeze turned heavy with foreboding, taking her white dress and apron elegantly. She was like a glow-in-the-dark. Everything of hers was of white but her soul… it was crafted in darkness that could never be dispelled. Not of light.

Just as the lightning appeared in the sky, and the book only had halfway to go before revealing its page, “Who are you and what are you doing here?” The lightning let go with a flash, the thunder went off with the loudest boom, and the rainfall became more intense when their eyes met.

[Music recommendation: No Honor In Blood (feat. Thomas Bergersen) by Two Steps From Hell]

… To be continued.

***

A/N: Hello readers^^! This is to inform you that the next chapter will be a VIP chapter.

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