Surrounded by nothing but darkness, I found myself in a cold, mysterious void.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV9Buz59lx
"Am I dead?" I casually uttered the thought, half-convinced that I had gone completely insane.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8l6CwfqUC
In this seemingly boundless void, I floated, with very little grasp on my situation and a heap of worry for what lay ahead. As far as I could recall, I'd sustained some nasty injuries in that terribly one-sided fight, so, for all I knew, I might actually be in the afterlife.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsViWcThnTE
"You're so quick to embrace death," a nefarious voice echoed from the shrouded shadows. Though the person behind the voice remained hidden, deep down, I knew who it belonged to. I'd crossed paths with her before, and honestly, despite her prior warnings, the last thing I wanted was to see her again.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhBn4YhNXZ
"Where are you?" I shouted, frustration escalating within me.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1o57OPLBd
"HAHAHA!" The dark void responded with an eerie, chilling laughter.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QDdkgvm4Z
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQijGo2ryt
"Do you wish to see me, mortal? Do you wish to gaze upon my visage?"336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1z19GBlwLR
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4aBvcGdUF
The pitch-black abyss fell into an eerie, deathly silence, and I felt like my mind was teetering on the edge of sanity.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTCOOws2YK
Then, right before my eyes, the lightless expanse, resembling still water, began to ripple and split apart. Through the ripples, she emerged, a sinister smile on her face, her eyes a vivid crimson as she studied me with a malevolent curiosity.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRlh3SxRLqi
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8qgzadr1w
"We meet again, boy," the girl of my nightmares snarled with venom in her voice.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMlNm5lArs4
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSnzbCCZWT
Staring into the abyss of her crimson eyes, I couldn't help but smile.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoH0rrLrue
"I thought you said you were going to kill me the next time you saw me," I retorted with a hint of disdain. Maybe I was tempting fate or poking the bear, but at that point, I no longer cared. I just needed a victory today, even a small one.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZPga43quO
"Oh, do not worry, mortal," the crimson-eyed girl replied, her gaze oozing with a sickening superiority that made my small victory feel worthless.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTXTpzbKUI
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmmzsrZ4U8
"Your death is coming soon," the girl declared, her grin widening.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyCDVUcvHV
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jvOYkOiDF
"Until then, you must stay alive..." Her voice grew distant as she gradually faded into the enveloping shadows.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSGD5HzEBA
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2C141vgNLb
"Wait!" I yelled desperately, hoping to halt her vanishing act.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4xbR6FwPk
"Stay alive..."336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30ZXIOFYeY
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscjICUbeNo
The girl had vanished completely, leaving only her voice, which resonated through the abyss.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtADyvEHmMJ
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBYSqEBxK5
"Stay alive, until your body becomes mine..." The girl's voice chimed with an unsettling exuberance, causing my heart to skip a beat.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQagOmRono
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DjC4FcccH
"What do you mean by that!?" I shouted in confusion.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDI6kiCFH3
"Stay...alive." Her voice echoed, and then, all that remained was the cold and seemingly endless void.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00MiX7kcP3
I blinked and opened my eyes to find myself reclining on a magnificent bed, adorned with opulent splendor. I was wearing nothing but the school pants I'd put on earlier. A thought crossed my mind: had everything I'd experienced been just a dream? It felt like a surreal possibility as I gazed up at the ceiling, a work of white marble art.336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcI1H1Io9J
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FD8CK4ChI
"Where am I?" I asked aloud, gradually pushing myself up from the sumptuous bed. My surroundings unfolded before me—an enormous room filled with prodigious treasures, such as delicate glass vases, exquisite carpets, and superb paintings. It was the kind of room one might dream of living in forever, and just for a moment, it all felt too surreal to be true.
My head throbbed as a cascade of unanswered questions swirled through my mind while I sat on a bed that definitely wasn't mine. I rubbed my temples, my eyes growing heavy as a sudden screech pierced the room. I swiveled around to see the wooden door at the far end swing open, and there she stood – the person who had saved me.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYsRIj8AcJ
"Madelyn Adams," I said, taken aback.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB65Gc3wxz1
"You can just call me Madelyn," she responded with a weary smile.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOZ7e4zx5UZ
"Oh, sorry," I mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkveZAsV7w5
"It's good to see that you're awake," Madelyn said with a sigh of relief.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTa6uIBnfcX
I was overwhelmed with questions. "Where am I? Where's Harold?" I asked frantically.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMGzM54fGH
"Don't worry," Madelyn reassured me, placing her left hand on my right shoulder.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaZlqL7ekY
"Harold is safely home, with only a few minor bruises to speak of."
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhG9hcJbUSx
I couldn't help but pause for a moment, finding her words hard to believe.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg1LEOPZPIO
"What are you talking about?!" I demanded, remembering how badly injured Harold had been, his body covered in blood.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzqZOULmlT
"Harold was seriously injured! We have to take him to the hospital!" I yelled, leaping out of the bed in a panic.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIuDlUx3S4
"Calm down, Harold's fine, I promise," Madelyn reassured me.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBovg3X4APh
"How could he be fine? Wait a minute, how am I okay?" I wondered aloud, probing my body with both hands.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnLWfFIPV0
"My wounds? They're gone..." I murmured, utterly baffled.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5hHhA8R83
"What's going on?" I asked, my head spinning with confusion.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpT3wuUHqPU
"Look... I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise we'll do our best to provide you answers," Madelyn said with compassion.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqHyP5DlmR
"But right now, you need to get dressed. My grandfather wants to meet you," she added, pointing towards a wooden chair in the corner of the room, with my shirt draped over it.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ88Dq9GH2TV
Madelyn and I strolled side by side down a hallway adorned with riches, just like the previous room. The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings, each one portraying different lands and people from a distant past.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGQCzi4xgF
"They are my ancestors," Madelyn stated.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOtDMPBGOn
"What?" I asked, my confusion evident.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKNgYGLYCJ
"The pictures, those people are my ancestors," Madelyn explained, her gaze fixed on the portraits as we passed.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsotO2OYiPd
"Those men and women, they're all part of the House of Bathin," Madelyn said, a sense of despondency in her voice.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeR911bI0m9
"The House of Bathin?" I whispered to myself as we continued down the lengthy corridor.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvnIGVsSjb
"We're here." Madelyn announced, leading me to a grand set of double doors.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctTvlPVj05
Madelyn and I stood in front of two imposing, closed wooden doors. I couldn't quite pinpoint why, but there was an intimidating aura emanating from these grandiose doors.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUA6uaVFLDV
"This is my grandfather's study," Madelyn informed me with a smile.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDJUVTOT9m
"My grandfather really wants to talk to you," she added, her gaze brimming with interest that could have filled me with joy for a thousand years.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3WFDL6SPs
"Why?" I couldn't help but ask, confusion muddling my thoughts.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH6Y9z05hWC
Madelyn fell into a thoughtful silence, and for a few moments, we simply locked eyes.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WWMJMGzXb
"We want to know what you are," she said eventually, her gaze drifting away from mine.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Jb3FLAsxo
"What I am?" I inquired, even more bewildered than before.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGbbp8jCYec
"Don't worry," Madelyn said, stepping closer to the closed doors.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAwOl3fOOh
"Grandfather will explain everything." She slowly pushed open both wooden doors, her words meant to offer comfort, but I couldn't help but wonder if I could truly trust her.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAjsWmTXUh
Out of all the rooms I had been in that day, the current one was by far the grandest.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXafmU0UWx
The room was quite spacious, filled with opulence like large carpets covering the floor and a grand table at the center, surrounded by six sturdy wooden chairs. On the far left, three immense black bookshelves stood, carrying a multitude of books. On the right side, a small fireplace crackled with a warm, inviting fire. At the far end of the room, behind a substantial wooden desk, sat a man with gray hair and piercing, serious eyes. Above him hung the largest portrait I had ever seen, an image of a striking woman with dark brown skin and black hair.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYn5wiFtiPb
"Is that your grandfather?" I asked, my gaze returning to the elderly man at the desk.
The
"Yes, that is indeed the head of my house, my grandfather," Madelyn confirmed.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh25W7lxWrj
I stole a quick glance at Madelyn and noticed that she appeared tense, her gaze locked onto the old man. It was odd – the elderly gentleman didn't appear particularly imposing, and yet, even with all her power, Madelyn seemed to harbor a certain fear in his presence. I couldn't help but wonder why.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8cH4VDdEZ
"So..." Madelyn's grandfather began, his voice resonating with depth. Now, I was starting to feel nervous.
336Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeN0fZL8tk1
"Your name is Ethan Brumfield?" he inquired, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Uh, yes, sir,"
ns18.188.163.236da2
