Surrounded by nothing but darkness, I found myself in a cold, mysterious void.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2QsPQMzxW
"Am I dead?" I casually uttered the thought, half-convinced that I had gone completely insane.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXByx3tmGiY
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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISZ0Z9lzNR
"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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl30k53Ll0M
"Where are you?" I shouted, frustration escalating within me.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWse6EmSY4B
"HAHAHA!" The dark void responded with an eerie, chilling laughter.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A3vloYwz4
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtPbAfQc8Q
"Do you wish to see me, mortal? Do you wish to gaze upon my visage?"392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj488CrbJR2
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hfXf4ARTg
The pitch-black abyss fell into an eerie, deathly silence, and I felt like my mind was teetering on the edge of sanity.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQp5USCb8zW
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYNMTl4ZW2
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TbN5HzwpF
"We meet again, boy," the girl of my nightmares snarled with venom in her voice.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAkrWlVUht
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwvlXtftEw
Staring into the abyss of her crimson eyes, I couldn't help but smile.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwcxWqbfeB
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVYmjma2NQ
"Oh, do not worry, mortal," the crimson-eyed girl replied, her gaze oozing with a sickening superiority that made my small victory feel worthless.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDqL5Znte9
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxaSRK0iBuJ
"Your death is coming soon," the girl declared, her grin widening.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qs0SkR2oN
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbMn1J5obz
"Until then, you must stay alive..." Her voice grew distant as she gradually faded into the enveloping shadows.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80zUs8rBP3
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hKDsL9KC8
"Wait!" I yelled desperately, hoping to halt her vanishing act.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1joCLdEALw
"Stay alive..."392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenH19lrtkm
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MYE4qKeRa
The girl had vanished completely, leaving only her voice, which resonated through the abyss.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhpKSb1dGn
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLJWn3AI04
"Stay alive, until your body becomes mine..." The girl's voice chimed with an unsettling exuberance, causing my heart to skip a beat.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzM1TDjr3W
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtooItOrNM5
"What do you mean by that!?" I shouted in confusion.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIzbmmCqlF
"Stay...alive." Her voice echoed, and then, all that remained was the cold and seemingly endless void.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBtw5lmdsW
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.392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qdEEMuwKC
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIlKLax9FF
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qHVKk0sOm
"Madelyn Adams," I said, taken aback.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCyoHljFbt
"You can just call me Madelyn," she responded with a weary smile.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc6DlxAlzU
"Oh, sorry," I mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKNOsqz6lA
"It's good to see that you're awake," Madelyn said with a sigh of relief.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuFDe2Ba9V
I was overwhelmed with questions. "Where am I? Where's Harold?" I asked frantically.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRcqrQgogP
"Don't worry," Madelyn reassured me, placing her left hand on my right shoulder.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAyWwGsG8L
"Harold is safely home, with only a few minor bruises to speak of."
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5uQs7rdw3
I couldn't help but pause for a moment, finding her words hard to believe.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Xg2jjRBTq
"What are you talking about?!" I demanded, remembering how badly injured Harold had been, his body covered in blood.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxeWmsMjWh
"Harold was seriously injured! We have to take him to the hospital!" I yelled, leaping out of the bed in a panic.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHFRJju2Rr
"Calm down, Harold's fine, I promise," Madelyn reassured me.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmKSzsorVVV
"How could he be fine? Wait a minute, how am I okay?" I wondered aloud, probing my body with both hands.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQk19g4gAmB
"My wounds? They're gone..." I murmured, utterly baffled.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3e54MI8OwX
"What's going on?" I asked, my head spinning with confusion.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQtxK8C2QGQ
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6DFL39YbS
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5nKZo0Oim
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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdfBoWAQpu
"They are my ancestors," Madelyn stated.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarmvJcranQ
"What?" I asked, my confusion evident.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsy927rUHeu
"The pictures, those people are my ancestors," Madelyn explained, her gaze fixed on the portraits as we passed.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡunhDDDGwHn
"Those men and women, they're all part of the House of Bathin," Madelyn said, a sense of despondency in her voice.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuyGSPGdAm
"The House of Bathin?" I whispered to myself as we continued down the lengthy corridor.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtzY5PvLSh
"We're here." Madelyn announced, leading me to a grand set of double doors.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFoWqFdvez
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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGLkegbi8A
"This is my grandfather's study," Madelyn informed me with a smile.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUExAld9j4
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHVQMdktO7n
"Why?" I couldn't help but ask, confusion muddling my thoughts.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqq32J0RyCH
Madelyn fell into a thoughtful silence, and for a few moments, we simply locked eyes.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrsvpewIk7
"We want to know what you are," she said eventually, her gaze drifting away from mine.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGvBmomvco
"What I am?" I inquired, even more bewildered than before.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsxebNq4ue
"Don't worry," Madelyn said, stepping closer to the closed doors.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUggS0aWXSp
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZaA0Zdvtm
Out of all the rooms I had been in that day, the current one was by far the grandest.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYd9DS6IjvU
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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lyJ7sV7VX
"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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIjiinHGxC
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.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJndg60alvv
"So..." Madelyn's grandfather began, his voice resonating with depth. Now, I was starting to feel nervous.
392Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyt4ua6szQf
"Your name is Ethan Brumfield?" he inquired, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Uh, yes, sir,"
ns3.134.94.230da2
