CeliaMy heart froze in my chest, the weight of his words sinking like an anchor. I stumbled back, my mind a whirlwind of fear and disbelief.As I ascended the stairs, the echoes of his chilling confession reverberated in my mind. I had sought answers, but now I was faced with a choice that threatened to tear everything apart.My heart raced as the weight of his words sank in, the chilling revelation twisting my thoughts into a chaotic whirlpool. The damp, narrow corridor felt like a prison itself, suffocating me with the gravity of the secret I now carried. Each step I took toward the surface felt like a slow ascent from the depths of a nightmare.Emerging from the dungeon, I found myself blinking against the sudden influx of light, disoriented by the transition from shadows to reality. The castle's grand halls, usually bustling with life, now seemed distant and alien. I clutched at the secret I bore, the burden heavy in my chest, threatening to crush me under its weight.I returned
CeliaA restless unease gnawed at me, like an itch that refused to go away. The mysterious words of the prisoner echoed incessantly in my mind. How could I solve the puzzle he'd presented? The Whispering Woods, the Altar of Shadows, and the embrace of darkness—all these pieces of knowledge stayed incomplete.As time passed, I felt as if the walls of our huge room were closing in on me, and the air grew heavy with anticipation. The prisoner had told me so many things, and I wanted to find out the answer right away. But no matter how much I tried, I could not make sense of it.I had to find out who this man was and how he knew all this. Only then I would know if his words held even an ounce of truth.I did not want to. I needed clarity, a way to understand the uncertainty that had become my reality. Fueled by a relentless thirst for answers, I found myself pacing outside Jasper's study.I hesitated outside the door for a moment and then slowly pushed it open.The study's door opened wi
CeliaJasper dragged me all the way up the stairs after kicking the door and shouting some orders to the guards, all of whom trembled more than a stray leaf caught in a thunderstorm.I think I heard him say something about clearing the mess downstairs and emptying the dungeons but I was not quite sure.My mind had gone blank for some time and I felt as if I was left without a way of treading through the darkness that was engulfing me.Jasper kept walking up through the stairs and I followed meekly all the way to our room. He threw the doors open with a kick and pushed me inside while I almost stumbled against the side table.He then closed the door with a loud thud and then stood glaring at me.I could sense his anger directed at me and I felt fresh panic surge through me. He had hardly been angry with me once or twice so I flinched involuntarily.He must have noticed it because he began taking deep breaths to calm himself down.The silence stretched on between us, hanging heavily bet
CeliaI raised the lantern up in my hand as I looked up at the restricted section. There were shelves upon shelves of books here too, but unlike the colorful ones in the ordinary shelves, these seemed to emanate an ominous aura.There were books as slim as a finger and some as broad as my entire back in here. And it was not just the sizes that varied. Some had engravings on them, weird symbols while others looked old as time itself.Some had no title at all, while some spines had too many letters jumbled up together. I let out a sigh upon looking at the shelves, wondering where to begin.‘Altar of shadows…where do I find you?’ I thought to myself and looked around to find a small ladder to climb up and reach the topmost shelf.Somehow, I believed that the prisoner’s words weren’t gibberish. And his death made me feel even more pressure to find out the truth, as I thought somebody was trying to hide the truth actively.He had been in the dungeon, forgotten and left to rot all these yea
CeliaThe cold hard floor was covered in blood, lots of blood. I saw red everywhere and it took my brain some time to register what the smell was.I rushed forward but almost slipped due to the blood spilled on the floor. The prisoner was hanging down limply from the chains holding his hands in the air.But I saw blood dripping from his wrists, flowing down his hands, and pooling down on the ground.The handcuffs around his wrist were shimmering in a bright blue hue and every time he twitched, the blood oozed out of his skin.I tried not to shriek again as I went near him and hesitated for a bit wondering how they were suddenly shining. The last time I met him the runes were dormant and had not shone like now.There was a bright blue light around him but the man looked very weak and exhausted.“What is happening?” I asked him but he did not answer.I craned my neck to get a better look at him as his dark matted hair had fallen on his face, blocking my view of him.He let out a breath
CeliaI remember using the chains to drag them through the entire floor and hitting the wall with them as hard as I could.And then I realized how tired and exhausted I was feeling. The place was not so dark or gloomy anymore due to the lantern and the gap I had squeezed through that was still there, allowing light to filter in.But this chamber was dark and ominous, not just literally but figuratively. It did make me feel as if the magic used to seal the prisoner inside this chamber was dark.I had many more questions about how he had been alive all this time and who put him here but that could be solved later.For now, I had to take him to the royal healer. Thus, I grabbed the chains again though it made me feel tired all over again.I slowly lifted the chains and tried hitting the wall but again, it barely scratched the bricks without doing much damage.This would not work, I had to get help. Frustration rose inside me. Why had that damn witch put this person behind such a secure w
CeliaI could not rush after Vasil even if I let Rain take control. And he had made his decision.With a sigh, I left the room and decided to look for the unknown prisoner. I still needed answers.But then I realized I had no idea where Jasper might have kept him. Was he in the infirmary or in a prison?The man, though injured and weak, was a prisoner, so I was not sure if he would be given a royal treatment.Worrying at my lips, I ran through the hallways, asking servants if they knew where Jasper was, and then drag him to wherever the prisoner was.I was running through the hallway when I heard his voice.“No, you are lying” He sounded angry. I looked behind and saw that it was his study.Wasting no time, I opened the doors to find a terrified Victor cowering under his gaze.“Victor!! What are you doing here?”Victor was seated in a chair, his hands tied and his face covered in sweat.“My lady! Please, help me!” He cried upon seeing me and I immediately rushed forward.“Jasper, what
CeliaWith my lips still looking puffed from all the kissing, I managed to drag Jasper to the infirmary where the prisoner was kept.It took me a bit of coaxing, but he finally told me the location of the prisoner because I teased that I would not say what he wanted to hear until I had found a way to break his curse.It was childish, I knew, but it worked somehow.I even felt a little guilty to lead him on like this, but desperate situations called for desperate measures.So, that is how I found myself in front of a bed on which a man was lying down. I looked at that man and then at Jasper.“Who is this?” I asked, and Jasper chuckled.“The same prisoner you found inside that secret chamber.”I furrowed my eyebrows. The man did not look anything like the prisoner I had seen. The prisoner had soot covered skin, matted hair and was gravely injured.But the one lying on the bed and covered with a thin sheet looked thoroughly clean. To be honest, this was the first time I got a good look