《The Magician's Diary》 Act 0 Chapter 1: The Odd Cottage Act 0 Chapter 1: The Odd Cottage A Boy¡¯s Perspective Do you have a dream? I do. But I know it¡¯s hopeless for me. Because my dream isn¡¯t something possible in this world. But despite knowing that, I can¡¯t help but hope somewhere in my heart for it to come true¡­ As a shooting star flashed in the sky, I prayed a wish. Please let me learn magic. There, I prayed. Beneath the evening sky, under the majesty of the stars. World¡¯s Perspective Rolling skies, stretching endlessly. A golden field, swaying under the sun¡¯s gentle hands. And countless animals and greenery with no skyscrapers to be seen. It¡¯s the hometown of little Solomon, far from the city, in the countryside. It¡¯s the 1st week of summer vacation, and little Solomon was made to tag along with his family. Being ten years old, poor little Solomon had no choice but to go. And with no kids his age, little Solomon was lying on the floor, bored and sweaty. ¡°Solomon, get up! The floor¡¯s dirty.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna, there¡¯s nothing to do¡­¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out and play with the neighbor¡¯s children then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone¡­¡± ¡°And that¡¯s precisely why you have to go out and introduce yourself. Come on, up you go.¡± Said his mother as she pulled him up to stand. Solomon pouting, his mom pushed his back. ¡°Go on dear, I¡¯ll be cheering for you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°To get over your shyness of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not shy!¡± ¡°Tee hee, of course not, I mean the reason you don¡¯t want to go outside is certainly not because the neighbor¡¯s children happen to be a pair of beautiful¨C¡° ¡°FINE! You asked for it! I¡¯m gone!¡± Screamed Solomon, running, shutting the door as he left. Then he opened the door again, and before leaving again said, ¡°And by the way, don¡¯t come begging me to stay at home when I¡¯m older and am too busy with the ladies!¡± *Bam! Resounded the door as Solomon shut it closed again. ¡°I¡¯d have less to worry about if that were so though.¡± Said his mom, wryly smiling. ¡°Oh, right. I better hurry up and remind grandpa to pick a nice, young rooster for lunch later. Chances are he¡¯s probably forgotten about it already, and is obsessing over his new garden.¡± His mother turned, and she scurried off to look for the still young-at-heart grandpa. Being in the countryside, there were few families, and nearly everyone knew each other. At the same time, there were few children, most of the younger generation having left for the city. Today, there were only two others who were around little Solomon¡¯s age. They were Sarah and Farah. A pair of fraternal twins, one blonde, one ginger, neither looking like the other, but both, nevertheless, were beautiful even at such a young age. They lived just next door, only a few minutes¡¯ walk away. And little Solomon was there at the corner of the unpaved street, fidgeting as he stared at the two sisters who were playing with their dog at their parents¡¯ lawn. ¡°Grumpy prefers to play with the Frisbee.¡± ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t. And I¡¯m the older one, so you should listen to what I say. And I say Grumpy prefers to play catch.¡± ¡°But Frisbee is also catch.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s not!¡± ¡°It is!¡± ¡°Come now, my little princesses. Let¡¯s not argue over something like that.¡± Their mother having noticed them arguing interjected. ¡°But Farah¡¯s wrong! I¡¯m only correcting her!¡± ¡°No I¡¯m not! Besides I¡¯m the older one, she should listen to me.¡± ¡°Shhh...¡± Their mother shushing them, the girls went quiet. ¡°Look.¡± Glanced their mother at little Solomon. Apparently having noticed the fidgeting young cassanova. ¡°We have a guest. We shouldn¡¯t show such unladylike behavior before a guest now, should we?¡± The girls shook their heads. ¡°Now, why don¡¯t you come here and introduce yourself, Solomon?¡± The families in the area being few, their parents have already been acquainted. In fact, their families are actually quite close. Only, little Solomon was simply too shy, and had never tried interacting with the other children. Solomon, still nervous, walked up to the family, and said hi. ¡°Hi, I-I¡¯m Solomon. I¡¯m ten.¡± Said Solomon, slightly shaking. The girls giggled. But their mother only smiled. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not be rude. Farah, why don¡¯t you start the introductions?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Farah and this is Sarah we¡¯re both turning twelve this year.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t steal my lines.¡± Farah rolled her eyes, and their mom sighed. ¡°Really now, could you two ladies not fight for just one moment? Look, why don¡¯t you kids play together while I go and deliver some things over to the Cornwells. Play nice, ok?¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± Responded the two girls, while Solomon just nodded. The girls¡¯ mom smiled in return, and she left. The two girls were no longer in the mood to argue, and so they left the choice of game to their guest. And little Solomon thinking it¡¯d be fun, invited them to explore the nearby forest. At first Sarah was apprehensive, thinking it¡¯d be dangerous. But then Farah started teasing her, calling her a scaredy-cat. Unwilling to accept the insult, she ended up going along with the two adventurers. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in here.¡± ¡°There could be bears, Sarah.¡± ¡°No there aren¡¯t. ¡°No there really could be.¡± ¡°No there¡¯re none.¡± ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The two girls frolicked, the young boy led, and old Grumpy trailed from behind. The forest was not known to have wolves or bears so it posed little danger. But getting lost was still a possibility so the trio stayed close to the edge. ¡°Where are we heading to anyway, Solomon?¡± ¡°Nowhere in particular, just wandering aimlessly. Would be nice if we happened upon something interesting though.¡± Having gotten to know each other a bit, Solomon wasn¡¯t as fidgety anymore. He still refused to look them directly in the eyes though. ¡°Like a ghost?¡± Said Farah as she suddenly appeared in front of Solomon, making what appeared to be her best impression of a ghost. ¡°Boo!¡± ¡°Uwaah!¡± Startled, Solomon fell to the ground. ¡°Ahahaha got you!¡± ¡°Sheesh, Farah, you¡¯re such a kid!¡± Reprimanded her sister. ¡°And you¡¯re no fun at all Mrs. Stuck Up!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m not-¡° Solomon, having picked himself, felt something was missing. Then it hit him. ¡°Hey, you two¡­ what happened to your dog?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At Solomon¡¯s words the twins looked back to where the dog should be. Since a while ago the dog¡¯s been quietly following them, but now it was nowhere to be seen. ¡°It didn¡¯t enter the forest did it?¡± Asked Sarah, looking worried. ¡°Not good, if he did and got lost, mom would never let us hear the end of it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go look for him.¡± ¡°But then what if we get lost?¡± ¡°Oh, now what, Solomon? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re scared?¡± Said Farah, obviously provoking little Solomon. ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s just ¨C logically speaking we should ¨C ¡° ¡°Do what? Ask our parents for help? No way!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t do that, Solomon! If we do, the ones getting scolded will be us.¡± ¡°Yeah, Grumpy¡¯s our dog after all.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t have to worry about getting lost, the truth¡¯s that we¡¯ve gone here several times before.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. There¡¯s a lake just up ahead, and besides this place isn¡¯t big enough to be called a forest anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, right! Grumpy must¡¯ve gone to the lake! We¡¯ve always gone there when we entered this forest, so he probably went ahead, thinking that¡¯s where we¡¯re headed. Race you guys to it!¡± Concluded Sarah as she ran off for the lake. ¡°Ah! No fair! Wait for me!¡± Said Farah as she too ran off. ¡°You guys¡­¡± Sighed Solomon, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°I hope nothing bad happens.¡± A Dog¡¯s Perspective Today my two young mistresses are fighting over which toy I prefer. I really don¡¯t care to be honest. I just want to go out and play. I wish they¡¯d hurry up and decide. Oh? Their mom came. Good, looks like we¡¯re settling this. Hmm? A guest? Oh, a boy? He doesn¡¯t smell very nice, kind of sweaty. As expected, he can¡¯t be compared to my mistresses. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Now what? We¡¯re not playing catch? What? Oh, we¡¯re going to the forest. I¡¯m not that hungry, but too much of fresh fish is never bad. Mmm¡­ Actually, now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t had fresh fish for a while now. ¡­ Ok, now what? We¡¯ve been walking around here on the edge for a while now, and I¡¯m getting hungry. Are we not going to the lake? Oh, what¡¯s that? I can smell something odd. Something fishy. I know I shouldn¡¯t leave them, but I really want to go and take a look. Hmm¡­ they seem to be arguing again. Alright, I¡¯ll just take this chance, take a quick look, and be back an instant. Right! That¡¯s what I¡¯ll do, they won¡¯t even know I left. ¡­ Hmm¡­ The smell¡¯s getting stronger. Something¡¯s wrong. I¡¯m getting goosebumps. The air¡¯s getting colder. Oh no, something¡¯s definitely wrong here, something terribly wrong. This isn¡¯t a place I should be. It¡¯s not a place people should enter either. But I can¡¯t stop. I can¡¯t resist, I have to go. I must go. There¡¯s something here, and I need to know what it is. ¡­ W-What is this? Why is something like this here!? Oh no... No! I have to go! I have to leave! This place isn¡¯t supposed to be here! ¡°Grumpy!¡± Oh no! Mistresses don¡¯t come here, it¡¯s dangerous! World¡¯s Perspective ¡°Grumpy!? What are you doing here? We thought you rushed off to the lake by yourself.¡± ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± Inquired Sarah as she went closer to the dog. The dog¡¯s been barking nonstop since she got here, but she ignored it and just petted it, and then as she looked to her side, she noticed it. ¡°Eh? Was something like this here?¡± ¡°Sarah!¡± Called Farah as she ran to where Sarah was. ¡°Why¡¯d you suddenly run?¡± ¡°Haha, what? Wasn¡¯t I the Mrs. Stuck Up between the two of us? Why are you now complaining over a little fun?¡± ¡°Sheesh, you¡¯re such a handful.¡± ¡°I could say the same to you.¡± ¡°Anyway, why¡¯d Grumpy go here?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of this?¡± Farah¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°This¡­ was this always here?¡± Before Farah and Sarah, about a hundred meters from where they were, was a small, worn-out cottage, barely visible from the fog surrounding it. It appeared to be extremely ancient, most of its structure decayed, and many of its structures crumbling. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t believe we actually found something interesting. Let¡¯s go take a look, Farah!¡± ¡°W-Wait, maybe we shouldn¡¯t-¡° ¡°Hah? What, now you¡¯re getting cold feet? Weren¡¯t you the one who first agreed to go on an adventure in the first place?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Well? The adventure¡¯s right before your eyes, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°But-¡° ¡°Scaredy-cat.¡± Farah bit her lips. ¡°OH FOR THE LOVE OF- Fine! Have it your way, it won¡¯t be my fault if we get an earful later! Sheesh!¡± ¡°Haha! You¡¯re such an easy girl Farah.¡± ¡°Whatever, but we¡¯re waiting for Solomon before going.¡± ¡°Of course, of course. He was the one who suggested we explore anyway. It¡¯d be rude to leave him behind.¡± ¡°He sure is slow, though.¡± ¡°Haha, too bad, huh? That he¡¯s not up to your standards.¡± ¡°Oh, shush it!¡± ¡°H-Hey, guys!¡± At that familiar voice, the twins turned. It was Solomon, only, he looked quite dirty, with his sweat drenched clothes, and his dirty shoes. ¡°How pathetic, Solomon. A man should one, take better care of his appearance, and two, shouldn¡¯t make a woman wait.¡± reprimanded Farah. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Or else how are you planning to win this picky sister of mine?¡± Hearing that, Farah turned beet red as she blushed. ¡°You! You just won¡¯t let it drop, will you?¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± As if the twins had forgotten all about Solomon, they went off into their own little world again, frolicking and teasing each other. But they weren¡¯t the only guilty ones, as Solomon had actually lost his breath, and was staring at the cottage, speechless. ¡°What?¡± Noticing Solomon¡¯s reaction, Sarah replied. ¡°Oh? So you noticed it too, huh?¡± ¡°Apparently, Grumpy found it.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, Grumpy found it, so you should thank him by buying him some treats later. After all, it¡¯s thanks to him that you¡¯re getting your adventure.¡± Still speechless, Solomon only nodded. ¡°Haha, is it that breathtaking?¡± Jokingly asked, Sarah. ¡°Yes¡­ Very.¡± Replied Solomon in a daze. The twins and the dog were taken aback at Solomon¡¯s strange behavior. And all the more so for the dog, after all, Grumpy knew that the cottage was bad news and yet Solomon was looking at it as if he was looking at a priceless treasure. ¡°Ah!¡± Solomon snapping out of his stupor, realized the reaction of the people around him. ¡°A-ahaha! Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I was just taken back a bit. Haha, I mean I just didn¡¯t expect to stumble into a ghost house is all. Haha.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± At those words, Farah¡¯s face stiffened, and then like glass, her front completely shattered. ¡°Aieeeeeeeee!¡± Farah screamed, her legs gave in, and she limped into the ground. Then from that, she broke out sobbing. ¡°Waaaaaaaah!¡± Solomon was about to apologize, but Sarah stopped him, and gave him a thumbs up, saying. ¡°Good job!¡± ¡°Ah, I, I¡­¡± ¡°You bullies! Waaaaaah!¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean t-¡° ¡°Tsk, tsk. That¡¯s now how you calm a lady, Solomon. Let older sister show you how. It goes like this!¡± Sarah dashed over to Farah, broke her momentum by stomping with her left leg, and then delivered all the weight and force towards her right leg, kicking her sister. Pow! Farah was sent flying! And Solomon¡¯s jaw fell to the floor, completely shocked. ¡°Y-Y-You stupid sister! What are you doing!?¡± Farah wiped her tears, and rushed up to Sarah. As she grasped for her twin, Sarah responded, and now their hands were interlocked, the twins exerting to push the other to the ground. ¡°What do I think I¡¯m doing, stupid sister? I¡¯m cheering you up, of course!¡± ¡°You call this cheering up!? You barbaric wench!¡± ¡°What¡¯d you say!? Here I am doing you a favor and yet!¡± The twins argued, their eyes locked with each other as their hands were. Electricity could be seen crackling between the two¡¯s line of sight with neither side giving in. ¡°Umm¡­ umm¡­ girls, maybe we could just get al-¡° ¡°YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!¡± ¡°Ok ~¡± Whispered Solomon as he cowered away. Poor Solomon only wanted to help, but instead he got the brunt of the twin¡¯s anger as they shouted him off at the same time. It wasn¡¯t until after a few minutes had passed till the twins finally resolved their issues. Interestingly enough, all the tension from before was gone, and now even the dog doesn¡¯t feel like running away anymore. ¡°Alright, we had some slight detour because of my stupid twin, but now that¡¯s done with, let¡¯s go!¡± Said Farah in a triumphant pose, completely unlike her scared appearance from just a moment ago. ¡°My fault!? My-¡° ¡°YEAH! Let¡¯s GO!¡± Seeing history about to repeat itself, Solomon interjected. ¡°D-Did you just cut me off?¡± asked Sarah, shocked. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± Exclaimed Sarah as she kicked Solomon. ¡°Oww!¡± Like this, the three children and the dog made their way to the cottage. Act 0 Chapter 2: The Dark Abyss Act 0 Chapter 2: The Dark Abyss Exactly as the cottage had looked outside, its interior was small and old, many of its structure decayed, and others crumbling. Even the few furniture inside were all worn out. Holes can be found at the walls of the crumbling cottage, through which light passed, keeping the interior well-lit. Moreover, the atmosphere within the room was foggy and chilly, making it hard to see things from a distance. The atmosphere within the cottage was well enough strange. However, the trio ignored that as they quickly rummaged through the entire place. The cottage was by no means huge, and in a matter of minutes, they managed to turn everything inside out. ¡°Hey, did you guys find anything?¡± Asked Farah. ¡°Nope, nothing here.¡± Replied Sarah as she closed a small cabinet. ¡°How about on your side, Solomon?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I think, I might have found something.¡± At Solomon¡¯s words, everyone gathered to him. ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Farah, a little excited. ¡°Help me move this thing first.¡± Said Solomon, pointing to a bed. *Creak The trio pushed the bed away. ¡°Woah, there¡¯s a hatch!¡± Exclaimed Farah. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what it was. I peeked through the gap a little a while ago, and I thought something was there.¡± Said Solomon, a little surprised. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad find at all, Solomon. Come on, let¡¯s go open it.¡± Suggested, Sarah. The hatch was wooden and unlocked. Moreover, it had a handle, making it easy to open. So they pulled on the handle, and swung the door open. But as soon as they did, the atmosphere in the room immediately grew colder. On the other side of the hatch was a wooden ladder, leading down to a place too dark to make out. *Whimper *Gulp For some reason, Grumpy suddenly recalled the chill he felt before entering the cottage, and he started whimpering again. This time around though, he wasn¡¯t alone. Even the twins felt it as they visibly gulped. Solomon did as well, but he had already felt that something was here, so it didn¡¯t bother him too much. No matter what, Solomon wanted to find out what the mystery was behind this cottage. But at the same time, he didn¡¯t want to impose too much on the twins, so he offered to go down first, and do some recon. ¡°Hey, you two. How about I go down by myself first? Then after I make sure everything¡¯s clear, I can go back up and call you guys.¡± Solomon meant well, but unfortunately, the tough-acting Farah wasn¡¯t going to have any of it. And immediately, she pulled herself together, and slapped on her tough act. ¡°A-Are you implying that I¡¯m scared?¡± Questioned Farah ¡°N-No, it¡¯ s just¡­¡± ¡°Hmph! You should know better than think this great Farah is going to be scared of some lame ghosts.¡± Said Farah with the toughest expression she could muster. ¡°Tee hee, even though your face looked like that a while ago.¡± Retorted Sarah. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t scared! Look, I¡¯ll even be the first to go down!¡± Not wanting to admit that she was scared, Farah rashly went down the ladder. ¡°Ah! Wait for me!¡± ¡°M-Me too!¡± Immediately, Sarah and Solomon followed after her, and they too went down the ladder. Grumpy, thinking that he had been forgotten heaved a sigh of relief. But alas, the dog¡¯s reprieve was but short-lived as Solomon quickly went back to pick him up when he realized Grumpy was forgotten. Grumpy seeing Solomon¡¯s happy face that looked like it was saying, ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t forget you. Aren¡¯t I nice?¡± felt the urge to bite him, but he refrained since he didn¡¯t want to trouble his mistresses. Like this, the whole group went down the ladder, where they were greeted by an abysmally dark room. ¡°What is this? It¡¯s too dark.¡± Complained Farah. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring your phone too?¡± Asked Sarah. ¡°Nope. It¡¯s too bad, huh? I could¡¯ve sworn I had a flashlight app there too. Haha, but what¡¯s done is done. Since we can¡¯t see anything, we might as well go back up.¡± ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t worry, I have a flash light app on my phone. We can use that to explore the area.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Seeing that the twins didn¡¯t have a flashlight with them, Solomon suggested to use his phone. But for some reason, Farah just clicked her tongue and stared needles at him, while Sarah just silently gave him a thumbs up. Solomon was a little confused at that, but ignoring the twins¡¯ strange behavior, he took out his phone, and used his flashlight app to light the room. ¡°What the¡­ isn¡¯t this just a normal storeroom?¡± Just as Sarah had mentioned, there was certainly nothing out of the ordinary in the room. There were some broken craters here and there, nothing special. There was a stool lying on the floor, and then there were cobwebs near the corners of the ceiling. It was a truly ordinary, if not old, storeroom. Yes, completely ordinary, except¡­ there was a huge object standing right at the center of the room, covered by a large dirty cloth. ¡°Hmm¡­ well the only thing that looks worthwhile is that big thing, so... let¡¯s go check it out, I guess?¡± At Farah¡¯s suggestion, the group went towards that object. Working together, the group carefully pulled the cloth away, taking care not to push the object down or break it. And when the cloth had been pulled away, what they uncovered was a large, double door made out of what looked to be a dark, sturdy stone, and was around fifteen feet in height and seven feet in width. ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s a door.¡± Said Farah, with an obvious lack of interest. ¡°Too bad it wasn¡¯t a ghost, huh?¡± Replied Sarah. ¡°Idiot, why would I want a ghost?¡± ¡°Obviously so you can show me your scared face!¡± ¡°You!¡± At that, the twins began to bicker again. Ignoring them, Solomon went to examine the door by himself. The door stood at the center of the room, so clearly it should not be connected anywhere. But still, Solomon walked around it, believing that there was something to this door. There was not much logic behind it, if any at all. The only real basis Solomon had for his actions was a strange fear welling up from deep inside him. A strange fear that he has never felt before. A sort of fear that¡¯s screaming inside his head, telling him that the living should not be here, much less tamper with the door before him. But it is that very same fear that¡¯s pushing him to keep on investigating. ¡°If by chance, there truly was something otherworldly to this then... just maybe¡­¡± With that line of thought, hope for the impossible dream was rekindled within Solomon, and he pushed open the door. ¡°Ha¡­ haha¡­ ¡± Solomon¡¯s stifled laughter caught the sisters¡¯ attention, and they looked over. Rays of light shot through the opening door, illuminating the room. At the same time, cold wind blew in accompanied by the scent of nature. Not one of them could believe their eyes. Who could¡¯ve thought that, that isolated door would actually lead somewhere? ¡°Wh-¡­ B-But how?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible.¡± The two twins were completely dumbfounded. Meanwhile, Solomon was also shocked, but in his daze and in his excitement, he unconsciously stepped forward. ¡°W-Wait! Don¡¯t go!¡± Exclaimed Farah, but it was too late. Solomon had already gone through the door. ¡°Ahh! That stupid kid! Why did he just step through it?¡± As Farah complained she walked towards the door. ¡°Haha, that kid¡¯s surprisingly gutsy, huh?¡± Cheerfully said Sarah as she followed after her sister. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re not like him, otherwise, how could you ever be such a pleasurable toy for your younger sister? Tee hee.¡± Continued Sarah as she hugged her sister¡¯s right arm. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.¡°You¡­ you just won¡¯t let it die, will you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re always acting tough, so I figured I¡¯d milk this scared you while I can.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seeing the twins going through the door merrily, Grumpy shook his head as he too followed after them. But as soon as he went through the door, he couldn¡¯t help but visibly gulp. ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t our world, is it?¡± Those words escaped someone¡¯s lips, but it fell on deaf ears. Completely taken by shock, the group stood there, unmoving, almost lifeless as they looked around them, unbelieving. The endless gray sky that hung above them. The grassless land that stretched as far as the eyes could see. And that great, thick fog that covered the land. Everything here was screaming to them that they were no longer in their hometown. A land unlike their hometown and an isolated door that led to an unknown land. There was only one way to explain it¡­ a portal. Only, to where? *SLAM! Suddenly the door behind them shut close. Immediately, everyone¡¯s heart fell as panic rushed through their minds. Quickly, they turned back towards the door and attempted to reopen it, but before even being able to take a step towards it, the door faded away, leaving them in that world with no way home. ¡°No¡­way¡± Muttered Farah, her voice clearly shocked. After that, silence passed. No one uttering a word. The whole group was completely silent, shocked. But it can¡¯t be helped, because this turn of events was truly far too sudden, leaving their minds at a mess, a whirlpool of emotions raging through them. Fear, guilt, anxiety¡­ countless thoughts and emotions all jumbled together within their mind. And then without giving them rest, they heard it. *Roar A great roar bellowed out. And immediately, their already sunken countenance had turned even grimmer. They didn¡¯t know where it was coming from, but that mattered little. All that mattered was that there was something bad in here. Something that might kill them. Moreover, they were in a foreign world. A world they were completely unfamiliar with. In a world like this, where would they run? Grumpy, realizing that the situation had gone for the worst, racked his canine brain as hard as he could. ¡°At this rate we¡¯re all going to die,¡± thought Grumpy. ¡°Whatever that thing that roared was it can¡¯t be any good.¡± But Grumpy didn¡¯t know where they were. Even if he were to use his nose, what use could it possibly be when he didn¡¯t even know what the smell of this beast they were running away from was? Then Grumpy felt it again. That same sensation that led him to the cottage in the first place. That strange curiosity driving at his instincts, screaming at him to follow it. ¡°Ah! Could it be! Could it be that there¡¯s another door somewhere?¡± Hope rekindled within Grumpy, he ran towards the direction he was being called, and then he stopped shortly, turned to the trio, and barked, saying, ¡°Follow me!¡± The first to react to Grumpy¡¯s bark was Sarah. ¡°A-Ah! L-Look guys! Grumpy seems to have an idea! Let¡¯s follow his lead!¡± Said Sarah, her voice clearly affected by the current situation. ¡°B-But this isn¡¯t our world. How could he know where to go?¡± Dubiously asked Farah. ¡°Who cares? Grumpy has a good nose, so the fog shouldn¡¯t affect him as much. And being an animal, I¡¯m sure his instincts are better than ours.¡± Persuaded Sarah ¡°B-But what if we get even more lost? I mean the door-¡° ¡°Forget the door! We don¡¯t have the luxury to see if it¡¯ll come back, and we can¡¯t be standing here waiting for whatever that thing that roared, find us! We need to go!¡± At Sarah¡¯s persuasion, Farah gulped, and she nodded. Having no other choice, the whole group decided to follow Grumpy¡¯s lead into the fog. They didn¡¯t know where they were, or where they were headed. But they ran and ran, blindly following Grumpy¡¯s lead, hoping deep inside that they¡¯ll find a way back. Or at least¡­ never have to meet whatever that thing that roared was. *Whimper The dog having hit something, whimpered as it stopped. The group stopped, gulping, they quietly looked onwards. Then through the thick fog, a giant stood up, its back facing them. Being fifteen feet tall with tawny skin, muscles bulging out from every corner of its body, and a bull¡¯s head, it was a giant minotaur. Immediately, without waiting for it to turn around, the dog turned left, and started running. Realizing the dog¡¯s intention, the group quickly followed after it, and they ran as fast as they could, not even looking back once. A minute passed, and the giant minotaur turned, grinning at the running group. Then opening its mouth, it bellowed out a great roar towards them. Fear pierced into everyone¡¯s hearts. But none of them uttered a word, each of them too afraid, and too focused at running. Then the giant minotaur began to walk. *Boom *Boom Each of its steps shook the earth. The rhythm starting slowly, but then gradually, that sound grew faster and faster, until the sound finally turned into a full sprint. At that, panic immediately raced through everyone¡¯s minds, and they ran even faster. But as they were running, they suddenly noticed that the sound had stopped. Curiosity having reached its peak, Solomon couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to take a look. Then he saw it, the giant minotaur standing a hundred meters away, the fog dispersing from its breath. As Solomon gulped, the giant minotaur suddenly jumped. ¡°Guys! Dodge it! It¡¯s jumping!¡± At Solomon¡¯s shout, the whole group turned to look, and seeing the giant minotaur jumping for them, they ran out of the way. *BOOM! As the giant minotaur landed next to them, the earth let out a great cry as it spit out a shower of dust and earth at the nearby group. Then slowly, the giant minotaur began to stand. As it turned, it showed a grin as if saying, ¡°Play time¡¯s over.¡± At that moment, despair filled everyone¡¯s heart. It¡¯s over, they thought. But then- *ROAR! *BOOM! Suddenly, lightning struck from somewhere, crashing into the Minotaur¡¯s back. *Roar! The Minotaur turned around, and then it bellowed out an ear-piercing roar. Not waiting to see what was going on, Grumpy barked, calling the others¡¯ attention. When he saw that the others had noticed him. He began to run again, following the lead of the feeling inside of him. *ROAR! *BOOM! *BOOM! *Roar! The roar of thunder, the crash of lightning, and the wild rampage of the giant minotaur and its raging cries could be heard in the background as the group desperately ran. ¡°What the hell are those things!?¡± Screamed Farah. ¡°I don¡¯t know! Just keep on running!¡± Replied Sarah. The group ran and ran, until finally, Grumpy came to a halt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Grump-¡° As Sarah was about to ask Grumpy that, she saw it. Grumpy had reached a dead end. And now they were standing right at the edge of a cliff. Sarah walked forward in disbelief, and she looked down that cliff. Below was a nostalgic view. Pure darkness. Just like that time they went down that ladder, it was abysmally dark. But this time, it was the real thing. There was no ladder to gently climb down. Being at the edge of the cliff, the only way out was to either jump or look for a different way. When she realized that, she limped to the ground, her legs having lost all strength. ¡°No way¡­¡± Muttered Sarah, her voice, weak. Her expression, filled with despair. When Farah saw her twin so weak, she tried to cheer her up, but then ¨C *ROAR! *CRASH! A great roar bellowed from the heavens. And a wingless, yellow dragon fell from the sky, crashing into the ground. At impact, the earth cried, and shockwaves exploded forth, sending waves of forces crashing in all directions. That force crashed into the group, pushing all of them into the abyss. Act 0 Chapter 3: Descent Chapter 3: Descent ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Falling to their descent, the scenery sped past them in a blur as they screamed their lungs out at their impending doom. The image of their heads splattering on the ground, turning into brainpaste as soon as they crash, burned itself into their minds, sending their emotions into a deluge of fear and panic. But being powerless in mid-air, the group had no choice but to brace for the ensuing gore. *Thud Luckily, a black snakelike creature around a thousand feet that could somehow fly without wings, a netherserpent king, passed by, catching them on its back. Its body was like a snake¡¯s, soft and tight, yet extremely durable. But it was different in that its body was sticky, instead of smooth. The netherserpent king wiggled its body momentarily when the group crashed into it, but the grouped held on. It knew they were still on it, but since they were too small, and it was not hungry enough to bother trying to eat such small preys, it left them alone as it continued to make its way through the dark abyss. ¡°You guys ok?¡± Shouted Solomon as he kept his body close to the netherserpent king, not letting go. ¡°Yeah! And Sarah¡¯s with me! What about Grumpy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! But he¡¯s probably ok, I-¡° *¡±AIEEEEEEEEEE!!!¡± Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream echoed, resounding throughout the dark abyss. The dark abyss was too dark to see, and not even the scenery could be made out by the human eye. But at that moment, the eyes of the netherserpent king flashed a green light, illuminating its surroundings. And the three saw it, long gray hair, pale white skin, and an ethereal body that¡¯s half faded with its surroundings¡­ banshees. Fraids of them, numbering in the hundreds, no, thousands, tens of thousands. Far too numerous to count. And all of them were, at this moment, flying towards the netherserpent king. As if too shocked, the three only looked on blankly at that horrifying scenery. *ROAR *AIEEEEEEEE!!! The netherserpent king roared and the banshees screamed. Then suddenly a large, glowing green bump appeared at the end of the netherserpent¡¯s tail. That large lump then quickly travelled from the end of its tail to its mouth. ¡°Woah!¡± As that lump moved, it caught the trio off guard, almost pushing them off of it. But somehow they managed to hold on. That green lump continued to travel until it finally reached the serpent¡¯s head. At that, green light filled the serpent¡¯s mouth, concentrations of energy clearly visible as that gathering of green light illuminated the fraids of banshees. Then as it moved its head from the left to the right, the netherserpent king let loose that concentration of energy, releasing an emerald beam, obliterating countless banshees in its path. ¡°Holy shit¡­¡± Watching that scenery, Solomon couldn¡¯t help but let out cuss, dumbfounded at the netherserpent king¡¯s tyrannical prowess. But the show was only just beginning. The banshees, seeing that concentration of energy, quickly split their groups, avoiding the beam¡¯s trajectory. Countless fraids have died, but they did not falter. Contrary, the banshees raged even wilder as they let out another ear-piercing shriek. *AIEEEEEEEEE! Faded violet energy began to ripple in the atmosphere, and suddenly, countless ethereal arrows with a hue of faded violet appeared out of nowhere, shooting themselves into the netherserpent king as it flew from every banshee¡¯s direction. *AIEEEEEEEEE! *ROAR!! The netherserpent king stood vertical in the air, and the trio grabbed tightly at its body, doing their best to keep on holding despite the pull of gravity. Then as the banshees screamed, the netherserpent king met them with its own roar as it conjured a gigantic, green, spherical barrier around its whole body. *Crackle Tens of thousands of ethereal arrow fired on towards the netherserpent king at a rate of fire like that of a machine gun. But as soon as the arrows touched that green barrier, as if they weren¡¯t even there, they only crackled away, fading from existence. The netherserpent king continued to hold that position, keeping its green barrier activated while that large, glowing, green lump appeared at the end of its tail again. As it travelled from the end of its tail to its mouth, that lump would pass by like a wave of water, rocking the trio like a wave on a beach would. And each time, they would strengthen their grip on the netherserpent king¡¯s body, desperately trying not to let go. *Crackle Once, twice, thrice¡­ that glowing, green lump continued to bring energy to the serpent¡¯s mouth while the serpent stood there, floating in the air, absorbing the endless barrage of ethereal arrows with its barrier. Time passed, one minute, two minutes¡­ then three. And finally, that concentration of green energy reached its peak. As if a green sun had just been born, a great green orb of light overflowed from the serpent¡¯s mouth, completely illuminating the nearby area. That light was so great it turned the nearby surroundings completely green. The banshees visibly flinched, but the serpent was not about to show mercy. *ROAR!!! The serpent bellowed out a roar, and with it, it let loose that concentration of energy. Immediately, countless rays of light shot from the netherserpent¡¯s mouth. Each beam having extreme precision, made it doubtful whether each beam was actually sentient or not, as the beams would dodge, bend, and curve away from anything except its target. And as each beam would pierce through a banshee, the banshee would immediately turn green as they faded from existence. One beam for each banshee, those rays of green light were truly like grim reapers, nonchalantly harvesting the banshees to fill its quota. *Hoooooooowl! The banshees¡¯ howl resounded throughout the dark abyss. Unlike that ear-piercing scream the fraids were screaming a while ago, this howl sounded reminiscent of despair. Sorrowful to the point of being heartbroken at its mellow sound. The onslaught of the banshees continued. That green orb of light overflowing from the netherserpent king¡¯s mouth, having not dwindled in size one bit, continued shoot out rays of green light from the netherserpent¡¯s mouth. But as the onslaught continued, the howling of the banshees gradually turned into a siren. And suddenly, several violet magic formations appeared in thin air, and as it merged into one giant violet magic formation, a giant banshee appeared from it. Standing at a similar size as that of the netherserpent king with pale white skin, dark violet hair, violet lips, violet eyes, violet dress, and a violet crown with violet gems embedded onto it, it was the banshee queen! *Hooooooooowl! Howling, the banshee queen¡¯s voice was dark, sorrowful, and yet at the same time, beautiful. Even little Solomon couldn¡¯t help but feel his heartstrings tugged at that pitiful voice that evoked sympathy. That voice reached out to the depths of the banshees¡¯ souls, pulling out their energy from the void. Violet electricity crackled from within the banshees as a violet aura exuded from their bodies, and energy filled them. Their strength renewed and doubled, the banshees restarted their attack as they summoned countless ethereal arrows towards the netherserpent king. Their numbers may have dwindled, but they still easily numbered tens of thousands. There were just truly far too many of them. *AIEEEEEEEEE! The one to let out that scream was the banshee queen. And at it, dark violet barriers covered the banshees, protecting them from the tyranny of those green beams. The green beams were fast and accurate, but it lacked the power to penetrate a defensive spell on the level of the banshee queen¡¯s. *Hoooooooooowl¡­ Having covered the defenses, the banshee queen began to howl a song. And almost as if dancing, the banshee queen moved her body and her hands, sculpting a violet sphere of concentrated power with the violet energy emanating from her fingertips. Her hands and fingers meticulously moved around that sphere as that sphere spun in mid-air with strands of violet light wrapping around it, carefully fashioning it to perfection. Then when it was completed, her right hand slid across the surface of that violet sphere, moving towards the sphere¡¯s upper right, while her left hand pushed it from below with its back, guiding it as she swayed her body in a curve. That sphere followed her graceful movements, spinning in mid-air along with the sway of her body. Swaying to the left, she swayed until her body bent into an arc behind her, then coming back, she swayed to the right, and as she completed a full 360 degree, she released the violet sphere, sending it flying towards the netherserpent king. That violet sphere did not even touch the green barrier as space and time suddenly broke right in front of the green barrier, spitting that violet sphere right at the netherserpent¡¯s face from inside. *BOOM! That violet sphere smashed through the netherserpent¡¯s face like a steel ball, disfiguring it, and leaving the serpent¡¯s face covered in green blood, dissipating as it touched the green barrier on the other side. *ROAR! Angered, the netherserpent bellowed out a roar. But the banshee queen ignored it as it summoned ten violet spheres that looked the one from before, only smaller. This time the violet spheres instantly formed from thin air, and without carefully sculpting it like she did a while ago, she swayed again. From the right to the left, then curving her back behind her in an arc, she comes back from the right. Unlike before, the spheres weren¡¯t in direct contact with her body, and they were only floating beside her as she swayed, following what seems to be a set pattern for her attack. But all the same, the spheres went flying towards the netherserpent king as she reached a 360. In response, the netherserpent king quickly mustered up its energy. And the glowing, green lump moved from the end of its tail again until its head. Green light filling its mouth, it spit that energy almost immediately. But this time it wasn¡¯t a beam that it spit, but a sticky ball of what looked like thick, corrosive saliva mixed with that green light. That green, sticky ball flew towards the ten violet spheres, meeting it in mid-air. And then expanding itself, it turned into a huge membrane of green, gooey, energy, absorbing the spheres as it recompressed itself back into a ball, effectively neutering the attack. *Ha ha ha¡­ A heavy voice that sounded like it was laughing resounded throughout the abyss where green and violet flashed like fireworks. *AIEEEEEEEE! Angered, the queen banshee screamed an ear-piercing scream as several more spheres appeared out of thin air, floating in front of the banshee queen. At the same time, the netherserpent king¡¯s body began to bulge abnormally, pushing the group off of it, as it let out an earth-shaking roar. *ROAR! ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Having been pushed, the three fell again. Down to that dark abyss, with the ensuing battle between the banshee queen and the netherserpent king as their background. Then from out of nowhere, countless smaller versions of the netherserpent king, normal netherserpents, started poofing into the fray. And immediately, they rushed towards the still relentlessly attacking banshees, biting at their ethereal bodies. As they bit down on the banshees, their mouths would flash a light of green, and the banshees would fade out of existence. But unlike the netherserpent king, the banshees¡¯ ethereal arrows could wreck the normal netherserpents. One of the netherserpents for one, had its body torn to shreds as a banshee summoned its ethereal arrows against it. Each faded violet arrow would strike against its flesh, cutting a portion of its body. A single arrow wasn¡¯t fatal, no. But the banshees could cast the arrows at a rate of a thousand per minute. That would mean that every second they could dish out around sixteen arrows per second. One arrow may not be fatal, but what about sixteen? It was in this way that the netherserpents were torn to shreds by the might of the banshees¡¯ terrifying rate of fire. However, the battle wasn¡¯t that simple as the netherserpents, while only able to bite one at a time, had a fatal bite. One bite was all they needed to take out a banshee. Moreover, their strength actually lied on their mobility. As netherserpents, they had the ability to wrap their body in a green aura that greatly increased their speed and agility. They were also capable of teleporting, although requiring some time to cast it. Regardless, with those two together, hitting them with an arrow became ten times more difficult than hitting a fly. A testament to the prowess of the banshee¡¯s accuracy. A level that mortals could simply not dream of achieving. Like this, the war of between the banshees and the netherserpents led by their queen and king respectively, raged on in the dark abyss. And in the middle of that cluster of flashing green and faded violet, in that cloud of tens of thousands of banshees and tens of thousands of netherserpents, the three children fell. Farah, falling, she looked for her sister. ¡°Sarah!¡± She yelled, desperately looking to be with her sister in these last moments. A netherserpent suddenly poofed from thin air, breaking Farah¡¯s fall as it passed by, causing her to tumble on its back, before falling again. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Sister!¡± As she tumbled, she saw her sister falling above her, calling her. Putting herself on a belly position, she pushed her arms forward and straightened her legs, allowing herself to be pushed up by the air to meet with her sister as they fell. ¡°Sarah!¡± ¡°Farah!¡± ¡°Haha, I missed you. I thought we¡¯d never meet again.¡± Said Farah teary eyed. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, we¡¯re twins. We¡¯ll be together forever.¡± Replied Sarah as she wiped her twin¡¯s tears. ¡°Forever?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Even when you get married?¡± ¡°Yep¡­¡± ¡°Together¡­ ¡°Forever¡­¡± ¡°In death¡­¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡°And in life¡­¡± ¡°Haha, sounds like a proposal.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± In mid-air, the sisters hugged each other, embracing the most precious person to them tightly as they fell down to their descent. "Are you nervous?" "Quite..." "Think mom''s gonna miss us?" "She will... She''ll miss Grumpy too..." "Sis, you know... to be honest just thinking of what''s gonna happen when we reach the bottom is..." Said Farah, her hands shaking. "Come on, sis. I''m here with you." Consoled Sarah, as she took held hers sister''s shaking hands "It''s good that we''re at least together..." "Yeah... at least we''re together." "In life..." "And in death... huh?" In mid-air the sisters consoled each other as they fell to their deaths, then realizing something, Sarah asked, ¡°By the way¡­ what happened to Solomon?¡± Asked Sarah. Then at that moment, ¡°You guuuuuuys! Ow! Oof! *Tud¡± Solomon¡¯s voice suddenly reached their ears from above. Looking up, they saw him tumbling and bouncing on the passing netherserpents on his way. ¡°Haha, speak of the devil.¡± Chuckled Sarah. The twins propped themselves up to be lifted by the air, meeting Solomon as they fell. Taking Solomon¡¯s hands, the three held each other¡¯s hands as they fell through the cloud of continuing onslaught between the banshees and the netherserpents. ¡°Y-You guys, you know¡­¡± Fidgeting, Solomon stammered that out. ¡°What?¡± Asked Farah. Gulping, Solomon continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡° Exclaimed Solomon as he bowed his head as deep as he could while the three held hands, still falling. ¡°Stop it.¡± Rebuked Sarah. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You think this is something you can say sorry for?¡± Harshly reprimanded Sarah. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ I-I¡­¡± Seeing Solomon¡¯s reaction, Sarah chuckled as her cold gaze went warm. ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯m joking, silly.¡± ¡°Eh? B-But if I hadn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t what?¡± Asked Farah, smiling. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t invited us out to play in the forest because we would end up going inside a cottage, enter the portal inside it, find ourselves in a different world, and then have the door we came in from shut itself as soon as we entered it, then we wouldn¡¯t be dying now?¡± Continued Sarah. At that, Solomon stared wide-eyed at Sarah. ¡°Silly, there¡¯s no way, you could¡¯ve known, is there?¡± Said Farah as she continued for her sister. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ yes¡­ but¡­ aren¡¯t you guys mad?¡± "Rather than mad... I''d say that there are things I regret." Answered Sarah as she closed her eyes. Continuing, she said, "Thing I wish to experience, things I wish to do, food I wish to eat... but." She breathed out a sigh. "But it can''t be helped, right?" "Eh? But" "There''re no buts, Solomon." Answered Farah for her sister. "When the time''s come, the time''s come." Sarah continued. "That''s right... Since it''s come, even if we scream" "Even if we curse..." "Nothing''s going to change..." "So we might as well take it while smiling, right?" Said Sarah as she smiled. ¡°Besides, no one could¡¯ve predicted the door shutting itself anyway.¡± Farah shook her head. ¡°So, don¡¯t blame yourself, alright?¡± ¡°If you have regrets while dying, you¡¯ll end up a ghost like those violet things flying around, you know?¡± ¡°Y-You... guys¡­ *Sniff.¡± Seeing Solomon get all teary eyed, the twins sighed. ¡°*Sigh¡­ That¡¯s just pathetic, Solomon.¡± Said Farah. ¡°A man shouldn¡¯t be such a pansy, you know?¡± Continued her sister. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ *Sniff, you guys are¡­ so nice *Sniff.¡± Seeing Solomon gradually tear up, the twins looked at each other and shrugged, wryly smiling. Then Solomon suddenly looked straight at them, his eyes shooting out a piercing gaze and said. ¡°*Sniff¡­ I¡¯ve decided! From now on¡­ I¡¯m going to take care of you two!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The twins¡¯ eyes opened wide. ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone harm you two! I¡¯ll buy you two everything you want! And I¡¯ll make sure you two live comfortably forever!¡± The twins looked at each other, then to Solomon, and Sarah opened her mouth, ¡°You mean¡­ marriage?¡± ¡°Eh? Uh¡­ m-marriage?¡± Seeing the blank look on Solomon, the twins burst out laughing. ¡°Ahaha¡­ silly, if you say you¡¯re taking care of us forever, then that means marrying us.¡± ¡°Eh? B-But¡­ there¡¯s two of you¡­ I mean¡­ monogamy¡­¡± The twins looked at each other and giggled. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about!?¡± Exclaimed the twins in unison as they looked at each other and laughed again. ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask if we would say yes!¡± Said Sarah as she pinched Solomon. ¡°And you actually have the gall to ask both of us! This playboy! And you¡¯re only ten!¡± Said Farah as she pinched Solomon¡¯s other cheek. ¡°Oww¡­ ow!¡± Since the twins had to let go of one hand to pinch Solomon while they fell, the pressure behind those pinches were truly nothing to be scoffed out. But as Solomon¡¯s cheeks were hurting, flushed red, the twins suddenly kissed Solomon at both cheeks. ¡°Eh?... EH!?¡± While Solomon was still shocked, the twins continued talking. ¡°But sure¡­ we¡¯ll marry you.¡± ¡°EH!?¡± ¡°like this, me and Sarah can be together too.¡± ¡°I-Is it ok to make a promise like that! We just met!¡± The twins pinched Solomon again. ¡°Now you¡¯re asking!?¡± ¡°After we said yes too!¡± Seeing Solomon¡¯s shocked look, Sarah laughed. ¡°Rather than something like that, you should worry about how much time we have left!" At that moment, the banshee queen, enwrapped in violet aura, summoned her staff. Fitting for her size, that staff was almost as tall as her with an equally large violet gem. As the banshee queen grasped it with her right hand, the whole staff burst into violet light, leaving particles behind as it changed shape into a giant, violet lance. Then she lifted that giant lance and, slightly pushing it into the air, she changed her grip into one fit for a throwing stance. Then the banshee queen spun counterclockwise. As she did, the violet aura wrapping her became violent, violet electricity crackling. Then that violet aura began to fill the lance in her right, charging it until the whole lance glowed violet with violet electricity crackling from it. As the queen was about to reach 360 degrees from her spin, she let loose that violet charged lance, letting it fly towards the netherserpent king as it left clouds of violet energy in its flight. At the same time, the netherserpent king that had now become abnormally large, looking more like a cobra with its upper body so big, turned green. Every part of its body turning pure emerald. Then suddenly all of that green light gathered in its mouth, and like a deflated balloon, its entire upper body suddenly grew smaller as it spit out a giant sword filled with green aura towards the banshee queen. That sword crackled with green energy as it flew towards the banshee queen. Like two comets, the green sword and the violet lance flew towards each other, overflowing with power. Leaving in their trails, clouds of green and violet energy respectively. Seeing that, the banshees and the netherserpents immediately ran away. The banshees dispersed, while the netherserpents poofed away, leaving only clouds of black. The three children looked up, and knowing that the end has come, they embraced each other tightly. ¡°Look, it¡¯s coming.¡± Said Farah. ¡°So this is as far as we go¡­¡± Mumbled Solomon. ¡°Twelve years¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Ten years for me.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ what a short marriage.¡± ¡°Eh? A-Ah¡­. Yeah.¡± Stammered Solomon, blushing. Seeing the two acting like they¡¯re about to die, Sarah giggled. ¡°Tee hee¡­ why are you guys acting like you¡¯re about to die?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Come on, you two¡­ why don¡¯t you make a wish?¡± ¡°Wish?¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that there is power in the will of man¡­ So perhaps¡­ perhaps just maybe¡­¡± ¡°Silly, that¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°But still¡­ I want to survive with you two. So¡­¡± At that they all nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± At that moment, the two comets met. The violet lance, the green sword, meeting in mid-air, those two great forces crackled like electricity, and then¡­ A beautiful sphere of violet and green expanded from where the two weapons met. As it expanded, it began to look like a spherical aurora as varying shades of green and violet mingled, mixing with each other. That sphere grew and grew, taking in all of the surrounding area into it, melting everything into it. Then as that sphere approached the three. ¡°The will of man has power, huh?¡± Thought the three. ¡°Then¡­¡± Their prayers echoed. ¡°Please! Protect these two!¡± Their wishes in sync, white light emanated from their bodies as it absorbed the darkness around them, feeding off of it to protect them. And then that thick darkness that was almost like water, suddenly willingly submitted itself to that light, feeding it more power. Right now, within the hearts of these three, resonated three things. Faith, hope, and love. Faith in each other, hope that they will survive together, and love for each other. The love they had for each other was nothing like that between a man and a woman. But it was warm and caring. An honest and pure desire to see each other safe, and to be by each other¡¯s side. These three things that would normally not be found within this world were like a ray of light in a world that has not seen light in eons. Small as it may be, a ray of light in such a world would be no different from the sun. And that ¡°sun¡± resonated with the forces of this world, attracting them to the three children. Perhaps one day, little Solomon would ruminate on this moment and realize to himself the truth behind magic. That magic begins from the will. The will of man that leads him to hate, to love, to create, or to destroy¡­ This is the secret behind magic, the truth that exists in all of existence and nonexistence, surpassing all laws and dimensions. As that light wrapped around Solomon and the sisters, it cradled them, gently as if it was holding a baby. The light kept them warm, and it gently brought them down as they fell. And when that sphere of violet and green touched the light, it faded, the three children safe and sound. The light continued to wrap around the three, as they gently fell down the abyss. But as it fell, the netherserpent king and the banshee queen had their gazes set on it. Being residents of this world, they knew all too well what that light meant. And immediately, without hesitating, the two raced for that ball of light. The banshee queen propped herself up as a violet magic formation appeared behind her, and as if there was something physical there, she kicked herself off that magic formation, propelling her faster than the eye can see as she turned into a streak of violet light. At the exact same moment, the netherserpent king used the last of its strength to activate its race¡¯s innate ability. Its body turned emerald, and immediately it turned into a streak of green light as it flashed towards the three children. But because the banshee queen had started below the netherserpent king right from the start, closer to the children, she would still reach them faster by a microsecond. The netherserpent realizing this, forced out a great green beam out of its mouth, shooting it towards that ball of light. *ROAR! Roaring, it seemed to say, ¡°If I can¡¯t have it, then no one can!¡± Panic could be visibly seen from the banshee queen¡¯s expression as that beam of light went past her. Whether that ball of light could actually protect from a direct hit, no one knew. But suddenly, a great, white, illusionary divine dragon that was several magnitudes bigger than both the netherserpent king and the banshee queen combined, appeared. That panic on the banshee¡¯s face immediately turned to fear as her face paled. The netherserpent king immediately tried to run as it turned away, but it was too late. Light overflowed from the illusionary dragon¡¯s mouth as it breathed out a beam of white energy towards the two monsters. As the surrounding area was covered in white, that beam rose to the heavens of this world, extending far above that gray sky for all to see. As it rose to the heavens, a tower of light. The countless creatures in this realm, both those that belong in it and those that do not, looked on, gazing at the glory of that light. Act 0 Chapter 4: Castle Author''s Note: I deleted the old chapter 4 and replaced it with this one. Didn''t like where that one was headed, so I decided to stick to the old outline. Chapter 4: Castle ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Groaning on the ground was little Solomon who had lost consciousness as soon as they reached the bottom. His head still groggy, Solomon gradually woke up. And as he lay on the ground, he looked around him, scanning his surroundings. Beside him he spotted the twins lying asleep on the ground. ¡°Looks like we all fell asleep when we hit bottom,¡± thought Solomon to himself as he slowly stood. ¡°Brrr¡­ The surrounding air chilling Solomon, he let out a brr as he lightly shivered. The air from his mouth, a visible cloud of white. ¡°Is this¡­ the bottom?¡± Clouds of white shrouded the area, and on the ground where Solomon and the twins had lain asleep was the drawing of two dragons entwined around a clock with their tails in their mouths. Solomon found the drawing to be curious, but he quickly turned his head away when he heard the sound of barking. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± It was Grumpy. Somehow, Grumpy had also managed to reach the bottom of the abyss. A fact that slightly surprised Solomon. But nevertheless he was glad to know that the twins¡¯ dog was safe and sound. Grumpy was barking there in front of something. But due to the fog¡¯s veil, Solomon couldn¡¯t quite make out what it was. Curious, he walked towards the strange object Grumpy was fussing over. And as the fog¡¯s veil was lifted, a giant door stretching over thirty feet tall and ten feet wide stood on the other end of the fog¡¯s veil. ¡°*Gasp¡­¡± A resounding gasp echoed throughout the foggy land as Solomon¡¯s breath was taken away by his surprise. ¡°A door made for giants,¡± he thought. Certainly, a door of such gargantuan proportions could only be appropriate for another similarly sized giant. However its size was not the only thing that caught Solomon¡¯s attention. Strange patterns were engraved all over the majestic door. Patterns reminiscent of dragons and the strands of time, reminding Solomon of the mark on the ground. Leading him to believe that this place must have something to do with time and dragons. ¡°Perhaps the ruins, or perhaps even the home of a dragon that rules over time,¡± thought Solomon as his fantasies grew wild, unhindered. But more than any of these childish thoughts was a feeling tugging at Solomon¡¯s heart. A strange sensation he had once felt before. Yes, that same sensation he felt when he first found the portal that lead to this world. In truth, any normal person would by now be shaking in their boots were they to find a situation similar to that which threw them into this hell hole. But to Solomon, things were quite different. The scenery before him did not send him into a whirlpool of fear, no. Instead it sent him into a dilemma. Solomon wished for one thing. Ever since he was but a toddler, Solomon¡¯s always had but one wish. A wish he carried with him throughout his life. And even until now it is a wish he still carried. And that wish is to learn magic and master it. Not the kind of magic that the magicians of the likes of David Blaine would show on television, which were but illusions, performances to entertain. But true magic of the likes only to be conjured by fictional wizards and sorcerers to be shown on fantasy films in the theaters. Feats simply impossible for the physics of the known human realm or for the powers of humanity. To control the elements. To will the world around one¡¯s self. To create impossible geometry, castles, and towers out of thin air. That was the wish prayed under the light of the stars. But it was an impossible wish. A mindless, unfulfillable, childish wish. Yet right now, a flight of stairs leading to that very dream has just been laid out before him. Yet Solomon¡¯s feet were unmoving. They were not moving towards that door. They were frozen still, standing there as if the road to his one dream was not dangling before his eyes. His eyes locked onto the door, but what he saw reflected within in his mind was not the door, but the twins. In Solomon¡¯s obsession for magic, he lost himself in a trance and mindlessly walked through that door in the cottage. Even if the twins say it¡¯s not his fault, Solomon knew better. Regardless of what the twins say, the truth is that Solomon entered the door. And it was because he entered the door that all of them entered it, leading them to become trapped in this world when the door was shut close. The guilt of that sin tugged at Solomon¡¯s heart. And the fear of repeating another tragedy ceased him from moving. Traces of regret lingered in his heart as he looked up that door one last time before he bid farewell to his only dream. But as that longing gaze that was very much like that of a lover to her beloved met with that majestic door, a look of shock found itself in Solomon¡¯s face. That giant door began to bulge as if it were filled with water. And in a heartbeat that door blew up, filling the whole world in blood and darkness as a voice echoed, ¡°Bring the boy to ME!¡± And another, ¡°No!¡± The flood of blood and darkness swirled into a whirlpool as it swept Solomon away. And with the flash of a light, the boy suddenly found himself in a room with countless doors floating, the ceiling stretching upwards endlessly, and a gallant figure in white armor walking towards him as- ¡°Solomon!¡± Suddenly, Farah¡¯s face was point blank his. ¡°AHHHH!¡± ¡°AIEEEE!¡± He shouted, she shouted. *Pow! And the other one kicked him. ¡°What are you shouting for!?¡± asked, the kicker. ¡°Well, you startled me!¡± replied the kicked as he rubbed his right side, a little sore from the kick. ¡°You were standing there, dazed, so we thought to snap you out of it!¡± shouted the other one who¡¯s finally stopped screaming like a banshee. ¡°I was¡­ dazed, you say?¡± ¡°Yep, stood there like a statue.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been calling your name for a while now actually.¡± ¡°Take care of us? More like we need to take care of you.¡± Scolded by the twins, Solomon flushed red as his eyes fell on the ground in shame. But midway, that glance caught in its path Grumpy wagging his tail, standing there besides the twins and him. And immediately, for reasons unknown, Solomon¡¯s face turned pale as he recalled the image of the adorable canine, as his eyes stared on the ground. Solomon quickly shook that sensation off, thinking to himself, ¡°I must have imagined it.¡± His eyes were brought back up when Farah spoke. ¡°So. Where are we this time?¡± ¡°A giant¡¯s residence from the looks of things, sis. Possibly, a castle.¡± ¡°Well, the door¡¯s open and all, and there¡¯s nowhere else to go so¡­ shall we?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.Farah¡¯s words echoed at the back of Solomon¡¯s head, bringing his eyes back to standing level where he was greeted with the giant door, open. ¡°Suddenly opening or closing by itself¡­ this is just like that time,¡± he thought. The scent of the blood that flooded his mind just moments ago, caused dread to appear on his face. Dread not for himself, but for the twins, believing that this was some sort of trap carefully laid out in some sort of sick hobby to plot against him and the twins. Solomon did not want to see the twins hurt any further. To him, their very existence here was his fault. And that guilt greatly tugged at his heart. If the twins were to ever die in this world, then Solomon would surely be unable to forgive himself. ¡°Solomon, what are you doing? Let¡¯s go.¡± Having noticed that Solomon was standing still, Sarah called out to him. His countenance still pale, Solomon nervously suggested not to enter the castle. ¡°How about we not go inside, guys? It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s what?¡± Asked Farah ¡°It¡¯s suspicious¡­¡± ¡°What is?¡± Asked Sarah this time. ¡°When I woke up, the door was closed. And now the door¡¯s open. It¡¯s as if it¡¯s inviting us. Isn¡¯t that obviously a red flag!?¡± Apprehensive, Solomon shouted. The twins clearly felt the fear in his voice, but they could not make fun of him for it. Still, Farah shot down Solomon¡¯s proposition. ¡°Unfortunately, we can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold out here, the fog¡¯s thick¡­ Even if we don¡¯t move we¡¯ll end up dead. This is the kind of world we¡¯re stuck in.¡± The word ¡°stuck¡± bore a hole through Solomon¡¯s chest. And Sarah, being quite perceptive, noticed Solomon¡¯s anguish. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it too much.¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯re here already, so let¡¯s just do our best to survive. Since we can die either way, then the best path¡¯s clearly to keep on moving, right?¡± Said Sarah as she patted Solomon at the back. With the twins resolute in their decision to enter the suspicious giant castle, Solomon had no choice but to agree with them as he followed them inside. Like this the twins led, Solomon followed, and the dog trailed last. Exactly as the gigantic entrance had implied, they were greeted by an equally large hallway that stretched a sizeable distance forward, as soon as they entered the castle. Dragon statues could be seen lined up on either side of the hallway, and a long, red carpet was rolled over the hallway¡¯s floor. ¡°Looks like you were right, Solomon. They really were expecting us.¡± ¡°And quite a grand welcome too. They¡¯ve actually rolled out the red carpet for us, sis.¡± ¡°As they should.¡± Replied Farah as the twins broke into laughter. The twins found the castle¡¯s decorations and Solomon¡¯s paranoid comment coinciding to be hilarious, and they poked fun at it with teasing comments. Aside from the red carpet rolled out on the floor, there were also candles on either side, burning with dark purple flame. Lighting the whole stretch of the hallway in dark purple. With the flames¡¯ color itself being dark, the hallway was only dimly lit. That otherworldly lighting coupled with the medieval setting dyed the atmosphere, eerie. The group continued to walk onwards without talking, and eventually they found themselves in another hallway. Three giant doors on either side. And a flight of stairs leading to a large statue of two dragons entwined around a clock with their tails in their mouths. Then from there, was a staircase on either side leading to the upper floors. This hall was also lit by purple flames, with the fire burning from the candle lamps attached to the walls. The group¡¯s curiosity was piqued by the strange dragon statue at the end of the flight of stairs, so they climbed that and walked towards it to examine it. ¡°What a peculiar statue,¡± remarked Sarah. ¡°Indeed. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s similar to the pattern that was on the ground we were sleeping on a while ago?¡± agreed Farah. ¡°Rather than similar, isn¡¯t it exactly the same thing?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ I wonder if this statue¡¯s supposed to mean something.¡± Solomon also found this statue interesting. In fact, he found the pattern back where they slept to be just as interesting. Only, Grumpy¡¯s barking had taken his attention, and he ended up forgetting all about it after the strange vision he saw and the succeeding events. Now that the symbol was right before him again, Solomon couldn¡¯t help but ponder on it as he tried to interpret it. And at Farah¡¯s question, he voiced his thoughts. ¡°A dragon eating its own tail is a symbol popularly known as Ouroboros.¡± ¡°Ouroboros?¡± Asked Farah. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s said to be a symbol of eternity. And the soul of the world.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s with one dragon, right? There¡¯re two of them in this one.¡± Inquired Sarah. ¡°True¡­ It¡¯s curious. Why are there two? Moreover two dragons that are entwined around a clock¡­¡± Pondering, Solomon¡¯s brain was on fire. And as he took a deep breath, he continued, ¡°Did you two notice that the entrance to this castle had patterns reminiscent of time and dragons?¡± ¡°Actually, the door was already wide open when we came to, and we saw you standing there, dazed. So¡­ no.¡± At Farah¡¯s answer, Solomon walked towards the statue and started fumbling around as he voiced out his hypothesis. ¡°This is just a guess, but considering that this statue here seems to have something to do with the concepts of eternity, soul, and time. I think this whole castle might have some kind of secret regarding those three things. And with its obsession on dragons, especially the statues lined up in the previous hallway, there might be a dragon here that rules time.¡± After Solomon said that, the ground suddenly rumbled. *RUMBLE¡­ With Solomon currently being atop the statue, the sudden tremor pushed him off of it, and he ended up falling to the ground with a thud. All the while, the twins were panicking at the earthquake. *Thud! ¡°Ow...¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± ¡°An earthquake?¡± Then all of the sudden, a violet magic formation appeared below the staircase, at the center of the hallway. And from it, appeared a giant figure of around fifteen feet high. White skin, muscles bulging in every corner, a shaved head, a half-naked body, and one eye¡­ Seeing that, Solomon muttered, ¡°Cyclops.¡± *ROARRRRR! With the bellow of that roar, the short reprieve of the group ended. And the game of cat and mice resumed. Act 0 Chapter 5: The Dolls of Fate Chapter 5: The Dolls of Fate A second that felt like an eternity passed as the three watched the cyclops enter from the violet magic formation. ¡°Cyclops¡­¡± That word echoed throughout the quiet hall under Solomon¡¯s muttered breath, striking a resounding sound much like a drum at the back of everyone¡¯s minds. And with the cyclops¡¯ bellowed roar, immediately, the twins wiped their shocked expressions from their faces, and they made a run for it. ¡°Run!¡± Shouted Solomon. From the direction of the statue, Farah made a run for the right staircase, while Sarah instinctively made a run for the left, being closer to it. Then realizing that she had run opposite her sister, she stopped and turned the other way. ¡°Sis-¡° ¡°Idio-¡° *Boom! Sarah¡¯s call for Farah was met with a rebuke for its lack of insight, but it was too late as the cyclops was already in midair, having leapt as soon as its roar had ceased. At its descent, proof of its weight echoed a resounding boom, and clouds of dust and air scattered about as the cyclops landed on the seemingly proportionate, giant, stair rails, right next to Sarah. *Roar!! With its mouth wide open, the cyclops bellowed out another great roar. ¡°*Gasp...¡± The cyclops¡¯ figure right in-front of her, Sarah let out an audible gasp. After which, the Cyclops¡¯ earthshaking roar immediately came blasting at her at full sound. And as each drop of its saliva came splattering at her, the world seemed to come to a slow. The surrounding sounds faded and at the same time, her sight grew hazy, the colors of the world appearing to have dulled. Her fate decided, she closed her eyes. ¡°Sarah!¡± Now, a captive of fear, her feet remained still, unmoving. The yell of that voice unable to wake her from her stupor as the cyclops raised its fist and smashed it towards her. *Boom! A resounding boom exploded, and countless bits of the shattered floor flew into the air accompanied by thick clouds of dust as the Cyclops¡¯ fist met with the ground. The world slowed to almost a still, and Sarah¡¯s body slowly flew across the air in Solomon¡¯s embrace. With a thud the two fell to the ground. And Sarah was still alive. Her eyes unfocused, her ears deaf, she looked up while lying down, still somewhat dazed. Slowly, the world came back, the time, the sound, the colors¡­ until eventually her eyes regained its focus. Having snapped out of her trance, she saw Solomon in front of her, saying something. ¡°Get up!¡± Those words jolted the rest of her awake, reminding her of the predicament they were in. Quickly she stood up, and the image of the cyclops retreating its fist from the ground as it gazed at it, grinning, entered her eye. ¡°Twisted bastard,¡± she thought. But not planning to wait for the Cyclops to snap out of its sadistic trance, Sarah quickly turned around and ran with Solomon behind her. At that moment, the cyclops noticed the two mice scurrying away. But without hurrying, it instead took its time, slowly posturing itself as it locked its gaze onto the two children. As soon as the two were about to reach one of the doors in the upper floors, it hopped onto the giant, stair rails, and tilting itself towards the two¡¯s direction, it kicked itself off like a rocket. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Not once had Solomon¡¯s eyes left the monster, and as soon as he saw it position itself towards them, he dived for Sarah, pushing her out of the way and tucking her into him as they rolled onto the ground. *Boom! With the two having dodged the cyclops¡¯ attack, the cyclops rocketed by with nothing to hit, causing another loud boom to resonate as its feet got stuck into the ground as it landed. Then the cyclops forcibly lifted its leg free, sending shattered bits and clouds of dust and air flying with it. ¡°Babababababa!¡± It beat its chest like an ape, and yelled incomprehensible mutterings before starting its way towards the two again. Seeing that, the two immediately picked themselves up and ran the other direction. But with another boom, the ground towards Farah¡¯s direction shattered as the Cyclops landed. The path blocked, the two made way for the other direction. But the cyclops picked up one of the larger shattered bits of the ground and threw it at the two. The two separated and the larger bit passed by them, crashing into a wall. ¡°It¡¯s toying with us,¡± thought Sarah as she angrily clicked her tongue. The cyclops bellowed out another howl, its cheeks swaying wildly as its saliva messily splattered all over. Then it leapt again, and landing on the ground right in front of the two children, clouds of dust and air descended as it towered over them. Gulping, the two felt their hearts sink as despair began to take hold of them. Then the cyclops, far bigger than the two, brought its huge head close to theirs, and grinned. And then it grasped Solomon¡¯s two arms, and gently lifted him up. ¡°Solomon!¡± The twins, powerless, could only watch. And even Solomon¡¯s desperate struggles to free himself were to no effect. Slowly, the cyclops began to pull Solomon apart from opposite sides, causing the young boy to let out anguished grunts. ¡°You barbaric freak!¡± With the cyclops¡¯ towering height, Sarah could kick no other place but its leg. And to her dismay, it proved no effect as the cyclops continued to slowly pull Solomon apart while grinning. ¡°No!¡± Unable to watch the ensuing gore, Sarah turned her head away while an audible gulp could be heard from Farah¡¯s direction. But where they expected Solomon¡¯s anguished scream to come, they heard something else altogether. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± The one who screamed wasn¡¯t Solomon but the cyclops! Pain jolting through the monster, it failed to keep its grasp on Solomon letting him drop. With a thud Solomon fell to the ground, confused and relieved. The trio, befuddled, looked for the reason why, and down there, in between the monster¡¯s thighs, on its crotch, was Grumpy hanging, his teeth firmly clenched onto the monster¡¯s jewels through its red stained pants. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± In great pain, the monster let out anguished screams as it wildly flailed about, turning its surroundings into thick clouds of dust and air while shattered bits of the ground scattered. Taking the opportunity, Farah took the risk and ran to were Solomon and Sarah was. The twins hugged, and turning to Grumpy, they slightly bowed as they thanked him in their hearts. Then after a second, the three made a run for it, taking the left most door from the doors lined up. But then, it suddenly dawned on them that the twins, who were tallest amongst the three of them, were only five and three, while Solomon was barely four and a half feet tall. In comparison, the doors in the castle were easily over fifteen feet in height, making the knobs unreachable. However, unwilling to give up, the three tried to jump for the knob to open it. But instead, as soon as their fingers touched the door, the door faded. The three¡¯s eyes opened wide at the sudden disappearance of the giant door before them, but recalling the situation they were in, they quickly shook their shock away, and they began to run again. Seeing the mice about to escape, the cyclops steeled itself as it forcefully pulled the dog away from its body. An ear-piercing, anguished scream involuntarily erupted as a fountain of blood spurted from that desperate act. Then as the cyclops threw the dog aside, it bellowed out a roar, and made a run for the children. With the booming steps resounding from behind them, the children knew that the cyclops had started towards them again. So in response, the children exerted every fiber of muscle they had in their body as they pushed their legs to its limits, running as fast as they could. All in a desperate attempt to get away from the cyclops. That mad chase continued for some time. The children at the front, and a cloud of dust, air, and shattered pieces of the ground, trailing from behind. Normally, the cyclops would have already taken the children by now, but with the incessant bleeding dripping from in between its legs and the excruciating pain, both physical and emotional, of having lost something important, the cyclops moved far slower than normal. Eventually the chase led the children high up the castle and into a room. The room wasn¡¯t a dead end, but with the cyclops still some distance away from them, Solomon thought to try something. ¡°You know, since everything in this castle seems to be so big. Suppose there were a ledge right beneath the windows of this castle, then it¡¯ll probably be big enough for us to edge our way through. We have some time, so we can take a peek out the window here and check to see if there¡¯s some path we can use that the Cyclops can¡¯t,¡± suggested Solomon. ¡°After which, the only question then would be whether there¡¯s some place we could reach from there that¡¯d be completely out of the cyclops¡¯ reach.¡± At his suggestion, the children stuck their heads out of the window. And just as Solomon had mentioned, the ledge was indeed big enough to allow them to comfortably edge their way. Moreover, there was fortunately a platform that could be reached at the end of the ledge. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The three nodded to each other, and they all went down the ledge through the window. And slowly, they made their way towards the platform. Halfway through, the heavy steps of the cyclops reached their ears. The group turned their heads towards the direction of the window they came from, and lo and behold, the cyclops was there, sticking its giant, one-eyed head out of the window. *Roar! Saliva splattered towards the children as it bellowed out another roar. Clearly none too pleased at having been made to run all the way with its fatal wound. The children did not know how grave its injuries were, but despite the cyclops¡¯ brutish nature that masked whatever weaknesses it had, it still failed to hide the small trace of exhaustion that appeared on its face. Clearly, it was now on it last. Granted, despite being so weak, the children were no match for it in a head-on fight. But being on the ledge that was only big enough for the children to edge their way, the cyclops had no means of reaching them. So without any fear of danger, Sarah puffed out her chest and gloated over the powerless cyclops. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re chasing after us so desperately, but I¡¯d like to see you try and chase us here, you giant bonehead!¡± A look of frustration appeared on the cyclops¡¯ face as it grunted, and as it searched its surroundings, it looked like it was looking for a way. But knowing there was no way for him to reach them, the children only smirked and continued on their way towards the end of the ledge. When the three reached the edge of the ledge, they carefully reached out to the platform. The first to go up was Farah, who then helped Sarah up. After which was Solomon¡¯s turn, but just as he was about to go up, the cyclops leapt from the window towards them. The twins¡¯ eyes opened wide as they yelled Solomon¡¯s name. They tried to pull him up quickly but the cyclops managed to reach them before they could. As the cyclops landed, its hands barely managed to hold onto the edge of the platform, hanging right behind Solomon with its figure overlapping his. A look of happiness appeared on the cyclops face at its successful attempt. But that elation was short lived as a look of exhaustion soon took its place. The cyclops tried to fumble for the platform, but losing strength, it sole eye closed itself as its hands let go of the platform. Like that, the brutish monster fell quietly to its end. The three remained speechless for a while, surprise clearly visible on their faces. Just a moment ago, they believed that no matter what the cyclops tried it wouldn¡¯t be able to reach them. But then just as they were about to escape, the cyclops leapt, and all of the sudden it was a hair¡¯s breadth away. At that moment, their breaths had surely stopped. Yet not long after, the monster suddenly lost its remaining strength, and it fell to its last. This roller coaster of events left the three in a whirlpool of emotions, leaving them breathless and dazed. It was not till a few minutes later that their stupor passed, and Farah broke the silence. ¡°Well¡­ that wasn¡¯t too bad, was it?¡± The other two only shook their heads as they chuckled. At that, Farah chuckled too. And not long after, the three of them broke out into full laughter. Afterwards, the three made their way through the platform, eventually stumbling upon what looked like violet patterns on the floor, drawn in a circle. Having played plenty of games themselves, the three thought something might happen were they to step over it. So without much expectation, the three nonchalantly stepped inside the circle of violet patterns. In the next instant, the children suddenly found themselves standing over a similar pattern on a platform high above the skies. ¡°Woaaaah!¡± Thoroughly elated, Solomon jumped and darted about in his excitement. The twins couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly at Solomon as this was their first time seeing him so excited since meeting him. After a while, Solomon finally simmered down after realizing that the twins were staring at him. His eyes still continued to sparkle though. ¡°W-Well there seems to be a path ahead, so shall we go now, Solomon?¡± A bit unsure on how to approach the overtly excited Solomon, Farah awkwardly suggested that. With a nod, the three made their way through the platform, eventually finding themselves in a large room with several glowing violet patterns here and there, the familiar dragon pattern at the center, a pedestal on top of it, and a colossal double door that was several times bigger than any of the doors they¡¯ve seen so far standing right behind it. The three walked up to the pedestal, and on it they saw a glowing violet book shut tight with chains wrapped around it. When the book entered Solomon¡¯s vision, desire flickered within his eyes. And as if in a trance, he immediately went to grab it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Sarah. ¡°Trying to get it, obviously. A book locked deep inside a castle at the bottom of an abyss filled with monsters is bound to be something amazing,¡± replied Solomon as he continued to try to get the book. The twins just looked at each other, one raising her eyebrow, the other shaking her head, while Solomon struggled with the book that wouldn¡¯t budge. And in the continuing struggle between Solomon and the book, the pressure he exerted eventually bit him back as his hands ended up grazing against the chains as his hands slipped, cutting him, and causing blood to drip onto the book and the chains. ¡°Great! Now you¡¯re bleeding. Why¡¯re you so fixated with it anyway?¡± Solomon pouted at Sarah¡¯s admonishment, and he shrunk back a little. But at that moment, the blood stained book and chain suddenly erupted into a violet aura. ¡°Huh?¡± The three muttered that out in unison as the strange behavior of the book came to their attention. As the violet glow of the book grew brighter, the book began to float in midair. Then the chains surrounding it began to uncoil itself, scattering the chains in the air. The seemingly infinite chains floated along with the book as it continued to uncoil itself. At the same time, the little blood that had been shed on it, quickly crawled through all the chains, dying it all in red. Then at the flicker of its violet aura, the blood began to burn a hue of crimson. As that flame slowly burned away, it slowly turned violet until eventually it faded, and the chains turned into chains of violet light, glowing brightly along with the book. Then in an instant, half the chains of light shattered like glass while the rest retreated into the book, disappearing as if it had never existed. As the glowing violet patterns in the room dimmed, a look of glee and excitement appeared on Solomon¡¯s face, and he immediately went to grab the now unchained book that¡¯s still floating in the air. When his fingers met with it, the colossal door suddenly began to open. And at the same time, an ancient voice resounded from behind them. ¡°That went better than expected.¡± With the book in his hands, Solomon turned around along with the twins. Greeting them was that familiar canine figure, standing there by the entrance. The dog had courageously fought for its masters. It had toiled, it had bled, and now it returns, safe and alive, a hero. A noble story of courage, sacrifice, and love. One for the storybooks to be told for ages to come. Yet not one word of laud was uttered, not one verse of praise was sung, only the children¡¯s cautious gazes greeted it. The moment the children saw him, a look of surprise had appeared on their faces. Then quickly, that changed to happiness. But not long after, their expressions turned to bewilderment with a hint of caution. And Solomon¡¯s gaze in particular was conspicuously apprehensive. When the children had reached the bottom of the abyss it was thanks to that light that protected them, allowing them to safely fall down. But what about Grumpy? When the group was falling, Solomon had only spoken out of optimism for Grumpy¡¯s welfare, not truly knowing the dog¡¯s fate. But when they woke up, Grumpy was somehow safe and unharmed, barking about in front of the giant door. Solomon noticed the dog as soon as he had woken up, but almost immediately after, his attention was taken by the giant door. Then when the twins woke up, they only patted Grumpy, a little surprised that he managed to make it down. But without having thought much of it, they went to Solomon who was standing in front of the open door, dazed. After which, the rest of their attention was then taken by the castle and the ensuing events. In other words, aside from a passing thought of, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re alive!¡± none of them had bothered to think deeply on Grumpy reaching the bottom! Granted, the three never truly had the luxury to do so as they were thrust into one thing after another. Their attentions were taken time and time again by all the unusual events, and before they knew it, they were being chased by a one-eyed monster. With barely any time to catch their breaths, they can¡¯t really be faulted for not suspecting their canine friend. Besides, who would suspect such a harmless looking fellow? However, the situation now was quite different. Because right now the dog standing before them that looked very much like Grumpy had just spoken. And its expression was not a friendly one. Gulping, Farah asked, ¡°Grumpy?¡± doubt in her words, she continued, ¡°D-Did you just talk?¡± Then suddenly, the dog opened its mouth. And out of it came flying a shadowy, burning skeleton, rocketing towards Solomon. As clouds of black shadow trailed behind it, an ancient voice echoed, ¡°Now, give me your body!¡± Act 0 Chapter 6: Grumpy Act 0 Chapter 6: Grumpy ¡°Give me your body!¡± Shadowy clouds followed the skeleton in its trail as it rocketed towards Solomon. It tried to enter Solomon as soon as it touched him, but not allowing himself to be possessed so easily, Solomon resisted. Their hands clasped in midair, and the ensuing struggle lifted him off of his feet as the shadowy skeleton pushed him in its flight. With their hands clasped, the two of them rocketed towards the colossal double door. At the moment, the colossal double door was halfway opened, having begun to open itself as soon as the book was taken. The two rocketed through that opening, going deep into the other side of that door, and leaving dark clouds in their trail until the shadowy skeleton finally managed to make its way inside Solomon. Suddenly, Solomon¡¯s body stopped in midair and black light crackled as a dark shadowy cloud reminiscent of flames enshrouded Solomon. Then gently, he fell down to the ground. And with the last momentary flash of black light, the flame-like shadows receded into Solomon, and his eyes closed themselves as the shadowy skeleton encroached into his inner world. ¡°Solomon!¡± The last thing he saw was the two twins running towards him, calling out his name. Inside Solomon¡¯s mind was a blank, white room, stretching out as far as the eye can see. There was nothing in it, no clouds, no sun, no traces of insect nor life, not even the infinitesimally small specks of dust, nothing. There were no sounds either. None of the singing of the cicadas, none of the sounds of static, not even the sound of the air moving. It was a bright, pure white room, perfectly tranquil and devoid of any traces of the world outside. A world completely separated from all other existences. An isolated domain. And at the center of that tranquil, isolated, white world was little Solomon, floating over the ground with his eyes closed. The young boy looked at peace, sleeping there floating above that tranquil, white world, without a care. Much like a young baby cradled in his mother¡¯s arms. Then suddenly, from the white floor below Solomon, ripples surfaced. One, two¡­ then three. From smaller ripples to bigger ripples. And slowly, gradually, Solomon began to open his eyes. The white world¡¯s brilliance entered his eyes, but it singed him not. It was bright, yet at the same time it was as if it was not, and his eyes did not flinch at the luminance of that pure white world. Gradually, Solomon began to prop himself up. And as he came to a stand, his bare feet touched the ground, but the floors did not ripple. The floor in this world was neither water nor liquid, it was light. Yet Solomon¡¯s feet firmly planted itself onto that floor of light without falling through, and as it snugly grasped the ground, a warm sensation passed through Solomon. ¡°How pleasant,¡± he thought. This whole white world seemed as if it existed just for him. A bright, warm world he belonged in. A safe domain where nothing could harm him. Immersing himself in the warmth of that world, Solomon gradually closed his eyes as he stood, and he breathed a deep breath. Air filled his lungs, and as it left his mouth in an exhale, the sound of his breath leaving resounded throughout the whole world. That world was comfortable. More comfortable than any bed Solomon had ever slept in. More comfortable than even his own home. So much so that perhaps only his mother¡¯s embrace might be able to compare itself to it. It was warm and relaxing. And never in his life had he felt more warmth than now. But like thunder in clear skies. Like the abrupt flash of lightning on a clear, sunny day. The warmth of that world was suddenly taken away as a cold, icy feeling encroached into that warm domain, a black dot appearing at the ceiling of this world. *Tud Dub At the throbbing of his heart, electricity jolted throughout Solomon¡¯s entire body, and he clenched his chest as he looked up to that small, black dot that suddenly appeared at the ceiling of this pure, white world. Was it pain or was it something else? Solomon knew not. But he felt a strange sensation crawl up from inside of him as he looked into that tiny blob of darkness in this blank, white world. That small dot above him pulsated. Once, twice¡­ then thrice. Each time it did, Solomon would feel electricity jolt throughout his entire being. At the same time, the floor would ripple, the world would grow colder, and the black dot would grow bigger. *Tud Dub The throb of his heartbeat echoed throughout that now impure, white world, as Solomon¡¯s entire body broke out into a cold sweat. Fear and panic began to seep into his soul. And slowly, that pulsating black dot at the ceiling of this world began to grow. Strands of black lines began to stretch out from it, reaching to the horizons of this blank world. Then suddenly, the ceiling cracked. And the area around where that black dot was, suddenly shattered. Shattering like glass, black and white fragments fell down to the boy. And as the ripples on the ground grew erratic, the warmth of this world left. The black lines multiplied, stretching themselves towards the horizon, filling this world and forcefully dying it in its color. At the same time, fog shrouded the land, and a strange sense of violation filled Solomon. Then from where the world had shattered, a dark, shadowy, burning skeleton entered. Black flames and shadows made up its entire body, while the visage of its bones gave shape to its figure. Red light filled its empty eye sockets. And the lower body that should have been there was replaced with a tail of shadow and black flames. Gulping, Solomon recalled what had happened, and he realized that the shadowy, burning skeleton in front of him was none other than the one who had forcefully entered him. As the world grew dimmer, the burning skeleton descended, and the ripples grew fiercer. At its descent, dark shadows followed it. As it inched nearer towards Solomon, the world grew darker and darker. The shadowy, burning skeleton locked gazes with Solomon, and it reached out for his face. Suddenly, Solomon found himself looking through a hazy screen, at a blank, shadowy world. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. That world was a reversal of the world Solomon was in a while ago. And in it was a dog made of shadows all alone by itself, searching its surroundings. Then it muttered, ¡°Where is this place?¡± But strangely enough, the dog¡¯s mouth did not move. ¡°Is this the bottom of the abyss? Where are the mistresses?¡± continued the dog, but again its mouth did not move. At that, it occurred to Solomon, and he thought to himself, ¡°It¡¯s not talking¡­ rather its thinking. Only, its thoughts are resounding out loud.¡± Then the shadowy dog¡¯s visage suddenly cleared up, and it shed its shadowy form. ¡°Grumpy!?¡± exclaimed Solomon as he immediately recognized the dog before him. ¡°Mistresses? Mistresses, where are you?¡± barked the dog as it continued to search its surroundings, having clearly not been reached by Solomon¡¯s abrupt exclamation. But although his words fell on deaf ears, Solomon was not in the least bit surprised, having already realized that this was but a dream. More than that, he was now sure that the dog before him was Grumpy. For unlike the dog that had stood before him and the twins just moments ago, this one had on it not a single whiff of that perilous aura that made him quiver in his shoes. Its gaze was gentle, its expression although confused, had no malice in it. And with that, Solomon was certain that the dog before him now was no other than good ol¡¯ Grumpy. Then right as Grumpy was walking aimlessly in that shadowy world, looking for the twins, the shadows of that world suddenly gathered into a great swirl before Grumpy, and then into a giant blob. Not long after, that blob formed a head and two blank spaces of white appeared on its blank, shadowy face. Towering over Grumpy, it brought its face closer, and it spoke, an ancient voice resounding, ¡°Where is the boy?¡± it said. ¡°Boy? What boy?¡± questioned the mutt, a look of confusion on its face. Then the shadowy face towering over Grumpy, lifted its hand, and pointed to a corner. In the direction where it had pointed, shadows amalgamated, and in their mixing and melding, they formed clouds of shadows, showing what appeared to be images. There, a cloud of shadows that resembled Solomon appeared, followed by two clouds of shadows that looked much like the frolicking twins, trailed by another that looked like Grumpy. More clouds of shadows formed, this time forming what looked to be the forest the group had earlier entered. And there, the three children walked about aimlessly, playing an innocent game of exploration while the dog trailed behind, brooding over whether they were going to the lake and have a sumptuous meal of fresh fish or not. It was the peaceful image, the tranquil and innocent memory of the group¡¯s quiet days. But then without any word of warning, clouds gathered around the cloud of shadow whose silhouette was much like Grumpy¡¯s, dying its cloud a hue of purple, strikingly conspicuous in contrast to the black and white of the rest. Then suddenly, that figure dashed off. A moment later, it came to the attention of the other clouds of shadows, representing the three children, that the dog had gone missing, and they scurried off to find the dog. And just as memory would serve, the dog arrived upon a cottage, followed by the twins, and eventually by Solomon. Then as the clouds of shadows dispersed, the ancient voice resounded once more. ¡°That is the boy I seek. When a gap to the veil was opened, I slipped a hint of my power through it to attempt a connection, hoping to somehow find a way to bring him here. In the end, although the connection was weak, I managed to lead you.¡± Grumpy¡¯s ears tensed. ¡°But of course, I have neither interest nor curiosity in either of the affairs of the two little girls or yours. You three are but extras, meat toys that unknowingly found themselves wrapped up with a prized treasure. All that matters to me is the boy, the young boy leading the two girls into a game of exploration in that harmless little forest of yours. Should I find hold of him, then I will trouble you and your masters no more.¡± Then pausing, it continued, its voice turning somewhat threatening and heavier ¡°Bring him to me.¡± Grumpy¡¯s eyes opened wide, then narrowing, he retorted a resounding, ¡°No!¡± and continuing, he declared, ¡°I might not know the boy very well! He might be a little annoying thinking himself to be nice and all, doing something unnecessary as actually carrying me down that accursed ladder. But the boy is the mistresses¡¯ friend. And a friend of the mistresses is a friend of mine. Therefore, I, Grumpy, swear, not to let your filthy paws finds its way on so much as a strand of hair on that aloof of a brat!¡± At that, Grumpy let out a threatening snarl, baring its fangs towards the giant blob of shadows. Solomon was touched at the dog¡¯s statement, but at the same time, he wasn¡¯t sure what to feel as the dog had just clearly insulted him. But without much time to ponder on those warm thoughts, the shadows very quickly began to accumulate around Grumpy, and soon anguished screams could be heard from the poor dog. ¡°I am not asking for your cooperation, mutt. I am ordering you! And if you refuse to do so, then I will simply take your body, and do everything by myself!¡± At those last words, the dream ended. The last thing Solomon heard was the anguished cries of a poor, brave dog, who although afraid and well aware at the futility of his struggle, chose to steel his resolve and sacrifice what life it had to defend a boy he barely knew. ¡°Grumpy¡­¡± As that name left the boy¡¯s lips, he opened his eyes.