Chapter 11: Impending doom

Sophie's house, Venice

Sophie sighted. She was sitting behind a table, invincible between the hundreds of books on it.
"It's hopeless Lok!" She said. "We're never going to find my family's holy crypt."

Lok walked towards her, holding a big pile of new books.
"Sophie, don't give up. We will find it, and save Zhalia and the world, I'm sure of that."

Sophie pushed aside the book she was reading. She looked irritated.
"If only Dante helped us… Where the hell is he?"

Lok shrugged.
"I don't know, I haven't seen him since we came back from Russia two days ago. But wherever he is, I'm sure he's making up a plan or something."
At least I hope so… Dammit Dante where are you?

Metz' house, Germany

Metz was planning on going out for dinner tonight. Preoccupied he pulled on his jacket.
Italian or Greek? Or sushi… hmm I've never eaten sushi before, but everybody says it's good…
Before he could decide somebody knocked on the door.
He opened it and saw to his not so great surprise that it was Dante.
Metz smiled.

"Come in, I already expected you to come visit me one of these days."

Dante looked terrible. He was pale and had dark circles under his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I should have called first but my head feels like... I just have to talk to someone… to you."

Dante noticed Metz 'jacket.
"You wanted to go somewhere?"

"No not really. Come in, then I'll order some pizza."

Rassinov's castle, Russia

Two days.
Just two days she was locked in this prison, but it felt like hundred.
Zhalia was lying on a bed, staring at a big, iron door. Escaping was impossible. This prison was cursed or something, her magic didn't worked between these four walls. Summoning her titans was no option to, Rassinov had took them away, of course.
She sighted. She had never felt so bored in all of her life.
And so unhappy. Because secretly she had always hoped that her parents were still alive. That they were good, admirable people. That they missed her, and that one day, they would find her.
But it was the opposite. They were members of the Bloodspiral, evil, and now dead.
She had cried, she had sworn, but it was undeniable and unchangeable. Her dna was evil, just like her brother. Just like Rassinov.
The only thing she could do to distract her thoughts, was thinking of her friends. Thinking of Dante…. Was he thinking of her to? Was he missing her? He was now probably looking for the titan of the day, together with Lok and Sophie. And they would find it, she was sure of that. But still she hoped they would fail, because with that titan, Rassinov would fulfill his evil plans. Although she didn't really understood why he wanted Sophie to get that titan. She is the only one able to control it, it would have no use to him… Or would it? Rassinov was not stupid…
She had the strange feeling of impending doom.

Metz' living room, at that moment

Metz was sitting next to Dante on the couch.
"Guggenheim told me what happened."

"I don't know what to do Metz, for the first time in my life I have the feeling I completely lost control."

"What you got to do, is help Sophie and Lok finding that titan. Then try to find out what Rassinov's plan is, and then yóu make up another plan, to stop him, and save Zhalia."

Dante's face contorted when Metz said Zhalia's name.
Metz looked at him, half amused, and half compassionated.
"You care a lot about her don't you?"

Dante looked a bit caught.
"Yeah.. I do."

"Than go get her back and tell her!"

Dante smiled.
"I'll do." He said determined. He stood up.
"Tanks Metz, I'll go back to Venice, help Sophie and Lok find that titan, and make Rassinov pay for everything he has done!"

"That's the Dante I know!" Metz said grinning.

Sophie's house, the next morning

Sophie an Lok were again in the Casterwell family library, searching through thousands of books.
Cherit, Santiago, and LeBlanche were helping to.
Suddenly Dante came in.
"Dante!" Everybody said surprised.

Dante looked at them, a bit guilty.
"Sorry I wasn't here to help you guys. I just.. .needed some time to put it all together."

Sophie smiled.
"I understand, and I'm glad you're here now."

Dante walked to a bookshelf, grabbed a book and started flipped through the pages.

Hours passed by, but nobody found something relevant.
Lok sighted. He had the trend to throw his book through the window.
He felt tired and desperate. He put down his book and walked towards the big painting between two bookcases in a dark corner of the Caserwell library. It was a painting of a big alley. The walls were covered with books, and at the end was a big light or something. Suddenly a weird feeling of awareness came over him. He laid his hands on the frame, and pulled it towards him. An opening appeared. This painting was no normal painting, it was a door.
"It's a door!" Lok yelled, making everybody startle.

"Lok what are you talking about… Oh!" Sophie saw the opening.
"Unbelievable…!"

Everybody rushed to Lok.
"How is it possible I never found out about this!" Santiago said frustrated.
"I'm supposed to know all secret passages in this house."

"Are there more secret passages in this house then?" Lok asked.

"Of course. This house was build in the 17th century. Back then rich people often build secret passages in their homes, as a save room in case of an emergency, or to hide treasures for intruders." Sophie said.

"Let's go in." Dante said.

Sophie went first. She stepped carefully through the opening, into a narrow, dusty alley. After a few meters there was an old wooden door. Sophie opened it, and entered another room. It was too dark to see a thing, so she summoned a light.
Everybody was stunned by what the light revealed.
"Another library…" Lok whispered amazed.
The library was much smaller than the other one, filled with dusty, very old looking books on massive wooden bookshelves.

"I've heard of the existence of another ancient Casterwell- library, filled with the most secret books about magic, but I'd never expected it still exists, and most certainly not it was this close all the time." LeBlanche said pensive.

Speechless everybody examined the old books.
Suddenly Sophie spotted a book called: The secrets of legendary titans.
"This looks like a book which can be useful to us." She said to Lok.

Dante was standing at the back wall of the library, where several half- decayed book pages were exposed behind dusty glass.
"Hey guys, look over here!"
He mashed the glass with his elbow.

"Dante what are you doing!" Sophie said shocked. But her anger disappeared when she saw what the book page was about.
"Oh my god! That's a map that shows the location of the holy crypt of the Casterwell family! Dante, you've found it!"
LeBlanche looked over Dante's shoulder.
"It's a map of London!" He said.

"Then we are going to London, as soon as possible." Dante said firmly.

London, a few hours later

"Well, it should be right here." Dante said, while he took another look on the map.
"I think the crypt is somewhere right under this church."
They were standing in front of the oldest church of London, the St. Etheldreda's.
They went inside, and almost ran into a group of tourists.

"Isn't it better if we come back at night, when there are not so much people?" Lok asked.

Dante shook his head.
"No, we must hurry, we don't know what the Bloodspiral is doing to Zhalia, we must save her as soon as possible."

Lok turned himself to Sophie.
"Soph, what do you think?"

"Hmm..?"
Sophie was intended in the book about legendary titans she'd found, and was not really listening.

"Never mind, let's find that crypt." Lok said

They examined the church, but couldn't see anything special.
An old priest approached them.
"Sir, can I help you?" He asked to Dante.

"Well yes, we have a question. What's the lowest point of this church?"

The priest looked at Dante with suspicion.
"What do you mean?"

"Is there a secret crypt or something like that under this church?"

"No! I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave now."

"Sir, please, we know it exists. My name is Sophie Casterwell, that crypt belongs to my family and it's very important that we find it. The faith of the world depends of it!" She said with a pleading look in the eyes.

The priest was visibly shocked.
"Really?"

"I swear it's true, I wouldn't lie to you." Sophie said sweetly.

Her charms seemed to work, because the priest nodded to them.
They followed him through dozens of alleys and stairways, until they reached a big, beautiful decorated wooden door, in a cold basement.
The priest took a golden key from his pocket.
"My family has been the guard of the Casterwell crypt for ages. Nobody but a Casterwell is allowed to enter, so even I don't know what's inside. You can go in but your friends have to wait."
They saw the priest was unshakable at that point, so Lok took the shield out of his backpack, and hand it to Sophie.
"Good luck Soph."
He hugged her.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

A few minutes later

Sophie entered the basement with a big smile, and a shiny amulet around her neck.

"You got it!"Dante, Lok and Cherit said in unison.

They admired the beautiful amulet. It was round and white, with a big gold- colored sun in the middle.
Sophie couldn't keep her eyes of it, and thought back to the moment she had bond with the titan. It was a moment of complete happiness, she had never felt so warm and save in all of her life. For some reason it also felt as if her lost parents were closer to her now.

"So our next step is to find out what Rassinov wants with those two titans right?" Lok asked, while they walked upstairs, back to the church.

Dante nodded.
"And I think we'll find the answer in that book you've found Sophie."

-
Sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been quite busy and had little time for writing =(
This chapter is the stair for the final chapters (that's why it's a bit boring sometimes, and very long) so the story will be finished soon! =D
Hope you liked this chap, and reviews are welcome of course ^^