Time for another flashback! ;D
Hullo again, readers! Why am I not sounding like a ghost anymore? I don't feel like it now XD. Simple as that. Now, Mystery Writer, would you care to share (hehe, I rhymed! :D) your hint of the day?
Hi there! Let me just say, I am NOT that big a fan of horror stories. So all the spooky stuff is written by AlliyahtheAuthor. She's great at it!
Heh heh, true confession time: I watch a ton of horror movies XD.
While I, on the other hand, I haven't watched any xd (too scary) Call me a chicken if you will :P
So you're hint today is that you're a chicken? (Don't believe her XD. Mike is much more of a scaredy-cat, at least he is in this chapter/story XD )
Well, I'd probably act a lot like another character... ;)
Hehe...Okay, now, to continue the chapter! :D Enjoy!
Warning: This will be a long chapter with 2 parts combined and two 'quoted' Author's Notes. I'd advise you to get comfy with a blanket, some popcorn or hot chocolate if you intend to read this whole chapter in one sitting.
Also, these few chapters will eventually crossover with my original Knights of the Rainbow Heart series I'm also working on, so feel free to check that out on how it all began… Consider this, a preview… )
Michael's P.O.V.
All of a sudden, a clear-ish looking figure in glowing red appeared out of thin air! I immediately hid behind my sis out of fear.
Well isn't that just great!
The red ghost rested on an arch, his arms spread out in mock surprise and happiness.
"Welcome to the Horribly Haunted House of Horrors!"
"Ah!" I jumped so many feet in the air it's too embarrassing to say.
This was worse than the spider incident!
"By King Artorius!" swore Christina in surprise. "You were right for once Mike!"
"Hold on a second..." Destiny squinted so she could try and shape out the ghost from afar.
The phantom seemed to become more distinct in shape as it floated towards us. This was unnatural! It's aura became more of a vibrant, threatening, fierce, angry red. It was like a red fire was consuming a suit of moving armor! Talk about creepy! I'll never look at those armor displays in the halls of Avalon's castle the same way again... I felt faint. But humiliating myself in front of my new group of teammates and a ghost-knight no less was the last thing I wanted to do.
"You look familiar…" Destiny didn't stop eyeing the red ghost-knight's visor suspiciously. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
I was certain from the pause in silence that he was grinning maliciously under his glowing red helmet.
"Come on in... If you dare!" With that, he disappeared into thin air.
Why did I agree to come here again?
"Spooks already!" drew Andrew excitedly. "This is gonna be so thrilling!"
How can someone like, three years younger than me, not be terrified?! Is he crazy?
"D-d-do we have to go in there?" I shivered with fright.
Savannah looked at Christina's determined expression, then back at me. "Yes Mike. You've done scarier things in your life!"
"Like what?" I challenged. "I don't think anything beats seeing 'Sir Psycho-lot' just now."
Savannah remained silent. I knew she wouldn't be able to think of anything more frightening for the moment. Everyone started walking forward to the huge, towering, creepy castle. I didn't want to be left alone with Sir Psycho-lot lurking around, so I caught up to them as fast as I could. The inside of the castle was much, much, much more nerve-racking than outside. I could practically feel the snakes around my ankles and more creepy-crawlies on my face. Yuck! We entered through a large draw-bridge, and I noticed that the torches were lit, but flickering too much for comfort.
Thanks a lot ghost! Just enough light to see your creepy face!
Destiny smiled to herself, as if hearing something funny.
Eh, must be my imagination…
We continued onward. As we got deeper, the torches got dimmer. How convenient. Was this stupid knight-ghost targeting to specifically freak me out? I suppose he had nothing better to do in his afterlife… The walls dripped and the stone floors creaked. How is that even possible?! They're stone! Everything completely creeped me out!
CLANK.
"Ah!" I screamed. "What was that?"
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "Um, me walking?"
I blushed underneath my visor. "Oh, okay…"
All of a sudden, every torch in the dark, narrow hallway went out. That did it.
I just blew up. "IF YOU ARE NEVER EVEN GOING TO SHOW YOUR FACE AND JUST TRY TO SCARE US, THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL-!"
"-BOO!"
"AHHHHHH!" And with that, I ran as fast as I could to try and get out of there.
I repeated in my head for the second time in three days, Where is the exit when you need it most?!
Savannah's P.O.V.
I have to admit, that scared all of us out of our wits. Before we could look for Mike though, the torches came back on. Four ghosts surrounded us, all floating in a circle.
They were making ghostly motions with their hands, all while cooing, "ooooooooooooh!"
The ghosts all wore glowing armor. They all matched the broken windows outside.
"What in the Spiral is going on here?!" Genna demanded, pulling Andy behind her wings defensively.
Soon after she did so, her wings, as well as her sword, unexpectedly disappeared.
"Aw come on!" she fussed, now hugging her brother with her arms instead. "Right when I need the protection for my brother..."
We're actually being haunted by a bunch of ghosts! Now that's something you don't see every day...
A black armored ghost formed from the shadows. From the top of his black helmet rose silver pointed spikes. It somewhat resembled to a fusion of a helmet and a pointy crown. His superior air definitely made him seem like that of a king.
He walked towards us, scoffing at the others. "Enough of this foolishness! We have important business to attend to..."
What does he mean by business?
Mia couldn't help but ask, "Unfinished business?"
He ignored her. "You are here to find the items of magic, correct?"
Destiny and Christina nodded eagerly. Christina looked very much intrigued, while Destiny had a fearful look covering her face. I had noticed she almost always appeared fretful… What was constantly troubling her?
"We may be able to help with that!" declared the knight in white armor, waving his arm a-matter-of-factly. "But first, we should introduce ourselves. I am John Hawkwood, otherwise known as the White Knight!"
The one in red armor whom we spotted earlier introduced over confidently, "I'm the famed Sir Lancelot of the Lake, the Red Knight!"
Wow. So much for first impressions. These guys so far actually seem to be on the good side and rather optimistic.
The blue glowing knight nodded serenely. "They call me Richard the Peaceheart, but they also call me the Blue Knight."
The black armored one cleared his throat. "I am Edward, the infamous Black Prince. Though I'm better known as the Black Knight."
The green armored ghost stepped forward. "I am Emeric de Mousquetaire. You may have never heard of me, but many have once called me the Green Knight."
He bowed with a flourish, holding a semi-transparent musketeer sword that glowed. To top it off, it was identical to Destiny's! He seemed to give a special smile to her as well, making me wonder if they had some sort of connection... Being acknowledged made her smile back and her eyes twinkle along with a major blush like she usually would when getting attention.
What's she smiling about? More importantly, what's with that sword?
All five ghost-knights revealed their faces after introducing themselves. They all had youthful boy countenances when they sounded like grown men! We were all appalled. How young did these men die before becoming ghosts? How does that even work?! All of them had ghostly pale skin, and their eyes stood out compared to the rest of their facial features.
John Hawkwood, the White Knight, had a few strands of semi-see-through blond hair falling over his pale, sky blue eyes. Lancelot the Red Knight had hazel brown eyes, with matching chestnut brown bangs slightly covering his eyebrows, but his oblong visage prevented him from looking like a girl. As for the Blue Knight, he took off his blue helmet to reveal his whole head instead of simply lifting his visor like the other four. The helmet transformed into round, blue rimmed glasses! I could only catch some brilliant blue flashes from Richard the Peaceheart's eyes since he was squinting most of the time, and his curly blond hair scattered all over the top of his somewhat square-like face. Turning to the Green Knight, Emeric de Mousquetaire's irises shone a forest green under that bark brown coat, but otherwise, the rest of his facial features were rather subtle, with a few brown hairs sticking out. Edward, on the other hand, had prominently sharp features and pitch black eyes that seemed to scan our very souls. I shivered at their ghostly sight before they turned their gazes from us Knights of the Silver Rose to each other.
"Together," they all proclaimed, connecting their individual, signature, items in the air. "We are the Knights of the Rainbow Heart!"
"Oh how I hate that name…" Edward grumbled. "We should have named it, 'The Knights of Painful, Terrifying, Excruciating Death'..."
Well, all of them are pretty cheery except for Edward… He's the opposite of optimistic!
The Green Knight's item was obviously his sword, while the Black Knight's was a spyglass, though it that was the last item I'd expect him to have. It wasn't even a weapon! It must have served some kind of multi-purpose if it meant so much to him to reveal it with such pride… The White Knight's special item must have been his rather large white shield he lifted up, appearing out of nowhere. It had a hawk emblem, which suited his last name perfectly. But it couldn't have been painted on since it glimmered a lot against the white wooden surface, bordered by some type of white metal. It didn't look like any ordinary shield either... The Red Knight's was a bejeweled dagger, with designs on its crossguards that looked hauntingly familiar… As for the Blue Knight, well, I found his most unique being the blue headgear that could alter from specs to his helmet at will. His glasses transformed back into his helmet once he put them back on. All their special objects were as transparent as their bearers, yet their glowed the same color as their individual auras.
"That. Was. Awesome!" squealed Andy, getting all fan-girly. "Do it again!"
All the Knights of the Rainbow Heart chuckled kind-heartedly except for Edward.
"Okay," slowly comprehended Fiona. "But what about you helping us find our special items?"
The Black Knight glared at us with distaste. "It does not pay to be impatient."
John slapped Edward on the back. "Oh lighten up Ed! Only one item here is ready at the moment."
"How many times must I tell you that I won't tolerate you calling me that! I won't take it anymore!" roared Edward, turning his back against the White Knight.
"Hah! You did it again!" pointed out the Red Knight, slapping his knee and roaring with laughter.
"Did what?" the Black Knight dared to say, turning back to the others.
"You always talk back when you keep declaring you won't," patiently explained the Blue Knight, probably for the millionth time.
The Green Knight couldn't help but chuckle before turning serious again. "Now. Your runaway friend Michael Legend is about to get himself into some trouble. Better go after him."
"You know his name?!" We all stared at him in disbelief.
I bet Richard was smiling knowingly underneath his blue helmet. "We know all your names. We've been following your progress, and we're excited to see how you young ones develop over time."
We all glared disapprovingly at them. No wonder why I always had that queer feeling of being watched...
"Hey! We can't help it if we poke around to watch other people's lives with nothing better to do," defended John. "It gets pretty dull around here, so we watch others to entertain ourselves."
"Emphasis on 'entertain'," stressed Lancelot.
I frowned. Great. Not only are they ghost-knights, but they're also stalkers…
"Wait. Did you say Mike's gonna be in trouble?!" panicked Mia, remembering she wasn't enjoying the moment with her twin brother.
We all started scrambling down the hall. All the while, the glowing colored knights watched us in a frenzy.
"Should happen right… about…" the Green Knight waited a moment, before mentioning, "Now."
Mike's horrified scream echoed through the haunted palace. I glanced back at the ghost-knights, but they've vanished!
"Well aren't they helpful!" Evelyn muttered angrily, speeding down the hall.
"But how could they predict he was gonna get himself in trouble?" wondered Olivia, unable to understand it all. "I've encountered quite a bit of dark and magical beings in my time, but this kind of supernatural takes it to a whole other level!"
"Seriously guys? I expect him to get himself into trouble every time he's alone! And you all should too now he's part of this group," Mia grumbled before she sprinted ahead of us. "Mike? Mike!"
This is all my fault! I couldn't help but think. What if Mike is gone forever, just because I couldn't stop him from running away?
*Has a flashlight under head* Mwahahahaha! I am creepy again :D! This is the last part in the House of Horror chapter series thing, FYI, so be prepared! o: (although it's not exactly super scary, it's still really cool, and you can thank the Mystery Writer for that, she wrote most of it XD!) MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Oh boy… Here we go again... Anyways, hi! Mystery Writer here. Since later in this chapter is gonna cover a bit of (spoiler alert) descendants and ancestry, thought I might share a bit about my personal family history. I'll be general about it.
I do have aristocratic blood in me, though that is nothing to brag about in a society like the one we live in today. I'm more than happy to be equal and have the same rights and freedoms as everyone else with no privileges whatsoever :)
That's certainly an intriguing hint, eh folks ;D? Anyways, sorry for my parts of the Author's Note which are usually super long, so I'm cutting it short today XD. Enjoy the chapter!
Cleopatra's P.O.V.
I truly wished Michael had not run away.
One: My shoes were getting ruined from all this running!
Two: It was obvious everyone was really worried about him.
I believed that every problem has a solution, so I wasn't quite as perturbed. We'd figure something out, once we found him.
"Help me!" I heard him shout.
"Over here!" I guided the group to where I heard the screeching.
They followed my lead. Michael's voice kept yelling, but there was nothing there! We reached a dead end!
Melissa put her head up against the wall. "Mike?! You in there?!"
He didn't say a word. Maybe he could no longer hear us.
Christina asked the typical question in these kind of desperate cases. "What are we going to do?"
"He must be behind some kind of secret passage we can't find…" computed Destiny.
I froze. I sensed something, familiar. I had felt it many times before, back in Krokotopia.
I gasped. "A tomb!"
"What?" asked Andrew, confused.
I started feeling all over the wall. "This is a tomb! If we do not get Michael out soon, he will suffocate! Or worse…"
Melissa's face became a million times more concerned.
"But there's nothing there!" despaired Savannah, obviously starting to lose hope.
"Hold on a second..." Destiny paused, observing the wall blocking our way. "There must be a puzzle or a key we can use to get through..."
I took a step back to look at the wall as well. It was different compared to the rest. Instead of the dark, gloomy bricks as all the other walls, it seemed like a mixed up mosaic, meant to form a picture…
"Hold on a second." I pushed everyone aside. "I love ancient art and ciphers, but not as much as I love solving them! I have a knack for this kind of stuff."
"Then do it already! Please!" Melissa begged. "And quickly!"
There was a hole in the center. I used the space to move the scrambled mosaic bricks around. Eventually, the picture formed into a giant scarab!
"Wow…" everyone was in awe of my skills, as they should be.
I was Cleopatra, and I was about to save someone's life!
"That was impressive work there Cleo," Fiona managed to say. "But Mike just stopped screaming."
The wall disappeared, and we immediately rushed inside. It was a small room, full of Krokotopian glyphs, jewels, and scrolls!
What's all this doing here?
In the middle, protected by a glass case, was a cyan colored gemstone in a scarab shaped amulet!
There's some powerful magic in this place... We'd better be careful.
Michael was sitting all curled up on the floor, staring at the opposite corner.
"Mike!" Melissa ran to his side. "Thank goodness you're alright! Remember that knight-ghost you called 'Sir Psycho-lot'? He's actually the reminiscence of the famous Sir Lancelot! There are four other ghost-knights glowing the colours of the shattered glass window outside, and they're all-"
"-Shhh…" he hushed, pointing to the corner he didn't stop fixing his eyes on.
We all turned to where he was pointing. In both corners on the far side of the room sat two wrapped up Krokotopian mummies on thrones. Every time we made a sound, they twitched. I understood one thing loud and clear. We could not wake them up. Not unless we had a death wish. It was considered exceedingly rude to invade one's tomb, and Krokotopians acted as they thought was appropriate, which it was, if they were tomb-raiders; killing the culprit. As the others tried to bring Michael to his senses so he could move out, I stepped forward to the relic that captivated my eye. The amulet in the case shimmered at me. It seemed to be whispering to me. I felt like every problem in my life would be solved if I just took it. The glass case dissolved, giving me the chance to reached forward and touch it.
Before everything went blinding white, I heard Christina crying, "Cleo! Don't touch-"
I was floating in an endless space of white light. No, golden light.
Had I died? Is this Aaru?
From behind, boomed a powerful male voice, "Cleopatra the III, Next Heir of Krokotopia!"
I turned around, and realized I was face to face with Ra, the Sun God, and the God of all other Gods! I bowed immediately.
"No need to bow." He kindly offered his hand to raise me back to standing position. "After all, you now have the great power to summon my powers at your will."
"Wait. What?!"
Me? Have more power than the greatest of Gods? Everything is happening too fast!
"You are now the bearer of the Amulet of Ra," he explained, as if he read my thoughts. "It will burn or blind anything or anyone when you wish."
He pointed at the amulet I touched earlier, which I now wore around my neck.
How did that get there?!
"The Knights of the Rainbow Heart stole this from our family tomb, but it was for the greater good. They did keep it safe in hiding throughout the time when it's tomb was raided, and they never abused its power at all as the Krokotopians did during the reign of chaos," he admitted.
There was so much I wanted to ask Ra. What happened during the reign of chaos? When was it? Who do these Rainbow Heart Knights, or whatever they're called think they are, stealing property of the Pharaohs?!
"I'm afraid my time with you for now is over, for you are about to be whacked over the head with a scepter..." he predicted solemnly.
His spirit was absorbed into the cyan gemstone of the scarab amulet.
What did he mean, I was about to get whacked over the head with a scepter?!
BONK!
Then it hit me. A crusty mummy stood in front of me, holding a scepter.
So that's what Ra meant… I realized, rubbing my head to soothe the pain.
"How dare you!" I cried, glaring daggers at him. "I am Cleopatra the III, the next heir of Krokotopia!"
Something blazed out of my amulet, and the Krok erupted into dust. What had just happened? Cassandra's head turned towards me, and unconsciously dropped a heavy Krokotopian hammer onto the remaining Krok.
"Whoa! EPIC!"
"What?" I asked uncomfortably. "What is it? Why are all of you staring at me like that?"
"Cleo..." Evelyn cried faintly in shock.
"You-you-you're, gold!" Michael almost ran away as if he had seen another ghost but was held back by Melissa.
She obviously didn't want him getting himself into another trap. I observed my new complexion with a mirror I kept in my pocket, just in case my eyeliner smudged or another tragedy like that. My skin was gold! I gasped and jolted, scurrying back and bumping into a wall. Apparently, doing so triggered another trap of wooden spikes! Out of reflexes, I pointed the amulet's gem towards the wooden spikes heading towards me. The amulet of Ra beamed a bright light, burning the wooden pegs into ashes in an instant.
"Wow!" Destiny exclaimed in awe, then politely asked, "May I see that gem on the amulet?"
I nodded. I couldn't seem to get the amulet off my neck, so I just showed it to her. She analyzed it closely. Suddenly, she looked as if something had just bonked her on the head!
"Are you okay Destiny?" worried Christina.
"I'm… I'm alright," she insisted, holding her head with her hand for support.
There's something peculiar about Destiny... What did she see in my amulet, if she saw anything at all?
Destiny's P.O.V.
"I think I've had just enough about this place," murmured Cassandra after walking endlessly down the dark halls. "These tunnels are so narrow and I keep bumping my wings into levers, triggering even more traps!"
"Maybe we should come back here another day as a smaller group," suggested Olivia. "The map is now pointing back towards the Avalon castle anyways."
We all agreed outwardly on that, but I knew what others were thinking on the inside…
Andrew: Aw. I want more adventure…
Genna: Phew. No more fearing Andrew getting himself in trouble in this creepy place for today…
Mike: Finally! This place is giving me the creeps…
Cleo: I need to tell them what happened when we get back…
Cassandra: Wish these big, awkward wings didn't have to prevent me from going further…
Fiona: Wonder if there's ice cream anywhere around here…
Mia: Mike always gets himself into such trouble! Why was I cursed with such a troublesome brother?
Olivia: This place is much more interesting than the Weirwood, and I thought that was strange!
Savannah: Those crazy ghosts were certainly interesting people!
Evelyn: Wonder what else lies in this creepy place...
Christina: Hope Destiny is okay…
I could start pin pointing whose thoughts were who's through their attitudes, tones, and personalities, but that didn't prevent me from getting a huge headache. I crouched down on the dusty floor, surrounded by dust, and curled myself into a ball, coughing thanks to my dust allergies.
"You sure you okay?" Christina asked uncertainly.
"Yeah… This darkness and dust is getting to me."
I needed to get away from all this!
"I'll catch up with you guys in a second," I assured her.
"She'll manage," Savannah comforted Christina.
Though Christina didn't seem that convinced, she played along anyways and they let me be.
Phew. I was glad I could finally have some time to myself. That was a close one.
I went over what had happened when I made contact with Cleopatra's 'Amulet of Ra' as she called it. There was bloodshed. Kroks versus an army of knights on the sandy plains. Those five knights, the ones with the same colored armor as the ghosts' glows came out victorious with the 'Amulet of Ra'. It all seemed so familiar…
"Welcome to the palace of the Knights of the Rainbow Heart, Descendant of the Green Knight," eerily welcomed a voice from behind me.
I immediately jumped up and landed in a defense stance, slicing my sword out of its scabbard. I turned my head. A shadow from behind me emerged into a girl with straight long shady black hair, sleet neon green eyes, a sharp smile, and ghostly white skin.
That must be Silena Noir, the Descendant of the Black Knight Olivia and Evelyn were talking about, I pieced together, comparing her black armor as identical to the Black Knight's, only on a slim girl's figure.
Hold on. I paused and thought back. Me? Descendant of the Green Knight's Ghost?! But he's obviously an aristocrat! I'm nothing but a commoner… Besides, he looked too young to have been married. But then why did I automatically smiled when the Green Knight introduced himself? And why did the rest of those knights looked so familiar?
I tried scanning Silena's thoughts, searching for answers. All I could sense were vague emotions. I felt despair, loss, and a hard upbringing.
Nice try, she approved through thought. But those mind reading tricks don't work on me!
Apparently she doesn't realized I can still sense her emotions a little, I humored, trying to shake off those depressing thoughts of her's.
What do you mean by 'Descendant of the Green Knight? I questioned, exchanging my inquiry with her thoughts.
I don't know how I could do it, but I think it worked since she answered, well, somewhat.
Why would I answer that when it would spoil all the future excitement of self-discovery and development for yourself? Hmm? she inquired back.
I sighed, trying my best to stay patient and keeping my frustration to a minimum. Well, this isn't going to go anywhere...
She disappeared back into the shadows.
Be she didn't leave me without weaving a teasing thought into my head. Better get out of here while it's still bright outside...
As much as I hated her for it, she had a point. We had to leave before something worse got the best of us…
"Destiny! You coming?" I heard someone from my group call out.
"Yes!" I answered, running towards the sound of their chatting.
Who was this Silena? Why was she so intent on helping us, if she wouldn't even tell me who I am? As we exited the ruins safely, I saw the ghosts of the Knights of the Rainbow Heart reappear and wave at us.
"And good riddance!" contended the Black Knight, relieved.
"That was the most fun we've had in years!" cried the Red Knight, flying around in circles. "It's been forever since I've last pranked a living soul. Haven't lost my touch."
The Blue Knight sighed peacefully. "Take care children…"
"I simply can't wait until they come back!" exclaimed the White Knight excitedly, waving rapidly and joyfully at us. "And your prank was brilliant Lancelot!"
The Green Knight lifted his visor to show a smile. I smiled back. Something told me we were gonna come back soon enough.