Sorry to keep you waiting for so long. I was having severe writer's block for this story. I've overcome that now don't worry ;)
The corridors were vast and only lit by torches that were hung on each wall at intervals. Their steps echoed softly through the night and the temperature seemed to keep dropping by few degrees as they loitered in the halls, trying to find a door that might be the way out. Red-X surreptitiously threw a glance or two each minute, watching as she crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her hands on her upper arms. She was feeling cold, and he cursed himself for not having a jacket to offer to her.
None of them inclined to talk during their walk. He fought the urge to talk since talking in the hallway wouldn't be a wise option for the moment—their voice would echo and they'd end up waking whoever was sleeping in the castle. Getting caught was the last thing they wanted.
The castle seemed endless, as if it was a labyrinth. As if it was designed purposefully to mislead the wanderers. Red-X silently led the way, as if there was an unwritten contract between them of who was leading and who was following. Raven always automatically stopped her strides whenever they were in a crossroad, waiting for Red-X to pick which way to go.
He himself wasn't sure of his choices—it was purely instinctive. His finesse in stealing wasn't really working here—his spatial intelligence was what was left in the pile of the useful skills, even when it wasn't nearly as effective as his GPS. All that he'd been doing was predicting the shape of the castle and trying to find which way would lead to an end.
They finally met a spiral staircase that led them to a foyer. Feeling they almost reached their goal, Red-X's steps became more assured.
The foyer was like the normal foyer they'd see in castles, eerily lit by torches. The walls and floor was the same stark stones as the corridor's, ancient and luxurious. The tall stained windows casted no light from the outside, as it was perhaps almost midnight. There was a huge red rug sat in the middle of the foyer, just under the old chandelier, ornate and frilly.
There was no formal agreement between them but they somehow decided to walk across the foyer without stepping on the rug, in case it was a trap. They finally reached the gigantic wooden door. They spent half a minute just to stare at it, wondering how they would open it as it seemed controlled mechanically and they needed to find the switch.
"What do we do now?" Raven asked. Her tone flat, but there was worry coloring her face.
Red-X wanted to tell her that he didn't know either, but it would worsen her worry. Even when she was his enemy in real life, he found himself feeling somewhat responsible to act like a man toward her.
"I'll figure it out," he said, hiding the uncertainty that crept into him.
He pressed his palm against the door to test if it would budge if he pushed it. It felt cold against his skin, and all of a sudden there was an electroshock sent into him. He leaped aback and yelled tersely in shock, landing a foot away from the door.
"Electroshock," he murmured, informing Raven who was still petrified.
"So we're locked," she concluded. She didn't cover her anxiety anymore now, rubbing her upper arms as she crossed her arms across her chest. She looked around in a face that told him she was feeling unsafe. "This place contains more magic than places I've ever known before. It disables my empathy and your teleportation."
"It disables your… what?" he blinked. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist to make the post-electrocution feeling fade.
"Empathy. And some other abilities too, I guess," she sounded impatience. "They're controlling our power."
"They're controlling my devices," he suggested a correction. That realization made him feel intimidated—he was nothing without his devices. He might be good in self-defense, but there was nothing that could assure him he'd never face a circumstance in which his self-defense would do him no good.
"That's true," a voice joined their conversation.
They whirled in surprise, finding the master standing there in his expensive-looking royal blue robe. He was like a kid in his father's robe. The somber expression he was wearing made him look older than he was.
"Look at you," he tilted his head to the side, examining Raven and Red-X. Red-X hated that look—it felt like that kid could see through his mask, and he felt insecure. "Trying to escape the punishment. How bad you two are. Especially you, Mr. Thief."
His eyes were now on Red-X. The eyes told him that he was nothing now—that his every power was under the control of that kid's magic. Whatever spell he'd casted, it made Red-X lose his ability to quip.
"I am feeling kind today, though," he rested his eyes on Raven now. Raven almost flinched even when those green eyes looked a lot warmer, gentler. "I'll make this easier for you, Miss. You didn't willingly involve yourself in this game, so—"he let his sentence trailed off, snapping his fingers instead.
Raven magically fell unconscious. Red-X was shocked, immediately jumped to save Raven from hitting the floor as she toppled down. He caught her on time, wrapping her around the shoulders and the back of her knees. He lifted her and surprised at how light she was.
"What did you do to her?" Red-X snapped. His eyes were on Raven, worrying to death how she looked more pallid and lifeless, like some wax sculpture. Her skin that was already grey looked even less healthy, like a withering flower. The only thing that could assure him that she was alive was the rise and fall of her chest.
"Relax." Red-X looked up to find that the master was smiling viciously. Red-X clenched his teeth in anger. "Your attempt to escape this place breaches the rule, so it's punishable. You're going to play a game with me. Remember that I've told you not to access any room? Now you have to access every room marked on the map and find the vial that contains the liquid to wake her up. You have time until dawn—that is 6 hours."
"Kid, look—"
"I'm not a kid," the master's smile disappeared. "I'm 200 years older than you, kiddo. Anyway, failing the game means you'll lose her and get trapped in here forever. Now, let the game begin."
Giving him one lopsided smile, the master vanished into thin air before Red-X could say anything. He was left frozen at his spot with Raven on his arms, feeling smaller than he'd ever been.
He then shook his head, trying to clean it from the imaginary cobwebs. He couldn't think. The magic that surrounded that place scared him in an odd way—even when he'd been trying to convince himself that a Voltair should never be a coward. He couldn't help it.
Having Raven on his arms, lying limply, made him feel even more lost. She was his last hope to explain anything about the magic—she was apparently cleverer than him in that matter. And now not only had he lost her, but he also had to save her. He had to look for the liquid that would bring her back her consciousness.
He didn't even want to imagine how it would be if he was late. Losing her was something that he couldn't handle—he hated losing the people that he loved. He still remembered how it felt to lose a mother. He wasn't going to get through the same thing twice.
No, silly, no, his brain firmly said. You're not losing her.
Shoving his emotions and fear into the depth of his ego, he looked around to find a clue to begin. He wasn't losing Raven—he was going to save her, no matter what.
He spotted a roll of parchment left on the rug where the master was previously standing. Red-X crouched down and carefully placed Raven on the rug, before seizing the map. He untied the royal blue silk ribbon and scanned the map.
It was a complicated map. There were thirteen floors in total, and there were red x's marking places that he believed were chambers. One of them had the vial hidden in it.
Red x's mark the spots, he thought. How ironic.
Thanks for all the reviews! You keep me going C:
And I'd like to thank yob3 and Vatala Darkmist for giving me some brilliant idea and pointing out that Raven's an empath respectively.
I love you all guys! 3