72 Pillar

Surrounded by nothing but darkness, I found myself in a cold, mysterious void.

"Am I dead?" I casually uttered the thought, half-convinced that I had gone completely insane.

In this seemingly boundless void, I floated, with very little grasp on my situation and a heap of worry for what lay ahead. As far as I could recall, I'd sustained some nasty injuries in that terribly one-sided fight, so, for all I knew, I might actually be in the afterlife.

"You're so quick to embrace death," a nefarious voice echoed from the shrouded shadows. Though the person behind the voice remained hidden, deep down, I knew who it belonged to. I'd crossed paths with her before, and honestly, despite her prior warnings, the last thing I wanted was to see her again.

"Where are you?" I shouted, frustration escalating within me.

"HAHAHA!" The dark void responded with an eerie, chilling laughter.

"Do you wish to see me, mortal? Do you wish to gaze upon my visage?"

The pitch-black abyss fell into an eerie, deathly silence, and I felt like my mind was teetering on the edge of sanity.

Then, right before my eyes, the lightless expanse, resembling still water, began to ripple and split apart. Through the ripples, she emerged, a sinister smile on her face, her eyes a vivid crimson as she studied me with a malevolent curiosity.

"We meet again, boy," the girl of my nightmares snarled with venom in her voice.

Staring into the abyss of her crimson eyes, I couldn't help but smile.

"I thought you said you were going to kill me the next time you saw me," I retorted with a hint of disdain. Maybe I was tempting fate or poking the bear, but at that point, I no longer cared. I just needed a victory today, even a small one.

"Oh, do not worry, mortal," the crimson-eyed girl replied, her gaze oozing with a sickening superiority that made my small victory feel worthless.

"Your death is coming soon," the girl declared, her grin widening.

"Until then, you must stay alive..." Her voice grew distant as she gradually faded into the enveloping shadows.

"Wait!" I yelled desperately, hoping to halt her vanishing act.

"Stay alive..."

The girl had vanished completely, leaving only her voice, which resonated through the abyss.

"Stay alive, until your body becomes mine..." The girl's voice chimed with an unsettling exuberance, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"What do you mean by that!?" I shouted in confusion.

"Stay...alive." Her voice echoed, and then, all that remained was the cold and seemingly endless void.

I blinked and opened my eyes to find myself reclining on a magnificent bed, adorned with opulent splendor. I was wearing nothing but the school pants I'd put on earlier. A thought crossed my mind: had everything I'd experienced been just a dream? It felt like a surreal possibility as I gazed up at the ceiling, a work of white marble art.

"Where am I?" I asked aloud, gradually pushing myself up from the sumptuous bed. My surroundings unfolded before me—an enormous room filled with prodigious treasures, such as delicate glass vases, exquisite carpets, and superb paintings. It was the kind of room one might dream of living in forever, and just for a moment, it all felt too surreal to be true.

My head throbbed as a cascade of unanswered questions swirled through my mind while I sat on a bed that definitely wasn't mine. I rubbed my temples, my eyes growing heavy as a sudden screech pierced the room. I swiveled around to see the wooden door at the far end swing open, and there she stood – the person who had saved me.

"Madelyn Adams," I said, taken aback.

"You can just call me Madelyn," she responded with a weary smile.

"Oh, sorry," I mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"It's good to see that you're awake," Madelyn said with a sigh of relief.

I was overwhelmed with questions. "Where am I? Where's Harold?" I asked frantically.

"Don't worry," Madelyn reassured me, placing her left hand on my right shoulder.

"Harold is safely home, with only a few minor bruises to speak of."

I couldn't help but pause for a moment, finding her words hard to believe.

"What are you talking about?!" I demanded, remembering how badly injured Harold had been, his body covered in blood.

"Harold was seriously injured! We have to take him to the hospital!" I yelled, leaping out of the bed in a panic.

"Calm down, Harold's fine, I promise," Madelyn reassured me.

"How could he be fine? Wait a minute, how am I okay?" I wondered aloud, probing my body with both hands.

"My wounds? They're gone..." I murmured, utterly baffled.

"What's going on?" I asked, my head spinning with confusion.

"Look... I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise we'll do our best to provide you answers," Madelyn said with compassion.

"But right now, you need to get dressed. My grandfather wants to meet you," she added, pointing towards a wooden chair in the corner of the room, with my shirt draped over it.

Madelyn and I strolled side by side down a hallway adorned with riches, just like the previous room. The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings, each one portraying different lands and people from a distant past.

"They are my ancestors," Madelyn stated.

"What?" I asked, my confusion evident.

"The pictures, those people are my ancestors," Madelyn explained, her gaze fixed on the portraits as we passed.

"Those men and women, they're all part of the House of Bathin," Madelyn said, a sense of despondency in her voice.

"The House of Bathin?" I whispered to myself as we continued down the lengthy corridor.

"We're here." Madelyn announced, leading me to a grand set of double doors.

Madelyn and I stood in front of two imposing, closed wooden doors. I couldn't quite pinpoint why, but there was an intimidating aura emanating from these grandiose doors.

"This is my grandfather's study," Madelyn informed me with a smile.

"My  grandfather really wants to talk to you," she added, her gaze brimming with interest that could have filled me with joy for a thousand years.

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask, confusion muddling my thoughts.

Madelyn fell into a thoughtful silence, and for a few moments, we simply locked eyes.

"We want to know what you are," she said eventually, her gaze drifting away from mine.

"What I am?" I inquired, even more bewildered than before.

"Don't worry," Madelyn said, stepping closer to the closed doors.

"Grandfather will explain everything." She slowly pushed open both wooden doors, her words meant to offer comfort, but I couldn't help but wonder if I could truly trust her.

Out of all the rooms I had been in that day, the current one was by far the grandest.

The room was quite spacious, filled with opulence like large carpets covering the floor and a grand table at the center, surrounded by six sturdy wooden chairs. On the far left, three immense black bookshelves stood, carrying a multitude of books. On the right side, a small fireplace crackled with a warm, inviting fire. At the far end of the room, behind a substantial wooden desk, sat a man with gray hair and piercing, serious eyes. Above him hung the largest portrait I had ever seen, an image of a striking woman with dark brown skin and black hair.

"Is that your grandfather?" I asked, my gaze returning to the elderly man at the desk.

"Yes, that is indeed the head of my house, my grandfather," Madelyn confirmed.

I stole a quick glance at Madelyn and noticed that she appeared tense, her gaze locked onto the old man. It was odd – the elderly gentleman didn't appear particularly imposing, and yet, even with all her power, Madelyn seemed to harbor a certain fear in his presence. I couldn't help but wonder why.

"So..." Madelyn's grandfather began, his voice resonating with depth. Now, I was starting to feel nervous.

"Your name is Ethan Brumfield?" he inquired, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Uh, yes, sir,"

***

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