16 Hide and Seek
Despite her best efforts, Tarah eventually came to the conclusion that escape was impossible. The enemies had cunningly blocked every exit route available. Gritting her teeth, Tarah sprinted upstairs, desperation fueling her every step.
The only thing she could do now was pray that their side would emerge victorious in the impending clash. Fortunately, she already mustered some of her magical abilities, even if it was primarily focused on healing. While she considered herself a fighter, she acknowledged that her skills were not yet on par with a seasoned warrior.
In a stroke of luck, Tarah spotted the hidden room upstairs from the great grand hall. She used to hide inside it whenever she played hide and seek with her friends back when she was younger. The door seamlessly blended into the wall, offering a perfect hiding spot.
Without hesitation, she rushed toward it, the weight of Leviticus in her arms driving her forward as her heart pounded with resolve. Pushing open the door, they slipped inside the concealed space, praying that this refuge would keep them safe in the meantime.
"Levi, you need to stay quiet, okay?"
Tara whispered into her little brother's ear, gently patting him as she began to sway him in an attempt to lull him to sleep. Despite her efforts, however, Levi remained restless, and Tarah sensed the imminent threat of his cries. In their current situation, silence was paramount.
"Levi, please sleep for now," she hummed with a soothing melody and chant, hoping to coax her brother into a peaceful slumber. "It will be over soon…"
Those words were form of encouragement, and it was more for herself as a rather than it was for her brother. She put in her best efforts to keep her thoughts positive, but Tarah couldn't fight the urge to think of the worst.
Yes, she could only hope for their side to win this battle. But what would she do if they lost? She and Levi needed to escape.
The noise outside was as loud as ever if not louder, which only reminded her of how badly things were going.
"Why did I only see that vision barely before it happened?!" she grunted. Her gift, though powerful, felt insufficient when she questioned why it hadn't provided a warning long before the events unfolded.
Tarah stared at her little brother in her arms in the dark. He was breathing peacefully in his sleep, and it was then that she saw another vision…
It wasn't a pretty sight.
Tears streamed down Tarah's cheeks as she murmured, "Oh please, dear Almighty… Please don't let that vision come true. Please let me and my brother find a way to save ourselves from this impending doom."
What she had seen was too much for her. In the vision, the Demon King had found them in their hiding place. He had her parents killed along with those who refused to succumb to his tyranny and evil ruling. Her brother was also killed by a sorcerer right in front of her.
Her life was spared, but she became the Demon King's favored mistress and object of lust. It was the most horrifying fate she ever witnessed, and she never even thought that such a fate would befall upon her.
The weight of the vision hung heavily on Tarah, a foreboding omen that reminded her of the potential ruin that awaited their kingdom in the clutches of Helion. Desperation clawed at her, but amidst the shadows of doubt, she clung to a glimmer of hope.
"That can't be... I'm sure they'll figure things out and defeat the enemy," Tarah murmured, her words an attempt to inject positivity into the bleak reality that unfolded before her.
The tranquility of their kingdom had been safeguarded by a strong protective barrier, the celestial gift bestowed upon them by the heavens. Their realm had been chosen as the guardian of the Holy Mountain of Zion, an honor that came with the assurance of divine protection as long as they kept burning unblemished male animals as offerings at the altar of the Tabernacle at Mount Zion by their Priests.
The gift must be offered with a pure and sinless heart, for the offering was a means to give thanks to Almighty for his blessing and protection. It should represent a sorrow for sin and a desire for forgiveness, and it never wavered despite everything that had come and gone to the kingdom.
The air was thick with uncertainty as Tarah wrestled with her thoughts, seeking to unravel where it all went wrong. Lost in contemplation, her introspection was abruptly interrupted as the door swung open with a creak.
"Hide and seek is over," the sinister sorcerer, who had inflicted harm upon her mother earlier, taunted with a chilling giggle. His eerie slitted orbs for eyes sent shivers down her spine as he stared at her with gleeful sadism. "Take them to King Devon!"
With swift obedience, Helion's soldiers quickly moved in. Tarah, in a desperate attempt to resist, began chanting spells. But to her dismay, they proved futile, and they promptly took her and her brother with ease.
"Look at this beautiful lady trying to cast her little spells," the sorcerer sneered, his words a cruel mockery of her efforts. "Good effort but far from enough…"
It was then that Tarah grappled with the realization that her magical prowess was no match for the sorcerer. She had no power now, and she was helpless as she was being dragged outside. There, Tarah saw one of her friends with her head bowed down low. "Asura?"
"Isn't she a good one? Look at how obedient she is. If you do the same, then who knows? You might get spared like her," the sorcerer whispered in her ear. "So be good…"
Tarah felt how the tip of his tongue disturbingly licked her ear, leading her to spit on his face.
"That's enough, Sibil!" an authoritative voice from downstairs roared across the hall. "Bring them down!"
Trembling, Tarah clutched onto her little brother protectively as they were forcibly dragged back down the once-magnificent main great hall. As they descended, her eyes widened in horror at the scene that unfolded before her.
