35 Chapter 35

What happened? Where am I?

She tried to look around. Her eyes wandered around, her head turning side to side, but there is nothing she could see. There was only darkness.

The woman wondered if her eyes are closed. She blinked her eyes, then straining her eyes open. After a few minutes, realization dawned upon her and she had to accept the reality.

She was alone in the dark, and upon realizing her situation, she began to tremble.

She hated the dark.

It was cold.

It was scary.

Most of all, it was lonely.

If someone knew of her thoughts, they would surely laugh.

Her? An established rogue whose job is to lurk in the darkness hates the very tool that she uses?

It was truly laughable, now that she thinks about it, and if someone else was in her shoes, she will no doubt laugh at the silliness of that person too.

But she can't help it. Something about the dark made her feel helpless... Made her feel weak.

With no light insight, and using only her keen senses to guide her way, she began wandering around the dark. Minutes go by without sensing any living thing in her vicinity, a feeling of familiarity enveloped her heart.

Has she been here before?

It can't be.

But why does she feel nostalgic as she wandered around the dark halls?

Even without her sight, she can tell that she was in the lobby of the castle, and before she was the great double doors of the castle. Taking ten steps forward, she found out that she was right as her hands touch the cold metallic handles of the great doors. Up ahead, behind these doors was the first floor. To the right-wing were the servant's quarters and the kitchen. To the left were the guest rooms and other leisure rooms. Ahead the main corridor, up the twin stairs was the second floor. To the left were the bedrooms. To the right were the library where various books and tomes gathered from all over the kingdom was kept, with the knowledge in some books are so deep that one can spend their whole life and still not understand a quarter of the knowledge within. Beyond the library was the trophy room where countless mementos decorated the walls and statues depicting the greatest triumphs of those who reside within the great castle can be seen.

Then... Even beyond that, up the great stairs, was the Great Hall. There, overlooking the whole castle, was a throne. She can't remember it clearly, but she knows that the one who sat upon it was a great man, known for his strength of arms and mind.

Information floods her mind, and in turn, made her dizzy. She shook her head to clear her mind, then summoning her determination, she pushed open the double doors., and to her surprise, the main hall was not as dark as the lobby. Although the place was still dark, there is light emanating from torches, breaking the darkness of the still gloomy castle with two torches at each side of the stairs per floor. Letting out a sigh of relief, she started to walk toward the light, but after taking a few steps, her eyes caught a glimpse of a terrifying scene.

Strewn across the floor, illuminated by the light of the torches were skeletons, scorched to a degree where the remains are nothing but charcoal. She bit her lips and fought the urge to scream for focusing her vision on the torches, she realized that those were nothing but torches.

Those are monsters!

Seeing one of the creatures approaching, she quickly hid in the shadows. Killing her presence, she observed the monster who passed her by.

Hulking figures that look like an amalgamation of beasts. With a head of a gorilla with glowing red eyes and jagged teeth that protruded from its maw, and on the side of its head were long cat-like ears that could perceive the slightest sound are turning from side to side, in a vigilant effort against intruders. Four horns protruded from the creature's back, two from each side, two from the upper back, and two on the lower, each horn glower like smoldering charcoal. Its hands and feet are like the talons of birds of prey, its razor-sharp claws were covered with what looks like ebony scales. Those scales continued to cover up to its muscular arms and legs, only leaving the glowing chest uncovered.

The monster stopped only a few meters from her. Fearing that she might get discovered, she remained perfectly still, controlling her breathing where it was almost imperceptible to even those with a keen sense of hearing. She then slowly reached for her weapon, ready to fight if ever she needs to. Not that she believes she could win against the group of monsters, her dagger most likely bounce off those hard scales, but even if there was no way for her to be victorious, she will not go down without a fight.

To her surprise, and horror, she found out that she didn't have her weapon with her. Panicked at the thought of being unarmed in the midst of a nest of formidable monsters, she pats her body all around to find if she has a weapon in her person. But that was a futile effort as no weapon could be found. She wasn't even wearing any of her gear, only wearing a tattered dress which can be mistaken as rags to cover her body.

Knowing that she can't even fight back if she's discovered, and with the creature now blocking the door she used earlier, she has no other choice but to slink in the darkness to find another escape route. Silent as the charred corpses strewn all around the castle, she moved towards the right wing of the first floor. If her memory serves correctly, there should be a door that servants use near the kitchen. Slithering from shadow to shadow, she continued to hide from the monsters patrolling the place, the light they emit that shone through the darkness warned her of their presence, but even if she could see them coming, her heart still felt like it's going to jump out of her breast every time they turn their head towards her, imagining that their glowing eyes look directly towards her as she lay perfectly still, letting the darkness swallow and hide her presence. Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as the last patrolling monster walked away, she continued to sneak around the castle. Finally, she reached the kitchen, quietly opening the door, her peripheral vision caught a shadow moving in the dark. Alarmed by the sudden movement, she quickly hid in the adjacent room.

Minutes passed by, nothing happened. No one chased her. Was it only her imagination?

No. She definitely saw something scurrying in the kitchen but after a few minutes of waiting and observing, she couldn't bear it any longer. Either she stays hidden here and waits till the creature that lurks in the kitchen finds her and attacks her while she is unarmed, or she could go inside the room, equip herself with one of the knives there, and if she remained undetected, escape. Gathering her courage, she started to sneak towards the kitchen. The door was still open, so she peeked inside the room. As expected, there was no light for the only light source she has seen inside the castle came from the monsters patrolling around the vicinity. Still, even she can't rely on her eyes, then she will use her other senses. When it comes to keen senses, she could say with pride that her senses are one of the sharpest compared to all the adventurers she knows.

Even without her sense of sight, she will still be able to find out where the mysterious creature is lurking.

She cupped her ears to detect even the smallest sound. She sniffed the air in the room to find its scent. She even used her gut feeling to find where the creature is hiding, but even after all that, she could find nothing. The room was empty.

How could this be? She could swear that she saw something move within the shadows. Was she really just imagining things?

Still, this is no time to hesitate. She could stay out here and wait for something that might or might not be there, risking herself of being found out by the glowing monsters by standing out there like a coward, or take a chance and go inside the room where she might or might not be ambushed by something.

Her choice was clear.

Carefully, she entered the room. With each step she takes, she pauses to try and sense a presence. When she's sure that no one was there, she took another step before stopping again, repeating the same routine until she reached the knife rack. She then took one of the kitchen knives and as soon as her hand gripped its cold steel, she was somewhat relieved. It was not much but at least she has a weapon in her hand to defend herself with. She then resumed her routine of taking one step, then trying to detect a presence, this continued till she reached the back door.

She could finally escape this nightmare. She thought to herself. But after she reached the doorknob, her hopes were crushed.

It was locked.

Try as she might, the door won't budge. She could try and kick the door down, but all that will do is alert all the monsters within the castle of her presence, and that was the same as committing suicide. No. Instead, she must find the key. The head chef or the head guard should be carrying it.

As she pondered the dilemma she was in, her senses went into overdrive. Her eyes darted towards the door, and right there was a silhouette running towards the exit. Finally catching a good glimpse of the mystery figure, based on its size and frame, it must be a human child.

A human? Within these cursed halls? How could that be? She wondered. Then a thought came to her mind and she quickly chased after the child.

Exiting the darkroom, she was shocked that she already lost sight of the child. Straining all of her senses to the maximum, she still found nothing.

Someone that young was able to hide from her? That's unthinkable. She thought to herself.

She hurriedly sneaked towards the main hall where she could lay and wait for the child to pass by, so she could catch him/her, and even if the child doesn't come out of the right-wing halls, all she has to do is to slowly and methodically check every room until she finds out where the child is hiding.

With a plan set, she hid behind one of the columns in the main hall, waiting for her prey to pass by. She didn't even have to wait long till her prey deemed to show herself.

The bugger was quick on her feet as she darts from shadow to shadow. Seeing the child's movement, she couldn't believe her eyes. As soon as the child steps into the shadows, it's like her very being was swallowed by the very darkness she is hiding in. No sound, no smell, no presence at all. Her mind knew that the child was hiding there, but her senses tell her otherwise.

The child continued to move from shadow to shadow, the soft light that the monsters emit gave her the chance to catch a glimpse of the mystery child. Thin arms and legs covered in dirt, as the child has never taken a bath for months. Ragged clothes covered her lithe body. Hands holding what seems to be moldy bread and a small waterskin. Everything about the child told the story of struggle and hardship. She could only imagine the fear and adversary that the little one faces daily. Not being able to stay put in a single spot in fear of being found, sneaking around, risking his/her life each time to gather food or drink, not being able to horde food unless she wants the monsters to locate her through smell. Hell, she couldn't even imagine sleeping a single night in this monster-infested castle. But as grim as the situation that the child faced are, it also shows the courage and fortitude the little one has. To survive in such a godforsaken place at such a young age is no joke and a testament to his/her strong will to live.

Not able to take her eyes away from the brave young child, the glow from the monster that was standing near the child's next hiding spot revealed more. She caught a glimmer of the child's red hair. Wild and tangled, probably not been brushed for as long as the child didn't take a bath, it appeared as if a streak of flame just passed by the monster, disappearing as quickly as it appeared from the shadows.

She was so captivated by the child that she forgot her goal. At the time she regained her bearing and refocused her mind, it was almost impossible to get near the child who has now reached midway across the room without being spotted by the two monsters that stood near the child. But was impossible for her to reach the child without getting spotted. The same could be said for the child who is now stuck as two monsters approach the child's hiding spot.

Oh no! That child is in trouble! The monsters are walking towards the child's hiding spot and they found her, it would be certain death! She must do something!

But what could she do? Catch the monster's attention?

Yeah, that would work to save the child, but doing so would mean her own death.

She doesn't believe in the slightest that the knife in her hand would be able to do anything on those powerful monsters. From what she knew, she would become one of the corpses that littered around the hallway in a second.

But if she doesn't do anything, then the child would surely die.

What should she do?!

Thankfully, she didn't have to fret about the situation anymore as the child went to action without hesitation.

A sound could be heard from the far side of the room. Apparently, the child threw something without the monster's knowing... Probably used a blindspot to avoid being detected herself.

Upon hearing the sound, the monsters' heads quickly turned towards the origin of the sound, fire suddenly blazed from the shining orb in their chest, engulfing the monsters with flame. Red hot flame also burst from the horns on their backs, creating an appearance of fiery wings. Upon their flaming transformation, they moved with unbelievable speed, fully in contrast with their bulky physique. The monsters then spewed fire from their mouth, burning everything in the vicinity where they heard the sound, leaving the spot charred black.

She was distracted by the sudden action of the monsters that she forgot about the child. Turning towards the child's hiding place, the little kid was no longer there. Turning her head from left to right, she caught sight of the child who is now already near the door leading to the left wing of the hallway. How she was able to cover such distance in a second was a mystery to her, as if the child teleported. But that is impossible. Teleportation was high-level magic with only a few mages capable of casting it.

Confused as she is, this is no time for pondering. As she was about to chase after the child, her jaws dropped at what she saw.

The child, which has already reached the door of the left-wing corridor, brushed aside the tangled, messy, red hair that was covering her face, revealing...

"What in the world?" She whispered to herself. "She looks like me."

♦♦♦

Upon muttering those words, Mikaela's consciousness returned to her. Pain surges from her battered body, especially from the broken arm that is hanging uselessly to her side.

But even as the pain she feels at the moment was enough to drive a person to just lie down and drown themselves in tears, her mind was even clearer than before the fight has started.

No. her mind was never been this clear ever since she was rescued by the old man from that godforsaken place, surrounded by the corpses of persons she knew and loved, and trapped by the very creatures who were responsible for that carnage.

How could she have been so blind?

After basking in the radiance of the man who she considers her second father, Mikaela let her fear of losing her new family cloud her judgment.

She began resenting the dark. It reminded her of her helplessness and loneliness. Her disdain with the weapon that she had utilized all those times alone in that cursed castle only increased after her escapade with Artrerus, where they triumphed against the infamous bandit Gen and his cronies. She believed that to rise and stand shoulder to shoulder with the man she considers her second father, she must become just like him, standing toe to toe against all his opponents with the sun behind his back, casting a giant shadow that only a chosen few could get out off, to overcome that, she must also shine on her own.

Now, she realized how foolish she had been.

No wonder she couldn't Awaken even after all the help she has received not only from the old man and Porsha but also from Artreus, who she couldn't believe stuck with her even when she badmouths him whenever she failed on meditation, and now she knew why she failed all those times. Even without meditating, she could actually sense Mana around her, usually, reaching this point would result in Awakening as the remaining step is just the person accepting the Mana from his/her surrounding and absorb it within his/her body. The problem with Mikaela is that whenever she tries to absorb the ambient Mana, it turned dark as the night, surrounding her with neverending darkness. Upon the darkness enveloping her, the feeling of helplessness and loneliness flooded her mind, causing her to fight and drive away from the darkness that was slowly swallowing her, leaving her exhausted and confused after every meditation in contrast with Artreus and the kids, who looks refreshed after every session.

That was her mistake.

She let her fear of being alone and helpless turn into hatred of the dark... But it was also the dark that kept her alive all those times of loneliness and helplessness. In that castle, the dark made her felt safe, it enabled her to travel throughout the castle to gather anything she needed. Without it, she wouldn't have survived until the radiance of the old man broke through and saved her from that dark, lonely castle.

The darkness was her weapon, her shield.

And it's time that she embraced it.

Clearing her mind, she let the Mana which, in her perception, turned into the starless sky, flow in her. She felt its coldness flow through her very being, but this time, she was not afraid, nor angry.

She felt...

At peace.

Time slows down as the shadow of her opponent's foot loomed over her face.

But she was not afraid.

Countless pieces of information and ideas flowed inside her head, like a person who lost his memories finally regained it. Numerous techniques, skills, and abilities flashed within her mind and are threatening to overwhelm her.

If this continues, she would get hit by her opponent's attack before she could do anything.

Thus, she chose to clear her mind and let her instinct take over.

What happened next was a blur, as she herself didn't know what she just did.

She only knows that when she came to, she was already standing behind her opponent.

Not letting the chance slip by, she pressed her dagger against her opponent's neck. "This is your loss, baldy." She declared.

She couldn't see it, but her keen ears could hear the joyous cheers of the children, even the surprised gasp of that curious man, Artreus.

But even as she basked in the thunderous cheers of the crowd, only one thought was on her mind. Get ready now, Artreus. Next time we spar, you'll be in for a treat.