I ran down the path to the ruined castle. The scream still echoed through the branches of the barren trees surrounding me. Stepping over the overflowing green river, I found myself in the abandoned entry hall of the castle. Another scream rang from the grand doorway in front of me. I ran towards the black void of the door, when an odd noise came from it.
It was a buzzing not unlike one would hear from a swarm of bees. Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and the breeze stopped. The river behind me ceased to flow. Time had ceased to flow, all around me, yet I was unaffected. I tried to cross the river, as I was curious as to what would happen, and was thrown back. A barrier seemed to exist around the castle now as well.
Resigning myself to the task, I began to walk down the hallway to my right. From the decor I was glimpsing through the open doorways, it seemed that this hallway led towards the servants' quarters. I entered the doorway at the end of the hallway curious as to why it appeared to be lit from within.
It appeared to be the old kitchen. This room was far less destroyed then the other, and it appeared that someone had been staying here. I noticed a journal lying on the counter. To curious to resist, I walked over to read it.
The kitchen is becoming increasingly
unstable. I have no clue as to why
but I am being forced to move to the
less well protected library. I hope
the creatures prowling these wood
leave me to my business.
~Christopher Crow
Shrugging of the strange log, I decided to leave the room. Before I reached it, I remembered why I came into this room. The odd source of illumination was yet to be found. Looking around, I noticed the light was emanating from a clear, translucent crystal lying on the floor. It looked oddly like the one within my bag, only a pure white color rather than an entire spectrum.
I placed the crystal within my pack and decided to explore the other hallway leading off of the entrance hall. Figuring the doorway at the end would be the library, I made the surprisingly long trek to it. It appeared that this hallway was housing the former royal family's living quarters. I entered the library and my eyes were immediately drawn to the enormous bloodstain on the velvety carpet. A small book was lying in the bloody mess. I walked over and examined it. The cover read
A Comprehensive History of the Kingdom of Bia. Curious I began to read the ending of the book, which was the only part not stained by blood.
The art of magic was one of the few
things the royal family of Bia was
known for. However, this gift has
long since dissipated from our
world. Oddly, this castle still
harbors a few traces of this ancient
power. Princess JoAnna's room is
perfectly preserved after hundreds of
years and it appears a magic circle
is drawn on the floor. I, Christopher
Crow, am now trying to decipher the
runes that comprise it. Damn! The
door is being attacked by a monster!
If I do not survive, and someone finds
this book, please, finish my work and
publish it.
~Royal Historian, Christopher Crow
Magic! I had only heard legends about the legendary power to control the elements. This could possibly be what has me trapped within the castle, delaying my departure to find my parents. I needed to go and examine that bedroom now.
Walking back to the entrance hall, I noticed that one of the doors was strangely unmarred and not warped by time and the elements it has been exposed to; details so small, that in passing, they would be ignored. Figuring that this must be the preserved bedroom, I decided to enter it.
The room was strangely warm compared to the rest of the castle's chilly halls. The carpet was red and not damaged in the least. The walls had a pale blue paint covering them, and the ceiling was painted dark blue with white stars, looking far to realistically like the night sky.
Dominating a large part of the floor was a glowing circle filled with strange symbols. It was pulsing with a pure white light, and that odd buzzing noise was emitting from it. I felt a strange vibration from my bag. Remembering the crystal I picked up earlier, I pulled it out of my bag. It was glowing with the same light as the circle and every time it let off a pulse of light the crystal responded with a sharp vibration.
Cautiously, I moved closer to the circle, crystal in hand. The closer I moved, the stronger the crystals reaction became. It began to grow hot, almost too hot to hold. The light coming from it began to grow brighter. Holding my breath and hoping for the best, I placed the crystal withing the circle and hurriedly backed away.
Just like when I entered the castle, a buzzing noise filled my ears. The circle's light began to increase in intensity, forcing me to close my eyes. Suddenly, a shattering sound surrounded me, and it was all over.
I opened my eyes and noticed the circle had disappeared. The crystal was still lying there, slightly brighter than before. I had no sooner picked it back up, when I heard another scream echo through the gloom. I rushed back to the entry hall, noticing that the river was running again. Whatever that crystal did, it must have broken whatever was stopping time.
The door between this room and what would traditionally be the throne room stood between whomever, whatever was creating those noises. I was suddenly more afraid of that door than anything else in the world. It felt as though evil was emitting from the door in waves. Taking a deep breath, I mustered my courage and opened the door.
The throne room could no longer be considered as such. The room was devoid of all opulence it could once have harbored. The throne was a dark stone slab, the walls ran with murky water, and the floor was hard dark rock. The ceiling had a large hole in it, through which fog was leaking into the room. Yet the most striking feature was the person and creature standing in the center.
The creature, I can only describe as a humongous mix between a bear and a wolf. It was jet black, though the black had an almost viscous look to it.
The person wore a long blue robe. He had white hair that stuck up in odd places and had a pair of dented glasses resting on his nose. Other than that he looked average in every way, except what he was doing with the fog.
He was pulling it towards himself and shaping it into a ball. He then muttered a few words and it froze into a giant ball of ice. He made it fly at the beast, but it barely fazed the creature. The creature struck out, and the person flew backwards into the wall. A sick thud reverberated through the room and the boy crumpled to the ground. The creature had an almost triumphant look on its face as it moved in towards its prize.
Diana hurried to move in front of the unconscious boy. She threw her sword up in front of her, though it seemed to do no damage to the beast. The monster left a trail of slime on Diana's sword, and remembering the pit near her house, Diana tried to recall how she won. She only drew a blank.
The white stone in her bag began to glow white and a trail of light began to snake up her arm and sword. A though flashed through her mind, and her sword began to glow white as well. She suddenly felt an odd presence take control of her body, and blurted out a random word.
"PURITY!"
Against her will, her sword slashed at the beast, and cut through its hide. White cracks began to spread from the cut, and it began to shatter. Suddenly it exploded into a pale white dust.
On the ground, hidden in the pile of dust was a small rainbow crystal. Remembering what happened at her house, Diana picked up the crystal. Like at her house, the crystal began to glow with intense light. It blinded her for a brief moment and then subsided.
The room around her now resembled a normal ruin. The throne was faded red velvet now, the walls normal stone, and the floor had carpet now. The air was clean, and plant life was growing in the ruins.
It is technically tommorow :P