Serendipity

[Chapter 9: Maze of Death]

[Chapter 9: Maze of Death]

The sound of crows woke Scorch up and made him look around the place, when they arrived into this place it looks so alive and beautiful but right now it is really different he thinks that this place is dead base on it's form, the trees looks like they have been burned, the ground are full of ashes, the lake looks like a mud and the place are full of crows plus the place smell like a burning meat which made him want to puke everything that in his stomach, it smell terrible in his opinion.

"Hmm mm" Veena started to woke up so he look at her and admire her beauty without noticing that he is already smiling like an i***t or insane to be exact

"Why are you smiling? " Veena said and that's the time he goes back to reality because he didn't even notice that she is fully awake and already staring at him like he is crazy, Scorch look away and his body started to be tense

"Uhm nothing.. Just... I'm just thinking about the events that happened to us" he said and straightened his posture but Veena just look at him

"What? "He said but she just smile a little and sat beside him

"This place..... Looks terrible" she said and look around until she notice the rock in the middle of the lake, she felt like her hearth broke when she saw that because she still knows that this is the place where the couple got killed and burned by humans, she wants to cry but she didn't know why, those past memories of that couple hurts her, she didn't know what is the reason, is it because the couple didn't deserve that or because the girl looks like her, she run to the lady and tried to save her because she wants the answer to her questions, why did the people wants to kill her and why is the man got involve into her death? Is it because they fell in love with each other or because he helped her? Veena is confuse because she didn't know why did that past appeared in her mind and she look at Scorch who is busy looking around, somehow she felt like the man into her dreams are familiar but she didn't know the answer

"Do I have some dirt in my face? " Scorch suddenly ask when he caught her looking at his face, Veena blinked and shook her head

"No you don't have, I was just testing my mine reading skills" she said as she look away feeling embarrassed that Scorch caught her while he just nod his head and stood up

"We have to keep going" he said and look at Veena but she is just looking at the lake

"Did you saw the mermaid? " she ask and stood up too

"I don't know where is she, I suddenly fell asleep after she told me her name,why did you asked anyway?" he said and look at the lake too even if it doesn't look like a lake anymore

"I just want to ask her some question about the memory bubble" she said as she figured out what is the bubble that the mermaid have blown into their faces, she remember that the mermaid is one of the creatures that got cursed by a half demon and half witch creature, the mermaid is a half fairy of time but she got cursed and she turned into a demon that's why she have fangs and she can never leave this place, that mermaid is one of the eldest creatures in their world, her name is Vale as she remembered and as a respect Veena should apologize into her actions earlier, she knows that Vale just wants to show the things in the past and that includes the lady that looks like her

Scorch just nod again and gesture his hand for her to come with him and together they walk out into the forest but before they are gone into the scene, Vale came out behind the rock and look at the two disappearing figures

"I'm calling for the soul of this lake, please guide the demon of death and the guardian angel, soul of memories I summoned you" Vale whispered and then suddenly a white thing or smoke rose from the lake and followed Scorch and Veena

"I hope that it can guide you until the end" she said and dive into the water

_________

Veena and Scorch walked together until Scorch just fell into his knees and put his hand into his head, Veena got shock but she help Scorch to stand up and guide him into the nearest tree then she let him to sat down

"Did your head hurts? " she said while brushing his hair with her fingers

"Yes and it feels like my surrounding is rotating" he said while massaging his head

"I think that is the effect of the memory bubble" she said

"Then why is your head not hurting? " he whispered while his eyes are half closed

"She is a cursed to be a demon even if she is one of the eldest her powers doesn't have an effect on me, I'm a born demon and she is a born mermaid" she explained and think for a while, when are they going to reach the portal to earth? Because she is being impatient and she wants to reach the earth faster before her mind explodes because of the things they have encountered and the things she discovered in the lake of memories, she feel like she can't handle it anymore

"Let's go" Scorch said and stand up, Veena stand up too and look at him

"How about your head? I thought you said it hurts" she said

"I'm fine besides it doesn't hurt like before" he said and walk ahead of Veena, she shook her head and run towards so she can catch up

They are walking for hours but they can't find the exit of the forest they feel like the forest is eternity because it doesn't have an ending, all they can see are trees and plants but of course without any animals that are walking around.

"Let's try that way" Veena said and pointed into their right, she went to that way while Scorch just look at her, when he is about to walk to follow her, the ground started to shake and break then he saw that there is something that is rising from the cracks

"Veena! " he shouted when he saw that the walls from the ground are becoming higher that he can't saw her figure

"Scorch where are you?! " Veena shouted too but it just echoed into the whole place as the very high walls covered their sights. Veena felt scared for Scorch because she didn't know if the walls are made by a demon or an angel and it is dangerous for the both of them if they didn't know while Scorch is afraid for Veena because he knows that even if her head doesn't hurt her body is tired because of the memory bubble.

"Veena! " Scorch shouted in the top of his lungs but he didn't hear any reply he just heard his voice echoed through the walls. Different patterns, characters and different human figures are sculptured into the walls while the walls are made of rock but he can't determine what kind of rock, he walk and walk until he figure that the place is a maze but still he didn't give up from finding Veena.

"Veena where are you?! " he shouted while walking

"Good day my friend" he was shocked when a figure with a cloak appeared in front of him but he didn't run even if his knees are shaking, he may be an angel but he is still afraid of other creatures that he didn't heard before including the creature with a cloak in front of him

"Who are you?" He ask and he heard the creature chuckle so Scorch figured that it is not a monster

"My name is Ralston and you are here at my territory without my permission" the man with the cloak said, Scorch think for a moment until he remember that he needs to save Veena

"I'm sorry for entering your property we actually don't know that this place belongs to someone , we're going to out of this place but first I need to find my friend" he explained but Ralston only chuckled which is he didn't know why

"Your friend?,your friend might die when you didn't move your body to find that friend of yours" Ralston said and disappeared in the thin air, Scorch just stand because he can't understand a thing but when he finally processed everything he run hoping to find Veena quickly

"Veena where are you?! " he shouted and continued to run until he saw a light, a floating light as he see when he was about to touch it he felt like he touch a fire so he quickly retrieve his hand and look at it, he saw his fingers are lightly burned but he endure the pain all he wants right now is to find Veena, he was shock when he heard a voice that is coming from the light

"You are an angel I see" then the light starts to move around him then it went back in front of him

"Oh is this the friend you are saying? " the light said that he guess is Ralston, it showed him Veena in a some kind of magical cube and the water level is on her waist already, it seems like Veena is unconscious that's why she didn't know what is happening to her

"What are you doing to her?!" He shouted at the light that is becoming a form of a human and just a few second pass, the man in cloak appeared

"Your friend will survive if you find her quickly and answer the simple riddles that you will read in the three rocks that are blocking your way" Ralston said and Scorch just stood there listening to every words he is saying

"But if you didn't answer the riddles the water will fill the cube and if you didn't came there on time the water will turn into poison that can kill her by just touching her skin" then Ralston disappear not letting Scorch to ask question, so he didn't have a choice but to run and find the first rock

After running for minutes that feels like hours for him, he finally found the rock, it is not big nor small but a medium size rock that really blocks his way, he went closer and read the words he see

"Alive as you but without breath

As cold in my life as in my death;

Never a thirst though I always drink,

Dressed in a mail but never a clink"

That is the riddle as he can see and he already thought that it will be easy because he knew that it came from earth and Elena loves to read riddles so while guarding her, he have read some

"The answer is Fish" he said and the words in the rock light up and the rock turned into ruins that allowed him to pass then he run again but when he was about to reach the second rock, the vines that are hanging in the walls to his left and right side suddenly attack him, then a laugh can be heard in the place

"You are a cheater!, you said it was only riddles! " he shouted while trying to get rid of the vines then Ralston suddenly appeared in front of him

"And you actually believe it? There's no thrill if it is only riddles" he said and showed a light into his hand that shows Veena, Scorch saw that the water level is on her shoulder already

"Hurry up because her time is tickling" then Ralston disappeared again from his sight, he felt hopeless but when Veena suddenly appeared into his mind he slightly smiled and pulled his arms from the vines, he wouldn't lie if he felt the pain or not because he really felt it and he also saw some blood that is dripping into the ground but again he just endure the pain and think about Veena who is inside the cube, he needs to feel the pain so he can save Veena fast and it is like a payback for helping him, he wants to save her not just he needed to, when he is finally free from the vines he run into the rock's direction and read the riddles even if his wounds hurt

"The man who invented it,

Doesn't want it for himself

The man who bought it,

Doesn't need it for himself

The man who needs it,

Doesn't know it when he need it"

As he expected the second riddle is easy too so he quickly answer it

"It is coffin, the answer is coffin" he said and when the rock turned into ruins he quickly run but the maze started to move that makes him stop

"What? " he ask to himself and look around but then four walls are surrounding him so there's no way out and again he felt hopeless for himself and for Veena but then he remember something that makes his hopes high

"I'm an angel, I have different abilities and one of them is strength" he said to himself while pacing back and forth but suddenly he stop

"I'm weak right now, I can't do it" he said and look at the walls that are blocking his way, he knew to himself that since Elena saw him, he felt weak that he can't even fly so that means he can't break the walls, he close his eyes and concentrate into his inner self, for him this is the biggest decision he will ever make, it will benefit the both of them but that means sacrificing himself, he is being selfless right now but Veena is helping him even if she is a demon. When he finally found his strength he opened his eyes and saw that there's a light that is forming into his fist, he look at the wall in front of him, he run and slightly fly towards it

"Aaaaaaaahhhh!!! " then he finally punch the wall, light,dust and wind engulf the whole place so he close his eyes and when he felt like there's no wind anymore he open his eyes and saw that the walls are already ruined and it seems like one punch hit the four walls because all of it are ruined, he run inside and saw the rock with a riddle in it

"It brings back the lost as though never gone, shines laughter and tears with light long since shone; a moment to make, a lifetime to shed; valued then but lost when you are dead, what is it? "

Scorch think for a while and he knew that the answer is important because this is the last riddle

"Relationship" he said but a laugh filled the place

"You are wrong!!! " Ralston said and a light appeared in front of him and it shows Veena, the water level is on her nose already, Scorch got nervous and his hands are shaking but he still thinks about the answer then he remembered Veena's smile and when she was peacefully sleeping into his lap that's when he knew what is the answer

"My answer is.... Memory" he said then like what happened before the words in the rock light up and the rock turns into ruin so he quickly run and run but immediately stop, there are four ways and one of it will lead the way to Veena but he is running out of time, he needs a wise decision right now, suddenly a smoke appeared out of nowhere and twirl in front of him, the smoke then went into the third way and twirl in front of it so Scorch run into the third way because he felt like he can trust that smoke he just saw so he just run and run following the smoke.

Decisions are a big part of our lives just like trust and in this situation Scorch decided to trust the smoke because he felt it and he needs it. Angels can make a mistake because even if they are holy nobody is perfect into different worlds so that means decision is needed, we need to decide what to choose and we need to trust our self by doing that and Scorch did the great job by doing that, he trust himself that he can do it with the help of the smoke.

When Scorch finally reach the cube Veena was in, the smoke disappeared

"Veena! " he shouted and run into the cube, the water level is in her eyes now, he realize that the cube is made of glass when he touch it, Veena is still unconscious so it will be difficult to get her out if he is weak maybe weaker than before, he felt like his energy was drained because of the punch he did into the walls before so he is not sure if he can do it again but he will try, he focused again and find his inner self but found nothing says he just opened his eyes, the water level are going higher it is on Veena's forehead now

"No" he whispered and punch the glass cube but nothing happened, he shook his head and punch the glass cube again but nothing happened just like before

"You are hopeless" a voice whispered into his ears

"No" he said and punch the glass again but nothing happened

"You can't save her" the voice said again and that triggered his anger

"No!!! "He shouted and continuously punches the glass cube that is started to crack and with a final punch, the glass cube broke and he catch Veena before she hit the ground and hug her, that's the time that he felt his surrounding is rotating and his body hit the ground with Veena in his arms, both of them are laying unconscious on the ground.