journey to south

He was shoved into the empty room, his fragile body hitting the marble floor of the ancient temple. As Mina hurriedly closed the door, she gave him only one instruction: “Find the pendant of protection.” Caius Hex pushed himself up and brushed the dust from his clothes with a deep frown. How could she shove me in without a second thought? “Mtcheew…” he sighed, staring at the paper in his hand. “A pendant of protection in this empty room?” he scoffed, slipping the paper into his pocket. He looked around. The room was pitch-black except for an old lamp by the wall, casting a thin ray of light. Without it, he wouldn’t have seen anything. “This place is empty. There’s nothing here,” he muttered, scanning the room. Apart from an ancient structure, cobwebs, a lamp, and dust, the room held nothing else. He frowned at the dust-covered structure and walked toward it. Using his hand towel, he wiped it clean. “Such a beautiful thing,” Caius said as he brushed away the last of the dust. He sat beside it, resting his head against the wall, and pulled out the image of the pendant. Just an image — no map, no clue where to begin. Caius stared at it, regretting the moment he had provoked Mina and her crew. Now he was stuck. “It was all Henry Ford’s fault,” he cursed, thumping the back of his legs against the structure. If I hadn’t fought with Henry — and if I could beat Ivy and Mina — none of this would have happened. Now I’m stranded in the middle of God knows where, in a temple surrounded by monsters of every kind. He kicked the structure again. Then a secret door ground open into a dark passage. He stared at it, heartbeat quickening. What if there’s a monster in there? he thought, stepping forward. Fear clung to him, but curiosity about what lay at the other end pushed harder. He moved slowly, lamp in hand, keeping watch for monsters. “I thought ancient temples had safety traps, but there are none,” he said with a nervous smile as he went deeper, until the passage opened into another room. The room glowed, lit by a crystal set at its center. “Wow, so many treasures,” he breathed, pulling the paper from his pocket. Then his gaze fell on the mirrors in front of him — and on the boy staring back from one of them. It was his first time seeing himself in a mirror. He studied his curly black hair, the expression on his face. “So this is what I look like,” he muttered. “You’re coming with me,” he said, slipping one of the mirrors into his pocket before bending down to search for the pendant. He picked up each pendant, compared it carefully with the picture, and tossed it aside. He paused, staring at the one in his hand, then at the pile still unexamined. His frustration rose. He dragged a hand through his hair. “f**k Mina. f**k Ivy. This is even harder than killing an actual monster,” he cursed, and began searching again. Just then, a voice sounded behind him, making him jolt. “The pendant,” a male voice said. Caius turned, forcing his nerves steady. “What pendant?” he was about to snap, but the words died when he saw the boy standing there. It was one of the twin boys. The boy smirked and drew his sword. “Your life or the pendant?” he asked, pointing the blade at Caius. What pendant? What’s so important about it? Caius wondered, staring at the boy in fear. He picked up one of the pendants he had already examined and held it out to the orange-haired boy. “Do you take me for a fool, powerless boy?” the orange-haired boy shouted. Caius looked at him, confused and, at the same time, hurt. How did he know I have no power, unlike the rest of them? “Hurry up,” the boy barked. Caius bent to pick up another pendant — which only made the orange-haired boy angrier. “How dare you try to play me for a fool?” he shouted in rage, lunging at Caius, who stumbled a step backward in fear. “Trust me, I haven’t found it,” Caius said in a panic as he tripped over the pendants and treasures scattered across the floor. He fell backward, and his hand struck the tip of a blade lying at his side. Blood welled from the cut. He jerked his hand back and looked up at the orange-haired boy. “I’m not lying to you. I’m still looking for the pendant,” he said, retreating another step as the boy advanced. “Such a scaredy-cat. How did you manage to live this long without power?” the boy mocked, waving his sword. Without thinking twice, Caius bent, grabbed a handful of jewelry, and hurled it straight at the orange-haired boy’s face, forcing him back a step. This is my chance, Caius told himself, and turned to run — but he wasn’t as fast as the orange-haired boy. “Where do you think you’re going?” the boy asked, cutting off his path with a smirk. “That was quite a show you put on. You have some tricks. Too bad you won’t be leaving here alive,” he said in a pitiful tone, taking a slow step toward Caius. Seeing how frightened Caius was, a creepy smile slipped across his lips as he swung his sword with deliberate menace. Better to end this boy and take the pendant than drag it out, he thought, raising the sword high. “Die, you loser!” he shouted. Caius squeezed his eyes shut and threw his hands over his head. So this is how I’m going to die. Better than being eaten by monsters, he thought, bracing himself for the pain of the blade.