Chapter 2 : the first night
580 Words
Darkness swallowed the grand hall. For a moment, no one moved—only the echo of the last bell lingered in the air. Aria’s breath came in shallow gasps as she fumbled for her lantern. When the flame sputtered to life, the others’ faces appeared ghostly in the dim light.
The boy was gone.
“Where’s him?” Aria whispered.
Garrick swung his sword in every direction. “He was right here—standing next to me!”
Dr. Fen pressed a trembling hand to his forehead. “The palace took him… just as the king said.”
The noblewoman’s calm cracked. “Nonsense! He must have run off. The fright drove him mad.”
But Aria felt it—the cold dread crawling beneath her skin. The boy hadn’t run. The palace had claimed him.
They searched the corridors, calling his name. Each hallway seemed to stretch longer than before, doors multiplying, mirrors reflecting their fear. The torches along the walls flickered to life on their own as if leading them somewhere.
At last, they came upon a door engraved with a sunburst crest—the royal emblem. Aria’s father had worn the same symbol on his armor.
She reached for the handle.
“Wait,” Garrick warned. “It could be another trap.”
Aria hesitated, but the door creaked open before she could decide. Inside lay a ballroom frozen in time. Cobwebs draped across chandeliers. The air smelled of rot and roses. And there, in the center of the room, stood a music box—playing on its own.
The melody was hauntingly familiar. Aria froze. It was the same tune her father used to hum when she was little.
She knelt beside it, her hands shaking. “This belonged to my family… how did it get here?”
Dr. Fen crouched to examine it. “The palace rearranges itself. It feeds on memories, perhaps even creates them.”
“Then how do we fight something that isn’t real?” Garrick muttered.
Before anyone could answer, the music box stopped. The room went silent—until a new sound broke the air. A whisper, faint and trembling.
“Help me…”
It was the boy’s voice.
They spun around, scanning the shadows. A pale shape flickered near the window—his reflection trapped within the glass. His face was twisted in terror, his hands pounding against the inside of the mirror.
“Get me out!” he cried, but his voice echoed like it came from miles away.
Aria lunged forward, pressing her hand against the glass. It was freezing cold, her breath fogging the surface. “Hold on! We’ll find a way!”
But the reflection began to fade, melting into the silver surface like ink in water. The last thing they saw was his wide, pleading eyes—then he was gone.
The noblewoman backed away, her voice breaking. “We must leave. Now!”
Garrick slammed his sword against the wall. “The doors won’t open. We’re trapped till morning.”
Dr. Fen turned to Aria. “The king’s message said we must uncover the truth. If we understand what happened here, maybe we can survive the night.”
Aria swallowed hard, staring at the empty mirror. “Then we start now. No more running.”
Outside, thunder rolled through the Blackwood Forest. Somewhere deep within the palace, a bell began to toll again—slow and heavy.
The first soul had been taken.
- Writer
