Episode 6: The Forbidden Wing
719 Words
The western wing of the palace had been abandoned for nearly twenty years.
Its once magnificent corridors were now buried beneath layers of dust. Torn curtains swayed with every gust of wind, and cracked portraits of forgotten kings watched anyone foolish enough to enter.
The servants believed the place was cursed.
Some claimed they heard whispers at midnight.
Others swore they had seen red eyes staring through the darkness.
No one willingly stepped inside.
Except tonight...
Seraphina.
Carrying a wooden bucket, a broom, and a lantern, she slowly pushed open the heavy iron doors.
The old hinges groaned loudly.
The sound echoed through the empty hall.
She paused.
"So this is the west wing..."
She forced herself to smile.
"It's only an old building."
She had never believed in ghost stories.
Still...
A strange chill crept across her skin.
Outside the abandoned wing...
Several palace maids hid behind stone pillars.
One of them giggled.
"I can't believe she actually went inside."
"Let's see how brave she is after sunset."
Another crossed her arms.
"If she gets scared enough, maybe she'll leave the palace forever."
They laughed before quietly walking away.
None of them noticed a shadow watching from the rooftop.
Prince Kael.
He had followed without even realizing why.
"I should go back," he muttered.
"She deserves whatever happens."
Yet...
His feet refused to move.
Inside the west wing...
Seraphina swept the dusty floors while humming a quiet melody.
The sound echoed gently through the empty halls.
Despite the eerie atmosphere, she remained calm.
Then...
A sudden gust of icy wind extinguished her lantern.
Darkness swallowed everything.
"...Oh."
She froze.
The silence became unbearable.
Then...
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Echoing somewhere ahead.
Step...
Step...
Step...
Seraphina tightened her grip on the broom.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
The footsteps stopped.
She swallowed nervously.
"It's probably just the wind..."
She bent down to relight the lantern.
The moment the flame returned...
Every portrait hanging along the hallway had changed.
The painted kings and queens were no longer looking forward.
They were all staring directly at her.
Her breath caught.
"...That's impossible."
She blinked.
The portraits were normal again.
Had she imagined it?
Outside...
Kael sensed it.
His expression changed instantly.
The Dark Stone beneath his chest pulsed once.
A faint crimson glow spread beneath his clothes.
"No..."
His eyes narrowed toward the west wing.
"Something's awake."
For years...
The stone had reacted only when danger approached him.
Tonight...
It was reacting to someone else.
Without thinking, Kael ran.
Back inside...
Seraphina continued cleaning, trying to ignore the growing unease.
As she reached the end of the corridor, she noticed an old wooden door she hadn't seen before.
Unlike everything else in the wing...
It was spotless.
Not a single layer of dust covered it.
Someone...
Or something...
Had been there recently.
Curiosity got the better of her.
She slowly reached for the handle.
The instant her fingers touched it—
A deafening scream echoed through the hallway.
Not from behind the door.
From inside her mind.
She stumbled backward, clutching her head.
Visions flashed before her eyes.
A battlefield covered in flames.
A black crystal shining beneath a blood-red sky.
A little boy crying alone beneath an ancient oak tree.
Then...
A voice.
Soft.
Ancient.
Almost pleading.
"Find... him..."
The vision vanished.
Seraphina collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.
"What... was that?"
At that exact moment...
Kael burst through the entrance of the west wing.
"Move!"
His voice echoed through the corridor.
Seraphina looked up in surprise.
"The prince...?"
Before she could speak...
A mass of black smoke erupted from beneath the mysterious door.
It twisted into the shape of a towering shadow with glowing crimson eyes.
The temperature dropped instantly.
The shadow stared at Seraphina...
As if it had been waiting for her.
Kael stepped in front of her without hesitation.
His silver eyes turned cold.
"Get behind me."
Seraphina stared at him in disbelief.
Only yesterday...
He had told her to stay away from him.
Now...
He was shielding her.
Beneath his royal coat, the Dark Stone blazed with crimson light.
Black smoke began to swirl around him.
The shadow let out a deep, chilling growl.
And for the first time in years...
The prince whispered words he never thought he would say.
"Don't be afraid."
End of Episode 6
- Writer
