Inside Umbra's Ruins ✓ [Umbra's Fate #2]

ɴɪɴᴇ: ᴀɢᴀᴛʜᴀ

She was trapped inside a labyrinth, she confirmed her theory after crossing two hallways. Agatha hoped that her previous state of panic was the cause of the confusing images, but her wishes weren't fulfilled.

Zagar guided her through several identical corridors. All of the walls were covered in black wallpaper, the edges decorated with golden moldings. Embedded in them were the lamps, the light that came from them was too weak to illuminate the entire area. To Agatha, it looked like a setting straight out of a classic horror movie, except for the absence of creepy paintings.

Every detail about the decoration lacked personal or sentimental meaning, she doubted that the demons cared about adding their essence to the place.

"Where are the paintings?" Agatha asked, tired of the crushing silence.

"What paintings?" Answered Zagar without stopping walking.

He turned his head to the side to see the young woman beside him.

"The paintings that every old mansion has, mostly portraits of family members."

"We don't have relatives, nor do we care so much about our past."

"Surely you could add some decorations, it looks so empty this way," said Agatha, pointing at the walls.

"We like them like this, they look the same, it's harder to tell them apart. Don't think that I don't realize what you're doing, we're not going to add details that you can use to guide you to the exit."

The young woman felt her heart slow down for a second. Something told her that the nude walls couldn't be a coincidence, yet she decided to ignore the obvious facts. The demon knew what they were doing, they created the labyrinth for their prey.

"You can't blame me for trying to find a way out," she whispered.

"Don't worry, soon you'll love it here," Zagar said as they turned another corner. "If you convince the council to not kill you and let you stay."

Death. Agatha had escaped the clutches of death so many times recently that she thought it would no longer affect her. Still the mere mention of the end of her life paralyzed her mind. Her feet continued to move by inertia, following in the footsteps of her kidnapper towards the deadly judgment.

What could she offer to placate the demons' wrath? Would making an agreement with her enemies make her a traitor? Agatha hated her current situation, feeling so weak once again after working hard to improve herself. A part of her told her it was her mistake for trying to be someone she could never be. Her fault for trying to be more than just the victim.

Within the pile of self-hatred a small light shone: her desire to fight. Memories of her loved ones and of what she still wanted to experience fed her spirit. She still had a lot to live for. Somehow she was going to convince her captors.

The young woman stopped playing with her hands and raised her head. She wasn't going to listen to negative thoughts, they didn't define her, they were just there to drag her down to her destruction. She noted Zagar's curious look and the small smile that appeared on his face. The demon said nothing, he continued walking until they reached a green spiral staircase. As they climbed the stairs, Agatha noted the details of the gilt railings, her hands examining the lions carved into the wood.

As soon as they reached the top floor, a wooden double door caught her eye. Even though she didn't have much training, she could feel an overwhelming energy coming from her.

"Here we are," said Zagar, pointing at the door.

The entrance opened letting them pass. The wave of energy that rushed at Agatha took her breath away for a few seconds. It was when the young woman knew that she was entering the lair of the most fearsome predator. The room held too much power against a simple human.