The Mansion of Trials and Trials

Sol

At a corridor, the Shadowpeople skipped and twirled on the walls, the shadows behind a lamp candle enlarged with wax dripping on the stand. Drops of blood fell on the floor. With a swing, C snatched a man's neck and stabbed his heart with a dagger, throwing the man away. The man didn't cry.

"......weird. This man is dead before I stabbed him. Who did this?" C wondered. The checkered windows opened automatically. All of a sudden, the air froze. A strange gust of icily wind blew in. C alerted his senses. There was a death aura coming from the end of the corridor.

"La......laf.....ti....la...so la.....la....la" A male's voice sang in the air. Oddly, the candle lit off. The Shadowpeople got freaked out and ran away. As the deep and low melody rang along the wind, echoes bounced on the walls as the darkness shone in endless maze and frozen ice chambers. The atmosphere become intense. There was only silence and.......footsteps coming one by one.

"Tap-tap."

"Tap-tap."

"A melody? Who's singing?" C gripped his dagger and sliced the air, "Who's there?"

A shadow of a man enlarged and widened, followed by a shadow of a small fennec fox hopping by. The fox scratched its ears and squeaked.

The candles lit on again. Light shone on a man. A man with short silver hair and silver eyes. Creepy, his face and hands had cross stitches on them like scars.

"Hehe.....hehe.....salutations, my dearest Wanderer," he said. His voice was light and young like the winter gale. C gripped his dagger tightly, with eyes widened.

"Wow......this is my first time that I smell such a strong blood taste......are you human?" C asked.

"Human? Hehe......do I look like one?" The man silted his head, staring at C. His silver eyes sparked in darkness light. Sweat slid on C's hand. He was ready to swing his blade. The man in front of him was nothing he had ever seen.

"Are you not?"

"Hehe....I wouldn't say I am that kind of pets. Those dogs and cats at streets always wants treats and sticks. Such fragile and foolish animal, don't you think?"

"Why......you hate human?"

"Hate?" The man nodded his head, "No. I'm more like an observer. I like to observe those cute little pets, wandering around in circles without knowing what they are doing." Without putting down his guard, C licked his dagger.

"I presume I am one of those adorable living beings too?"

"Haha.....every human is. You are just one with spikes........a little hedgehog I presume."

"Ha....why....thank you for that nickname. It was the most interesting nickname I ever heard since I got bounty by the cops."

"You're really interesting. You don't seem to be scared of me. Most people do.........after they look at my face." The man touched his stitches on his face. The stitches were deep and huge.

"Scared? No. Not really. I'm used to corpses and the death aura. It never makes me bored, only thrills me."

"Fascinating. I liked you. Do you want some hints?"

"Hints? What hints?" C asked.

"Hints for the fourth trial. Do you want them?"

"I guess there wouldn't be a Wanderer say no."

"Alright, since I liked you. I'll give you two."

"One, the next trial is called 'The Sinner's Trials'. You need to execute one Wanderer as the sinner to move on. Who you pick is your freedom. But be careful, you may be chosen as one of them as everyone hate murderers."