ONE (Book 1 in the Amnesia Archives)

Chapter 34

My blood grew colder than it already was. I felt frozen where I stood in the doorway of the castle, staring blankly at the figure in front of us.

We had met Roseo previously, sure, but there was no doubt that we were in the presence of a deity here. The person in front of us was Dwi, the deity of darkness, curses, fear, and shadows. None of which sounded very inviting.

But they stood with a smile on their face, their dark eyes looked gentle, but not a comforting kind of gentle. Their eyes looked like they were trying their best to be pleasant, but it wasn't in their nature. It was as though an introvert had been taken from their private room and suddenly appeared in front of thousands of strangers. Their hands were awkwardly hanging by their sides, and I had the distinct impression that they were wishing they could disappear.

Not that they didn't have that ability in the first place. But they were apparently expecting us.

Appearance-wise, they looked like a sentient shadow, just like Onyx and Senka. But they looked far more regal. Their eyes shone like crystals, set in a black velvet shadow. They had long black hair and they wore a thin crown, with several spikes pointing upwards. They were black robes, which blended seamlessly into their skin, the only reason I could tell they were wearing robes was the shifting of the fabric. Unlike Senka, their skin was also pitch black. It truly made them look like a statue, or a shadow.

"Lord Dwi," Aknon greeted after a long moment of silence. He then gave a small bow. "Are you the one who we were supposed to be meeting?" I understood his scepticism. We didn't have a lot of details on who we were meant to meet, but I certainly wasn't expecting a deity.

"What do you mean you were expecting us?" Sarphi asked, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes. She sounded a lot less respectful than how Aknon sounded, but I felt myself fall in-between the two of them.

Dwi chuckled and shook his head, before addressing Senka. "It seems you kept your mouth shut. That's impressive for you." They smiled and gave Senka a pat on the head. Senka looked like she'd been given the greatest praise she could. Granted, they were a deity, so I suppose it might not be too far off.

"Dwi is your creator," I said with realisation. "This is who you meant."

Senka gave an excited nod and a small bow, looking very proud. "Yes, I was created about twenty years ago. I was made to be your babysitter and look after you all."

"You did a fine job," Dwi complimented. That was when I noticed that their voice was incredibly deep and echoed around the room.

I hadn't even taken the time to look around the castle since stepping in. We were in another castle, but this one seemed both less and more frightening. It was scary-looking and gothic, but it didn't feel threatening with its grandness and openness. And there was actual colour here, there were royal purples and emerald greens which decorated the otherwise dark castle. The lights in the castle were strange. It looked like there were bricks missing in the walls, letting light in from outside. But I knew that outside wasn't bright at all. What we were actually seeing were bright lights made of different crystals, which seemed to glow on their own.

"Thank you," Senka said enthusiastically once more, rocking back and forth on her heels. It was like she was waiting for some kind of reward, almost akin to a child.

"That makes her your sibling," Dwi said to my siblings and me.

Prin had hidden between Sarphi and me. She was shaking a little and had grabbed hold of my hand. I wondered if she was experiencing this place in a different way to how I was. She was cowering in fear, skin pale and eyes daring around.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, head snapping back to Dwi as I realised what they'd said. "Siblings?"

Senka looked like she was going to explode. She eagerly nodded her head and moved over to stand beside Dwi instead of in front of them. She was around a foot or a foot and a half shorter than they were. So, they were pretty tall.