The Weight of His Chains

Chapter 5

I slightly turn around, my eyes adjusting to the light. I see a stone door, with candles lit at its base. I gasp in relief, my legs trembling beneath me. "Oh goodness." I say as I rub my eyes, my grin reaching east and west. I did it. I escaped that heck hole of a library.

I look down to Skys cat, her eyes closed. I pat her head gently, my heart filled with warm gratitude.

I approach the stone door, its presence malevolent. Once again, a large obsidian circle is placed in the middle, mirroring my reflection. "Rainer!" I shout happily, searching the darkness for him.

Suddenly, one of the candle flames begins to rise, growing bigger and bigger until it takes the shape of a humanoid. Rainers form solidifies, his face so handsome it knocks the breath out of me every time. He wears a bright smile, his eyes glittering with an otherworldly glow. "You solved my riddle," he says, his voice low and hypnotic. He steps off the candle, his movements graceful. Blood splats on the floor with every step, a reminder of his death.

"Yeah, thanks to you." I say, my cheeks flushing red. He chuckles, staring at me with a soft gaze. He turns to the door, his eyes clouding in sadness, staring at something I cannot see.

"What's wrong?" I ask, my heart filled with concern.

He doesn't reply. Instead, he looks down, wearing a mask of sorrow. His features are still handsome, so otherworldly, but it's tinged with a deep sadness. His fingers reach out to touch the black circle, so gently like a ghost. As he touches the circle, his wound seems to bleed more, his blood coming out of him with a gooey, gushing sound.

"What's happening to you Rainer?" I ask, my voice louder. He doesn't reply again, his eyes clouded with deep sorrow. His eyes suddenly flicker up, staring into my soul.

"May your silence be your solace in there.." He whispers. As he speaks his hand reaches out to hold mine, making my cheeks flush red. Then, he leans in, his lips pressing onto my hand in a gentle, ethereal kiss. I gasp softly, my face turning red as a tomato. He looks up at me, a sadness in his eyes. Rainers hand releases mine, his fingers trailing across my skin like a ghostly breeze. He reaches out to touch the small, glowing orb that Yuu had given to me before I embarked on this quest. His fingers make contact with the delicate glass, and with one gentle pressure, the glass cracks, and the light abruptly halts. The orb shatters into pieces as it reaches the floor. I'm taken aback, confusion etched on my face. But he says nothing, staring at me with sorrow in his eyes.

Right as I'm about to protest, I look behind me, and the stone door begins to creak open, awakening settled dust. I watch in fear as I realize I have to go in there, that pitch black darkness again. Who knows what's hiding in the shadows next. I spin back, looking for Rainer..

But he's gone.

I glance down at my hand, I notice a delicate, glittering dust clinging to my skin. The remnants of Rainers kiss. It pulses with an otherworldly glow, making my heart filled with warmth. But that happiness is killed by a feeling of worry. What he said. 'May your silence be your solace.' What he did. Broke my only light source. It sends shivers down my spine thinking about how down he was, how his usual glowing aura turned pale. What did he really mean?

I push down my worrisome thoughts and continue on. It meant nothing. He was just wishing me good luck.

In an eerie, unusual way.

I enter through the door, and a musty, decaying smell wafts out. I step into a vast, cavernous space. The room stretches for a while, its ceiling lost in darkness. Skinny, domed pillars line the room, their bases worn. Two massive pillars lie broken in the middle of the room, and a sea of black tar covers its base, its shiny surface gleaming in the candlelight. The air is heavy with the scent of decay, I feel an evil presence lurking in the darkness. I look down to the staircase leading into the tar, down and down until its steps are deep into the sticky sea. I see the way out on the other side, a large stone door, its presence eerie.