Spellbound: Through Calico Eyes

Chapter 3: The Emporium

The stomps got louder and faster, chasing me through the alleys and the streets. Whatever this creature is, it for sure does not want me to get out of its sights alive. 

"What the hell's chasing me?!". 

Trying to dodge this monster was hard since the only thing I can see is its ambiguous shadow. The walls around the streets began cracking, dust started covering me from behind like a whirlwind. I could hear windows shattering from behind as if a huge storm was embalming the whole neighborhood. I could hear its roars echo throughout the streets nonstop. It sounded like the screeching of an animal in pain. Without noticing, my bike and I trip onto the hard concrete. 

I stand to look at what's in front of me, a tall building, unique from all the broken-down slums in the neighborhood known as the Solstice Emporium. The building's sign was that of a big bright sun with a face, similar to the one seen on the flag of Argentina. Its architecture stood out from all the other buildings as it looked like something out of the Victorian era. 

Upon hearing large footsteps, I run towards that shop in hopes of avoiding the shadow monster that has been chasing me. I look through the windows to confirm if the creature left, and it did. By now it would have probably shattered the whole place, but it didn't. Why? 

"Hello?" I ask. "Is anyone there?"

The shop looked abandoned, as no one appeared to be present inside this place. Its shelves are all covered in dust with weird and strange objects I've never seen before. Vases, statues, silverware, fine porcelain china, and a whole bunch of other things to name from. Suddenly, I hear a noise come from inside the emporium.

I walk towards the noise, it appeared to have come behind the door near the cashier.

"Is this place abandoned or just unattended?".

As I step inside, I realize that behind this emporium is a large warehouse, so huge that it holds over a large number of wooden crates. The whole area felt like a giant maze. As the noise started getting louder, the room began to get cold. I look through countless boxes and crates both big and small, with labels that detailed their place of origin from across the world. As I got in deeper, I could hear the noise clearer. It wasn't a noise, but a voice calling out to me. 

"Take me" the voice called out. "Take me with you". 

It all began to feel eerie and strange while the path I took turned dark. I couldn't see any lights as I followed the voice. This path had lesser crates and more revealing artifacts, such as statues or relics that date back centuries. After a long walk under the eyes of stone people, I finally found the source of the voice.  

"Open...me" the voice wailed. 

looking for anything nearby, I find the source of all this calling inside of what appeared to be a large black box. Ornamented in gold with strange carvings, the humming got louder and stronger by the minute. As I touched it, I could feel it vibrating with a strange feeling that surrounded me. 

Suddenly, it opened on its own.  

Inside it was a pendant of some sort, a large piece of obsidian stone in the shape of a diamond with strange carvings. it just laid there in a pile of sand inside of the box. 

"Take me" a voice kept whispering. "Take me with you". 

As I grabbed it I suddenly feel some sort of change throughout the shop, as if some greater force has entered the room. A strange surge of power vibrated from the charm itself. The lights dim and the floor shakes. I couldn't help but fear that something bad was going to happen.