Pandora's Box

Chapter twenty-five

"Okay come on, just a little further." Kai's soothing voice comforts Lilli who is trailing behind him because of exhaustion. It reminds her of when they were kids and Kai would stay back and run alongside her during gym class. Even though he could probably beat everyone else, he never let her come last.

They've been walking through the English countryside for ages and searching for their trail. Birds cry out in the distance. There are no other sounds. It's completely peaceful.

They're looking for a green stalk in the distance. Something which will only appear when you're close which is quite irritating because neither of the two know whether or not they're on the right path.

"Kai." Lilli's voice croaks as she points in the distance. As they get closer, the sky high green stalk becomes more prominent. Soon they stand at its roots and look upwards where it disappears into the clouds.

Lilli is already out of breath and it's clear that she's in pain. Kai can't handle the sight of her suffering and kneels down in front of her, gesturing for her to climb onto his back.
"Are you sure?" She manages to say.
"We have to find the air charm and there's no way I'm leaving you here alone." He says softly while eyeing the giant stalk.
She climbs onto his back and holds on tightly while they make their way up. It's obvious that Kai gets tired but he refuses to give up and pushes until they reach the top.

Once they're on firm ground, Lilli hops off and swings her arm under Kai's shoulder to hoist him up since he is overcome with tiredness. He takes a while to catch his breath and mutters something about visiting a countryside bar before leaving, then starts walking towards a building in the distance.

The floor beneath them seems unreal, almost as if they would fall through at any moment. They walk on clouds through the gates of a really large castle.
"I feel like an ant." Lilli utters as they walk towards the door which has a crack small enough for them to squeeze through. Kai gestures for her to stay silent by pressing his finger to his lips.

They walk silently beside each other as they explore everything hidden within the stone walls. The interior seems medieval and everything is ten times larger: perfectly fit for a giant.

Soon they hear heavy breathing. They walk closer and notice a lump in the center of a grand bed. A sleeping giant. They tiptoe past but Lilli stops halfway because something catches her eye.

The giants hand hangs from the bed and Lilli's gaze is fixated on its ring. The stone which is the highlight of the ring glimmers brighter than gold band and she points Kai in its direction.

They climb towards the giant's hand using the intricate carvings in the furniture as stepping stones. Once they the edge of the bed, the giant huffs and turns over in its sleep. They both hold their breath fear that it had woken up.

The silently set a game plan to retrieve the stone and set it in motion by crawl around the giant to get to its hand. The entire time, Lilli watches it's chest to make sure it's breathing pattern remains the same signaling that it's still sleeping.

Eventually they reach the giant's hand and move towards the ring like moths to a lightbulb. Lilli attempts to pull out the stone but it's no use. She sinks down to her knees and contemplates her options.

Kai thinks for a second and feels a twitch on his lower arm. He glances down at the tattoo on his arm which he got from the Aura. He doesn't notice the moment which a dagger appears in his hand. A dagger that looks just like the one in his tattoo. He doesn't give it a second thought before moving towards the stone and using the dagger to push it out.

Lilli smiles in victory when Kai holds up the air stone. That victory is short lived as in that moment, the heavy breathing stops and they summon all their strength to sprint as far away from here as possible.

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