Mystery Hunt (Complete - Under Major Editing)

42. The Chase : III

Clive points at the chandelier. "It is here. It leads to Rufus's room." He says remembering from his dream.

They carefully place the chandelier down and try to fit in through. David looks at Clive, asking 'is he okay' with his eyes. He assures him that he is okay and they can continue.

They reach Rufus's room which was almost the same as Percy's room, except the color was sky blue. As soon as Dylan jumps on the floor, he is hit with a very familiar feeling. But something else caught James's eyes.

"The pendant! It is glowing!" he points at the pendant which he gave to Dylan.

He looks down and then around the room. He could see a faint light coming from the locker.

"What if...." He trails off towards the locker and brings the pendant near to it, specifically the stone. To their surprise, it opened. It had just a book that definitely looked like Rufus's diary.

"So this is what the pendant was for!" James exclaims and everyone around them is just confused. Then James explains everything.

"Dylan's father must have had it and he gave it to James's father," Dylan says.

"And my dad gave it back to me to give it to the rightful owner." James completes his sentence.

William was silently reading Rufus's diary.

"Listen to this, I could be anything in the world but I wanted to be his."

Dylan looks at James and a blush crept across his face. He takes the diary from him and continues reading.

"I am addicted
to the disappearing memory of you,
and forever terrified
of when it is gone.
this constant chaos
gracefully consumes my mind,
feeding daydreams
and unspoken whispers,
flashing chances
that someday
you'll return."

But Dylan stops mid-sentence as if he just got a flashback.

"Walter.....Walter is killed. I get to know the truth!" Dylan shouts.

"Leila calls Rufus to stop Walter and Samuel fighting. I rush towards them only to see both of them panting hard and fighting fiercely with their swords. I think it is the time when Samuel blackmailed Walter but he had enough."

"I kept shouting at Walter to stop because the consequences won't be good but he said that I have a blindfold on. I don't know what game the son and mother is playing against me. Leila whispers into my ears that 'Your father did not raise you like this! Would you let your lover kill your own brother?'."

"I didn't know what to do so I took my sword out and came in between them. Walter looked at me with hurt in his eyes."

"You really think I am wrong?" "You really think I can kill Wesley?" "You really think I can harm you or your family?"

"Is all Walter said to Rufus. Samuel could see that he was breaking me so he charged at Walter. But he was alert enough to dodge him. Whatever happened next, it happened in the nick of a second. Samuel was on the floor and Walter was bleeding through his arm."

"Next I know was that Leila screamed. She runs towards Samuel as I tend to Walter."

"He is dead. My poor boy is dead!" Leila said. "Take that bloody murderer to the prison." She shouts as the guards come and drag Walter down. Knight Alfred helps them to pick up Samuel and take him to his room."

"I fell down on the ground, looking at Walter's sword and my brother's blood. I couldn't take it anymore. I rushed to my father's room because he was the only one who could take me out of this confusion. But what I saw was my father, trembling on the bed. Somehow, the dagger which Samuel used gave you a slow and excruciatingly painful death."

FLASHBACK

"Father! Father! What is wrong with you?" Rufus holds his father's hand. He was extremely cold but Rufus couldn't care less. "Why are you so cold father? Tell me! Tell me who did this to you!" Rage was dripping from his mouth.

"The.......witch....." Benjamin tries to speak but coughs a million times before he could finish the sentence, "And......the......prodigal......son......the......crown.......my.....diary......" he coughs out blood but Rufus clearly got what he wanted to say.

"The diary!" Rufus knew where his father kept the diary. He opens the locker to find the crown and the diary within. What he read made him tremble with fear.

"Walter was right! She....is.....a...witch..." Rufus cries out for being stupid and not believing Walter. Whatever energy Benjamin was left with, he holds his true son's hand and whispers,

"Go....save yourself...."

"No father! I cannot....leave...you here...alone to die...." Rufus sobs.

"Go...." He commands in his coarse voice. "And take the crown....."

Rufus does what he is said to do. He doesn't take the whole crown but takes its main emerald stone with him. That stone was the key to Rufus's locker.

He runs out of the room but not before glancing at his father on the deathbed.

"I will take revenge."

Rufus leaves quietly from that room and heads towards his. He doesn't dare to peek in Samuel's room knowing that the witch is in with him. He plans it out carefully. He will head to the prison and convince Walter to run away to a far off place. At least that's what he thinks they will do. He doesn't have his hopes high that Walter will forgive him but he won't stay in this castle anymore.

But when he goes down, another shock awaits him.

A dead body. Walter's robes. His sword too.

Rufus just falls on the ground, sobbing his heart out.

Flashback To Be Continued