I enter the passage that had appeared in the before empty room. Following the child i walk further inside. The blue light from the icicles lighting up the path, I see that the passage is another one of those corridors upstairs with the endless row of doors. The only difference was the freezing air and the slimy and blue icicles, that kept increasing as followed the child to who knows where.
'Lance are you sure about this? This slimy stuff reminds me of the forest and is creeping me out.'
'Don't worry about it, it's just condensed rune-energy'
'That's bad right , I don't want a experiences like in the forest.' I said alarmed.
'You'll be fine as long as you don't touch it.'
'So you say what happened in the forest is fine!?'
'That won't happen again.' Lance says as if it something normal, not explaining more thoroughly.
'What do you... Am I immune or something after this Ella helped me?'
I suddenly realize a possibility. Wouldn't I otherwise be laying on the ground having some weird attack again.
'Congratulation you have risen my opinion of you intelligence.' Lance said with obvious contempt.
'Seriously.' I roll my eyes.
Done bickering with the dumb sword I turn my full attention on my surrounding.
'I'm still a person!'
The sword shook in may hands.
Did someone say something I look wondering around me.
'Was it the sword, Oh, but sword don't talk' I smirk, ignoring the voice complaining in my head.
I've been walking for who knows how long turning left an the right and the left again. What is this place, some kind of secret base for some weir organisation.
I continue walking nearly bumping in to the child that had stop before a door.
The child turns to look at me, his eyes starring at me to confirm if I'm really sure abut this. I look him in the eyes and nod. The half dead eyes the boy had up until now, seemed to glimmer with hope for a second.
The child opens the door and what I see behind it shocks me greatly. I'm chocked not because I saw tortured children or something terrible like that, I'm shocked by the laughing and the happy smiles on the children's faces. The whole foreshadowing about something terrible seems like a dream. Maybe the child with monotone voice and expressionless face just has a terrible case face-paralysis and monotone voice. And the glimmer of hope I thought I saw, maybe it was a reflection of light.
"Can you still save us when you don't have anything to save?" The child asks.
"But..."
Still a little shocked, I look at the sword in my hand hoping Lance would give me some answers.
'As I told you before, it could be mind control.'
What Lance said may be true. If we say it's not true, what am I going to do then. The children seems to be healthy and happy. Wouldn't I only disturb them.
'We'll know what's true, when we find Elaine.'
'Didn't you want to help the children. Now is the perfect chance.'
'As you thought, we are not sure if they are mind-controlled or not so or best option is to find Elaine.'
'Then, why were you in such a hurry to come here, then?'
'You never know what is going to happen, so it's best to be fast.'
'Sure...' I look at the sword a little doubting
'Why would you even leave the forest, or even know anything about this Orphanage if you are a spirit.'
'I had a life before I become a spirit.'
Still a little skeptic about Lances story.
'H..e... des... ing... ' an unfamiliar voice said.
'Lance was that you?'
'No, look around you' Lance said
Why can I image him rolling his eyes at me. A little irritated I look around me.
"Have you decide yet, are you leaving or staying" A little girl asks me while holding the hem of my shirt.
I bend down to the same eye level as the girl. Ruffling the little girls hair and smile apologetically.
"Sorry I can't stay."
"Why?!" The girl asks in panic
"Sorry, I need to find Elaine."
"Okay"
The girl seemed to have lost all her interest in me after I said Elaine's name. There is something going on alright, tease reactions are just to weird.
"If you want to find Elaine, I can help you find her."
"You haven't gone playing yet?"
A little surprised that the monotone child was still standing beside me, after my not so short talk with Lance in my head.
"I don't find it interesting." The child says as he exits the room.
A little surprised by the non-childlike response I follow him again trough the endless corridors.
"Care to say were we are going this time?" I ask the child.
"I suppose I can..." The child doesn't continue the sentence to the end, leaving it hanging.
"So are you going to tell or not?" I ask again a little irritated, is this child teasing me or something.
'Obviously' I hear someone irritating chuckle in my head. But I decide to ignore it.
"We are going to this place we know as "The Room", if you can't find Elaine you can be sure you fin her there."
"Is there something special in "The Room"?" I wonder.
"You could say that it's Elaine's treasure."
"What kind of treasure."
"You'll see."
"Not cute"
I click my tongue. My curiosity not satisfied, I look irritated at the child's back. Not getting any response, I continue following the child in silence.
'So mature, you getting irritated at child at least five years younger than you'
'Says the one having fun on a person how many years younger than yous, expense.' Irritated I flick the hilt of the sword.
'It's fine if you are over a hundred years old.'
'Your over a hundred years old'
I stare at the sword in shock. I turn it around to search for any wear and tear, but it doesn't look anything else than brand new.
'So you're a old man'
'I feel insulted'
The sword mumbles something. I continue following the child as I feel the biting cold air becoming even colder. How can that child just walk here like it's nothing, I think as I shiver from the cold.
"We have arrived." the child said in his monotone voice.