Ania gulped as she started her way to the entrance of the door. Her steps are stiff and she walks like a robot, straight and slow. Seeing her walk like this, the old man cannot help but to laugh at her. His two remaining teeth showed up and the saliva sprayed into the air. Totally in a vulgar way.
"Lass, are you seeking death? If you go there, the entrance will be filled with vines and it will wrap around you!"
The man shouted at Ania who is already near the entrance. She stop for a moment and look at the old man. She wanted to say that she is still too young and had not yet lived the half of her life. She knows that what the old man said was true. So why would she still go there? She better erase this plan in her mind.
But just as these thoughts rushed into action, she immediately shook her head. She's aware of the danger but the thoughts of leaving is out of her choice. It's like something or more like someone is calling her inside that maze.
"We will all die soon, it is just sometimes, someone will just have to go first. But I only know one thing, heavens will not turn its back on those who work hard and have the courage."
The old man watched as Ania started to walk once again.
"Bahaha, that lass isn't bad. Still has the courage to go there even after seeing that thing happened."
Those people who have the courage despite of knowing the result, is something worthy to see what's hidden. Whether it is good or bad.
Ania continues to walk into the entrance of the maze. But unlike what happened to the others who also went tried to enter, the reaction of the maze to Ania is different. This made the old man's eyes grew wider.
"Oho!"
If the vines showed up when the demons entered the maze, in Ania state, the vines immediately showed up when she still a meter away from the entrance. And unlike the vines earlier, this one is much more bigger and thicker. And when Ania tries to take another step, the vines become more and more thick.
The old man cannot help but to get serious. This is an unusual sight to see. It's like the maze doesn't want to let her enter. The sweet smelling flower walls immediately emit a very strong odor. Another sight to see.
"Hey lass, the maze doesn't want to accept you, just give up!"
Regardless of the man's warnings and shout, Ania still walked closer.
"Pa!" The vines didn't show any mercy and whipped her. Luckily, with Ania's past experiences of fighting with demons, she easily avoided the intended hit of the vines. Using her feet, she jump from one place to another place as the vines keep on following her. Each time the vines hit her, it becomes more and more thicker and the attack of it also becomes more heavier, making her avoid it with great difficulty.
Her breathing is slowly getting heavier and didn't see the attack of the vine for a second. The moment she saw it, it was already coming closer to her, not enough for her to dodge.
With the natural reflex she has, her hands immediately picked something around her to block the attack. She waited for the impact as she used the big branch that she found in the ground and used it as a shield.
"Pa! Pa!" The vines continued to whipped her. The strength of the vines is something that the branch cannot handle and easily snapped. With this impact, Ania cannot help but to move a few step backward.
Ania cannot help but to hiss. The branch that she's holding was easily snapped into two.
"You must not enter!"
A strange voice entered Ania's head. She looked around to see who was talking but there's no one except the old man. And base on the reaction of the old man, he doesn't know nor have heard the voice.
"No one must enter! You must not enter!"
But there's no one here but her, the old man and the vines...
The vines! Yes, it must be it.
"You! Are you talking to me?"
The vines keep on attacking her but also replied. "Must not enter. Must not let you enter."
The words are all the same. Must not let her enter. Did it also said that to all who tried to enter here?
Without letting Ania delve into it deeper, it continues to attack her again. This made Ania curse at it. But as it continues to attack and Ania continues blocking and dodging it, she still keep on thinking about it.
Its attack is all the same and can easily be read. It's like telling her to fight it but she never fought it and only keep on dodging and blocking it. Is it the reason why its attack is getting stronger and heavier? Does she have to attack it also?
Ania cannot help but to think about it again...
No. It's the other way. It's forcing her to fight, just like what it did to an Arabis.
She threw the broken branch that she is holding and stop shielding herself. She closed her eyes and wait for the vines to wrap around her and for the thorns to run through her. And just what she expected, the vines immediately wrapped around her and the poisonous thorns stab the flesh of hers. Pain, the pain is everywhere in her body. The stabbing pain just keeps getting unbearable as the flesh of hers was being torn. Blood easily dripped into the ground from everywhere of her body.
Her face wrinkled because of the pain she was feeling.
Not away from her, the old man looked at her with worries in his eyes. He cannot help but to frown at the situation of Ania. This girl is daring.
Daringness might be good sometimes but not all the time. Daringness often lead to death because of the bold act of a person. She was right, We will all die soon, it is just sometimes, someone will just have to go first. Live is living, dying simply means death...