Warning: This chapter may be too violent for some readers.
"W-what… what was that?" I asked while hugging the whimpering Shire to my body.
The three boys in front of me were just as shocked.
"Everyone was screaming." The shuddering of my voice was evident. "You heard that, right?"
They nodded.
I summoned my strength and finally lifted my feet from the ground, turning back and heading towards the door. Footsteps followed me hurriedly from behind.
I couldn't help but feel nervous each time I descend a step from the stairways. My ears rang louder and louder by the second.
My legs broke out to a run the moment we reached the ground floor. Shire crawled to my shoulder, allowing me to quicken my pace even more. The three did the same and matched my speed.
We passed by the entrance and I noticed something strange.
"Where are the knights?" I asked as I stopped. I looked everywhere, there were none. "Why is no one guarding the doors?"
"Calla, let's go." Lavi said. The three of them stood just a few inches away.
I tried to ignore the ominous feeling and continued to run towards the banquet hall.
A second wave of screams pierced through the air.
"Goddess, what is happening in there?" Prince Alistair mumbled.
We finally took a turn towards the banquet hall. My chest tightened.
"Why are the doors closed?" Tonight, I didn't run out of questions.
The four of us continued to run.
'Please let them be safe. Please let them be safe. Please let them be safe. Father, Anette, Sein, the maids—everyone, please be safe', these words kept repeating in my mind.
The moment when we were already close to the doors of the Red Rose Banquet Hall, someone grabbed hold of my hand.
I turned and caught sight of the silver haired boy that I was worrying about.
"Sein…"
"You can't go in there, Calla." His voice was set.
"What are you talking about?"
Sein's grip on my wrist tightened.
"Don't go inside."
The rush of fear came back to me tenfold. "W-why not?"
"Come with me."
He attempted to drag me away but I stood steady.
"Sein, I'm sorry but you have to let go of my hand-"
Shire hissed from my shoulder. It made Sein flinch.
Something crashed inside the banquet hall, both of our heads faced towards the direction of the sound—only to find the three people I was running with earlier come back for me.
"What's the matter here?" asked Prince Alistair.
Lavi came close to me with knitted brows. "We have to go, Calla."
Sein let out a sigh as he released my hand. "You must not go there if you don't want to die."
Erion opened his mouth to speak. "What are you talking about, man?"
Then a loud boom was heard. All of us faced towards the banquet hall.
"Is it me or did someone just hit the door with so much force?" asked Erion.
None of us answered. All of our eyes were stuck to the door.
And then it happened—blood flowed slowly from inside through the gap on the floor.
"We have to go there, now!" I yelled.
I ran and attempted to push the door open.
It didn't even budge.
"It's locked."
Lavi raised his arms. "Let me."
In an instant, a huge white magic circle glowed on the wooden doors' surface. The door gradually blurred, and after three seconds, it was gone.
Shire was getting more and more uneasy on my shoulders.
I stopped from taking one more step as my eyes took in the view inside the banquet hall. It was like everything around me was twirling around.
The tables were overturned and broken. There was a huge whole on the roof and lots of fallen debris were scattered on the floor. Bodies lay on the cold ground. Those who were still standing were frozen and shaking. Blood was present wherever I looked.
My eyes caught something from below and I saw a body lay in a pool of blood in front of me—the body that had previously crashed into the door. He was one of the knights that accompanied me to the temple. I hardly recognized him with his twisted neck and disentangled limbs.
I nearly gagged. The metallic stench of blood was getting stronger and stronger.
High-pitched shrills echoed through the air. Some people attempted to run but were eventually ripped apart by something that moved very fast. And there, I saw the cause of this bloodbath—a shadow-like creature with huge wings and horrifying sharp claws and talons. Aside from its enormous figure, it stood and moved like a human.
A chill ran down my spine. I stood breathless and cold.
"What is that thing?" asked Erion.
My eyes went to the raised platform and found my father being surrounded by the knights and a few wizards as the creatures who were covered in seemingly moving shadows inched closer.
There were many of them. No, too many… but,
"We have to go in there."
Shire was purring restlessly.
Lavi held my empty shoulder. "Don't shit yourself, do you want to die?"
His face was pale. Erion and Prince Alistair's became paper-white too. From my peripheral vision, Sein stood behind us, still and quiet.
Then should I just watch my father and everyone else get ripped into shreds?
"I'd rather die than stand around helplessly."
Who am I kidding? Of course I'm scared. I don't want to die twice.
I removed Lavi's hand and walked into the chaos.
Footsteps followed me as I tried to avoid the direction where the monsters were looking.
Then I heard a familiar voice a few distances from beside me.
"Frederick!"
It was Vivian and the other maids. Anette was there too.
The redhead maid was calling out to her lover who drew a sword towards the creature wrapped in shadows. Then I realized. My history teacher was protecting my maids from it.
I tried to run towards them. Maybe… just maybe, I can help.
The creature loomed closer towards Lord Frederick, huge wings flapping. It raised its sharp claws towards him.
I willed my legs to run faster.
But I stopped when I saw Vivian push away Lord Frederick. With a quick slash of its claw, my beloved maid was struck on the neck. Blood spurted as her headless body landed on the ground.
I gasped. The other maids shrieked in horror.
Vivian's head rolled towards me, still wearing the sapphire necklace that I gave her.