Nox grabbed Roxanne's arm, jerking her away. "What did I tell you?" The robot was tilting sideways, trying to get up on unsteady feet.
"You jinxed it!" Roxanne accused, but still holding onto his arm tightly. Her eyes were wide as they took in the robot slowly clamouring to its feet, swaying unsteadily, the light on its head flashing continuously.
Was it the eye? His suspicions were confirmed when the light turned in their direction. Nox pulled on his sister's arm. "Let's get out of here."
She looked around wildly as if to emphasize her next point. "Do you see an exit anywhere?!"
The robot's rusty limbs didn't seem to deter it as it started to stomp in their direction, crushing the limbs in its way. "Don't think, just run for now!" Nox tried to use his ability, but it was like trying to hold water with his bare hands. "...Dammit." He pried his arm away from Roxanne, picking up a wooden leg and flinging it at the robot.
The robot momentarily paused as the limb hit its head, eye flashing before it resumed stomping towards them.
"What are you doing?" Roxanne was already a few meters ahead of him as she urged, "Hurry up!"
Even with its worn down state, the robot didn't seem deterred at all when they purposefully ran around tiny mountains of limbs. It just crashed through them effortlessly, aiming towards the pair.
Turning to look back, Nox became unsettled as the robot stopped a ways away from them. Its arm was raised in the air at an angle. Roxanne, noticing Nox stop, also slowed down.
Pssh.
With a hissing sound, the bronze caps on its fingers popped open. Three rockets shot out and headed in their direction.
"Hide!" Nox pulled Roxanne while sharply curving left behind a high pile of wooden limbs. She grasped his arm and tugged them back, creating distance between the mountain of wood.
Bwooem!
The limbs took the brunt of the impact; the collision scattered burning wood, with flicks of ashes and burning limbs exploding everywhere. Thankfully, the explosions themselves weren't very big and its effect only hit a small area.
Nox shielded his face from the explosion, angling his body in front of Roxanne.
"That thing still has functioning rockets?!" Roxanne pulled her foot away from being hit by a stray burning limb. "Can't you use that ability of yours?"
Nox joked, "If you have a knife, then I totally could." It would be painful to force his wounds open with just his fingers.
The robot continued to stomp towards them.
"Unfortunately, I don't and it's not like I keep a bag of my blood with me at all times," he added, out of breath as they continued to run. He couldn't force blood out of his body. His healing forearm injury wouldn't be enough to do anything useful to such a big opponent.
Roxanne grumbled, "Doesn't seem like a very useful ability." His sister was the more athletic one between the two; she was breathing faster, but she wasn't as tired as he was.
"I didn't choose it," Nox argued. "The contract gave it to me." He remembered the abrupt appearance of his ability. After hearing the strange voice in his ear, it was like something welled up inside of him and lashed out at the bat monster instinctively.
It was only after the deed had been done that he realized it was his own blood that attacked. But after that, for some reason, his ability seemed to evade him when he wanted to use it against the minotaur, which delayed the battle.
Roxanne yelped as more rockets rained from the sky. "Nevermind that then, where's the doll that brought us here?"
As if on cue, the porcelain doll appeared again in a shower of sparks, hovering above the ground. 'So you were here! Silly humans, why didn't you wait?' It looked slightly bigger than before, around half a meter tall.
"We're a bit preoccupied at the moment!" Roxanne yelled at the doll.
'Hm?' The doll spun around, seeing the giant robot lumber over. 'Ah, why are you awake again? Go to sleep!' It flew over and tapped its eye with a small fist. The robot froze, then slowly shuddered and thumped onto the ground with a bang. Its eye flickered once, twice, then went out.
Satisfied, the doll zoomed back. 'All of the other friends are over in the garden! Please join us for a fun time!'
Letting out another tinkering laugh, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. In its place, a towering arched door appeared, dark wood carved with intricate details.
The siblings glanced at each other, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
"...If it was that easy then why were we running the whole time?"
"...Beats me."
Slightly speechless, Roxanne turned to study the door. "It sort of looks like a big church door."
"Yeah," Nox replied, walking around it. The door sat among the limbs independently, with nothing in front or behind it. "What will happen if we enter from behind?" he wondered, a hand resting on his chin thoughtfully.
His sister gave him her signature glare. "We were just running from a giant robot. Stop being so casual about it."
"You were the one who recovered way too quickly."
"Hmph."
Being close to death was never fun, but Nox felt like the past few hours had made him more awake than he'd ever been in his life. It was like the past events of his life blurred into a far off memory; the only thing that remained clear in his mind like a high resolution picture was the elation when he killed the monsters with his ability.
The dull drag of a normal life—he wouldn't need to live it anymore. Perhaps that's why he could feel more at ease, even facing another dangerous situation.
Nox shook his head. He should tone it down. This was reality, not a game where he got three lives or an overpowering ability that could turn back time if he died.
"What are you doing?" Roxanne looked at him, eyebrows raised judgmentally.
"Nothing. Let's go."
Despite the sturdy, heavy looking material, the door swung open with a single touch. Exchanging a glance, the siblings headed into the blinding light.
_______________________
A garden rested on the other side. It was just like any perfect garden scene, with the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky. The grass swayed in the wind and birds chirped cheerfully in the trees. Flowers bloomed in their neatly arranged beds, a myriad of bright spring colors lining the small cobblestone path to a grassy clearing. Rose bushes were planted in a neat circle around the clearing, releasing a sweet floral scent.
Roxanne inhaled deeply. "Hmm, it smells nice here." They stepped onto the cobblestone after passing through the door.
Nox grimaced. As soon as he laid foot onto the small path, his entire body had tensed up. The floral scent was overpowering; it felt like someone shoved a rose-scented infuser up his nose, effortlessly rendering his newly heightened sense useless.
In the midst of the picturesque scene was a long table covered with afternoon snacks on tiered towers and tea served in porcelain pots.
Some people were sitting at the few smaller circular tables scattered around, although most tables still held empty seats. A few stared in awe at their surroundings while others looked wary, shifting uncomfortably in their chairs. Only two people were eating to their heart's content.
There were a total of eight other people here, four women and four men. Three of them appeared to be younger, two teenage girls talking happily at a table full of snacks and a thin boy quietly nibbling on a pastry.
A few more people went up to the long table, grabbing more snacks with greedy hands after seeing others eat them. A short woman and a twig-like man even took a teapot back with them, enjoying a conversation over tea amidst a pleasant afternoon.
No one was screaming; no one was questioning why they were here. It seemed as if they had simply come to a peaceful afternoon tea party to have a pleasant time.
Looking around, Nox chose a table covered by the shade of a nearby tree, bracketed by the rose bushes. There was a woman there, sitting quietly as she read a book. Although she was calmly seated, there seemed to be an air of composure around her that was different from the people around them.
"Is this spot taken?" he asked, pointing to the two empty chairs.
She looked up, deep sky blue eyes blinking in surprise before gently shaking her head. Nox thanked her, pulling Roxanne to sit down with him.
Roxanne looked around uncertainly. "Well, this isn't what I expected." She motioned around. "I expected more screaming and blood and giant robots. And," she added quietly, "Nox. I don't see them anywhere."
Nox fell silent. Although they had entered with the doll, there was no guarantee that their parents were in the same trial. The torn blankets didn't match with the doll's dainty appearance- but maybe if they had refused to participate, that would've been the outcome. Being forcefully dragged into a trial didn't seem uncommon.
There was always the other possibility that he didn't want to think about. But for now, it wouldn't help to worry about their parents' situation when they were unsure of their own.
"Focus on this trial for now," he told her quietly. "We'll search for them as soon as possible."
Even with the beautifully trimmed hedges leading as far as the eye could see, there was no exit from the circle of roses surrounding the clearing.
"You never told me what actually happened," he told her gently.
"Ah, that's right." Roxanne started, leaning her arms on the table. "Sorry, this whole situation is a bit confusing." She recounted the situation to him. There had been a sudden bang from their parents' room, but she had brushed off the noise as something crashing to the floor. A few minutes later there was a scream and she ran in only to see an empty bed and the covers ripped to shreds. That's when she texted Nox.
"How did you appear so fast anyway?" she asked suspiciously. "I don't think you were on your way for a visit."
Nox told her about the beacon.
"It should be part of your ability, right?" she analyzed. "Then maybe that vial of your blood I have in my room was the beacon."
"... And why do you have that?"
She waved a lazy hand. "School project."
Nox sighed. "If you say so. It still won't help us locate them." He thought he might've been able to pinpoint people related to him since his ability had to do with blood. Regrettably, he couldn't feel anything coming from Roxanne except for the normal tugging sensation of a living being's blood.
A pleasant voice came from the woman sitting across from them. "Are you looking for someone?" She asked this quietly, as if she wasn't used to speaking at a loud volume.
Her blonde locks fell past her shoulders, curling up slightly. The warm rays of sunshine didn't reach her in the shade, coming to a stop at the tips of her leather shoes. Her white button-up blouse was free of unnecessary creases, tucked neatly into the waistline of her dark blue skirt.
Nox reached out with his ability, feeling the answering pull of blood before replying, "Yes."
"Have you seen a middle aged couple here with matching blue pajamas?" Asked Roxanne.
Nox shot her a glance.
She raised an arched brow at him, daring him to call her out. Nox remained silent.
The woman gently placed a bookmark between the pages and closed her book. The carefully handled bookmark caught his attention. It was made from a dried flower, blue petals carefully pressed and handled like a precious belonging. The cover of the book was a soft indigo color, title inlaid in golden script.
"I'm afraid I haven't seen the people you described," she said, an apologetic tone lingering in her melodic voice. "Have you lost your loved ones?"
"We have," Nox responded, leaning back against the pastel chair. He swept a glance over the garden. The whole scene was too dreamy, as if the warm sunshine was attempting to lull him into a hazy dreamlike state to make him lower his guard. The contrasting atmosphere with the mechanic robot earlier was disconcerting.
One of the men on the other side of the garden seemed to be staring in their direction. Even from this distance, Nox could see the lascivious greed in his beady eyes as he eyed the blonde woman up and down, smacking his lips unpleasantly.
"I'm Roxanne." Roxanne introduced herself. "This is my brother, Nox."
Nox sighed. He needed to speak to her about giving private information to strangers in a trial. Not that he could talk, with his number in Fay's contacts.
"You can call me Rose," Rose said with a small smile.
It was somewhat ironic that her namesake was spreaded everywhere in this garden. Nox lifted a hand to touch the red petals near his seat, drawn into the color so similar to blood. The moment his fingers touched the velvet softness, a sharp jolt ran through him, causing the flower to wilt. He watched silently as the flower was leached of color until it became white.
Jerking back, Nox let the white drooping flower fall despite his ability protesting, unwilling to let such a big blood source get away. It looked particularly eye-catching among the vibrant crimson roses. He shuffled his seat so it covered his misstep from other people, glancing at his two table companions. Rose had her attention back on her book, while Roxanne was staring at the table full of deserts.
Peering back, Nox watched the white petals slowly regain its color until it was in full bloom again, red petals shifting along an invisible breeze.
These blossoms... were blood roses.