Stephan tried to get up but he couldn't; the grip over his shoulder was so strong. He felt as if the bones at the level of his shoulder were broken. There was a pain in there, absolute pain and he hated pain. Why did he shut himself in his room? Wasn't it to stir away from all kinds of trouble and the pain that caused? Nevertheless, it seemed no matter what he did, the trouble always found him whenever he was. He was a magnet of bad luck.
'What to do now? I am sure she means something to him… Or at least, he wants her for something. I can only do this right now. I hope she ends all this because I don't see any solution to this whole mess.'
Despite the pain, he showed a normal face, with the exception of drops of sweat appearing on his forehead. He was aware of their unnatural speed and agility. However, he wouldn't know their accurate measures. If the Lord of Dimitruicasten himself complimented her, it meant that she was also powerful, which added certainty to the initial impression he had on her. Nevertheless, she was showing a different side of her.
Aurora was all trembling, wrapping herself with her arms, offering herself the warmth she sought for years. Her legs rubbed one against the other, inviting. The atmosphere turned hot all of a sudden. She glanced at Stephan then at Duncan. They were both eying her, one trying to contain the raw emotions that submerged him and the other thinking of how to escape such a stupid situation.
Duncan retracted his hand; he wanted to go to her but he froze. In fact, everything froze. Even the girl who was sobbing stopped moving. There was no sound; silence drowned the whole area in a complete quiet world. The girl who was sobbing had a drop of her tears falling and it was caught mid-air. The red eyes of the Lord of Dimitruicasten froze looking at Aurora.
Stephan looked around confused. With a raised eyebrow, his eyes turned to the mage; she was also frozen. It was quite strange since she was the one who made the sub-dimension.
"What's happening here?" Aurora looked like she was going to turn crazy; she had a lascivious smile on her face, her cheeks slightly red and her eyes looking from a corner as if she was shy. It was the appearance she was frozen in. Also, something poked him; hugging herself made her watermelons lift further. "No wonder he was going after her. Crazy ones always attract each other."
The tear didn't move even when he poked it with his finger. It was like a stone. The girl's body was like a stone too. They were like statues, everything was. He moved in front of the Lord and at that moment, he felt a small smile he didn't notice. The man seemed like a pervert too but his expression said 'Bow before me, bugs'. It was a short meeting but he didn't want to stay further with him, though he used to admire him before.
"I guess it can't be helped. Everyone is a statue. I don't know what happened but it's better this way. I can gather the oxygen in my lungs and rest more."
As he moved to Soprana, he felt as if two eyes followed him. The feeling of someone watching him didn't fade even when he checked everyone else, excluding Aurora. There was a gut feeling in his heart telling him if he touched her, she might come alive and he didn't want that.
The feeling of being watched didn't leave him and nothing changed even when an hour passed. In the end, he turned back to Aurora and tried to touch her. His finger moved closer to her, closer… So closer that it almost touched her. The feeling from having close warmth over her arm gave her a tickling sensation; she couldn't hold the freezing game anymore. She fell backwards holding her stomach from the excessive laughter.
"I can't believe you were so reluctant on touching me. Oh my God! It's so much fun seeing you struggle!"
Stephan stepped back a few metres quickly putting distance between them. He thought she would do something and raised his guard in consequence but it was dropped quickly because of her laugh. It took always laughter to ease the tension.
"Stop being such an awkward fellow! I wonder what happened, it seems the test has stopped. The balance must have been broken by him."
"By him?"
"Yeah, the acting Lord of the Dimitruicasten castle. I don't know why he is making such a huge step when his role was supposed to be on the Dimitruicasten itself."
"There are different guides in the castle; it's the first time I learn of something like this. I thought the castle had that man as a Lord and it had many servants. Each servant with a unique strength like a mini-boss. Even the humans in the castle were trained and could hold a weapon of their own."
"That's true! It's the past one but the present one is completely different. The castle has become a huge trap for the living. The ones without permission to stay will be consumed slowly and eaten by the castle to keep the magic going on. I bet those bandits know a minor rule that allowed them to stay there. They are giving constant sacrifices, keeping the acting Lord satisfied."
"If there is an acting Lord, where is the real Lord then?"
"Somewhere! I don't know about the world. I spent most of my time keeping the events of the past inscribed in that game. I meant it as a storytelling device for future generations and a test for the one who will help me get out of my shackles."
Her voice turned all emotional. It lowered as her eyes looked at the ceiling as if she was fixing something there. Her shoulders dropped. Her hands moved slowly drawing strange letters in the air. Stephan couldn't help but think she was a human too. Maybe a human would have crimson eyes like her and white hair…
"You cannot trust anyone since you are an outsider so you chose someone from your home planet," he hesitated for a moment but he had to ask. "You must be an anomaly, Aurora. Why do you have strange features? Is it that you are so old that your hair turned white? But why do you have red eyes?"