After explaining what she saw everyone fell silent.
“But how come you're the only one seeing this?” the red-haired female, Harley, asked suspiciously.
“I can't tell! It just happened suddenly!”
“Could it be because you stabbed yourself?” another person, the blue haired male, Urieh wondered.
“She's suspicious! Firstly, she stabs herself in an attempt to destroy everyone's hope; even during Adam's speech before he died, she also did the same thing, and now she's seeing visions. You expect me to believe she doesn't know?! What a load of bull!”Javis, the brunette male that had earlier chastised Crystal, opposed with a fierce look.
“I really don't know!”
“I'm afraid I'm with them this time, Emlyn,” Danielle also said.
Seeing the distrust within everyone's gaze Emlyn could tell that whipping out the ‘she's a seer’ card would probably not be the best course of action.
“I think she's being genuine; she could have seen clues instead,” Emlyn suggested, “Besides, it's not like we can do anything to her, can we? As seen, we cannot die.”
These words send tremors down everyone's spine, indeed, they had become immortals at the mercy of a bunch of wicked sorcerers.
“Also, this might be clues! We can either stay here without doing anything and wait for the sorcerers to take us out or follow her clues. Either way, our choices are limited,” Emlyn persuaded.
They all looked at each other and then at Crystal, who had slumped into herself, obviously demoralized by the events so far.
They were still hesitating when Crystal finally spoke.
“I know you can't trust me,” she spoke while standing up, “and even I cannot trust myself. However, one thing I will tell you now is that I have changed my mind.”
Looking directly at the others with a determined gaze, she spoke, “I gave up after all my calculations led to a dead end for everyone; however, this new variable that came so suddenly has changed everything. I want to survive and now there is something that could help, I'm going to use it. You mustn't follow me; however, if you do, I swear with my all that I'll do my best for our survival.”
Apart from everyone, even Dina was shocked; in a split second, the one person who had given up and decided to stop trying changed and decided to give her all to survive.
Without saying a second word, Crystal turned and left. Emlyn hurriedly followed and soon everyone joined in as they trooped up the stairs.
***
“This door,” Crystal suddenly said, stopping everyone in their tracks.
They had wordlessly climbed the stairs along with Crystal, and Emlyn had begun regretting not observing the hallway more.
Unlike the nerve-wracking hall, the passage was different; if the hall failed to hide its dreary atmosphere, inside the castle did so perfectly. It was bright and jovial and gave off a cozy feeling similar to that of a cottage filled with the love and warmth of a grandma living with a bunch of cats.
It was deceitful because not only did they know how terrible the trials could be, but they could also feel the castle desperately trying to manipulate them into thinking it was paradise, which failed with everyone being on their nerves.
Standing far from Crystal, they watched as she slowly opened the wooden door with a loud creak before she fell into another trance.
The room had been cold and empty with only a large table extending across the room with chairs at each side of the table.
But now the room was filled with cheerful laughter and music, the table was filled with delicacies of various types and drinks. It was a feast for the children she had seen earlier, and they indulged in it very happily.
But then suddenly the children started falling onto the table as if intoxicated. They weren't asleep; however, they slumped weakly unto the table like all strength had been drained from them, and that was when the mood drastically soured.
“I'm sorry! Please leave me alone! What did I do!” a child with beautiful silver hair and bluish eyes yelled as a huge man with armor, whom Crystal presumed was the castle's guard, carried the child away.
Not only that child but every child seated at the table, wails filled the room as the unwilling children were taken away without any resistance but their cries due to whatever dismantled their bodies’ ability to struggle.
“I'm sorry for not listening! I'll be more obedient! I'm sorry, I'm sorry please don't hurt me! Take me back to my mother!”
“Wahh!! Father… Mother… But I didn't do anything!!”
Similar words were uttered by the children, and although Crystal didn't fully understand, she could make out that the children were being punished for not listening at home… or something like that, which was odd because who punishes children by tricking them and when they let their guard down drugs them before taking them away for punishment. What sort of punishment was that??
Before Crystal could contemplate more, the vision was over, and a heavy headache besieged her, sweeping her off her feet.
“Are you okay?” Emlyn, who had caught her as soon as she fell, asked worriedly. Seeing the worried look in his eyes, Crystal felt grateful; while everyone was a few feet away from her, in case any sudden danger came, Emlyn was the only one who approached her.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully while standing up with Emlyn’s aid.
“No problem, did something happen?”
“Yes. I sa—”
Her words were cut off by the sound of marching. It sounded like the marching of a hundred troops moving in orderly into the castle and it was approaching them!!
Fear immediately enveloped everyone as they ran up to Crystal questioning rabidly—
“
“Did you see anything?!” Harley exclaimed while grasping at Crystal's shoulder who shoved her off rudely.
“Stop that! I only saw kids eating before being dragged out by guards! Nothing else.”
“How's that going to help?!” Javis screeched furiously.
“Well, not with you screaming at her like that!” Xephediah, the red-eyed boy, shouted at Javis.
“You—” Javis faced Xeph but was caught off by Emlyn.
“Enough! This is not helping!”
And indeed it wasn't. Before, the march sounded far away, but now it was coming closer. The scarier thing was that nowhere was safe; Emlynn had shut the door Crystal had opened, fearing it came from there, but to no avail.
The march came from all angles, their front, back, left and right, everywhere! All they could do was huddle close to each other in fear not knowing where to turn to.
“Crystal, if you have something to say, calm down and say it. You said the guards dragged out kids right? Was there something special about those children?” Emlyn questioned with a soft tone effectively calming Crystal down.
Pondering deeply something clicked in Crystal's mind, “Hair and eye color. Their hair and eye color were all unique, and there was none with black or brown hair…”
Crystal trailed off causing goosebumps to sprout on the bodies of everyone who didn’t have brunette hair.
Gritting her teeth, Harley grabbed Crystal by the neck fiercely as she screeched at the top of her voice, “What are you insinuating?! You know you're not a brunette too, yeah?!”
“I-I shouldn't have dyed my hair, I—” Uriel muttered as he felt his entire body rattle, his eyes constricted as a feeling of breathlessness washed over him.
His heaving worsened and he could feel his body quiver when he suddenly stopped.
Not just him, everyone stopped their movement and became silent even Harley, who was losing it, and those who were trying to stop her from assaulting Crystal.
The marching had stopped. Which meant one thing, either the guards had left or….they were here.
J
Just then Uriel fell to his butt with his body shivering as if having an epilepsy as something wet dripped from his pants.
“A-ah- I don't want to die—” he mouthed soundlessly with tears in his eyes but was cut off when a high-pitched scream tore through the silence.
“Ahh!! Leave me alone! I don't want to die! Why me? Take this bitch she has blonde hair! Why me? Leave me! Ahh!!” Harley screeched loudly as a pulling force dragged her away from her tight hold on Crystal's neckline.
She trashed and wailed, even trying to use her fingers to hold herself, only for them to be ripped out by the pulling force, with blood trickling from her nails to the floor while being pulled away.
Looking at the others who simply watched on without helping to avoid becoming victims as well, a sudden rage burst through her!
“No!! It's unfair! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die! Someone will be going with me!” With a sudden rush of adrenaline, she defied the force, moving swiftly to grasp the closest victim, who turned out to be Emlyn.
Dina: Eh? (￣ー￣?)
Zero:.......
“Let go!” Emlyn screamed at the top of his voice while ruthlessly kicking the tenacious female whose hands grasped his feet tightly while looking at him with a distorted grin filled with malice.
‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’ Dina exclaimed internally; why wasn't she more careful?
Seeing Danielle about to approach him to help, Emlyn stopped her with a sign, and, looking at the wicked female who clung to him desperately, his gaze hardened.
Nam! Crunch! Bam! Crunch!
“Ahh!!!” Harley screamed in pain as Emlyn mercilessly stomped on her hands with his other foot, breaking her bones.
Even then, she stubbornly clung to him, even reaching out to hold his other feet, enraging Emlyn.
‘Now you asked for it!’
Without holding back anymore, Emlyn kicked her in the face so hard she passed out instantly and, this time, was dragged out without making a fuss.
Feeling everyone's eyes on him, probably shocked by his hidden brutality, he couldn't be bothered to explain; after all, it was a life-or-death situation.
Besides, even if she had extra lives, Dina wouldn't give that up. After all, what was the guarantee the girl wouldn't be picked again?
There was silence for a while as everyone watched Harley varnish from their vision, and for a while, they felt relieved.
“Is everyone o—” before Danielle could ask another scream, this time from two people, resounded through the passage.
Xeph and Calistor, the blonde-haired male that had kept quiet all this while, were grabbed.
“Noo!! Leave me alone!! Ahh!!! Ahh!!” Calistor struggled fiercely, his deep voice echoing through the passage as the pulling force dragged him away, disregarding his screams.
However, Calistor’s wails were drowned out by Xeph’s wretched screams.
“Why?! Why?! But I am a brunette!! You lied! You lied to me!! Ahh!! Why!!! You should die too, you liar!! Ahh!!! Let me go! Let me go! I have nothing unique for you let me go!! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!!” Xeph’s angry roars filled the castle as he struggled fiercely to escape the grasp on his feet to no avail, even using his teeth only for them to be ripped off, leaving him screaming in pain.
Just then, the tears in his eyes, along with the tremor, caused the contact lenses in his eyes to slide out, and all of a sudden, the pulling force stopped, leaving him lying face down on the passage with a bleeding mouth and face filled with tears and snots.
Calistor, on seeing this, screamed even louder, begging for mercy, “No, leave me! Leave me, too; someone save me!!! Please!!”
However, no one saved him, and all simply watched helplessly as he was dragged away… with Uriel.
“Ahh!!! AHHH!!!” Uriel, who had suddenly been grabbed, was left screaming at the top of his voice as he clamored in a bid to escape.
“Why!! Why me!! Why did you pick me!! Why did you leave him!! AHHH!!! AHHH!!! Why! Why! Why!”
He tried to grab Xeph, who was still seated in a daze but was skillfully invaded as the male ran back to the group.
Watching the male wander farther away while staring at him with relief, Uriel stopped struggling and, with gritted teeth, slammed his head on the floor, causing it to bleed.
Screaming at the top of his voice he said—
“You're all gonna die a horrible death!!! Mark my words!! You'll die too! You'll die too!!! Everything's fair; even with Crystal, you're all gonna die! Hahahahahahahaha!! You'll die too! You'll die too!!! Hahaha!!”
Staring at the boy endlessly alternating between cursing them to die and then laughing hysterically, everyone stared silently with fear.
They quivered in terror, hoping that none of them would be next for the next few minutes, and after a while, Crystal said, “I think it's…. Over.”
Everyone fell to the floor, excluding Marvin and Emlyn, who clung to the wall, thanking the heavens for life.
Although they weren't sure of their fate, escaping whatever that was was still far better.
Crystal removed the piece of fabric Emlyn had used to tie her injury which had miraculously healed with nothing to show for it, not even a scar.
Facing Xeph, she asked, “Are your teeth okay?”
“Yes… And I am sorry for doubting you and cursing you too,” he apologized shamefully, feeling a deep guilt wash over him.
Crystal sighed, “It's alright; with the situation you were in, it's understandable.”
Seeing Crystal pondering heavily on something Emlyn immediately approached, “Is there something you need?”
She stayed silent for a while before saying, “Anyone want to follow me down there?”
***
In the end, only Emlyn, Danielle, and Marvin were bold enough to follow her down. Both Xeph and Javis were too terrified to go down.
“So your vision is triggered in certain places?” Marvin asked. No one doubted Crystal again after what happened.
“Yes, specifically places where the visions had happened. Something tells me we'll find the next clue here.”
Slowly but softly stepping down the stairs, the group made their way to the entrance hall, and on reaching there, what they saw was enough to send any normal person into the psyche ward.