Bishop Tinibu made the pronouncement and instantly, a tear dropped down from Juan's face.
Agatha on the other hand seemingly looked calm about it all. While Finn walked down the step that led to the pedestal with an emotionless face.
"The people must have gathered. And the sound of the explosion should have travelled far. Either way, they must know what has come of this ritual. Proceed to the nest square!!"King Shola ordered.
The King was the first to do this. He stepped out of the room and the six bishops followed swiftly behind him. Next, Finn walked out with his sister and mother walking side by side.
Juan clutched onto her mother like a little girl by the waist with one hand. While her other hand held on tightly to Agatha's wrist.
So much could be said about the expression on their faces. If anything, they were completely distraught.
"Was the prophesy only made to frighten us? How can the wall of fate condemn him to such an unfathomable place? The prophecy of Kalu... What is all of this? Even the wall confirmed what that witch prophesied! I think should invite her over again. It's been a while and with how she was treated the last time, I doubt she would comply without reluctance. No matter, she will be forced to serve!!!"King Shola said to himself. He walked like he was not bothered about it all. But that wasn't exactly the case and it was the same for some of the bishops, especially Bishop Tinibu.
"The boy smells different by a pinch. I doubt many would pick this up. But I am certain the king knows of this. Now what baffles me the most is why the same prophesied spawn would be condemned to the nether by the wall of fate. The wall confirmed that witch's prophesy but now makes a turn to simply refute said prophesy with this judgment. Surely, there are layers to this matter, "Bishop Tinibu thought while they were on the walk to the nest square.
"I don't know what that bishop saw but it looks to me like they only saw the end of the pattern and not the start. However, now it is clear to me that I was the only one that saw the whole pattern at first before it disappeared. What has a serpent's tail got to do with the situation I am in? In a way, I wish that bishop that translated what the patterns meant on the wall had seen that tail. Perhaps, he could have explained what it meant. On the other hand, maybe I am the only one meant to see it. For now, nothing seems to have gone out of place. My plan remains in motion, "Finn thought as they made their way through the twists and turns of the King's chamber.
As they passed through the arches where the seven pillars stood, they realized there were more pawns stationed outside than before they entered the King's chamber.
This was because even before the news got outside, the pawns themselves knew the king was on his way out. And it was customary that he had escorts at all sides. This was not to ensure his safety in any way. If anything, the king would be the one to protect them. He was plenty strong and could cope just fine on his own.
The main reason they came in numbers was to escort him to the grand nest square. This was simply so they could pay their respects to the King.
Juan left the comfort of her mother and shuffled her way to Finn who was to her surprise walking nonchalantly near the bishops.
She grabbed hold of his hands and said in a hushed tone.
"I know you think this might be over so you are trying to do something suicidal. But believe me, it is better to enjoy these last few moments than end up on the wrong foot with any of them!!"Juan said facing forward to indicate the group she was referring to.
"What's the point of fearing death? Isn't that the whole reason we live? ...To die?"Finn asked.
"Whatever that means. You weren't paying much attention three days ago. But just as I predicted, out of the two options, one has come to fruition, "Juan said.
-The doll has valuable knowledge of this culture. But somehow, she fails to read the situation for what it truly is. She mistakes my careful planning phase for inattentiveness. How sad it is to watch them pretend to feel empathy for the situation I have found myself in. Yet at the very least, her show of comfort might as well be exploited. Every piece of information is vital- Finn's thoughts as they made their way down the stone stairways.
"The nether..."Finn was about to say these words but was immediately cut off by Jaun.
"Some say it is where the god of evil resides and punishes those who are evil during their time before entering his world. Others say it is a place of eternal suffering. Though no one has ever returned from the nether, which is why the speculations of what becomes of those who go there can not be boldly ascertained. Yet that is the exact reason it is feared. The gates open at certain times and seals back shot. At this period, it is impossible to get it open. Not even the kin..."Juan was going to say but after taking a look at who was in front of her, she knew it best to keep that part out.
"A dull doll yet she knows just who her master is. It's only a matter of time till I make your master my doll as well...kikikikikihhahahahah" Finn thought whilst laughing to himself.
"...Every person if deemed by the wall of fate is sentenced there. It has housed some of the worst the vampire race has ever known..."Juan was going to go on to explain what the situation was like to Finn before she got interrupted.
"I know all this... I know all of it because you told me earlier. Now what you are keeping from me is the ones sent down there. "Bad" can mean a lot of things, "Finn said to Juan.
"Sadly, that is something I can't ideally talk about. The ones sent there are not to be spoken of again, "Juan said.
"Wise choice of words young one, "a voice said to them. At first, it was hard to tell just who had spoken considering there were a number of vampire pawns on escort duty, the six bishops, the king himself and even her mother.
But after a single figure stopped at the front and waited for them to catch up to him, did they know who it was that has spoken.
"Let me tell you what you are in for, youngling," Bishop Tinibu said.
"You might only be a spawn but your actions are inexcusable. The Nether is not a thing of our creation. Neither is the wall of fate. Everything that appears unbelievable to you appeared that way once to our ancestors when they stumbled upon this mountain and made it their home. They called it their nest. But what you should know is that the people won't take what the wall of fate has deemed your faith,"
"Prepare yourself, "Tinibu said.
"Why do you choose to elucidate on my woes, old one," Finn asked with an emotionless face while both eyes stared at the bishop.
In that split second, the bishop found himself lost in Finn's eyes. The contrast existing between both eyes of a singular being grasped his curiosity tightly.
But he soon regained himself and collected himself. While Finn hadn't seen this short act, he awaited a reply.
"You concern yourself with what my intentions towards you may be when there is a bigger problem ahead of you completely beyond your grip and ability to tackle. Yet, it is left to you to decide what you make of my intentions. You are not in chains nor guided vigilantly by the soldiers on ground. You may not know this, but this isn't how we treat our offenders," The bishop said and increased his pace to join the others ahead.
Juan and Finn watched the bishop as he rejoined the other bishops and the King at the front. When they turned back to their mother, she appeared to still be in deep thought.
They made their way through to the final layer of the conical nest. At the bottom, contrary to Finn's knowledge of the direction they were to take, King Shola along with his bishops took a different path.
Ahead of Finn was a large dark cave but this posed no problem to him as he could see just fine. But oddly, on getting into the cave, Finn saw that it was illuminated with strange crystals lining up on the ground as they walked by.
What he noticed was that every two steps they took, five crystals at both sides of the cave would be lit up and then when he turned back after taking two steps, he realized the crystals had lost their light again.
"The lunar cave. It's one of the beauties of this great mountain. There are several more things that might be compared to the work of magic. Sadly, with this pronouncement, I doubt you'd get to see them all, "Juan said losing most of the cheerful look she had moments ago when talking about the hollow passageway.
After a while, Finn began to hear noises from the other end. As they got closer, the noise became more apparent. Finn saw the King and the bishop disappear out of sight as they climbed another stone step.
On getting closer, Finn didn't need anyone to tell him where they were. He could smell the scent of different vampires permeating the air.
As he too got to the stone steps and climbed on them one by one, he realized it led up straight to where there appeared to be some wooden pillar-like structures dug into the ground.
Finally, he finished climbing the steps and found the Bishop and King Shola standing on a higher platform compared to the sea of vampires in front of him.
....