Jackson's eyes widened as he began squirming against the firm grip of his capturer, mumbling incoherently behind the gloved hand, "Shut it! Quit moving around!" The angry whisper rushed into his ears once more as a knife emerged, pressing against his neck, and a tiny trickle of blood ran down to his chest.
The young boy's heart raced, and he immediately froze as the hand removed itself from his mouth, and his head was jerked backward, wincing in pain as his hair was grabbed as the knife moved to the front of his neck.
"Good boy, now nice and slowly, open the door." The voice hissed as he was forced forward and his head forcibly held straight. Tears began welling in Jackson's eyes as he reached for the door again, hesitantly grabbing the damp metal handle and tugging it free, swinging it open with a loud creak.
Light crept into the shadowed passageway as lit sconces attached to the walls dimly illuminated small sections every dozen meters. Jackson and his captor slowly traversed through the passage one after the other.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, another door came into view with two torches on each side; Jackson was pushed forward suddenly, stumbling along as he fell to his hands and knees, turning around as he stared at the hooded figure.
It was a tall man wearing formfitting leather with bands across the chest containing dozens of small knives. A mask covered the bottom half of his face with a thick cloak concealing his head and most of his body.
Pointed at was an intricately carved dagger with a white hilt and silver pommel connecting to the crossguard. The blade was long, thick, and curved, with a flaring along the spine.
"Alright, kid. Open the door, slowly!" The hooded man coldly said from beneath his mask. Jackson nodded as he turned back to the door, standing slowly as he reached for the door.
"Hide behind the door, Jackson!" A voice shouted from behind as Jackson quickly grabbed the handle, jerking it open completely, throwing his back against the wall, and pulling the door in front of him as four knives slammed into the wooden door.
The hooded man turned, deflecting two frozen arrows with his dagger, reaching his free hand out behind him as black and blue whisps began to converge in his palm, spiraling around one another in a miniature cyclone.
Amihan sprinted down the long hallway, holding a large bow created from ice behind her as she raised it above her head, transforming it into a massive spear before flipping through the air and slamming it into the ground, creating spikes of ice that raced toward the hooded man.
The circulating energies converged in his palm, violently igniting into a purple flame as he jumped backward, extending his palm forward as he passed through the doorway as the fire exploded down the hallway.
Amihan's eyes widened in shock as she quickly rolled toward the pillar of blackish flames, her spear transforming into a shield as she dug her heels into the ground, her feet freezing into the stone as she held it ahead of her, freezing as it continued to expand outward.
The flames engulfed her as it roared down the hallway, incinerating everything in its path. The hooded man smirked before turning around and disappearing as he escaped.
Jackson winced in pain as he released the door handle, blowing on his red palms and waving them wildly. The door creaked forward as the burnt hallway came into view, smoke rising from every section of the hallway.
Amihan's body was covered in soot and sweat, kneeling as she panted heavily, holding her arms forward as steam billowed off her body. She sluggishly stood, wrapping one arm around her waist as she grabbed her elbow.
"Jackson! Are you alright?" She said, breathing heavily as she slowly approached him. The young boy nodded and cautiously stepped out from behind the door and looked through it.
Inside the doorway was a large room comfortably decorated with large rugs and a massive desk, and an equally sizeable armchair behind it. The walls were lined with bookshelves, spilling out with countless books. On the opposite wall was an open door leading to a ladder to the surface.
Amihan grabbed Jackson's shoulder, spinning him as she looked over his body for injuries, "Good, you're alright! What happened? Why are you down here?"
"I was looking for Grandma! She went this way; I know it!" Jackson said as he turned, pointing to the ladder.
"Jackson, we've already been through here and up that ladder. It's unlikely that you'll find her up there..." Amihan solemnly said, adjusting her glasses before she closed her eyes, softly shaking her head.
"No!" Jackson shouted, pulling himself free as she ran through the room, grabbing the ladder and climbing up.
"Stop! It's not safe! We don't know where that man went, and he's extremely dangerous!" Amihan shouted, throwing her arm out as the young boy disregarded her warning and frantically climbed out of the passageway.
He was in a small utility closet and opened the door, stumbling to his knees into a grand marble hallway. He turned and looked around as the moonlight shone through the massive windows behind large marble pillars supporting the second floor's balcony.
The gigantic, grand doors were flung open with the bodies of the two guards lying on the ground outside the entrance. Amihan ran out of the closet, grabbing Jackson and pulling him to her.
"Jackson! I told you, it's not safe!" She scolded him as she gasped, staring at the scene, "He would even murder the Royal Guard?!? This is worse than I thought!
We have to get out of here quickly!" Amihan said, grabbing Jackson's wrist as she quickly brought him back into the closet and down into the room. She scolded the young boy as she led him through the long corridor and back to the alleyway in Duskgate.
"Jackson, you can't do that again. Trust me when I say that we are looking for your grandmother. You will be the first person we tell as soon as we find her, okay?" She said, returning him to his cot and lying him down.
"Okay..." Jackson replied weakly, nodding his head and rubbing his eyes.
"Now, go to sleep! Tomorrow, everything changes for you!" Amihan smirked as she snapped the tent closed.