As I approached the door, the thumping of my heart echoed loudly in the silence of the night, its rhythm matching the rapid beat of my pulse. With trembling hands, I summoned every ounce of courage and turned the doorknob, the metal cool against my fingertips. The creak of the door opening seemed deafening in the stillness, and my breath caught in my throat as I peered into the empty darkness beyond.
"Who was knocking, and now there's no one?" I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart. Just as I moved to close the door, a strange sensation gripped me, like something was caught in the threshold. Looking down, I was startled to find my beloved pet, Poppy, staring up at me with wide, pleading eyes.
"How did you get here?" I exclaimed, relief flooding through me as I scooped him up in my arms. I hurriedly ushered him inside, pulling the door shut behind us with a sense of urgency, as if unseen dangers lurked just beyond.
"Master, why did you leave me there?" Poppy's voice trembled with fear as he recounted his harrowing ordeal, his words sending shivers down my spine. "Those insects were ready to tear me apart, but for the intervention of an invisible savior."
My mind raced with questions, but before I could voice them, a voice interrupted from the shadows. "If you two are done catching up, I'd like to join the conversation," the old man's voice rasped, his sudden appearance sending a chill down my spine.
"Old man, where were you when I needed you?" I demanded, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "I was alone and scared, and now you show up out of nowhere?"
Ignoring my outburst, I turned to him with a desperate plea. "I need to train, but there's nowhere safe. Can you help me?" The sense of urgency hung heavy in the air, the tension palpable as we awaited his response.
But just as hope began to flicker, I remembered something, a glimmer of insight buried deep within my memory. "Raven, you need to see this," I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I handed him the mysterious book.
As he reached out to take it, his eyes widened in alarm. "No, don't!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency. Before I could react, he snatched the book from my hands and tossed it into the flames, the crackling of the fire drowning out my protests.
"Why did you do that?" I demanded, my frustration boiling over. But Raven's expression remained stoic, his gaze unwavering. "Some secrets are better left buried," he said cryptically, his words sending a shiver down my spine.
And as the flames consumed the last traces of the book, a sense of foreboding washed over me, the weight of the unknown pressing down like a leaden shroud.
"I thought it was over, but it wasn't burned at all; it came out of the fire. But the color of the book changed; it became totally black, and its pages were still the same. The book emerged from the flames unscathed.
"What's happening? Did you read it?" Raven asked me. "Yes, I did. Should I have not read it?" Raven's expression was weird. "Why did you do that? It's a forbidden book. If you read it, you should read it till the end; if not, you will either go mad, or if you're lucky, then you will die by her hands." I didn't get it.
What did he mean by 'if I'm lucky, I would die by her hands'? "Shouldn't you say that I should at least stay alive?" He started laughing. "My friend, do you think you just touched a simple book?" I couldn't understand what Raven was trying to tell me. "What do you mean? What is this book about?" I asked him out of curiosity. "It's a book written by a member of the Yakshini clan. They are a non-human race from another world. They have two small tusks in their mouth.
They look beautiful but are dark sorcerers. If you fall in love with a Yakshini, then she will marry you and then kill you on your wedding night after spending the night and sacrificing you. It's the ritual of their clan. That's how they run their clan; they even kill their own child if it's too powerful or weak." That's so ruthless. Is there such a clan? "Why does that have to do with me?" I asked Raven. "You should have read the book if you started; then read it till the end, what's written in it." Raven asked me. I opened the book and saw what is written. "What I read, that information was all about Yakshini. It's written that she comes only to a person who has lust and greed." I flipped the pages, but I was shocked to see the book. "Fool! It was a joke," I turned my head to see Raven. "So, it was your doing," I threw the book at him. "It was a joke, my friend.
I thought of playing a trick, that's it." I ran to catch him to beat him to a pulp, but he was super fast in running away. I was out of breath, thought of sitting down on the bed. "Why did you do this to me? Is it fun for you to create such a story to fool me?" Raven then came to me to explain. "I wanted to make you feel energized as I saw you stuffing your stomach all by yourself, so I thought of teaching you a lesson.
Do you know how it feels to be hungry for a hundred years? No one even asked me to eat, and you selfishly consumed everything without even waiting for us."
"He's making puppy eyes, acting all innocent after everything he's done to me," I scoffed. "Stop it. I'm not a girl who will melt from your sentimental dialogue. If you want to eat, just go and eat whatever we have in the kitchen."
Raven's face lit up like a candle in a dark room. "Wow, contractor, can I eat the kitchen then?" he quipped, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
I burst into laughter. "What are you saying, old man? Don't you have kitchens in your generation where you cook food?"
I thought Raven might have caught on to our jest, but it seemed he was still lost in the labyrinth of confusion.
He blinked and stared as if pondering something. Poppy chimed in, "I know, I know, it's a fruit, right, master?"
I thought he might have understood, but it seems he didn't. "Isn't a kitchen some kind of tree or plant that gives us food?" Raven asked.
Both of them were clueless. "Idiotic old man, come here. I'll show you what a kitchen is. Follow me." I led the way, Raven following behind, and Poppy tagging along, his hunger evident.
I led them into the kitchen and showed them around. No one was there; everything was neat and clean without a speck of dust. The kitchen was spacious, with gleaming countertops and cabinets neatly organized. The aroma of freshly cooked meals lingered in the air, though the source seemed elusive.
"Where's the food that you ate?" Raven and Poppy began to explore, inspecting every nook and cranny of the kitchen. They started to throw everything, breaking glasses and plates. It was a very loud noise, and soon the servants came rushing in. "Who is it?" Before I could hide, they saw us. "Ahhh! There's a monster, monster! Help, help!" I think she must have seen Poppy. I took Poppy and hid him in a cupboard. "It's me. Do I look like a monster to you?"
"Young master, what are you doing here?" She peered at me with suspicion, as if trying to discern if I were hiding something behind my back. I felt a pang of fear, worried that Raven might get caught. But then I remembered, Raven could vanish into the walls or even hide within a water bottle; after all, he was a spirit.
"I was hungry, so I came to look for food," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. However, her suspicious gaze lingered on me, causing my nerves to tingle.
"You could have called us. But it's midnight; are you hungry at this time?" Her questioning felt relentless, and I feared we might get caught if she continued.
Suddenly, a sneeze echoed from the cupboard near my right leg. It must have been Poppy, locked inside. My heart raced as the servant's attention shifted.
"Who just sneezed? I think there's someone else here besides us," she exclaimed, her eyes darting around the room. "A cat, perhaps?"
"No, it's not a cat, master," she denied, her suspicion growing.
"Move, young master. Let me see if there's something here," she ordered, moving towards the cupboard where Poppy was hiding. With a sinking feeling, I whispered to myself, "Looks like I'm doomed today," and closed my eyes, bracing for the worst.