The map in his hand felt like a crust piece of bread as he squeezed his fist around it.
Just a few more meters and he would reach his destination - The Great Hall, the legendary hall known to house all kinds of poisons and deadly weapons that could mortalize the life of immortal creatures.
Damian hastened his pace when memories of the previous night flashed through his mind.
"I'm here." He remembered whispering into Lucia's ears as he buried his face in the nook of her neck.
"Will you stay?" Lucia had asked as she palmed circles on his back.
His hands had held Lucia, fell her warmth against his, his lips had touched hers, and he wanted nothing but more of that for eternity. Just looking at her beautiful face, touching her body, marking her soul as his, was all he wanted but as he inched towards "hell's door", he knew there was no way he would never have what he wished for.
His own footsteps echoed in the hallway as he walked and the whispers followed but he pressed on. He wanted no distraction but with each step he took was one battle after the next. Images of Lucia's face flashed through his mind and he'd blink them away.
"Damian?"
He heard a voice call for him and he whipped around sharply. But there was no one there.
"Who's there?" he asked, whipping out the dagger lodged at the belt on his waist.
The whisper came again and his grip on the hilt of his sword tightened.
"Come out!" Damian yelled, too tired and frustrated for games.
When nothing moved, he hurled the knife at one spot in the wall and the contact created a spark and the spark birthing a little fire that wisped on the cracked slab floor.
"Holy Mary, are you trying to kill me?" Dimitri scrambled out of the hidden corner, stepping on the fire to put it out. And he successfully did.
"What the hell are you doing here, Dimitri!" Damian barked with rage.
"It was lonely and cold outside. What was I supposed to do, wait for some creature to snag me up? I have a wife and children!" Dimitri yelled back.
Damian whispered now but it still carried his angry tone. "Don't you understand? Any human who steps foot on Clarosha will die! They don't call it the 'dead man's land' for nothing."
Dimitri's face went pale. "Jesus, am I dead?"
Damian walked towards him and ran his fist across his face.
"Ow!" Dimitri cupped his left cheek with his left hand. "What the hell did you do that for!"
"I'm trying to see if you're dead but I can touch you that means you're very much alive," Damian replied with squinted eyes. "But how?"
A scoff left Dimitri's lips. "Check if I was still alive? That punch could've killed me!"
"Yet, you still live." Damian turned away.
"I guess the legends were false after all," Dimitri scanned the dimly lit cave only permeated by the silver light coming from the door ahead. "Humans can walk on Clarosha."
"Oh really?" Damian gave him a side-glance.
"Oh yes and I am a testament to that fact," Dimitri spread his arms wide open. "I'm alive, am I not?"
"I might already be dead, Dimitri." Damian rolled his eyes.
"That doesn't make me feel better." Dimitri didn't know what face to make. He could only hide it in the palm of his hands.
"Next time, don't try to sneak up on me." Damian said with a scowl and turned on his heels.
"W. - Wait, Damian," Dimitri ran after him and managed to catch up. "You're not gonna ask why I came here?"
"I don't care. I'm dying anyways. It'll be a waste of information in my brain." Damian replied dryly, his eyes still making contact with the golden door that will lead him to his death.
Dimitri heaved a frustrated sigh. "You're just mean. Do you know how hard it was sitting on that boat and waiting in you? It took me 4 days and that's how it long it takes for the average man to lose his sanity."
"Shut up, Dimitri." Damian palmed his forehead.
"Shut up? I've had no one else to talk to in 4 days so you're stuck with me, buddy." Dimitri winked at him but Damian refused to return the favour.
As they got to the door, Damian traced his fingers on the weathered surface of the golden door. And Dimitri still rambled on about the hellish experience he had in the past few days.
Damian ignored him, his eyes scanning the intricate scrollwork craved on the door.
"This is Ancient Lycra." He gave a short gasp and reeled away from the door.
"Damian, what's wrong? Did you find something?" Dimitri asked, popping his head behind him.
Damian was quick to cup his hand over his mouth as he sighed. "It's Ancient Lycra, the old tongue. It was the vampire's first language before it was reinterpretated."
"Ancient Lycra?" Dimitri asked, just as surprised as he was. "Are you saying that a vampire built this place?"
Damian pulled down his hand from his face, his lips set, his face stern. "Only one way to find out."
He took out his dagger and ran it over his palm.
Dimitri tried to intervene. "What are you - -"
"Only the blood of a vampire can open this door," Damian whispered, pressing his hand against the centre of the double doors. "So that's why Clarosha is called the Dead Man's Land. Only vampires can walk in here."
"Well, I'm still alive," Dimitri gave a carless shrug. "Does that make me one?"
"Who knows?" Damian could only stare at the door as his blood flowed through all the patterns inscribed on it.
A loud click echoed in the silence and they both stepped back. The solid double doors groaned heavily as they began to part.
"Stay here." Damian told Dimitri as he took a step forward.
His companion shook his head. "No. We've both come a long way. I'll be a coward if I left you alone."
"A few minutes ago you were complaining about being a husband and the father of two children." Damian stifled a laugh.
Dimitri gave him a curt nod. "I'll be sure to return home alive to my family. And besides a man never abandons the needs of his family. We might be strangers by blood but by heart, you are my brother."
Damian felt his heart skip a beat. No human had ever told him that. Why did God choose this moment to punish him? Just when he was about to die, the people who cared about him surfaced.
"T - Thank you." Damian turned his face away immediately. He wouldn't dare let Dimitri see him cry.
"Shall we?" Dimitri said in a chirpy voice as he walked past Damian. He held the door handle and froze. "I'm so sorry. You're going to die and here I am, acting like I just won a Grace and Favour."
"It's alright. Shall we?" Damian said, holding the door wide open.
They both shared a smile before walking into the unknown, the ancient double doors groaned heavily slamming shut behind them.
INFORMATION:
Grace and Favour in the medieval times was a system where the monarch grants a certain privilege or bestow favour to individuals who have rendered exceptional service or achieved notable distinction. This can come in the form of honorary titles, free apartments and cottages in any city of voice or retirement scheme for old labourers.