My breath hitched, and the tension in my body receded. I leaned against the cold stone of the statue. However I had succeeded, I had survived. But the relief didn't last long when I realized they would be back. Behind this gate they would lie in wait for me, patiently waiting for the moment when I was defenseless.
Despair seized me like an iron grip. Will I be able to escape them again? Will the statue protect me again? Should I just stay here, under their protection? I exhaled deeply, but the question tormented me: How do I find out about my identity if I just hide here? Should I crouch here, sit, wait for my death? Holding your breath for fear of the unknown behind this gate? Do I really want that?
No, I don't want to die without knowing who I was." The lights of the torches flickered as if they were reacting to my decision. "I don't know if the statue will save me again. I am not allowed to linger here."
My gaze wandered to her figure. Its splendour was extinguished. It stood there, like a mute, black rock, without energy, only a silent monument of stone.
Slowly I straightened up, the pain flashing through my body. My back burned as I straightened up. The legs felt weak, every step seemed to pull me back into the ground. My left arm was broken, but I had to move on! I had to get out of here before they returned.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as my gaze fell on the gate. Behind... They were lurking there, for me. I knew I had to find another way – a way out that didn't bring me any closer to these figures.
I put one foot in front of the other, carefully feeling my way along the corridor. It felt like the room itself was watching me, as if the walls were getting closer together with every step. Once again I looked back at the statue – it stood motionless, no more magical salvation. There was no way back. I had to move on...
My gaze fell on the doors on the sides of the corridor. One of them led into the library, so there must be other rooms hidden behind these doors. An escape route that didn't bring me any closer to the gate. A glimmer of hope, a tiny spark that drove me on.
Slowly I walked towards one of the left doors. It was heavy. I put both hands against the cold, iron-shod wood and pressed my body weight against it. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the door gave way, opened a little.
The room that opened up in front of me was just as dark as the corridor through which I had just entered. The walls, the floor—everything was black, as if the room itself had been carved out of the darkness. The corridor was narrower, but large enough that five people could walk side by side. Torches flared up on the walls, their flickering flames bathing the corridor in a ghostly blue-violet that only deepened the darkness.
I stepped on the cold stone ground, and the sound of my footsteps echoed. The door behind me closed with a dull bang. The loud sound of the metal cut through the silence – "Damn," I whispered, my gaze fixed on the slammed door. What if they heard it?
My gaze wandered to the end of the corridor. There was an impressive black door waiting to be opened. The corridor itself was supported by black columns that rose from the walls.
My thoughts swirled as I walked on. The door. The only way to escape. Will they be waiting for me behind it? A tremor came over me, and I clenched my hands into fists.
I had no choice. If I wanted to survive, I had to keep going. I had to risk it.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, I crept towards the door. Trembling, I put my hands on the cold door handle and felt my fingers cramp as if they wanted to resist opening the door. I took a deep breath and opened the door. It didn't creak, but swung up almost silently, as if it had been formed and sprung from the shadows themselves.
The room behind the door was rectangular. The floor and the turn were again in the same style as before. At the end of the room stood a noble black desk that looked as if it had been hewn from a single, solid block of obsidian. Behind it rose an equally black chair with soft upholstery, which seemed almost inviting in the dim light.
An imposing chandelier hung from the ceiling and bathed the room in a diffuse, violet light. Along the walls were high shelves filled with old writings and parchments. However, there was no dust on the surfaces – as if the room had only recently been entered or cared for by an invisible force.
Behind the desk stretched a huge window that took up almost the entire back wall. Faint light penetrated through and gave the room an eerie atmosphere. But behind the glass there was no sky, no landscape – only endless blackness, a bottomless nothingness.
Columns made of the same polished stone as the floor flanked the path to the desk. On it hung purple banners, decorated with an alien symbol—a dragon-like figure snaking around a sphere, an image that eluded my comprehension.
In front of the desk stood a black sofa, accompanied by a flat table with a marble-like surface. A soft crackle caught my attention. A fireplace blazed on one of the walls, its bluish flames dancing even though there was no wood in it. The air was pleasantly warm, but the cold in my limbs did not go away.
Slowly I stepped closer. On the desk were maps, several parchments and writing utensils. A black feather rested in a holder. On the walls hung pictures—dark images of a being that resembled the creatures that were chasing me, but far more massive and terrifying.
My fingers were shaking. What kind of room was that?
Suddenly, a purple flash flashed behind the window. A low, muffled roar followed, deep and distant like the rumble of a thunderstorm. The light flashed through nothingness, creating bizarre patterns in the blackness for a moment and then going out again. I held my breath as another roar vibrated through the room.
I dared to take another look out of the window. Nothing. Then another flash, this time more intense. Veins of light ran through the darkness for the blink of an eye and disappeared into the black of the darkness.
"What an eerie place..." I whispered.
I walked in front of the desk and slowly sat down on the chair. The cushion gave way as if it would catch me, almost like a shadow that encircled me. I took a deep breath. There were maps and parchments in front of me, but none of them showed a detailed map of this place or contained anything that would help me move forward.
Disappointed, I leaned back. The characters in front of me were strange, indecipherable. A frustration rose in me that only increased the discomfort inside me. I needed answers. Maybe there was something useful on the shelves.
I got up and went to the shelves, began to search through the parchments and notebooks. But it was in vain. No hint, no explanation, no map. Only documents in a language I didn't understand.
Next to the desk stood a large globe showing a map of the world. Countries and continents were marked on them, and strangely enough, I was able to read them this time. But nothing on this map helped me to understand this place.
A sigh escaped me. My thoughts were circling. Was this room just another dead end? Should I go and keep looking for a way out? But where to? Outside, the creatures lurked.
I leaned against the cold stone wall and closed my eyes for a moment. What was I supposed to do? Finally, I turned to the door and walked resolutely towards it. I put my hands on the cold metal and wanted to open it.
But she did not move. I pulled on it, pushed against it – but she didn't move. My heart began to beat faster. That couldn't be. The door had been open when I came in.
I took a step back, stared at her stunned. Was I locked up? Had someone or something locked the door while I was in the room?