The Last Healer

Chapter 69: Ariella

Chapter 69: Ariella

The buildings groaned constantly as the wind passed through them, the sun glinted off shattered glass that littered the ground.

"For being hundreds of years old, these buildings are standing pretty firm." Shanae whistled slightly as she stepped closer to me. "I remember growing up, the other kids used to tell ghost stories about this place. How the ancient Healers waited in their houses for someone to come in-"

"Thank you, Shanae." Isabella snapped at her, her brown eyes glinting in anger. "As thrilling as those stories are, I highly doubt that telling them now would be a good idea."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She grumbled softly, her hand slipping into mine and squeezing it tightly. "Now, stay close to us when we get there. We'll look around together so we'll all be safe."

"I will." I smiled at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as well as my eyes darted around the uninhabited world around us. There was no building that wasn't tainted by time, ruined by nature, or broken by human force. Everything in here was dead and only the memory of death remained.

My gaze shifted over towards a building that stood out from the rest. The marble walls were ragged where rocks were smashed and sliding off. The colored windows were smashed, the glass painting the ground, and then there was the door. The door with no handle, no lock, no way to open.

"The only building that was never opened. It's entirely possible that there's bodies in there." Isabella whispered as she glanced over at me. "Just stay close to us, alright?"

"My question is what kind of building is it?" Shanae muttered, her hand squeezing mine all the tighter.

"It's purpose was lost years ago, now there's no one alive who knows what it is." Isabella answered, her shoulders shrugging as she stepped forward. "The question is how do we get inside of here?"

"That is a very good question." Shanae grumbled as we followed Isabella closer, both of them observing the door. Dust painted the walls, but couldn't hide the fact of an exquisite design underneath. My eyes followed the loops and gentle curves to a small spot at my chest. A simple circle tainted with dirt.

"Perhaps we could get through one of those windows." Isabella muttered nearby me as Shanae laughed bitterly.

"And if Ariella has even the smallest bit of blood on her, her parents and Alexander will flip."

"True enough."

What if they couldn't open it was because they weren't Healers? My hand rose and hovered over the circle as my instincts told me to press my hand against it. My hand gently rested against the wall, encased by the circle in front of me.

A loud groan filled the air as the door cracked along the middle, slipping open revealing a large room inside.

"How did you do that?" Isabella demanded, excitement filling her voice as she ran forward, her eyes darting back and forth from inside to me.

"Well, it must open only for Healer of Waters." Shanae suggested, her hands resting on my shoulders. "If that's the case, it would explain why it's never been open."

"Let's go in." Isabella laughed brightly as she darted inside and I glanced over at Shanae in confusion.

"She likes adventures." Shanae shrugged slightly before grabbing my hand and walking inside. Pillars lined the room, creating a hall for us to walk along. The walls were painted with faded murals of women standing together, a strand of water connecting them. In front of us was an altar, the white fabric turned brown from the dust that caked it. On top of that was a single candle, untouched by time.