The Restoration Protocol

11 || castle of oddities

The woman at the diner was telling the truth. Regardless of her status as existent or nonexistent, corporeal or non-corporeal... the fact remaining is that within the density of the eerie fog that rests over Hollowmire's center, a lone castle sits untouched by the encompassing decay of the city. The surrounding property is empty. Unbuilt upon, and for a fair stretch of land, too, seeming through conscious effort of the inhabitants who wished to abandon the mere threat of soaking up its atmosphere. As if they could imagine a worse fate than that which has already befallen their embittered souls.

The castle itself appears to materialize into a state of gradual clarity. Dark and grand with its towering, black stone walls extending to rub shoulders with the sickly sky. The whole place stands in solitude. Unguarded, as is perhaps the only similarity it shares with the rest of Hollowmire. With nothing left worth cherishing, there would be no point.

It doesn't feel nice. As intrigued by the city's story as she's been since the moment they stepped through the portal, Mariko's chest feels heavy as she gazes upon the castle. A bizarre, inexplicable sadness emanates from its core, like a pair of decrepit arms reaching out to embrace its unexpected visitors. Craving a touch, but already accepting that it wouldn't be welcomed. Maybe it's just in her head, Mariko thinks — Boey, at the very least, wears some sort of expression that suggests he's experiencing the same thing. But then again, it is Boey, and 'mild to severe discomfort' is almost a default look for him when it comes to new things.

There are no great, ornate doors at the structure's center, ready to open and welcome them inside. Nothing at all like that. In fact, it takes quite a while for them to even find a door. And what they do find looks more akin to a rear exit you would find in a back alley tattoo parlor. A gap built into the side of one of the walls leads through the castle, yet without entering it. The door sits at the end of a daunting tunnel, casted in a dark shadow by the higher floor which stretches over it. The only reason they're able to identify a door there at all is thanks to the two torches lit on either wall. At the first step Mariko makes around that corner, the rest of the torches ignite, too. Evenly spaced from one another from the beginning of the tunnel to the end. A stone path is illuminated.

"Hey, it's like our yard lights," says Boey quietly. The joy of familiarity passes in a moment. "Oh, but it's real fire, not cheap electric lights."

"And your mom's not waiting at the end of the walkway with a plate of brownies," adds Mariko.

"And my mom's not waiting at the end of the walkway with a plate of brownies..."

"Well, I don't know about your mom," joins Sebastian, nosily leaning down to stick his head between the two teenagers, "but maybe Jugo's got somethin' cookin'. Maybe he's an eeeevil, spoooky vampire baker, who bakes the flesh and organs of his victims into delicious pies and cakes after he's finished slurping their blood. You know, like how Native Americans use every part of the buffal—ow."

Julian retracks his hand from the back of Sebastian's head. He doesn't even bother to make a comment this time, but rather turns promptly to Mariko and says in a soft voice, "Would you care to lead the way, Miss Mariko? Under normal circumstances I wouldn't ask, but you are carrying that badge we received from Prince Lotus. I'm to assume we'll need to show that at the front door."

"Yeah, some front door," Sebastian mumbles, rubbing his bruise. He peers down the tunnel. "The thing has no handle. Look at that. You guys seeing this? Julian, that's what your heart looks like. Put a friggin' handle on it."

"I'm not gonna let you get to me, Sebby. Mariko? If you would."

At Julian's polite yet serious gesture, Mariko offers a firm nod and starts off down the torch-lit pathway. The others fall into line one by one behind her. As such, a height chain is formed among them, with the two teenagers of roughly the same height at the head of the line, then Soleil who has a few inches on them, then Julian, who if Mariko had to guess is probably about six feet, then finally Sebastian, who is definitely more than that. Yet here the smallest of them all is the one wielding their key into the 'monster's den.'