Grapevine (Zetheria Series #1)

Chapter 12: Path of Escape

Selene resigned herself to staring at the ceiling. Then, a couple of minutes later, the silence was broken by several footsteps from outside the hut.

Inaudible whispers reached her ears. She caught a few words from their hushed conversation and figured out what they meant.

'Chance... Escape...'

Then, several feet landed on the ground with soft thuds. As the darkness surrounded them, Selene remained vigilant, focusing on her senses while following their voices.

She sensed several small figures at the wooden door.

'So, it's not just me who wanted to escape this place.'

It's not that strange. Many of these girls were so young, they naturally had that rebellious nature. More so, when they were locked here this entire time, forced to tend to the needs of a psychopathic mage with no hope for freedom.

Before she knew it, Selene was outside the hut. The cold wind hit her on the face, chasing away the remnants of relaxation on her body, which was already sparse ever since she was captured. 

No one can fully relax in such a place.

She followed behind the girls, maintaining some distance so as to not reveal her presence.

Selene was vigilant, all her senses were heightened as she kept watch of the surrounding area. Even the smallest sound made her heartbeat double.

By the faint light from the sky, Selene slowly discerned the objects around them. They passed by several mid-sized huts protected by fences, until a familiar tree came into view. She had etched this image on her mind before and she remembered it clearly, especially the bench on the verge of collapse leaning on its trunk.

The next moment, her eyes widened. The alarms in her system went off as a tingling sensation penetrated her bones. The oppressive mana flowing in the air didn't escape her senses.

It was as if the world went into a standstill, in recognition of this mysterious force.

In an instant, Selene dropped to the ground and rolled.

A split second later, screams tore through the air.

Selene crawled on the ground, barely making any sound.

'I knew it.'

Once she was hidden from the scene, Selene broke into a run, barefooted. The grass cushioned her feet as she ran to the direction of the kitchen area. But then she took a turn to the path leading to the wooden structure and crossed a wide, empty lot.

She took another turn to the left and entered an alley of huts.

'Where is it? Where is it?'

Letting out a breath of turbid air, she tried to remember where the storage room was located. Beth, the strict girl, took her in that hut earlier. Selene promised to visit it when she got the chance. She recognized the enchantment circles on a section of a wall and knew instantly that there was a hidden chamber behind it.

The original Selene had studied spells her entire life, she naturally didn't miss to study enchantments as well. The ability stayed with the current Selene. It was strange, but the ability was very welcome.

She needed all the abilities she can get.

Sensing the oppressive mana approaching, Selene's mind went blank. She momentarily panicked and recklessly entered a random hut, closing the door behind her back, soundlessly. As fate would have it, she   accidentally found the exact place she was looking for.

The hut was illuminated by the dim light emanating from the jars near the entrance.

Her feet touched the warm soil. She looked around and squeezed herself in a small space behind the shelves. Gasping, she listened in to the slightest of sounds and feel the surrounding air for the oppressive mana.

Several minutes passed and it slowly faded.

She sighed in relief.

It was then that Selene realized she was inside the storage room.

She calmed herself down for a moment before putting her plans in action. Selene opened the drawers and chests, finding some foreign tools and scrolls.

Turning to the shelves, she checked the jars containing various plants and insects. Earlier, she didn't have the time to check them carefully. She had to control her curiosity and pass the jars a longing glance before leaving to locate the wall with the enchantment circles.

The storage room was barely the size of a basketball court and in it were rows of shelves where the jars are organized. Finding that one particular wall was not too difficult for Selene.

She stopped for a moment to admire the enchantment.

After hesitating for a while, she began summoning her mana. It was the same process as creating mana balls, with some slight differences. Her palms were planted on the wall. The contact made her hands glow with a bluish light. The action came to her like an instinct, it's as if the underlying principles behind the enchantment was unveiled. She understood the structure and knew which part she should alter in order to achieve the desired result.

In a few breaths, changes appeared on the wall. The circle glowed for a split second before it turned black and disintegrated into pieces. An entire section turned to ash and fell down on the ground.

Selene faced a staircase leading downwards. She hastily climbed down, braving the darkness. After a while, she arrived at the foot and found a spacious chamber.

Her face brightened.

'I was right.'

In the middle of the chamber was a jar of seeds floating on a circular altar.

Rainbow-like swirls formed a dome on its immediate vicinity. The rest of the chamber was shrouded in darkness.

Selene kept an eye out as she surveyed the walls for potential traps.

Soon enough, the ground she stepped on, crumbled. But, Selene moved in time, avoiding it.

Several more traps were laid inside. It took her a long time to reach the altar. Without wasting a beat, she murmured the spell that Felice used when she created a barrier.

She had faith on the quality of her mana. Even though it was her first time doing it, she didn't have difficulty in casting it like she expected. In fact, it was unbelievably easy.

It seemed that Hadeon didn't expect anyone to find this secret chamber. He didn't cast a complex barrier and he also didn't put as much traps as he could. It's like he just put a few of them in place for precaution.

When the spell finished, the rainbow-like swirls vanished. Selene grabbed the jar before it fell on the cold stone.

In the next second, she stumbled on her feet.

The whole world shook. Cracks ran through the ground and through the walls. Dust fell from above, followed by a loud rumble.

Her eyes widened. It's as if her body remembered the horror of the earthquake.

Selene's eyes turned sharp, she forced her body to move and ran back to the stairs with the fastest speed she could muster.