Tales of Erud

Chapter Two: Let's Make a Contract

"Essence is us, some of us are in a form of spirit, some takes the form of something lifeless and some are just everywhere. It is basically the source of magic, life and death here."

"And the term filling up, is that you, a vessel, should perform his task of going back to the heaven or hell or the observer's dimension so that you can perform your task well."

Maaya looked back to Gilliam on which he was already spacing out. "Gill? Maaya stood up towards Gilliam which was just staring blank with his mouth open. "Gill you still there?" Maaya waved his her hands a few inches away from Gilliam to see his reaction to which Gilliam reacted back.

"That was too much for me," Gilliam said in a shy matter.

"I guess. But do you, at least, understand some of it?" Asked Maaya who just smiled knowing that the flaw on Gilliam actually makes him cute for her.

"Yeah I guess so. But how come I became a vessel?" Gilliam asked again.

"Well, I don't really know about vessels since you are just the first one I saw so far and I just have the feeling that you are one."

"That was a pretty vague explanation about you knowing me as a vessel. But I could guarantee you that you are mistaken about me being a vessel." Gilliam said and stood up and started to walk in a different direction.

"Hey! wait!" Maaya said and ran towards Gilliam,

"You said that we are in a maze right?" Maaya looked at Gilliam who seems to look far in his front for something while still walking. "Hey! You could, at least, answer me!?"

"Sh!" Gilliam silenced Maaya who was suppose to open her mouth. Gilliam alerted himself and unsheathed his sword. That was the time Maaya felt something odd about the air and readied herself too.

They walked slowly and trying to make the least noise while walking. A few moments, they heard a branch snapped somewhere, they tried to find the source with their eyes. But never they knew that there seems to be a large or giant spider above them.

It was late before they knew that they are encased in the web and they both loose consciousness.

*

"Gilliam!" Gilliam heard a boy screaming out his name. "Gilliam, try to protect me, I'll just cast something big. And tell the other's that I need five minutes!" Gilliam didn't know who it was but it sounded real urgent. He tried to open his eyes but he can't.

After a while, he can't hear the boy now. It was silence.

He tried opening his eyes, but what he saw was a pitch black darkness. He tried looking at his hands but he can't even see it. He tried feeling it. It was a good thing that he can still feel his own body heat. He tried to walk around but he seemed to stumble onto something. Then a glow of fire from afar was seen.

Then the other torches lit up and what he saw terrified him. There are multiple bodies that he is either stepping on a standing with. There are different colors of hairs and eyes that seem to be looking at him.

He tried screaming but, there seems no voice to come out of his mouth. After that, he felt nauseating when he began smelling the decaying bodies. It was really putrid and his body can't seem to handle the rotting bodies of different people on the floor.

After a while, he heard crackling sound. Slowly, it seems to creep out on the corridor-like-place. Then he saw glints on the far end a chill crept into the room. He doesn't know what they cracking sound is. But for the looks of it, it doesn't good. Then he heard a series of fast cracks of what seems to be is ice. Ice is creeping and encasing the bodies on the floor. He began to run for safety but, it seems like, the ice creeping was too fast and sooner, it encased him in ice. And his hands cracked, slowly his body as well.