The Lonely God

41.

-HER-

Collecting all the courage that I have inside me, I peek inside the well. That's when I feel a cold and rough hand pulling me inside the well. A glass shattering scream leaves my lips as the gravity pulls me deeper into the well.

Darkness surrounds me as I get swallowed deeper into the well. My heart is thundering in my chest and my stomach is churning sickly. The sense of my surrounding is lost; only the sound of the wind swooshing past my ears is all I hear. The voices are getting louder and clearer yet I cannot comprehend a word they're saying. Feeling overwhelmed, I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my head.

Suddenly, I feel the rigidness of the ground under my feet which has now replaced the emptiness of depthless well into which I fell. I let my hands drop from my head before I open my eyes slowly to find myself standing in one of the corridors in the palace.

The place looks familiar with the stone walls on which the torches hang. I look around to find the whole corridor deserted. There's a door at one end of the corridor while the other end is completely swallowed by darkness. I start walking towards the door, wanting to know which part of the palace I am currently at. I open the door and step inside to find the dungeons... wait, I've been here!

I came down here while I was searching for the secluded sanctuary. Tears pool in my eyes as soon as the whole incident starts to replay in front of my eyes. I sacrificed my choice to be marked to see my family who's been long gone. A sob starts to rise up my throat, choking me from inside, threatening to bring the agony out of me in the form of tears which I swallow down. I shake my head as I continue to walk through the long corridor in the dungeon.

I see light at the far end of the corridor. For some reason, I feel drawn to it like a moth to fire. My legs move without my whim as I find myself nearing the light. Either side of the corridors is lined with cages and intimidating doors. I don't even want to imagine what could be behind one of those doors.

Holding my breath, I keep walking towards the light. When I reach nearer to it, I see an old woman standing outside a door with a lantern. Her back is hunched and she is wearing a black cloak. Some loose strands of her white hair are hanging out of the cloak while she waits outside the door.

She looks at me but her expression seems unfazed as if she hasn't seen me at all. The heavy wrinkles hanging from her face doesn't even move a bit as her hollow and sly eyes look through me as if I am not even standing in front of her.

"Hello?" I call out to her but she doesn't respond as she continues to look through me. I step closer and wave my hand in front of her face but I am unsuccessful to wield a response from her. I try to step closer but instead of that, I end up tripping on my feet. A gasp escapes my lips when I lose my balance and fall over her. I close my eyes, waiting for the impact, waiting to knock her to the ground with me but... I fall through her.

I get up from the ground and try to touch her again but my hand passes through her. She seems like vapor. Confusion clouds my head. What is happening? Where am I? Am I getting a vision just like the one Haestus showed me some days ago?

Suddenly, footsteps echo in the corridor. They seem to be nearing us. The old woman continues to look into the darkness that surrounds the other end of the corridor from where the sound of footsteps seems to be coming.

A black hooded figure steps out of the darkness. It is instantly washed by the low light of the lantern hanging in the old woman's hand, exposing itself to our eyes. The height and weight of the figure are not much and the curves that the dark cloak outlines, confirms that there's a woman under it.