10 Who am I to You ? (2)

373 didn't follow the traces of energy that Michael left behind. Something else had caught her attention. Within a few breaths, she sneaked into the kitchen, took a piece of bread, refilled her canteen of water, made her way into Leon's cell and shoved her belongings in his hands. She quickly left him with his mouth wide open. Her mind was already focused on what she wanted to do. The brown-haired girl reappeared in a deserted hallway which she had traversed in her late-night strolls and took out the makeshift map she had drawn on the flimsy piece of paper.

'Celare,' she whispered. A blanket of energy wrapped around her body and she became concealed in the night.

She retraced her steps while carefully observing her surroundings. Inch by inch, she made her way to the same stop she had stood when she heard the distinctly silky and melodic voice whispering inside her head. She stopped at the spot where she heard the voice, her eyes scanning the empty hallway with both her Talent and her spiritual sense. There were no doors – just the plain white walls that caged the rest of Elisium. She stared at the map she had drawn. The longer she stared at the piece of paper, the more she believed she may have gotten the place wrong.

Her drawing was awful. That was probably a fact she couldn't escape.

373 looked around one more time while paying attention to the smallest detail. There was nothing different in the pathway she had chosen. The lighting was still the same drab hue. The walls were still plain white and boring. The shadows on the walls still cast the hallway in the same darkness it did every single night. Tonight, they were just a little bit longer and darker than they usually were.

Her black eyes widened. The little girl's body stiffened. She slowly made her way to the shadows on the wall and stared at how the shadows shifted even when the lighting in the halls neither flickered nor changed. With every step, she could feel an unexplainable chill creeping up her body. The energy around the area started to distort. The shadows seemed to dance and welcome her arrival.

A voice echoed in her head. It was a male tenor that was soothing and pleasant to the ears. It was the same melodic voice that she had heard the night she found the boy with the Talent of Salamander.

'Nonne venis ad me, pueri?' The voice said.

Did you come for me, child?

373 stopped in her steps. Creases appeared between her eyebrows. Her adorable face reflected a frown. The foreign sounding words lingered in her thoughts. She understood what the words meant even if she didn't know why. But her thoughts never followed a straight line. She didn't answer the question with a yes or no. She didn't explain. Instead, she brushed of the chill that was permeating in her body and said, "Speak in English."

A few seconds of silence passed. Then, a charming laugh reverberated in her thoughts. 373's eyebrows rose as she listened. She exhaled slowly and concentrated on the fluctuations of the energy flow around her. She walked towards a section of the wall where the shadows seemed to be the darkest. With a flick of her wrist, the wall gave way and she created a hole that was big enough for her to pass through. She went through the opening and closed the gap she had created. Without wasting a second, she followed the trail of energy that the shadows seemed to have created for her.

The hallway was different from the metallic walls that smelled of alcohol and anti-septic. It was deserted and poorly lit with dust particles flying around the stale air. Unlike the pristine appearance that Elisium had, the long pathway had paint chipping at various places and had the air of age around it. The pathway had a lot of doors, but they were all rusted and closed shut. The floor that was covered with dust had no other footprints aside from hers. 373 was probably the hallway's first visitor in a very long time.

The little female stopped at the end of the hall where a single door was left ajar. It creaked as 373's little hand pushed it open. A single staircase stretched down towards a dark abyss. The shadows around her danced, beckoning her to travel the steps towards the bottom. As if in a trance, she slowly and quietly made her way down as the minutes ticked by.

Two flights of stairs became three. Three flights of stairs turned into five. For what seemed like an hour, 373 walked down the seemingly endless staircase until she found herself facing an imposing set of double-doors made from thick wood. There were carvings on the doors. She saw angels with swords and shields sitting on elaborately designed chariots that hovered above clouds. At the center of the door, a sun shone brightly with its rays falling on the ground. The little girl felt an odd power being sealed from behind the door. But when she pushed the doors ever so slightly, they trembled and opened as if welcoming her arrival – it was almost as if it was her fate to discover the imposing double doors and what lied behind it.

The room wasn't dark but the light that shone inside it was unnatural. The ceiling was incomparably high but it was painted with a similar scene as the carvings on the door. 373's eyes scanned the rest of the room as she went in. There were various artifacts that were littered on the walls and there were symbols drawn on the granite floor. The deeper she went inside, the brighter the light became. As she reached the farthest wall, her eyes widened in surprise at the sight that greeted her.

A single crucifix that was at least ten times her size was mounted on the wall. Black wings were sprawled out and pinned on either side of the cross. A perfectly chiseled body was secured on the gigantic crucifix with barbed wires and enchanted chains. The figure's chest was bare and showed carved muscles that would have made an adult woman blush. Its legs were wrapped in silken pants that failed to hide a pair of powerful yet slender legs. Long black hair framed a beautiful godly face. 373 couldn't help but admire its handsome features.

It looked like a beautiful statue of a fallen angel. But the golden eyes that stared at 373 were swirling with life and energy that neither chains no enchantments could contain. The almond shaped eyes stared at her with hunger. The little girl was no longer in a daze. She had fallen into a trap. The statue was probably going to eat her. But she wasn't afraid. Even in the face of death, she oddly felt calm.

"You're a demon," she stated matter-of-factly, like she was talking to another person and not a mythical figure that could end her life in an instant.

The orbs continued to stare at her as the demon's lips moved in a languid but mesmerizing manner. "I was hoping that one of the young Spellcasters from Elisium would nourish me so that I may regain my strength and break these restraints. But alas, it seemed that the child I was calling out turned to be but an infant – a lamb with skin and bones."

The little female looked at the demon then silently gazed at the floor. A little knowing smile graced her lips before she looked back up and met the demon's gaze and pointed to the writings on the floor. "You can't touch me."

"Oh?" A calm look graced the demon's perfectly chiseled face. "And why is that, pueri?"

373 locked gazes with the demon. Then, with a huff, she ignored him.