Vanishing Act
As I fled through the dimly lit corridors, my mind raced with fear and confusion. The figures I had glimpsed in the Meeting Hall appeared human at first glance, but I knew better.
Behind their deceptive facade lurked creatures straight out of the darkest fairy tales, beings I had only ever encountered in children's books.
With each step I took, the sense of unease grew stronger, propelling me forward into the unknown depths of the castle.
An air of authority enveloped them, like an invisible force that seemed to pull me toward them. Yet, simultaneously, I felt the push of an unseen wind, urging me to flee, to retreat as far away as possible.
In all that I had encountered since arriving in this strange world called Quailsham, these figures appeared the most normal in appearance, resembling humans.
Yet, they were also the source of a distinct and unsettling fear unlike anything I had felt before. It surpassed the fear I experienced facing the Bull or encountering the creatures they called Ghouls and Golems. This fear emanated not from their outward appearance, but from the unknown depths hidden beneath their seemingly ordinary facade.
With my heart pounding and my feet carrying me swiftly, I fled further from them. My anxiety refused to abate, and my pace didn't falter until, with my vision blurred and my breath ragged, I suddenly realized that I had reached the outer edges of the castle grounds.
As I stood outside, the bright and full moon cast its luminous glow, but the sky was devoid of stars. My gaze wandered aimlessly until it settled on the ground beneath me, where I felt the sudden warmth of my bare feet.
In my frantic rush to eat and escape, I had forgotten to put on any footwear when I left the room.
As the night enveloped me in its cold embrace, the ground beneath my feet remained unbearably hot. It was like walking beneath the foot of an active volcano on the brink of eruption.
Frantically, I searched for cooler ground to place my feet, hopping from one spot to another, but found no relief. The heat seared through the soles of my feet, causing discomfort with each step.
Then, unexpectedly, I found myself rising from the ground, lifted by an unseen force.
I couldn't help but gasp, my eyes widening as I saw Ludwig's furrowed brow and intense gaze fixed on me. Instinctively, I lowered my gaze, unsure of how to react.
I wanted to scream, to ask him to put me down, but before I could utter a word, the surroundings shifted and darkened.
Then, just as suddenly, warmth embraced me, and the darkness gave way to illumination. Before my eyes, the familiar room where I had been moments ago appeared.
"How?" I stammered, unable to believe what had just happened.
Ludwig gently set me down on the soft carpet, his expression stern. He struggled to suppress the tension in his jaw, his eyes flashing with frustration. "Alexa specifically told you not to go outside for a crucial reason," he said, his voice loud enough to make my eardrums ache. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze intense.
"You're not listening to us," he continued, his tone stern. "You constantly put yourself in danger. Why did you go out? Couldn't you wait for us to come to you? Are you planning to escape again? Well, sorry to inform you, Earthling, but you won't survive a single day outside of my care, and the sooner you realize and accept that, the better off you'll be, damn it!"
Once he finished speaking, his muscular chest heaved rapidly. He was angry, but I was even angrier. I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white.
"Are you done?" I asked, meeting his sharp gaze with raised eyebrows. "Fine, sure, you're the one who bought me. You saved my life, okay. But what gives you the right to scold me for doing what I have to do?"
I held my ground despite shivering intensely, feeling drawn closer to him despite my resistance. The proximity made me dizzy, as if I were being pulled toward his body. I fought the urge to vomit, swallowing the acidic taste rising from my empty stomach.
"I didn't want to go out at all," I continued, meeting his narrowed eyes. "I never wanted to see another scary creature. I just wanted to remain sane for one more day. But..." I paused, catching my breath. "But I had to go out because I was looking for food." I sensed a shift in Ludwig's expression. "It's been thirty hours since my stomach was empty," I confessed. As if on cue, my stomach grumbled loudly. "My last meal was yesterday morning, and if I weren't used to this state, I would have fainted by now. Or worse, died."
As I awaited Ludwig's response, my mind split into two, torn between pessimism and optimism. The pessimistic side warned me that he would be ruthless, uncaring, mocking, and indifferent to my need for sustenance. It questioned why he had purchased me in the first place.
Even now, with the knowledge that they consumed normal Earth food, I couldn't shake the fear of being relegated to a maid or a specimen for experimentation, or worse, becoming a sacrificial lamb in some cult. It felt as though my life held little value to them beyond potential consumption.
Yet, the optimistic half of my mind dared to hope for leniency, envisioning Ludwig softening his anger and forgiving my disobedience. I played out countless scenarios in my head, but none prepared me for Ludwig's actual reaction. He was furious.
His eyes changed color once more, shifting from golden liquid to deep blue before settling on amber, radiating a fiery intensity that mirrored his anger.
As I sat on the edge of the bed, the temperature continued to rise, the air growing thick with heat as if reflecting Ludwig's fiery anger. My body was drenched in sweat, the moisture evaporating off my skin in wisps of steam.
Then, suddenly, Ludwig's disappearing act left me dumbfounded, my lips parting in disbelief.
What kind of madness was this?
Feeling drained of strength, I collapsed onto the bed, my stomach growling loudly in protest of its empty state. Dizziness washed over me, whether from hunger or the shock of Ludwig's vanishing act, I couldn't tell. Perhaps he truly was a magician, a wizard of some sort.