Test of courage (1)

Afternoon.

Even though the sun was still high up in the sky, the forest was already dark and gloomy with its entrance looking like the gaping mouth of a giant monster.

Gulp…

The prince swallowed hard, his heart thumping wildly against his ribs.

'I-it's so creepy!'

Fwooooooosh!

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew and rustled the tree leaves.

Aroooooo!

The howl of beasts sounded, and the startled birds flew away to the safety of the village.

The intimidating appearance of the forest seriously scared Prince Deon, but he breathed deeply to calm his nerves and entered the forest with grim determination.

'I can do this. I can overcome myself.' He repeated the words like a mantra, psyching himself up to dispel his fears.

Prince Deon was actually a coward.

Out of the three royal princes, he was deemed as the most useless as he did not have the talents of his elder brother nor the charisma of his eldest brother.

From birth, he had always been left in the shadow of his siblings and as the third in line for the throne with a certain amount of expectation burdening him, he cracked under the pressure.

His brothers that shone blindingly under the spotlight caused Deon to have an inferiority complex.

Hence, he chose to hide himself; obediently following his father's will, never opposing his brothers, and never expressing his opinions.

Until one day, he heard young aristocrats mocking him, calling him the 'cowardly third prince' and the 'Prince with no ambitions nor dreams of his own.'

Deon felt like he was slapped by reality and thought that something needed to change – HE needed to change.

So, he challenged himself and now, he wanted to test his courage by coming to this forest.

Clip. Clop.

The horses nervously trotted onward.

As they neared the orphanage, the stallions slowed to a stop, refusing to come even one step closer to the abandoned building.

"Your highness, the horses are scared. I'm afraid we'll have to continue on foot." His guard said.

"Ah… O-okay…"

Nehehheeee!

As soon as the two unmounted, the horses freaked out and bolted away.

"Looks like the rumors are true, your highness… I've never seen my stallion act this way." The guard commented while taking his sword out of its sheath.

They walked for a few minutes but unlike the old woman's warnings, no beast attacked.

They all kept their distance as if afraid to come close to the orphanage.

'Huh… Is the demon that strong? W-What if it kills me?' the prince thought as cold sweat beaded his temples.

"Prince, stay behind me." The guard offered.

Deon was tempted to hide behind his guard.

Now that he was right outside the orphanage, he definitely felt someone's gaze – A prickling sensation that licked his skin like ants crawling up his arms.

"No. this is MY test. I should take it on my own." He bravely replied.

Shshshshshshhhh…

Trees swayed ominously, their canopies casting shadows that resembled demon faces on the forest floor.

Even the howls of the wind sounded like laughter as Deon and his guard stood back-to-back, eyes darting around as if waiting for the appearance of the demon.

"Here to take the test?" a low voice asked Deon.

'W-where? Where is it?' Deon flinched.

"D-did you hear that?" he looked back, but his guard was already unconscious on the ground with a huge lump on his forehead.

'Huh?! When did it attack?!' Deon was definitely freaking out now, 'I didn't even notice my guard fall!'

The demon attacked without a warning.

Fast and powerful.

Deon realized that if the demon wanted to, it could kill him before he could even react.

Ngeeeeee…

The front door of the abandoned orphanage swung open.

"I will give you two choices." It whispered on Deon's left ear, "One. I will let you escape, unharmed, but I will kill your guard."

Deon's hair stood on end as he imagined what will happen to his guard if he chooses to escape alone.

"Two. I will let your guard go, but you must enter the orphanage alone and take the test." It murmured on his right.

It's either him or you – The demon gave Deon brutal choices.

'It's my fault… I dragged him here… I should've listened to him when he nagged me to go back…'

'I'm sorry… I'm scared… I don't want to die…'

'But if I leave, he will die. Will I be able to live with the knowledge that I let someone die for me?'

"If you don't answer within 5 seconds, I will kill both of you."

The demon counted down.

"Five…"

'I'm scared!'

"Four…"

'I don't want to die!"

"Three…"

'But his life is my responsibility.'

"Two…"

"Wait! I'll go! I will go! So please don't kill him!" Deon abruptly answered, eyes tightly shut and heart racing.

"Ohoh? A fine choice. Good..." the voice sounded amused as Deon faced the door.

Inky blackness and cold air greeted him.

"What are you waiting for?" the demon impatiently asked and the next moment, something pushed Deon's back and he stumbled inside the building.

BAM!

The door slammed close, and Deon was engulfed in total darkness.

"Remember, You can't go out until I say so." The demon warned.

Suddenly, several candles flickered to life and illuminated the area.

"Wh-what should I do?" Deon asked.

"Take a candle and find the silver fountain pen engraved with the letters 'P.M.L.'"

With a trembling hand, Deon grasped a candle.

He wasn't sure if he heard it correctly, but the voice seemed to have wished him good luck as he walked toward the staircase.

'it wants me to find a fountain pen? In this unlit three-story building?!' Deon wondered if the demon was just toying with him before killing him when he least expected it.

Deon held up his candle and found a doll sitting on top of the staircase.

It was a porcelain doll with pale blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and curly blonde hair.

Deon approached the doll, thinking that it was harmless – that is until it stood up.

--Chapter end--