Chapter 57. Played

A young girl around ten year was standing in the hallway whose walls were cream furnished. There were pillars almost ten meters high. The floor was goldish tiled. The little girl was holding a letter soaked with blood.

She was almost 4' with violet hair. Her violet eyes were swollen and her cheeks were wet and flushed. Her hair was messy. Standing infront of her was a man towering over her at 7'.

She did not seem to care anymore. Whatever she had seen had traumatized her. The man was holding a broad sword about a meter long and 30 centimeters wide. He had long brown hair and on the ground was a dead body, a lady dressed in a white dress and had not been wearing shoes.

She also had violet hair. If her eyes were open, they probaby would be violet. The girl had the letter in her left hand and on her right hand was a white doll. It had traces of blood on its fur.

The little girl sobbed and one could hear that her voice was already hoarse probably from screaming. The man looked at her with savage eyes as he looked at her imature features. He walked to her and picked her by the neck.

He raised her to the wall as he ripped her purple dress apart. She was only left with a white undergarment that reached her knees. He dropped his sword and reached to raise it and fully undress her.

He tear glands had run dry and now she could only stare at him with lifeless eyes. She felt the course fingers trailing her knees climbing up. At the moment, she found her voice and screamed.

She was met by darkness after opening her eyes. She felt her throat ache due to her loud screams. She felt hands on her back. The person raised her back making her to sit up. This was not always how it ended.

It always ended with darkness but she never found her voice then. Also no one helped her sit up. She stopped screaming and her eyes started accomodating the darkness and she realized that she was in the tunnels.

Also, she heard the concerned words from Alaric who was sitting next to her. It seemed that he had been trying to talk her out of it for long but had failed.

"What's wrong," he heard him ask when she could hear. She did not even realize about the tears coming from her eyes. She also felt felt very tired.

She knew that she needed sleep but she dared not. This dream always invaded her but was actually part of her memories. Now that she had been reminded about it, she could not help but look away and laying back on the bed with on her side. She faced away and lay her head on her hands.

She heard him walk away and take a seat back. She needed quiet at the moment. If she talked about it, she would break down in front of him. She lay there calmimg herself for hours before she finally felt to have regained her normal self.

Alaric was not sure how to react. He had felt her let out ragged breaths like she was about to cry. He walked to her and saw tears flowing down like they were from an endless source. She started wriggling her body and fidgeting moving from right to left.

He went to her and tried talking her out of it. It took almost thirty minutes before he heard her screams. He helped her sit but her screams did not stop even after her eyes were open. He spoke to her but she was still tranced.

She finally heard him but her tears never stopped. She lay back on her side and faced away from him. He understood and immediately went back to his seat. He did not know how long he had waited, maybe hours, before she sat up and looked at him.

All this time his eyes never left her. She had a haggard look but she was better than before when she was all shiny after her tears dried up.

"I will never force you to tell me about it," he saw her clasp her hands together. He knew that it was not easy to recount some events.

He could not help but commend her. Whatever bothered her, she was strong to hide it and always put up a smile.

"We should probably get going," he said. Not giving her a chance to try to force the words out of her mouth. He picked his back pack from the bed and led the way through the tunnel she had chosen.

Aurora felt relieved that he was not asking about it. She happily obliged and followed him. They walked silently for hours until they came to ten branching tunnels. Alaric laughed remembering her observation skills. She had an embarassed look after hearing his laugh.

"I thought my instinct was good but I think your observation skills are top notch," Alaric said raising his thumbs. "Could you please show us the new way?" He teased.

"Everyone gets a turn to chose. Now its your turn," Aurora said shifting the task back to him.

"Okay."

Alaric tried to use his instinct scanning every tunnel at a range of 50 meters. After almost a minute, he chose the fifth tunnel from the right. Aurora happily followed as the tunnel went in curves and finally after hours, they saw two new tunnels.

It was Aurora's turn and again on the left path she saw the hedgehog's thorn. Some painful foreboding struck them when they realized that they were now in a maze. They had to confirm and on the way, they found the ice blocks and they sat there to rest.

"We should our way out first. Something has tampered with our minds," Aurora said after thinking for a while.

"Lets find out whether we can find the exit," Alaric was optimistsic as he led the way back. He went to where they approximated the ladder was but they never found it.

" What do you think this is?" He asked.

"Maybe its our minds that have been poisoned or maybe its a space loop," Aurora said after careful analysis.

"Then we are on the same page, but I have thought of the third possibility," Alaric said.

"What is it?" Aurora had only thought of two. If there were three maybe it was the most likely.

" What do you think about a time loop?" Alaric asked. A time loop could bring other probabilities. The first reasons could mean that the hedgehog was a wood affiliated beast and had released mind messing chemicals on them. That was why they were moving in a circle...

The second reason was a space loop. This could mean that the hedgehog was space affiliated and was trying to keep them in a loop. This was mostly unikely because it was a fifth stage and it could not control the large space. Even ten meters was too much for it.

The fact about a time loop cancelled the first two. If it was a time loop, then it was a human who was stopping them. Beast could not use time element. Only humans could. If it was a human stopping them, then they were in danger. There was no way to get out of the time loop unless they were let go by whoever held them captive.

Another possibility of getting out was finding the person and killing him to destroy it. The next way to get out was by forcefully breaking the time loop. That was actually a joke for whoever who could control time at such a large area was already past or in the Salvia Plane while they were in the Cryptic Plane.

In short,they could only hope it was the hedgehog that had poisoned their mind or they were not going to ever leave this place alive. No one spoke but they all thought of the same thing.

"Let's hope it is the hedgehog," Alaric said and she just nodded. If it was a human, then they were probably just being toyed with.

"Sarah, could you help us out," Alaric did not much faith in her though.

[ANSWER]- Traces of stimulants detected on your mind. Only way to get rid of the traces is by using the dual cultivation technique.

Alaric was really not that happy after hearing the only possible solution. He was not ready to use the technique. The technique required the two to open up to each other and some intimacy... That was the part he was not ready for.

Also, from where was he going to tell her he got such a technique from? How could he tell her to remove her clothes and sit in meditation position infront of him? This was the only way they could cultivate the technique together. The known method for dual cultivation was during s*x where the technique would be effectively cultivated in an instant.

He did not want to think much of this because he also knew that even the long process for dual cultivation was not acceptable to him. He was going to find another way to get rid of the poison.

He was not ready to introduce Sarah to anyone. She was his secret.

"Sarah, I need you to find another method. No matter the price I am going to pay," Alaric said.

[ANSWER]- Subject's request has been received and a new way has been devised, the price to pay will be a mission to kill beasts for two months.

Alaric was silent for a while. It was only three months towards the end of year party and he did not want to miss it. He was going to have to finish this mission fast so as to finish the it before time for the party.

" I accept," he said with a long face.

[...] -The other way is by utilizing that 100% brain of yours. Its up to you to find the toxins in your body and send them away from your body. Chances of you succeeding 0.1%. Good luck.

Alaric cursed at the system. What was he supposed to do with that o.1%? It was not even worth the two months he was going to stay in the forest running for his life. He regretted promising to do anything.

Had he known that Sarah would find the most impossible way to deal with it, he would not have wasted his chance. Well, what was left was for him to try his chances. Whether he succeeded or not did not change the deal. Even 0.1% was a probability...

He could not get over the fact that he had been played by the system.