The Other Truth

[Khalxaen]

”Enter if you seek the truth.”

Khalxaen raised an eyebrow in speculation. Her hands roamed on the stone which had foreign letters written on it. She had never seen such characters before, but for some reason, she knew that they meant. It was as if they spoke directly to her mind. ’Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen… and that amounts to a lot.’

She stood in front of her discovery-an entrance to a cave. It was late at night, yet she could see the details of her surroundings, thanks to the special ability of her scarlet eyes to be able to see in the dark. Khalxaen looked around, seeing the trees that heaved over, practically concealing the cave’s entrance. The stone that was edged on the ground was the strangest of all. “I don’t get it… is there some kind of magic on this or something?” Khalxaen leaned over, staring at the foreign characters again.

The demon had been sleeping in the forest when a loud noise suddenly woke her up. Curiosity brought her to inspect it, and all she had come to find was the cave and the stone. The soil around the cave seemed freshly dug up, as if it was blown up by something.

’So strange…’

Even with her ability to see in the dark, she could see nothing past the entrance. It was eternal darkness, yet something seemed to be calling out to her; something that she couldn’t explain. It was like an aura that delved her mind to enter, but at the same time, she hesitated. In the past, more than once had her prying brought her to trouble, and she doubted this was an exception.

The demon turned around to walk away. She was just a couple of steps away when she sharply stopped in her tracks. Inhaling deeply, she turned around and ran quickly inside the cave before her mind would change again.

“Fine, you win!” She yelled in the dark, her voice echoing within the walls. Her statement was targeted towards the nagging aura that just wouldn’t let her walk away.

(Closed to Cielalune)

[Cielalune]

"Ouch!"

Cielalune exclaimed as she gently touched the scratch on her right hand. It turned pink and a rather small amount of blood trickled out. Carefully, she placed a rather worn-down piece of cloth on it to stop it from continuing to flow. It was tinged-grayish brown from its constant use for who knows what.

She had been camping in the forest after she had heard that a certain cave in those parts bore the power of a crystal that had the ability to answer any question the person had desired. It only took her a few days to find it and skillfully made an entrance using dynamite she had bought from a vendor in the nearby village. Even after her efforts, she found out whilst entering the cave that morning that it was still sealed inside. She gave up and headed back to her camp hoping she would open that entrance as well in the next morning. But alas, a stranger had already beaten her to it tonight, hearing the sounds of explosives and birds squawking, flying above her. She immediately woke up with a startled state and grabbed her lamp and began to search for her competitor.

'Who could be intruding in my discovery at this late hour.', she thought, holding a lantern with her left hand, as she briskly crossed the thicket of oak trees and bushes . The lantern didn't give much light to what was in front of her and so there were more wounds appearing on her body, not just her hand. It was pretty much a bad idea to cross the forest towards the cave but she didn't have much choice since the path was closer to the spot.

Looking around, Ciela saw many nocturnal animals. Most of them stared at her with piercing glares as if she was a freshly cooked piece of meat. Owls hooted and wolves howled, a perfect night scene, she thought. All it needed now was the strong wind blowing against the trees and a ghost tapping her shoulder; She added some more to entertain herself as she went through the darkness.

"I made it..." she said as she took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing the tension that cooked up inside her while she walked through the forest. The clearing was slightly visible in the dark since the rocks forming the cave seemed to gleam with moist dew and the moon made it sparkle. She inched closer to the entrance.

Crunch.

She stopped. Her silver eyes looked around, searching for whoever made the sound. Slowly, she placed her lantern on the ground quietly and blew out the fire inside. The smoke danced in the moonlight and soon rose up to the sky. She bent down on her knees and crawled silently towards her perpetrator.

'Mustn’t make a sound...', she told herself as she tracked down the noise of feet against the rocky earth.

“Fine, you win!”, the voice had said echoing towards the cave, which made her shiver with surprise. It was the sound of a young female but she could not determine who it was. Cielalune had no idea what the voice was talking about but she wanted to find out.

'No one can take my chance of finding whether he is alive or not!!', she said as she stood up from where she was and walked toward the location of the voice she had just heard. She carefully lifted her rapier from its sheath and cast it against her side, ready to attack if the person had any desire to persecute her.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?”, she said in a stiff manner as she pointed Oublie at the stranger's back.

[Khalxaen]

The demon looked around, her feet making loud noises as she stepped on the cold and damp ground. There were what seemed to be unlit torches on the sides of the cave. It must have been a path sealed long ago, and the reason was something that made Khalxaen’s mind itch, trying to figure it out. Whatever it was, she would have to wait until she reached the end of the tunnel. If the words she found outside the cave were right, then what was on the end of the tunnel would be the ‘truth’. ’Truth for what?!’

Just as Khalxaen got ready to move again, a voice behind made her jump. What seemed to be a blade was being pointed at her back, sending shivers down her spine.

“Ugh!” Khalxaen said loudly as she stepped away as quickly as she could; the other girl’s voice had surprised her. The demon turned around quickly; ready to pounce at the person, whoever it was. Scarlet eyes widening, Khalxaen stared at her supposedly opponent. It was just a girl whom looked as young as she was. She had long pitch-black hair and silver eyes. Khalxaen had to squint her eyes harder—even with her ability to see in the dark, it was so difficult in a place like this.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Khalxaen yelled, stomping her foot loudly. “That’s no way to say hello to anybody. Get that out of my face before I react the same way!”

She could’ve countered with her own sword, but she mused that it wasn’t the best way to handle the situation in the moment. The girl looked like she wasn’t a ruthless killer, and just maybe she could prove useful in the long run. ’Just maybe.’

“Okay, listen up!” Khalxaen muttered, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. “Tell me just what’s at the end of this tunnel, and maybe I won’t kill you for pointing that damn thing at me.”

[Cielalune]

"Kill? Me?", Ciela smirked, "Don't kid with me. I don't have time for this. If you want answers, follow."

With that, Cielalune returned her weapon to it sheath, fixed the trench coat around her shoulders and swiftly moved passed the strange pointy-eared girl towards the newly made opening.

Scarlet eyes...and those ears...must be an elf or demon or something. Whatever she is, she poses no threat to me. After all, the wings aren't coming out. She means no harm but I certainly will if she stops me from knowing the answer I need., she thought as she continued down the dim hallway. She had no time to light the torches, the scent of gunpowder rose in the air, one spark and they're done for, nice and crispy.

"This is the Cave of the Crystal of Truth. It's known to have a bewitched treasure in the end of this cave that can answer any question you desired. Once a year, the crystal calls forth those who need it but not many survive, only one can know the answer he or she needs. Right now, it is that time. Many have already opened it, once they go in the entrance closes once again to challenge the next one. No one has gone out yet and I don't want my one-time opportunity to be taken from the likes of you. You can turn around now and kindly-Wait."

Cielalune stopped in front of the new orifice, examining the black fumes rising from the earth. Marks of ash and raised dirt was scattered everywhere. She could still feel the warmth and the smell of the dynamite. She bent her knees to feel the ground, as she did, she noticed extremely large shoe prints leading towards inside. She looked at the entrance, it was too dark to see and couldn't hear anything but soft wind blowing with the smell of salt.

If someone got inside...how come the entrance didn't close on us?, she realized. Maybe it was out of luck or maybe something wanted her to come right now. Whatever it was, she was thankful that her efforts to go inside were not wasted but now with the other one with her, she feared she could lose it.

"The explosion was just recent-", she said out loud, not caring if the other girl heard her, "I could see you suspicious of the act but I highly doubt someone like you can carry all those explosives unless you had someone with you. So now I'd like to ask you- Did you do this or you just coincidentally happened to be here in the middle of the night? And if yes you just happened to be here, why are you still here?"

She stopped and turned midway so she could show the girl she was serious. Her silver eyes placed itself on the scarlet eyes of the demon. Her crimson hair danced quietly in the breeze, it touched her face but she didn't feel like brushing it away. She tapped her left foot silently against the pebbles while she crossed her arms.

"Well? Answer me."

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen smirked with both arrogance and irritation evident in her scarlet eyes. She looked at the girl, her lips slightly twitching. Of all the millions of people in Althanas, she just had the luck to be stuck with someone who battled her own kind of personality—one that is frank and doesn’t care about what her words imply. If she weren’t in such a tight situation and the person had been useless, Khalxaen really would have punched her in the face. Rather, this girl did seem knowledgeable about the cave.

“I don’t see why I must answer you.” Khalxaen replied coolly, walking faster and ahead to the dark path. “But for telling me all those stuff I needed to know, sure. If you must know, I was in the forest and I heard something loud from here. When I came here, I saw the cave, and I decided to go in. Well, that not a good enough reason for you, lady?”

The demon had hidden the fact that the cave had called out to her. It seemed so surreal—there was no voice in her head, just a nagging feeling that wanted her to enter. She looked at the girl with squinted eyes. The truth, huh? No way was she going to just turn around now. Maybe they could help each other and just grab the crystal to themselves in the end. It didn’t matter that she would playing this girl, since she got the feeling the girl would be doing the same to her.

“My name’s Khalxaen, by the way.” The demon replied. “You might not care, but I’d like to know yours. So just tell me.”

As she advanced in the dark, she heard footsteps ahead. It was probably the person who had blown the entrance open. To be able to carry such explosives, he or she shouldn’t be taken lightly. Khalxaen put up a finger to gesture shushing to the other girl, pointing at the direction where the other set of footsteps came from.

“Well, what are you waiting for, go see who it is.” Khalxaen said in a bossy manner. “Just don’t be the one who gets caught in the process, lady.”

[Cielalune]

"My name is Cielalune D'Rafale, if you want it so badly.", Cielalune said between her teeth. She didn't like the way the girl spoke to her and the demon's voice irritated her, to Ciela, it was like your aunt's nails scratching against a blackboard.

Out of the blue, the sound of footsteps rung in the cavernous tunnel. Khalxaen gestured to keep quiet but Ciela refused to listen to the girl's advice. In moments, the sound vanished and once again only the two of them were alone. No use following him., she thought. I'll eventually catch up to him. It's this girl I'm afraid of wasting my time.

"And I'm not moving in this spot until you leave. Like I said, it closes in once the person enters and I rather not be stuck with AN OLD HAG like YOU. So go. Now. This instant. I mean it." she glared. "Why the hell would you call me a lady now? I'm not the one whose wrinkles can be clearly seen in the dark without the need of light. Heh...then again with a mind like hers, I doubt she hasn't even reached the age of 3. I seriously don't have time for this. Whoever that guy was, she isn't with him and most probably reached the middle of the cave already."

She looked away from Khalxaen; she was already straining her eyes from Khal's tacky clothes. Examining the cave, she noticed outside, the sun had already begun to rise which means the cave will close forever at sunset that day. She couldn't waste anymore time, it was now or never but with the demon along, she had no choice but to enter without knowing if Khalxaen had ever left.

"You better run outside. Or else you'll die in here." she warned the girl before she turned and entered the second opening. Her foot touched the other side, the darkness overwhelmed her. Suddenly, the floor started to rumble, the exit to the forest was now being closed. Rocks have started to pile against the edifice of the cave and soon it would be completely sealed.

Cielalune took another step despite being unable to stay balanced from the shaking of the ground. She wobbled a bit, feeling against the wall for some support but to no avail, she couldn't touch anything but air. She continued to wave her arms in the pitch black until her foot reached which she assumed to be a pit.

****., she swore, Should I jump for it?

The earth was still moving and she had no time to think, she was going to fall anyway so she should just try and land gracefully at the bottom. Looking down, a dim light could be found at the end of the hole, it wasn't really deep but one wrong move could cost her a broken leg. A body of water was slightly visible in the hole, if Ciela timed it correctly, she might be able to safely fall in the water and live.

Alright. One. Two. Three!!!

Cielalune jumped.

[Khalxaen]

“H-huh?!” Khalxaen said in surprise as the ground shook underneath her. ’What a great time for an Earthquake.’ She said sarcastically in her head. Before she knew it, the other girl had jumped right down a pit. Khalxaen knew the girl wasn’t stupid, but it hurt her pride to admit that she had to follow the girl’s lead. With a growl, Khalxaen jumped after her.

’A… cross?’ Khalxaen blinked as she got a quick glance at the mark on Cielalune’s neck. It was hidden before beneath her hair, but now that they were jumping down a distance, her hair flew back and she could see it for a couple of seconds. ’What kind of crazy mark is that?’

Her eyes widened as water hit her skin. How lucky was it to have something like that to break a fall? “C-cold!” Khalxaen screamed as the icy water hit her. She quickly latched her arms around a rock, sighing with relief. Looking around, they were obviously much deeper than before. In the distance, there seemed to be a bright light coming from an opening. ’Wait, why the hell is that there?’

The demon glanced at Cielalune with stern eyes. Now that she was challenged to leave, there was no way she was doing that now. Not that she had a choice at this point, anyway.

With one last growl, she swam over to Cielalune, her rapid movements making loud splashes. It wasn’t a secret that Khalxaen had a huge temper. Stopping a good enough distance from the other girl, she opened her mouth to take, “Listen here, and quit pissing me off. Don’t think you’re good enough to against me, because you’re not. I don’t want to help you out, but since it looks like we’re heading the same way since there’s no other way out, just shut the hell up and cooperate!”

With that, she swam away and heaved herself up to the land. “There’s another guy ahead of us. Hurry up, damn it!”

[Cielalune]

"Brrr!"

Cielalune shivered as soon as the ice cold water struck her skin. The grand purpose of the lake was to save people from falling she deduced from how deep and wide the thing was. She flinched from the taste of salt in her mouth, "Bleh!!!"

It was very salty, she realized it was so people wouldn't sink to the bottom after falling from high above. I should thank whoever made this lake then., she said to herself. She swam around and noticed that the demon had followed her and soon coming close to where she was.

"Didn't I tell you to go back??? And I know he's ahead of us!! That doesn't stop me from trying to stop him!!!", she yelled. Her day was bad enough already, it just got worse and worse as it continued to occur. She swam her way towards the shore, where a dim torch could be seen. Someone left it there and it was recently, she examined. Cold and wet, she scrambled over to the warm light where she could dry up. there, she noticed on her legs were several bruises and scratches. Some from the previous forest and new ones from hitting some rocks in the salty lake.

From her pocket, she took out a small roll of soggy bandages and hurriedly wrapped them around her wounds. She didn't feel like wasting her magic since she knew that most likely new ones would appear when she continued to travel inside the cave.

After her process of bandaging, she took out her trenchcoat and carefully placed it on a huge rock near the fire. I hope it would dry up fast., she wished and sat next to it, looking at her new environment. Looking at the right was the lake and the shore where she came from, the sound of waves was claming but the smell of salt gave her the urge to vomit but thankfully she was completely awake now. Above the lake was the hole where she came from and around it strange symbols in red seemed to have been etched in a circular pattern as the opening. Below it, was a rock which appeared to be slightly bigger than the hole but shaped more of like a bowl.

Never noticed that before..., she stroked her chin. She pondered that maybe she was far too busy trying to dodge it that she didn't bother examining it. She stood up and walked closer to the bowl-shaped boulder in the center of the lake. The salt water rose and climb at her knees, the wounds stung but it didn't bother her.

"Look. Over there.", she pointed at the rock so Khalxaen could notice it. She had no choice to but guide the demon, seeing as she could be useful. A decoy or a sacrifice to get closer to the crystal. "See that? I bet that's our next clue to get further and we can't follow the other man if we don't know what the next clue is. Hopefully, he didn't understand what it meant but somehow got through maybe we can catch up to him, okay?"

Soon, half of Ciela's body was surrounded with icy water again. Swimming towards the bowl, she looked up to realize it was written in a foreign language, no, mirrored language. Seeing it clearly, it looked like it was written backwards by someone. It was slightly fade since the moisture in the air must've deteriorized it over the years but it was still clear enough to be read by anyone.

She touched the bowl, she could reach it even while floating. What's this for...?, she thought. Looking down, she saw her reflection dancing in the water, her face was also bruised. Reflection..??? REFLECTION!!!

It struck her and suddenly a smiled had landed on her face. She turned around to face the demon. "Hey you!! Come help me over here and fill this bowl with water."

"I think I just found our next clue!"

[Khalxaen]

’Clue towards the truth, eh?’ Khalxaen raised her eyebrow at Cielalune. Great, this meant she’d have to go back to the icy water to help the other girl fill the bowl. She couldn’t understand why it was needed, but without saying anything, she jumped went back to the cold water and waded her way towards Cielalune with a foul expression.

As soon as she approached the rock, she looked up where Cielalune was inspecting before. As soon as she realized just what the clue might be, she nodded towards Cielalune and started gathering water in her hands and depositing it into the bowl.

“Ugh!” Khalxaen growled. She felt as if her hands would soon be frostbitten from the iciness of the salt water. Smiling with triumph, she looked back down at the now-filled bowl of water. It wasn’t a difficult task in the first place. Her wet hair was splayed over her face in an uncomfortable manner, and she reached behind her head to tighten her dark brown hair, gathering the stray bangs back into a neater ponytail.

“H-hurry!” Khalxaen snapped, her lips quivering because of the temperature. “I can’t stand it when someone’s ahead of us, even though he has no damn clue like whatever this one is.”

Her eyes squinted in irritation. Whoever or whatever had went ahead, Khalxaen had wanted to beat. There was no way another person could reach the target before they could, or Khalxaen just might go insane. She was sure the person was the one who had blown up the entrance, and that meant it was someone not be underestimated.

There were two obstacles at the moment—this person named Cielalune and the one ahead. Khalxaen smirked to herself as she decided she needed to think of a plan soon to get the prized treasure before any one of them, at the same time manipulating the situation to go her way. Even though she often thought this way, it never went right anyway, she remembered with a sigh.

[Cielalune]

"Wow."

Cielalune was impressed, Khalxaen had done the task quite fast despite the fact that the water was getting colder and colder in that moment. She too suffered its frosty grip and she shivered with every moment she did.

Soon, the bowl was filled and now they could perfectly read the writing. They had no choice as to supply the bowl completely since the writing seemed to only appear at the rim of the water-filled container. She gave a heavy sigh, white mist emitted from her breath and withered away immediately.

“Time to read it.”, she thought as she inched closer to face the water. Her eyes peered to see that the water had turned slightly black, some livid powdery substance danced at the bottom. The red text was clearly visible in the water’s reflection and Cielalune cleared her throat to say it out loud so they could immediately move on to the next chamber. Ciela finally decided maybe this demon girl actually had some purpose for her and hopefully wouldn’t drag her down any further.

‘Worry not; I need not ask much;
A sacrifice needed which water cannot touch.’

“Which water cannot touch..?” , Ciela tilted her head a little to the left, pondering what that certain item could be. “Oil? Where can I find oil in a place like this?”

She observed her environment one more time, looking at the shore and the walls that surrounded them. The fire flickered, casting large shadows of the rocks that were placed on the land. Her trench coat still quietly rested where she had placed it. The soft orange glow of the light calmed her down. She placed her hand inside the stony chalice and brushed it against the cold smooth floor of the bowl where her fingers left an imprint from the soot-like component.

Ash.

Suddenly, it hit her.

“Do you think…it’s fire? I bet they were planning this all along, to give up on what we depend on the most right now. “, she exclaimed as she swam towards the shore again and picked up the torch and carried it in the middle of the lake. It was hard for her to hold it up with one hand while swimming to the middle with the other hand. It took her a while but she managed to dump the flaming torch in the bowl where suddenly white smoke spewed out as the fire died instantly in the icy water. The sound was strong and it took time for it to quiet down and clearly see what was happening inside the bowl.

Cielalune brushed away the smoke from her face so she could see what was happening but had a hard time because she was new to the dark again. Bravely, she inserted her arm again in the container to feel around for anything new. The water was gone completely and now replace with what she felt like a giant fish egg.

It was round and soft like gelatin. It fit perfectly around her palm and seemed to glow a bluish-green color. For now, this is the new light the cave has given her. But what now?, she realized. There was nowhere else to go but down in the deep lake and she knew it was so deep, she doubts her breath could be held long enough to find anything.

“What am I going to do with this?”, she looked at the orb with worry.

She lowered it under the water to test for any change but it still just stayed what it was. A few seconds later, something started to occur; it seems that the sphere tickled her hand, vibrating slowly. Ciela could hear the sound of bubbles coming up to the surface of the water. She couldn’t see them but she knew they were there.

Bubbles. Meaning oxygen. Meaning, I can breathe underwater. Meaning, I can get to the next chamber.

It all started to make sense to Cielalune and she knew that the demon girl could’ve thought the same. All they had to do was eat the orb, go underwater and find the next entrance. Then she though how they had to split this important artifact with each other in order to continue which meant they only had half the time it was originally supposed to have. They had to act fast but to swim blindly in the dark may cause them a handicap.

“You see…”, Cielalune started to explain as she went to obtain her beloved trenchcoat from the rock where it sat, “This cave has 4 trials which are Wisdom, Bravery, Power and Morality. Right now, I bet we’re in the wisdom chamber and we’re bound to end up in a new one. Of course, every year the trials change, so those who have succeeded in the earlier year could give no clue to the next contenders. Unfair huh? But ingenious.”

“How good are you in seeing in the dark?” she asked.

((I'm sorry if it looks so long and boring but I just wanted to leave no room for questions on how they should've just done this instead of that and stuff like that. =P Sorry. Perfectionism must run in my family.))

[Khalxaen]

(Bunny approved!)


“I don’t understand why you know so much about this place. It looks pretty secure to me.” Khalxaen said with a shrug. She had her doubts on why this girl seemed so knowledgeable, but there was also the fact that Khalxaen knew nothing about the outside world. “So, let me get this straight. We take this to be able to breath under water, and then we get the hell out of here and to the next test by swimming in the dark? Sounds fine to me, hurry up.”

She paused for a while, taking the sphere from Cielalune and cutting in between it with her bare hands. The substance it was made off had the stench of the water around them, and she eyed it, thinking if this was really a good idea. Swallowing a knot in her throat, she handed the other half to the girl, assuming she’d take it, and put her own half in her mouth. Slowly, she chewed on it and quickly swallowed it.

The taste seemed to be very sour with a small tinge of bitterness in it. It was unlike anything she had tasted before, and she was unsure if it was something to be called delicious. The frown that came to her lips by instinct told her brain that it wasn’t in anyway a delightful taste.

Khalxaen blinked at Cielalune, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t answered the girl’s question. She was about to say, yes, she could see in the dark. But just as soon as she opened her mouth, her jaws tightened and it was like she had a hard time breathing in normal oxygen. Hell, this might not last too long. We’d better make good use of this freakish fish thing before it leaves us.

Without thinking, she grabbed the cloth of Cielalune’s trench coat and ducked under water, feeling the cold water on her skin once again. Opening her scarlet eyes, she winced as she felt the salt water sting her pupils. Giving herself a moment to get used to the sting, she quickly looked around afterwards. They were still in the shallow part, but she could see in the distance that it got deeper and deeper in one direction.

She could breath freely under water, much to her amusement. As a joke, she tried to speak, but nothing but bubbles came out, making her roll her eyes in annoyance. She led Cielalune towards the deeper part, and to her surprise, she saw an entrance to an even deeper part of the cave. The two of them swam across the narrow path, and she could envision the exit on the other side that was a couple of minutes away. The path was so narrow that she kept her eyes straight, a tiny bit of claustrophobia haunting her mind.

After a few minutes, she noticed that she was having a harder time breathing under water. The effect of what they took was probably wearing off now. Panicking a bit, she swam faster, finally exiting the other opening of the furrow they took. She swam upwards rapidly, and weirdly enough, she saw light.

Khalxaen reached the surface, gasping for air in a desperate manner. She quickly glanced at the other girl to see if she was all right even before she examined the place they were in.

[Cielalune]

She ate the half silently, trying to capture its odd taste. It was something between fish and orange juiced combined. Slightly tangy but somehow salty as well. It didn’t take long for her to finish swallowing it since it was small now. And soon, the effect started to happen. It was like something suddenly grabbed her neck and started choking her, oxygen is now rejected from her body and her legs went limp.

The demon’s hand had made it’s way to her trench coat’s sleeve and all she could see was darkness. It felt like they swam for a long time as Cielalune waited for Khalxaen to give a signal that they were close. She heard the girl mutter something but couldn’t figure it out since the sound was muffled by the water. Her eyes still scanned the black beyond until a soft glow appear under them, there she could see the image of an opening appear.

“Bwaah!!” Cielalune gasped as she rose from the water. The salt in her eyes stung every time she moved them so she had no choice but to keep them closed as they adjusted. Everything was so sudden, as soon as she popped the half of the sweet and sour-tasting sphere in her mouth; she was immediately dragged into the very most bottom of the lake. Even though she could breathe in the lake, the taste of salt water seemed to have pranced around her tongue.

“Well, I’ve done some research. I was in the nearby village a few days before preparing for this moment. It’s secured by really powerful magic as you can see, everything seems to man-made but actually this whole cave was said to be created by pure-energy. Unbelievable huh? It just suddenly popped up from the earth from what I’ve heard. Some say the crystal has the ability to copy the abilities of those who have come to obtain answers; my theory is that the thing spent all year renovating the place every 364 days under the ground or something like that according to last year’s winner’s capabilities.” She said as a matter-of-factly. She loved explaining things though most of the things she explains don’t make much sense to others.

She sat of the shore of the new chamber, 2 entrance gates made of marble stood before her. They were pure white as if never touched by anything. They were around 10 feet tall but very slim, only one person at a time could enter. Perhaps, it was time they separated., Ciela thought the crystal wanted to say. Slightly delighted but also depressed about the thought of parting ways, as much as she did not like Khalxaen much, she hated the fact she now had to go alone but there was no other way.

The light was produced by a chandelier high above them; the only way you could reach it is when one can fly. To think, all of this was under a lake so deep. Cielalune wondered how deep under the earth they really are; sooner or later they might hit the center of the world. She realized that the intruder was still far ahead of them but she didn’t feel like giving up now.

Now or never. I must go on.

“Which one will you take then..?”

[Khalxaen]

“Amusing…” Khalxaen said under her breath as she squeezed the water out of her hair. They were finally back on land, much to her appreciation. What met them next were the two passageways, and something about it made her skeptical. She could recall Cielalune mention before that the cave was only open for one person, but it seemed as if now, it knew that two people would enter. She had no idea if this was on purpose, but it made the Demon twitch with curiosity.

But then again, if it was meant for one, maybe that one person just had to choose one path. These two entrances meant there was a correct one, and no matter what happened, Khalxaen had to choose it.

“See you, Cross. I’m taking the right one.” Khalxaen muttered, calling her by a nickname that suddenly popped into her mind. Khalxaen had developed a habit of making up random nicknames for people she met that were associated with physical attributes. Sometimes, she hadn’t even noticed it, but it did aid her in remembering the people she met by giving them her own names.

The ‘right’ one. Awesome, I think I just made a pun. How clever of me. Khalxaen said to herself as she quickly paced to the right path. As soon as her feet touched the ground past opening, everything around her went black, and a chill went right down her spine. She had never been through an experience like this before other than when she had a nightmare. Of course, Khalxaen had never really seen real dark that other people saw since she had the ability to see in it.

With a gulp, the demon took a step forward, and her foot met the ground she was previously on. She brought her hands up to her hair and was relieved to see it was still wet from the salt water—meaning, she was still back in reality. The only thing that had changed was her ability.

“I don’t like this…” Khalxaen muttered as she started running forward. She knew that even though others couldn’t see in the dark like she could, they could still see silhouettes. As strange as it sounded, Khalxaen was afraid of the dark even though she had never seen it in reality before other than when she closed her eyes. “Oof!” She cried in surprise as she suddenly hit a rocky wall in front of her. With a sigh, the demon sat up straight, massaging the bruise that came to her forehead. She looked around but found it a stupid action, as she still couldn’t see anything.

“Are you scared, Khal?”

The demon’s eyes shot up into oblivion. She could recognize that voice anywhere. It took her awhile to be able to speak again, but when she could, the only name she could utter was: “T-Trixien?”

“Yes?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Khalxaen snapped. She was never one to do well in situations like this, as her anger often got the worst of her.

“Are you scared of the dark, Khal? Oh, no… of course not, you’re scared of being alone, aren’t you?”

Khalxaen blinked. Well, yes, but that’s been a given ever since.

“…You sad soul.” And there was a hint of a smirk behind the person copying Trixien’s voice.

“Okay, that’s it!” Khalxaen yelled, standing up quickly and trying to grope for her sword at the same time. The demon gasped as gravity seemed to push her down harder than usual, and her face suddenly hit the hard ground. Growling, she tried to push herself up to no avail. “What the hell?! Stop this!”

The demon’s eyes widened as she felt a cold hand touch her cheek. The voice said, “Why’d you leave us, Khal? You were so scared of being alone, and you had me there for you. And you left… why? Do you really hate me that much?”

Khalxaen clamped her hands over her ears, using all her strength. She knew Trixien, the person who named her, as a kind person who would never say such things. Just a few weeks after Khalxaen had left, these were the words that haunted her. She never wanted Trixien to say such things because she had loved the person so much, but she wondered if she really did bring Trixien to think that way. No, I didn’t mean to do that…

“Go away, you’re not Trixien!” Khalxaen screamed. Suddenly, her eyes slowly closed, and her hands fell limply to the ground. All she could see was darkness, but that didn’t make a difference, as she suddenly lost her consciousness.

“Oh, Khalxaen…” Said the voice with a sigh. “You are such a coward, stop hiding behind taunts to make yourself look so strong.”

[Cielalune]

“'The right one’ she said”, Cielalune muttered under her breath. She stood up, closed her eyes, and took the path on the left. A familiar smell filled her mind with several memories of her life in her kingdom. It was so real she thought she was really where she was: home. Her footsteps echoed against the marble floor, everything was made of marble. It looked like her palace with no furniture. A long hallway with beautiful chandeliers high above. Stopping to look closer, she came to see that it wasn’t just home she had felt when she entered…it was him.

Before she knew it, there he was the one she had been looking for, standing there and looking at her with his kind crimson eyes. Suddenly, Cielalune’s heart beat loudly and tears welled up in her eyes. It was too good to be true and Ciela knew it. It hurt her to see him as he beckoned her to come closer.

“Sir Marlois…” she mumbled as she ran into his arms. He really was real, the warmth and his spirit filled her. Why is he here? It couldn’t have been him that entered the cave…could it? She thought because it was far too impossible. In her heart, she knew, this could never be real. The pain in her chest grew as she continued to be in his arms amid the silence of the whole surrounding.

“Cielalune…let’s go home.” He whispered in her ear as he stroked her hair. “You don’t need to go any further, I’m right here. I promise I’ll be with you forever.”

“I can’t.” Cielalune replied. “You’re not him. I know you’re not. Please give it up…it really hurts.”

For the first time in a long time, Ciela cried. The pain in chest wouldn’t go away as she pushed him away from her. Tears fell down her face and soon reached the ground. Her knees were weak but she resisted the urge to kneel down. She had to go on; she had to leave him there no matter how much she wanted to believe that she really could go home with him.

“What are you saying? Of course I’m real!” Marlois tried to insist. He stepped back and guarded what seemed to be the path to the next chamber. “Come on…let’s go together.”

“I’m s-sorry…” Ciela stuttered under her sobbing. “I j-just c-can’t…”

The man closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. Lifting up his sword from its sheath he said to her, “Very well…I’m afraid I can’t let you pass. If you want to continue…you have to go through me.”

At that moment, crimson wings sprang from Ciela’s back. The sign of danger has been activated; the battle will not be easy. Cielalune from the very start always told herself, she had no choice. This was her one time opportunity. Now or Never.

Signaling the start of battle, Cielalune quickly raised Oublie from her belt and faced her beloved master. Her wings glowed from the light that shined from above, close together on her back. In a moment, the two rushed at each other with sword in hand but as soon as Ciela’s rapier touched Marlois’ bastard sword, he simply vanished.

And once again, there was silence.

Ciela stood there, dumbfounded, trying to explain what just happened to her again. She was alone again but somehow her heart was at ease. Her wings disappeared, the danger was over. Writing was formed above the once guarded entrance like an invisible hand was painting it.

‘How brave you are, I greatly cheer;
Had courage more than who cried no tears;
And turned their backs on facing fears.’

Cielalune stepped inside to see that Khalxaen was lying on the floor unconscious. She didn’t make it huh..? she smirked. Walking closer, she bent down to look at the demon’s face where she could see how horrible something must’ve happened in her trial.

“Poor thing.” Ciela said under her wicked smile as she gently lifted up Khalxaen’s face only to slap it really really hard.

“WAKE UP FOOL! NO TIME TO SLEEP NOW.”

[Khalxaen]

”Khal, wake up, dear.” Trixien said as she leaned down and gently poked the young girl’s chin. A child Khalxaen opened one eye in an irritated manner as she forced herself to sit up straight. Looking around, she could see the church no deserted. With a sheepish smile, she looked back at Trixien who looked back at her crossly. “You fell asleep again!”

“Uh huh.” Khalxaen replied as she stretched out again and planned to lie back down on the wooden bench.

“WAKE UP FOOL! NO TIME TO SLEEP NOW.”

Khalxaen’s eyes widened. The voice didn’t seem to be Trixien’s, rather a voice she had just recently met. Growling, Khalxaen stood up straight and massaged her cheeks that had a stinging pain. “You!” Khalxaen yelled, clenching her fists tightly. “What’s wrong with you? Wake me up in a decent manner!”

The demon stood up, fighting the urge to kick Cielalune’s face. After all, she still did wake her up; otherwise she’d just be left there. The demon observed that the room was now filled with lights from chandeliers. She looked up towards the entrance and read the words embedded on it.

“Right, I failed, I know…” Khalxaen muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes. “Just great. But I’m still here, so stuff it in your face.”

The demon snapped and looked at Cielalune with a cross face. She was never too fond of failure, not matter how petty it was. She couldn’t believe that she wasn’t able to defeat what seemed to be a doppelganger, but her fear got the better of her. She had always debated with herself if it was wrong to live Trixien, and it caught her off guard to be met with such a situation.

This is terrible. Khalxaen stomped her foot stubbornly. I need to get past the next trial with my own skills, even if it kills me!

“Hurry up, Cross!” The demon said, suddenly grabbing the sleeve of Cielalune’s trench coat again and dragging her towards the new entrance.

Just as soon as they entered, another strange thing happened again. There was a roaring sound, and Khalxaen quickly looked around to see where it was coming from. Eyes wide, she realized that the entrance they had come in from was suddenly sealed.

“The walls…” She mumbled under her breath as the rock-sturdy walls were closing in on them. “What was this trial for, again? Oh, right. Power.”

[Cielalune]

"Seems so." Cielalune nodded to Khalxaen's statement. "And please, stop calling me 'Cross' or else I might just call you 'Pointy-ears'." she growled. The walls were closing in and yet there they stood, bonding and the like.

Somehow, in the previous trial, Ciela lost all her fear. She no longer worried on what she might face ever since she had faced what seemed to her to be the most painful. She has to think now, in order to save their ass again.

Why do I always have to make the plan? Heh, then again, I doubt any of hers would work anyway., she chuckled to herself. Looking at both walls, there was nothing there but danger, but looking up, there it was; their ticket to the way out of there: a button.

This is too easy..., she thought to herself as she stared at the round black circle against the ceiling. Too high to jump, too high to perfectly cast her sword on it. The only thing she could think of now is to ask for the demon's help. If they leaned against each other back to back before the walls close on them, which is ever growing faster, they could reach the switch before they turn into althanian home-made pancakes.

"There." Cielalune pointed at the switch to make Khal notice her. "We have to work together now. Lean against my back and I'll lean on yours then we lock our arms together so we wont fall. If we manage to do that we can climb up and press that button."

"You ready?"

[Khalxaen]

’Or how about I just kill you know and use your carcass to wedge these walls apart!?’

Khalxaen would just have loved to yell that out, as she had a problem with taking orders. Yet, seeing as that wasn’t going to happen any time soon, she just had to cooperate with Cielalune. Maybe she just couldn’t take the fact that this girl in front of her seemed to think faster than she did, and the problem she might have could be plain envy. She had failed such a simple test, and Cielalune seemed to have passed easily.

“I’m ready, I’m ready!” Khalxaen whined, locking her arms tightly with the other girl. “Go!” She mumbled, placing a clear footage on one of the walls. The walls, edging towards each other, were making a narrow pathway now and it would be just a few more moments until they’d get squashed. They had to work faster.

The walls seemed to be moving in faster than they had expected as they climbed up with all their strength. Her knees were starting to strain, but it was getting easier to step up the walls as they got narrower.

“Ouch!” Khalxaen said under her breath, now uncomfortable at their position. She looked up and saw that it was just a couple more meters. As if she couldn’t take it anymore, she quickly said to Cielalune, “Get ready to drop, man.”

With a quick motion, she reached for her sword and threw it up a few meters to hit the button with a loud bang. The hilt hit the button perfectly. As soon as she let go, the two of them started falling down to the ground, her elbows scraping the walls painfully. The walls finally stopped moving inwards as she landed to the floor, feet flat. She could hear her sword clatter beside her, and with a sigh, she leaned down to grab it.

[Cielalune]

Thump!

A sound emmersed beneath Ciela's feet as she fell from above, followed by a larger sound of her behind hitting the floor. She howled in pain as a searing sting soared through her skin. Her ankle seemed to be taking the fall horribly since it wasn't part of her training with her master to jump off from a high place. It was merely inexperience that caused her to falter otherwise someone with her body frame could easily land quietly like a feather.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed as she rubbed her right ankle which was getting red and swollen. Looking at the Khalxaen, she was about to nag on the elf when she remembered she had actually tried and succeeded in saving themselves. A well-deserved praise should be given at these situations, she thought. It wasn't in her to give one, sadly.

But she tried to, kind of.

"Nicejobonthatswordthing. ImeanIcould'vedoneitbutyouseemedtohavedoneitfaster thanmewhichsavedusanywaysoIguessIshouldbethankingy ou. SothankyouforsavingusbothIsuppose. Justdon'ttrytodothingsyourwaytoooftencauseitmightk illusintheendandIstilldon'ttrustyou. SO THERE!!"

Cielalune took a big breath after her speaking in sentences with no proper pauses, who wouldn't?

She turned around, slightly ashamed at what she had just said, if Khalxaen did ever understand it all. Her ankle still cried for some attention but she didn't bother caring for it. The more it hurts if you think about it, she decided.

"Did you get that?" she inquired followed by a quick, "Good, cause I won't repeat it again!!!"

She tumbled towards the last door to their adventure; What's inside is a mystery: the large man, the winner of the trials and most probably...the truth. It's oak wood carvings were so intricate, like each image on the door bore a story of everything you could think of. Jewels were encrusted onto it's handle which seemed like was made of gold. It was tempting to keep, it's beauty probably ensnared most of the finalists to death judging from seeing more dead bodies lying about everywhere in the dark.

Better not steal it then. It wouldn't be the right thing to do anyway.

Instead, she held the handle in her hand and slowly tried to pull it. Anxiety washed over her as sweat trinkled down her forehead. Excited but more of worried, she thought about her companion's state. Cielalune didn't feel like telling Khalxaen's family how she died as Ciela carried the demon girl's carcass to her home village, wherever it was.

She turned her head towards the demon girl but still refused to look at her in the eyes.

"You can leave now if you want."

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen raised an eyebrow at Cielalune, speculating at the faint way in which the girl limped. The demon didn’t ask about her injury since it wasn’t brought up, and instead, she opened her mouth to snap back in the impudent way she always did.

“No, I didn’t get that. All I heard were a bunch of syllables, and I don’t even care anymore.” The demon replied as a lie. Sometimes it was easier to pretend that you don’t know something, just to make another person feel at ease. Khalxaen didn’t even know why she was doing Cielalune the favor of pretending she wasn’t proud at the obvious compliment. Maybe it was her pride that didn’t let her say it out loud either—maybe she didn’t want to admit that something Cielalune would say would make her feel better.

Eyeing the jewels, Khalxaen waited as Cielalune opened the door. What was behind it seemed like such a mystery, and Khalxaen wanted nothing but to get this all over with. If what she heard before was true, then this was supposed to be the last door. They had done all the said trials already, and whatever the ‘truth’ was, it was supposedly behind this certain door.

Khalxaen stepped inside the other room hastily, looking around to scan the place. She blinked as she saw two huge silver mirrors on a wall, and a green door between them. She approached the wall, staring at her reflection in the mirror. “What the hell is this? Isn’t this supposed to be the last room?”

Furiously, she brought out a hand and tried to grasp the door’s handle. She couldn’t find feel it. The demon tried all means to open the door, she even banged on it a bit, but it didn’t work. Anger was evident in her face now, as she scanned the door for any other clue. Squinting her scarlet eyes, she noticed some foreign characters embedded on the middle of the door.

They were just like the ones in the entrance of the cave—the ones she had never seen before, but somehow, she knew what they meant. Something in her subconscious could translate them to the language she new. Not really sure if Cielalune could understand them too, she said it out aloud with obvious confusion. “It says…”

”What was more alone was sure to fail
But joined together, thou prevailed;
Yet answers two cannot be done,
With hearts so cold, there should be one.”

The demon paused, a throbbing pain suddenly attacking her head. She wasn’t the brightest person on Althanas, but she knew what the poem meant. Irritably, she turned around to look at Cielalune, arms crossed.

“You know what that means, don’t you?”

[Cielalune]

As Khalxaen passed in front of her, Cielalune stopped at her tracks. She obviously did not expect to see that they needed to do one more thing. The insides of her head started screaming incessantly; she needs the answers NOW, it said. Ciela knew she wouldn’t get it just standing there though.

Walking over to Khalxaen, she noticed the two mirrors and the door in the middle with something written in it. Reading what it was, she placed her eyes on the other girl who seemed to have done the same.

“Yes, I understand it perfectly. But you know what? I refuse to do such.” She huffed.

Although, when Ciela said that, her hand was already prepared to pull her rapier from its sheath. Her body shuddered with anxiety, somehow she really wanted to do battle with Khalxaen but in her heart she never wanted to kill anyone who has done nothing wrong. As a knight, it was her duty to protect the important and the innocent, such injustice will make her unworthy to be called a queen’s knight.

‘Kill her.’

Her own voice had whispered in her ear. Her silver eyes widened as she saw that her own reflection, in the mirror, had tried to speak to her. It had red eyes compared to her silver ones, with a smile so empty, it was hard to believe that was herself.

‘Kill Khalxaen and we can find out where our master is, Ciela.’

N-no. I don’t kill for personal gain.

As much as Ciela thought to herself, how she would kill anyone who gets in her way, she would probably never sleep if she ever stuck her sword in a person’s heart.

‘If you don’t…she’ll kill you.’

But…

The reflection was right, even if she didn’t want to fight, how would she know if Khalxaen felt the same? She refuses to lose to the likes of the demon girl as well; she had no choice but to fight.

‘Alas, young warrior, time is at hand;
What takes place here is who would stand;
Whose blood pours and whose tears fall,
Who'd succeed once and for all?’

Her reflection in the mirror laughed evilly and gave her a silent nod.

Grabbing her weapon, Ciela took a lunge.

[Khalxaen]

“Are you… going crazy?” Was the question from Khalxaen, directed to Cielalune, as she stared there the demon stared in confusion. The other girl seemed to be having a silent debate with what seemed to be her own… reflection? Curiously, but a bit hesitantly, Khalxaen looked at her own silver mirror.

She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. It was just her reflection, staring back at her with the same blank expression. Khalxaen tilted her head, and so did her other being. She had always heard that there was a legend that a mirror was another alternate dimension. She never believed in that, and she wasn’t going to change her views soon.

’Do you refuse to listen to me?’

Khalxaen’s face shot up, eyes wide. She stared at her reflection, which was smiling back at her. Weird, she could tell that she wasn’t smiling at the moment—her mouth was agape in question, not smiling in assurance.

’Fight Cielalune. You need to get to the next room. You need to know the truth.’

Khalxaen frowned. What truth was she even looking for? Who she was? She was a demon, according to the people back in her town.

’No, we’re not looking for what you are. We know you’re a demon. We’re asking who you are. Fight. Only one person may enter…’

“Hey, listen here, she may be a pain in the ass… but that won’t be necessa—“

Her sentences was cut short when she suddenly sensed a weapon dangerously slash towards her. Instinctively, she ducked, feeling the wind from the swipe. Cielalune was strong—she knew that.

“What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!” Khalxaen yelled, grabbing her own weapon in her hand. Furiously, she ran towards Cielalune. She wasn’t planning on actually fighting it out when she argued with her reflection, but as soon as she saw Cielalune had decided otherwise… well, it was just normal how Khalxaen thought: no reason in trying to talk it out. If the other was going to fight her, then she wouldn’t try to be nice.

“Idiot…” The demon snarled under her breath. Her scarlet eyes squinted as she saw sparks of ice appearing behind Cielalune. She must have unconsciously called out her spell that would call forth ice spikes. This often happened when she was on the brink of anger, and it was more of a fighting instinct when you think about it.

Khalxaen got ready to defend herself from Cielalune as she brought her sword in front of her. The spikes behind Cielalune got ready to hit Cielalune’s back, and a few strays scratched her own mirror. As they did, she felt a sharp pain in her head again.

[Cielalune]

"Sorry but I have to kill you. I don't feel like dying in the hands of a moron much like yourself!" Cielalune said, as she continued to lunge towards Khalxaen.

Her techniques were not used very well since her hesistation was very high. She hoped to simply just frighten the demon into giving up her chance for the truth. That way, noone would get hurt.

"Give up now ple---?!?!"

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

A sudden rushing pain rose from Ciela's back. Her high-pitched scream rang throughout the room. The pain seared from all ends of her body as blood scurried out of her back. Tears formed in her eyes, she never felt such pain in her life. Her heartbeat was so loud, it throbbed in her head as she gasped for air.

She saw a glimpse of Khalxaen, who also seemed to be in pain. The ice spikes had vanished but the pain was horribly still there. A cackle resonated from her reflection as she simply watched Cielalune writhed on the floor. The image seemed to grow bigger, like she was absorbing something from Ciela.

You...

'Now are you convinced that you should kill her? She really TRIED to kill you, you know. Those spikes things must really hurt.'

SHUT UP!

Ciela attempted to stand up again, using her rapier as support. Remembering her previous injury in the ankle, she fell back down again. Blood was everywhere, everything was red. There she lay in her own pool of blood, disgusted at her weak state.

Everywhere ached and the wounds on her back stung at her every move. She didn't feel like giving up and still insisted to stand.

'Why are you angry at me?! It's HER spell.'

It's all your fault!!! You told me she wanted to kill me! I don't think she did but I merely provoked her to do it!!! so SHUT UP! I'm not listening to you anymore.

With a swing, Ciela cast her sword upon the mirror, where it shattered in the middle, fragments flying everywhere. Her reflection screamed in horror as she too, started to bleed.

NO!! It screamed and tried to keep the mirror together by some unknown power.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Ciela gave one more powerful lunge, now towards her reflection, using her boot to completely smash the mirror and her reflection along with it. Suddenly, a burning sensation ruptured throughout her body, she felt like her energy had returned to her and the pain seemed to ease.

She though it was safe until she watched in horror as what was behind the mirror was absolute darkness and what seemed like her own hand was trying to drag her leg in the chasm.

I will be free!!!

"Aaaaaah!!!!" Ciela's voice could not be heard.

[Khalxaen]

“Ugh…” Khalxaen mumbled as she watched Cielalune battle with what seemed to be her own reflection. The demon held her hands and grasped her head tightly, refusing to give into the voice that told her to defeat Cielalune. As she saw Cielalune’s current situation in front of her, Khalxaen refused to give in to the voice.

Cielalune had already smashed her own mirror, and that should have been the end of it. After all, Khalxaen had realized that the distraction was coming from their mirrors, and smashing them would mean the end of it. But no, the girl she watched in front of her seemed to be pulled by an invisible force only she could see.

’You fail to do anything right!’ Khalxaen’s eyes widened as she quickly started back at her own mirror. Right at the spots where her spikes had left scratches on the mirror, what seemed to be darkness suddenly seeped through. Her doppelganger stared back at her with a maniac’s smile, and panic was evident in her face for a while. Her fake half slowly stepped out of the mirror, and she wondered how that was even possible.

”It’s all in the mind…!” She thought. Khalxaen refused to be defeated by an illusion for the second time, like she had been before in the test of courage. Her reflection slowly approached her, the arms reaching out to grasp the real her. Khalxaen noticed that it seemed like a flat image with light making it a transparent film, as if she was facing a mirror. Except this ‘mirror image’ was now realistic as it could be.

“You said there were only three tests!” Khalxaen yelled to nobody in particular, as she slammed the hilt of her sword, aiming for her reflection’s stomach. It went right through the transparent image and hit the glass hard, giving a loud breaking sound. The shards quickly flew, some hitting her arms and face and leaving long strips of blood, and the image slowly vanished with an angry expression.

There was a dark opening to where the mirror used to be, but it didn’t attack her like Cielalune’s did. She didn’t know why, but that’s what happened. In panic, she quickly darted to the other girl, hoping everything was all right.

[Cielalune]

Cold. Everything was cold and yet there is absolutely nothing.

Cielalune woke up to a place of nothing. Of emptiness. Of non-existence. A chill ran down her spine causing her eyes to snap wide open.

“Where am I?” she thought, “How did I get here?”

She slowly caressed her aching head but sadly, even her body ached in pain. Every movement she attempted sent shivers of pain throughout her body. That didn’t stop her from trying to analyze what the hell just happened to her. She tried to feel for any sign of surface to grab on but to no avail. It seems like she’d have to float in mid-air for the time being. Her eyes were useless as well; there was no light to depend on. The only light she can find are those tiny white dots you see when you close your eyes.

“I remember now!!” Cielalune slapped her hand against her forehead, followed by immense pain forgetting that her body was severely hurt. “I was dragged by that- that THING. I hope she’s dead or else I’d have to kill her all over again, with all this pain to boot. Ugh, so tiresome. And that elf girl! Arrggh!! How useless!! Wait, why am I wasting my time bickering to myself? I need to get out of here and comfort myself by insulting someone else! Where’s the exit in this place?!?!?”

For the first time in quite a while, Cielalune was panicking for it was a fact that total darkness sends fear into her mind.

“Ouch!! What was that?”

A force prevented Ciela from going any further although it had to hit her just for her to notice it was there.

“Hello? Anybody there? SHOW YOURSELF!” She said as she waved her hands frantically, hoping to be able to find any solid peripheral there. Nothing. As usual. Sweat began to form on her face as every second passed in the silence.

Suddenly, a tiny white dot appeared before her with the size as small as the head of a pin. Squinting, Ciela found out it grew bigger as she floated onward. A way out, she told herself, excited to finally leave the place.

Closer and closer she went how bright it glowed even more with every errr...step(?) she took. “Please make it be the exit!” She wished silently, slowly closing her silver eyes to prevent herself being blinded by the immense light. “Almost there, a little more further!”

“YOU’RE NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE!!!”

“NO WAY. Please don't tell me it's who I think it is.”

Cielalune turned around only to find out that her battle with herself was not over yet.

((OOC: Sorry for the err...strange narration. It's been a while. I have to get back to the habit again.))

[Khalxaen]

"Oh, cool." Khalxaen yelled, knowing full well that her amazement was not in the right place. She stuck her head and peered through the dark opening of where Cielalune's mirror used to be. She saw nothing but darkness and coldness, both things she didn't like. Staring in front frantically, she realized that there were voices, both which sounded like her companion.

"Hey!" The demon said in a startled manner. Cielalune was coming right at her, and she was ready to get out of the way to let her pass. As if on cue, a hand grabbed Cielalune from the back, screaming something about not letting her pass. Khalxaen's eyes widened as she realized her companion's predicament and reached out to grab her by the arm, pulling her outside frantically. The sudden force sent the both of them tumbling back, and they were back in the room that overlooked the two broken mirrors. Cielalune's fake self gave a shriek of despair before it vanished into nothingness.

The green door in between the two broken mirrors started shaking, and finally, it opened. Sighing with relief, Khalxaen got up, hoping this was the last. She hoped that all they were looking for was inside this plain but mysterious door.

It seemed so surreal that everything would be this easy now that they were here, but she didn't care. With a huff, she hurriedly walked inside the door, not even looking back.

As soon as she entered, a warm comfortable air surrounded her, latching on her skin. It felt good, like she would never be lonely again in her life. Just as soon as she thought that, the air left, going back to it's normal state inside all these caves. Cold and damp.

"C'mon, Cielalune. Let's get this over with."

[Cielalune]

Wow, so we're on first name terms now.

Cielalune was tired, hurt and very angry after what she's been through but after hearing her name for the first time from the elf girl, she was at ease. Forgetting to clean herself up, she walked towards the big gates after Khalxaen.

"This must be the last room...Khalxaen", she said as she looked around at the serene surroundings. The ceiling and floor were made of marble. The walls were caked with pure green jade stones and glowed faintly in every spot the torches touched with light. The torches hang on both sides of the entrance and nowhere else. They weren't as majestic as the brilliant walls.

Cielalune squinted to check at the end of the room, where an altar seemed to jut out from the ground just as jaded as the walls, only, it looked like it was skillfully carved out by a person.

Funny, nothing's happening yet.

"Let's go over there to the altar." Ciela told Khalxaen as she stepped towards the tabernacle. "I feel like this is the spot alright!"

As she went closer, she realized that there was an inscription embedded on the front of the shrine.

'Rejoice! Great warrior, thou'st hath done well;
Of brav'ry and wit, we surely can tell;
'Tis the end of this journey, we hoped thou has'th learned,
That one wish of one's dreams is what thou has'th earned.'

WOW! THIS IS IT, CIELA. YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR LIFE NOW. Cielalune told herself.

Cielalune peered, with a huge smirk on her face, on top of the table only to find out there was...


...Absolutely nothing.

[Khalxaen]

"What the hell?!" Khalxaen growled, her fists shaking with fury. "Where's the darn crystal that we went through all that crap for? There's nothing here. Listen here, knight, what was that stupid goose chase for!?"

She was about to go on and on about how this was all Cielalune's fault when her eyes cast down on a small piece of parchment on the floor. She swiped it in her hand furiously. The ink on it was still a bit wet, and that led her to the conclusion that it had just been placed there recently.

"'Too bad to who's behind me, you're late, it's mine.'" She read aloud. The demon couldn't believe her eyes, and she read it twice just to make sure. "...What!?"

Angrily, she glared at Cielalune. She couldn't believe all her luck. After all those trials, they ended up with nothing. And just who was the person who had come before them? He would be so clever to be able to go back the way he got in, passing them, and them not noticing him. He was probably ten times more skilled than them to do such a task. And to be able to steal an artifact that she had thought would be magically bonded with that room was also not a piece of cake.

The person that was ahead of them was good.

She crumpled the paper in hands with disgust, and shot Cielalune with a glare that seemed to say 'What now?!'

[Cielalune]

Yelling at Cielalune right now was a bad idea. She was as irritated as a cat in a sack.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UUUUUUUUP!!!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR STINKIN' YELLING! YOU- YOU- YOU- THAT'S IT. GET OUT OF MY SIGHT THIS INSTANT. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR UGLY FACE AGAIN. IF YOU WEREN'T SO SLOW, WE COULD'VE CAUGHT THE BLOODY BUTT WHO GOT TO US FIRST NOT ONLY THAT HE ACTUALLY TOOK IT! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE IT! OTHERWISE IT'LL BE THE LAST TIME ANYONE WILL SEE THIS CAVE!! "

Cielalune stomped, and screamed, and pulled her hair at the sheer misery of losing to someone else. Her hopes had been crushed in mere milliseconds and she would probably hold this for the rest of her life. Her rage echoed throughout the whole place.

No wonder we were able to enter. That fool before us, BROKE the cave of trials. GOD, WHY?! she thought, pacing backwards and forwards now.

The ground shook and pieces of broken marble started falling from above.

"THE CAVE! It's going under! HURRY UP!" Cielalune, despite being angry at the elf girl a while ago, grabbed Khalxaen's arm hurriedly and headed towards the exit that was opening up as the floor shook even more faster. Cracks and thuds were heard as Cielalune ran out as fast as she could just as the whole cave crumbled.

Finally, both of them were outside the cave, safe and sound. The sun was pouring out into their eyes as they felt the breeze of the outside flow into their lungs. Cielalune was huffing loudly as she stared at where the entrance of the cave was supposed to be. There were back to where they had met. Same forest. Same ground. Same looks on their faces.

"I guess, it was fun. Other than getting nothing at the end and whatever."

Her anger dispersed, her heart heavy; She stood up, dusting herself for the nth time.

I promised myself I won't give up. Might as well suck it all in and go on again.

She stopped to look at Khalxaen, whom she understood to have been crestfallen as well from the events they went through. Then, she noticed little pieces of rocks shining on the ground just near her companion's feet.

Inching closer, she picked them up.

"Hey look! It's pieces of the stolen crystal! The idiot must've pulled it out by force and broke it."

It glittered on Cielalune's hand as the sun's rays bathed them with warm light. She took one of the shards, grabbed Khal's hand and placed it there.

"Keep it. Before I change my mind."

And with that, she turned around and ran off towards her camp in the woods, not looking back to bid farewell to her new found friend or was it enemy?

I guess, in the end. I did earn something worthwhile...

Cielalune smiled at the sky. Then snorted really loud.

...HAH! Yeah right! Next time I see her, she'll be in ribbons when I use Oublie!!

It will be, perhaps, fate; who would usher them to meet again.

((OOC: FINALLY AFTER A GAJILLION YEARS. Yay! I hope it's good, gah!!))

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen looked taken aback by the yells the girl had given her. It's not often that someone got annoyed by how she talked, and she wasn't the least bit offended by what the other person had said. She just got angrier, because for her, everything she had been saying was true. It was all Cielalune's fault.

Khalxaen also wanted to break out, to tell Cielalune everything she was frantic about. To yell at her more, to say 'Look, it's not me being slow! It's you being too weak and actually falling for some fake version of yourself, dolt! Or for leading me to believe that there was actually something in here! But there's none!'

Before she was able to, the cave started to rumble. She had no choice, for now, she had to run for her life. The way out was a lot easier than the way in, and as soon as they got out, she realized that it wasn't as dark as before. Just how long were they in there?

It took her a moment to realize that the knight was talking to her. She wanted to tell her something, but she had forgotten. Easy come, easy go.

"It's not your choice whether I get to keep it or not, though." Khalxaen replied in an annoyed tone, sticking her tongue out. She swiped the clear shard of crystal from the girl's hand and stared at it for awhile before putting it safely inside a pocket. It seemed useless, but she wasn't about to walk away with no whatsoever reward from all those troubles.

The girl ran away without any goodbyes, but Khalxaen didn't care. Their last moments together had been bitter, and nothing but a shard in her pocket was what would remind Khalxaen of this person, who tested her patience because they were both just as stubborn.

'...Annoying, stubborn idiot.' Khalxaen grumbled under her breath as she stared towards the retreating figure of Cielalune. She hadn't realize just how much the two of them had in common.

(( Spoils - one shard for each of us. The shards have no use at the moment. ))

[AdventWings]

Ehh~ The title's so bad I'm not even going to speak more of it. :p

OK! Great job, you two! I have completed your judgment and here you shall see.

Story

Continuity - 7

I realy must say, I did not understand how this fits into the big picture for Khalxaen, but I see why this is important for Ciela. I'm tempted to give you a 6 in the beginning, but seeing how it played out I can see this could lead to more confrontations between the two of you - and I know there will be plenty more to come. :)

Setting - 7

Very good use of the environment and interaction with things around your characters. The faint hint of gunpowder (or in this case, the correct term could be said as black powder) in the air, the damp feeling of the cave, the frigid salty water and even that icky gelatin you had to eat (yuck!) all added up to lend the reader exactly how your characters reacted to your surrounding. Some areas were sporatic and there were not a lot of variety, but it felt good that you know how to use it instead of just keeping it as the background.

Pacing - 6

The tension througout the story rose and fell rhythmically and aesthetically pleasing, though at times you seemed a bit rushed to finish some of the lingering effects did not have time to play themselves out. The ending, in particular, felt quite hasty and I believe that it could be better if you detailed the Escape a bit more than just "running straight out the cave." Good job overall, so keep improving at it.

Writing Style

Mechanics - 6

There were a few typos and misspelled words, but not that much to make the reading become a chore to the readers. At one point I managed to spot a run-on sentences that could well be two complete sentences and lend a different feel, but that was pretty much it. Spell-check your works a bit, but don't always trust the Spell-Checker. Especially for MS Words. Humans aren't the only ones capable of making mistakes. :)

Technique - 7

Yeppers. Good use of simile and personification, though I'd like to see more variety along the course of the story. The poems used in the riddles are a thumbs-up to both of you, especially to Ciela who I believe composed most of the poems listed here. Good job to you, too, Khal.

Clarity - 7

Understandable and easy to read, this was a sight for sore eyes after finishing one of the most hectic threads I've ever judged (not telling you which one, though, for I've seen many in my time). There were at times the story seemed to loop back into itself and even overlapped, making the actions and whatnots appear disjointed at times. Not to worry, as there were few and far between.

Character

Dialogue - 7

The first few words thrown at each other were a bit cliche to start off with, but I guess there was not a lot for you two to begin with until the party got started. From there on, both Ciela and Khal developed their own unique voices which I found entertaining mouthing out and watching the reactions between them in my mind. The NPCs employed were fairly good as well, though here Trixian stood out very well.

Action - 7

Very believable, though a bit hard to follow at times. Both of your characters reminded me of two rivaling people out for a common cause, kinda like the two exorcists known as Reiko Mikami and Emi Ogasawara from GS Mikami. Just in this aspect, though. As for each of your individual actions, the were logical to your character's mindset, disposition and capabilities. A bit blown-over sometimes, but just on small things here and there that is not really that obvious.

Persona - 7

I love the bitter rivalry and subtle caring you two displayed multiple times throughout the thread, especially that little outburst of gratitude by Ciela around the end of the quest. I can see you two going farther than this, but let's keep that for future developments. The subtle change in personalities here warms my heart.

Miscellaneous

Wild Card - 9

Well-written poems, good use of flashbacks and play on the psyche. Not perfectly well-played, but highly potential for further developments. Plus, I have been waiting to see how you two would do on Althanas for a while. Now I know.

Which reminds me that I need to get posting again in that quest with Khal! ^_^

Total - 70!

Khalxaen receives 900 EXP and 200 GP. Khalxaen also acquires the shard of some sort of gem. No powers detected at present.

Cielalune receives 900 EXP and 200 GP. Cielalune also acquires the shard of some sort of gem. No powers detected at present.

Have fun, you two! :D

[Cyrus the virus]

EXP added!

KHALXAEN IS LEVEL ONE!!!!!!!

OMG congratulations + I lub you. :)

Good job dudes.