Chapter 63: Into the Dungeons
The castle was ruined.
Lirian stepped over chunks of broken stone and shattered wood, her boots crunched against the debris that littered the once-grand halls.
The walls were cracked, and parts of the ceiling had caved in, leaving gaping holes that exposed the cold, gray sky above.
The oxygen felt like the acrid smell of smoke, mixed with something far more nauseating...the metallic tang of blood.
She paused in the corridor, her heart started sinking as she saw a maid she barely recognised lying crushed beneath a massive beam.
Her lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead, and Lirian quickly looked away, a bitter taste rose in her throat.
Further along, she saw others who had been less fortunate.
Some maids had managed to escape the initial collapse, only to meet a more gruesome fate outside.
The remains of their bodies in pieces, torn apart by the monsters that had overrun the castle.
Lirian let out a slow, shaky breath. ’This isn’t your fault,’ she told herself. ’You didn’t cause this.’
But the guilt remained, making her feel heavy and suffocating.
As she moved deeper into the ruins, a familiar sight made her stomach twist.
Gabriel’s childhood nanny, a kind woman Lirian had met only a handful of times, was slumped against the wall.
Or rather, half of her did.
The other half was missing, her torso torn raggedly where something had gnawed at her.
Lirian’s hands flew to her mouth, her vision blurred with tears.
"I’m sorry," she whispered, and her voice started to crack.
Her brain had so many questions as she forced herself to move on.
’Who did this? What caused this mess?’
And then, an unsettling thought came into her mind, chilling her to the bone.
’Gabriel’s monsters.’
Her steps quickened, her destination got clearer now.
She knew where he kept them—the dungeons deep below the castle.
The training ground...
A place most avoided, a place she had once feared to even think about.
But now she had to know.
The door to the dungeon was still intact, standing stubbornly against the destruction that had overtaken the rest of the castle.
Lirian stared at it for a moment, her hand rested lightly on the iron handle.
It hadn’t been destroyed.
’Why? If the monsters escaped, how come the door wasn’t destroyed?’
She pulled it open, the heavy door creaked on its hinges, and descended the narrow staircase that spiraled downward into darkness.
The cold air bit at her skin as she moved, the dim light from the torches on the walls casted moving shadows.
The silence was oppressive, broken only by the sound of her own footsteps repeating against the stone.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she entered a corridor lined with iron doors.
Most were open, their contents seemed to be long gone, but further down, she heard muffled sobbing.
She quickened her pace, turning a corner to find a group of maids huddled together.
Their faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear, and their hands clutched at each other as if they were the only things keeping them grounded.
"L-Lady Lirian," one of them stammered as she approached.
"It’s safe," Lirian said, keeping her voice as calm as she could.
"You can leave now. Go to your families. Your services are no longer needed here."
The maids exchanged uncertain glances, looking like they were torn between relief and hesitation.
"Go," Lirian insisted gently. "Gather your belongings and leave. You don’t have to stay in this place any longer."
A few of them nodded, slowly and cautious, but one young girl remained rooted in place.
Her face was streaked with tears, her hands trembled as she clutched a tattered shawl.
"My mother," the girl whispered. "She... she didn’t make it."
Lirian’s heart ached at the raw pain in the girl’s voice.
She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I’m so sorry. Truly. But you need to get somewhere safe. Do you understand?"
The girl nodded slowly, sniffling as she wiped at her face. "Yes, my lady."
Before she turned to leave, Lirian asked, "The monsters. Where are they?"
The girl’s eyes widened in fear, and she pointed a trembling finger toward a door at the end of the corridor.
"Th-they’re in there," she whispered.
Lirian followed her gaze, her stomach turned into knots.
"Thank you. Go now."
The girl hesitated for a moment before joining the others, their sounds echoed faintly as they disappeared up the stairs.
Lirian turned to the door at the end of the corridor, dread coiling tightly in her chest.
The door loomed before her, so heavy and imposing.
She hesitated for a moment, her hand hovered over the handle as she tried to steady her breathing.
’You need to know, she told herself. You need to see it for yourself.’
She pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room beyond was massive, far larger than she had imagined.
The walls were lined with chains and reinforced bars, and the faint glow of torches bathed everything in an eerie blue light.
And there they were.
The monsters.
Sprawled across the stone floor, their massive forms seemed to be rising and falling with slow, steady breaths.
Their bodies were twisted, with dark scales that were barely shining in the low light.
Lirian’s heart pounded as she stepped closer, her eyes darted between the creatures.
She counted at least a dozen of them, all seemingly at rest.
But as she drew nearer, one of them stirred.
Its red eyes snapped open, locking onto her with an intensity that sent a shiver down her spine.
The others followed, their eyes opened to life as their heads turned toward her all at one move.
A low growl filled the room, deep and guttural, reverberating through the stone walls.
Lirian froze, her breath hitched as the monsters slowly began to rise over her.
’This was a mistake,’ she thought, panic clawed at her chest.
The growling intensified, the sound filled her ears as the creatures took a step closer.
And then, darkness surrounded the room.