Believing in Myself

Thank you again Falcon! And now we move on to the verge of attack, as the next chapter will give the details... Now let's head out and see... who will leave alive...

Chapter 23


As the two approached the looming castle, the outer walls shielded most of the castle from view, besides the upper levels. The large wooden door that seemed to seperate the inner parts from the rest of the world seemed worn. John and Jessica pushed with all thier might to force the door open. It creaked open, the door sliding against the dirt floor, until it was open enough for them to walk inside. They were in what appeared to be an outer courtyard. Flowers of all seasons bloomed around in well cared for flowerbeds. A tree which appeared to bear fruit stood off on the right, and a table and a few chairs were placed there to enjoy the scenery. A fountain was seen some 10 feet away from them, flowed merrily, the water making light rippling sounds.

"Are you sure this is a place for a monster?" Jessica asked. The way things were taken care of around here, it would seem as if someone lived here, even had a few servants to help with the work around the land.

"I don't know... it could be a trick." John assumed. After all, it would seem likely to lower one's guard in such a way before thier impending doom.

They both walked to the front door, the towering castle above them. The polished brass door knock hung over on a well cared for redwood door. John lifted it and knocked, not expecting anyone to really answer. To his surprise, someone did. He wore a dark blue vest and black pants that seemed too tight to walk in. His red boots shined as though recently polished. His blonde hair was matted to his head. He smiled to the two.

"Well well, what can I say... visitors! How nice... no one ever comes to visit. Well, come on in, don't be shy." He steped aside to let them enter, closing the door behind them. The floors were of marble, and looked as though they had been mopped recently. A staircase in the back of the room lead upward to the second floor. It's horseshoe shape branched out into two seperate hallways. A little further in another staircase went even further upward, ending in a locked door. A few doors on the ground floor led off to various rooms.

"Wow... this place is..."

"Lonely." Thier host had said. "It gets very lonely here now and again. I suppose no one visits because of the 'demon' they say is here. But that's just a fool's tale. By the way, my name is Atrois."

"Wait, so there isn't a demon here?" John said, a little perplexed.

Atrois laughed. "No no, only me. I live here alone, but it's ok. Of course, no one would believe me if I told them I lived here. Everyone thinks that this place was abandoned and haunted for a long time. As far as they are concerned, no one in thier right mind would dare come within five feet of this place."

John and Jessica looked to each other. Then John looked back to Atrois. He seemed familar... but from where?

"By the way, I haven't learned your names yet."

"I'm John Aaron."

"You may call me, Jessica."

"John and Jessica... Hm. In any case, would you like to stay here for the night? It's getting dark out, and it's nice to have someone here. The way this castle was built, you would think it was made for a few small families."

"I guess... that's ok." Jessica said almost uncertainly. Atrois gave a friendly smile and beckoned them up the stairs. They took the right hand path, into the hallway, where about six doors lined the hallway, spaced evenly along the path. Atrois showed them each thier seperate rooms, right across from each other, before wishing them goodnight.

John looked around his own room. His bed was a simple one, made for one person. A small nightstand was next to it, with a lit candle there. A small wardrobe was there too, but it was near empty, save for an extra blanket and some nightclothes. John sat down on the bed and searched through his own pack. He found what he was looking for, a certain book. The book with a lock on it. He stared at it, wondering what was inside. He probably would have used magic to open the book, if it wasn't for the fact that he might ruin it in the process.

A knock was heard and he hastily put the book away before responding. "Who is it?"

"It's me, John. I wanted to talk to you."

John went and opened the door for Jessica. She had not yet changed into her night clothes, and walked over to the bed were she sat in thought. "So, what's on your mind?"

"I don't... feel right. Being here... something just doesn't seem to add up."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone seems to fear this place for a reason... but yet, this place doesn't seem so bad. And that's what puzzles me."

"Well, some things are better experienced first hand I guess."

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Atrois had walked upward toward the third floor of the castle, where his own room was. Withdrawing a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door to find Beraas sitting on his own bed.

"A little risky don't you think? Letting the enemy enter your home like that."

Atrois smiled to Beras and walked over to a chair in the room. "Now Beras, where's the fun in just killing them? I want to play with my new toys before I break them," he said, as he smiled a sinster smile.

Beras stood up and sighed, moving to the door. "If your not going to kill them, then I'll do it myself."

"Oh no, Beras. You had your chance. Now it's my turn. Unless you forgot my brother's orders... did you?" At the mention of his 'brother' Beras, who was reaching his hand to open the door, froze up. "You do remember then... Your suppose to be taking care of another Destinied near the port to the north. Hopefully, before this Destinied and his angel get there to inlist her help. Do your job Beras, while I do mine."

"I thought your job was to find the last orb. We need it to complete our plans. I don't recall you having any orders to kill him."

"Maybe you don't, but whose to say he couldn't have given them to me when you were gone? Now if you don't mind, leave. And let me handle this one this time, Beras."

Beras opened the door and walked out. "Don't underestimate them. It is possible they may have gained some strength since the last time I fought them." With that he walked away.

Atrois however, smiled to himself all the more. "I do hope he does put up some fight before he dies. Otherwise, there would be no fun in it..." He laughed quietly to himself and walked off, aparently after Beras, ready to start the fun.

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John and Jessica decided to explore the house a little, just to be familar with thier surroundings. Most of the rooms in the hallways were bedrooms, although two in each upper hallway were bathrooms. Back down on the first floor, one room led to a den of some kind, a fire crackling in the fireplace, while rows of books lined on shelves. Another room lead to a dining hall, which had a long table and enough chairs to seat almost two dozen people. The room beyond that lead to a kitchen, while one final door remained locked.

"I don't understand... it looks like a pretty normal house... considering only one person lives here."

"I still don't like it. This place creeps me out... let's just go back to the inn John. We already paid for the room there, so why not use it?" Jessica went to the door and opened it.

"I guess you have a point... But shouldn't we-?"

"Going already?" Atrois walked down the stairs toward them. "And without telling me? That's not very nice."

"We really appricate all you've done, but we really must be going." John said.

"Oh please, don't leave on my account..." Atrois raised his left hand, and the door shut itself quickly. "Stay... I insist."

Jessica tried to open the door, but it felt as though it was bolted shut. "What did you do?"

"Simple... I insisted you stay."

"Open this door, right now!" John said, his temper rising.

"And are you going to make me?"

"Fire!" John raised is hand to the door and a burst of flame shot out. It struck the door, and John hoped that it would burn away. But the door seemed to repel the magic, and stood without even sustaining scorch marks. "But how!?" John said, wide eyed and facing Atrois.

Atrois merely laughed a little before facing them again. "You see... the villagers were right when they said a demon exists in this place..."

"It's you... your the demon! I should have known..." Jessica said, trying to prepare.

"Yes, little angel. I am the demon that resides in this castle."

"Wait, you know I'm an-!"

"Oh yes, Beras told me all about you both... He even warned me of something... what was it again..."

"Beras! I should have known you were in league with that scum!" John spat out. "And I also bet you were one who let loose the monsters at Aseli! Right?"

"Oh that... I was really just having fun. But now the games truely begin! We are gonna play a little game, called live or die. Win, and you can leave. Lose and- well, let's just say it won't be pretty." Atrois smiled again.

"Are you nuts!? This isn't some game!" John shouted.

Atrois gave a playful pout, making him seem childish. "Now now, I'm giving you a chance to play, and you don't want to? Well, that's ok. I assume I can always call Beras and we could just kill you right away. But that's not even fun. I want this to be enjoyable for us before you die."

John and Jessica prepared to fight. Clearly he was insane, but if he was in league with Beras... there was really no choice. John withdrew his sword and faced Atrois.

"Oh, a sword! Wow, you really are serious about this aren't you. Just remember to have fun!" Atrois smiled playfully again. From the looks of things, he wasn't taking this fight as serious as John thought he should. But John hoped it wasn't because that Atrois could really kill him so fast with ease.