___'_'
Linda and Jason were walking cautiously, the shadows tossing them between the dense trees as if the forest itself had conspired to hide the path. The fog crept slowly along the ground while their eyes exchanged anxious glances. Neither of them knew exactly where they were, nor in which direction the castle lay.
Linda shivered from the cold and fear, and a moment of regret crossed her mind as she whispered to herself:
_"I wish I had said goodbye to Elias before I left… I… I don't even know what's going to happen to me…!".
Jason was walking behind her when he noticed her trembling hands and unsteady steps. He quickly moved forward, grasped her arm, trying to plant reassurance in her heart, and said in a low, firm voice:
_"Everything is fine… Don't worry."
His words were like a gentle hand upon her terrified heart. She smiled faintly despite her fear, feeling a warm comfort spreading through her chest.
But the air grew darker and colder, as though the forest had fallen into a heavy slumber, devouring their breaths.
Suddenly, the castle appeared to them through the distant branches.
Linda gasped, pointing eagerly:
_"Ah… it's… it's the palace !".
Jason felt an overwhelming joy fill him. He smiled despite his exhaustion and said:
_"We did it… we've made it."
But their smiles didn't last long; reaching the castle wasn't the end of danger. Something was waiting for them. Near the massive gate, a group of ogres had gathered, swaying their huge bodies, letting out terrifying shrieks as they looked up at the sky with their glowing red eyes. The sound of their heavy breathing echoed through the air.
The two hid behind a stone wall of the castle, watching in silence and anxiety. There was no clear path to the palace : the windows were far too high to climb, and the front gate was surrounded by ogres. Linda turned to Jason and whispered a bold idea, her voice barely audible:
_"I have a small plan… what if I throw this rock in that far direction? The ogres will rush toward the sound, and we can use the chance to run to the door."
The plan was risky, but it was their only thread of survival. Jason nodded in agreement and smiled despite the fear:
_"Smart plan… we have no other choice."
He took the rock from her hand, tightened his muscles, and hurled it with all his strength into the darkness. The stone struck the distant ground with a loud thud, and the ogres' response was terrifying; they moved at a frantic speed toward the source of the sound, charging across the ground with savage screams.
"Now!" Jason whispered, grabbing Linda's hand tightly. She dashed with him at full speed, running like those fleeing from death. Their feet pounded the damp earth until they reached the massive, solid gate and began pounding on it wildly.
"Open up! Quickly!" Linda shouted as she struck the door with all her strength, while Jason gasped for breath and pounded on the ancient wood with trembling hands.
Inside, everyone had gathered in the grand hall, a tense atmosphere hanging in the air. They wondered why Linda and Jason were so late, unease gnawing at their hearts. Suddenly, the violent pounding on the door echoed through the hall, freezing everyone in place. "Wh-who's there?" one of them asked in a trembling voice.
Then Linda's hysterical voice came from behind the door:
_"Please! Open up quickly!"
They exchanged worried glances, but Vivian didn't hesitate. She rushed to the door and opened it, and Linda and Jason burst inside, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling with terror.
Jason leaned against the wall behind the door as soon as it was shut, trying to catch his breath, while Linda placed her hand over her chest, her heart pounding wildly.
_"Where were you? We were worried sick!" Vivian asked sharply.
Jason replied in a weary voice:
_"We went to help Jude, Camelia, and Karm… but we lost our way."
Jude frowned. "Help us? We never asked you to."
They both looked at him in shock, for Jude and his companions were perfectly fine—without a single scratch. Jason pointed toward Linda and said, "It wasn't my idea. She wanted to… she was worried about you."
Jude looked at her seriously.
_"But… you could have never come back."
Linda lowered her head in regret. "Yes… it was reckless. But I couldn't just sit and do nothing… I thought you might need help."
Camelia gave her a look that mixed admiration and reproach. "Thank you for caring, but you could've gotten yourselves hurt because of it."
Karm added in a firm tone, "You worried everyone."
Behind them, Lily was trembling, clenching her fists nervously as she listened. Suddenly, she rushed toward Jason and hit him hard in the stomach, making him bend over in pain, gasping. Then she burst into tears, hugging him tightly. "I thought you were… going to die! You have no idea how much you scared me, you idiot!"
Ray stepped forward too, anger flashing in his eyes. "You fool! If something had happened to you, I'd have cursed you for the rest of my life!"
Jason sighed, trying to smile despite the pain. "I just… need a bit of rest. We barely escaped death."
Linda stood silently watching Elias. He was standing at a distance, arms crossed, not looking at her. She approached him hesitantly, trying to take his hand, but he pulled back without a word. "I'm sorry, Elias… I know I was wrong."
Elias couldn't hold himself back; his voice broke as he shouted, trembling, trying to suppress his tears: "Damn you! You're so selfish! You didn't think about my feelings for even a moment! You didn't care how I would feel!"
Then his tears burst forth, his voice cracking: "You didn't see what I saw… you didn't see how hard it was for me to arrive late and find… their torn bodies… their buried screams… it was hell! And now you've made me feel like I'm about to lose you too!"
Linda shrank in pain as she listened, then broke down, crying bitterly: "I'm sorry… sorry for being stupid… cowardly… selfish!"
She fell to her knees, her tears soaking the floor as she gasped uncontrollably. Jude stepped toward her and knelt beside her, gently pulling her head to his chest. "Enough… this isn't the time for sorrow."
Hours of silence passed after that, until they gathered around the table. The atmosphere was heavy, faces pale: Jason, Linda, Elias… each lost in thought. But the absence of Blackwith and Dante drew attention.
Herman went to Blackwith's room and knocked, but there was no reply. He murmured an apology as he opened the door—then froze at the sight before him: Blackwith asleep on her bed, and beside her, Dante sleeping deeply while holding her hand! Herman stifled a laugh and stepped closer, shaking Dante until he woke up in confusion.
Dante woke up yawning: "What… are you doing here… in my room?!"
Herman smirked slyly. "Your room, huh? Look beside you."
Dante turned his head and froze—Blackwith was lying next to him. He gasped, stammered, and fell off the bed in shock. "Damn it! Wh-what am I doing here?!"
Blackwith opened her eyes, her long hair falling over her face. She stared at them coolly. "Wh… what's with all the yelling… it's annoying…!"
She looked at both Herman and Dante—who was on the floor, face flushed red. "Wait… were you sleeping on my bed, you pervert?"
Dante, blushing furiously, stammered: "Pervert?! You… you're the one who asked me to hold your hand because you were scared!"
Blackwith shook her head, folding her arms. "I… said that? Impossible."
Herman laughed. "Enough! Dinner's ready."
They joined the others for dinner, the air thick with silence and uneasy breaths. Each of them carried something they wanted to share, yet none could break the tension between them.
Once the meal was over, everyone went to their rooms. It was the heaviest night they had ever lived through; each was lost in thought—Linda thinking of Elias, Jason of the card, Jude of the letter, and Blackwith couldn't forget the corpse.
They all fell asleep to strange sounds echoing through the castle.
The next morning, Linda woke early and went into the kitchen, finding Elias sitting there opening a can of tuna, his expression cold. "Good morning," she said softly, but he didn't reply. She sat beside him, and he silently took his plate and moved away.
"Elias, I know I was wrong… can't you forgive me?"
He looked at her with cold eyes. "What if I were in your place last night… and you were in mine? How would you feel?"
She smiled bitterly. "You're right… I would've been even angrier than you. But… I didn't tell you I was leaving because I didn't want you to take the risk with me. I was just worried about the others."
He replied quietly: "You worry about everyone… except me."
Her eyes filled with tears. "That's not true… you're the most important person to me… you're my only family… and I couldn't bear to lose you."
Elias felt guilty for his outburst and sighed. "I'm sorry too… for yelling at you last night."
She smiled with relief and hugged him as he sat on the wooden chair. "I'm so, so sorry, Elias."
The others woke up one by one and gathered in the hall, feeling a bit of ease at last. They sat on the couches, talking quietly among themselves. Suddenly, Jude stood up and looked at them seriously.
_"There's something… I need to tell you."