I had to leave.

The walls of the shrine began to rumble with the warning of a nightmare to come. The display of the relic crumbled to a heap of sand.

My fingers tightened around it, feeling its cool gold surface whisper a plead to me to leave.

I stuffed it into my satchel hastily and bolted down the pathway alit by molten candles. The exit was close—_so_ close.

_Almost there, _the sliver of light beamed through the slightest crack of the two doors.

But then, the pathway began to crack beneath me.

The once lifeless eyes of the ethereal statues surrounding the room began to glow mercilessly. A vermillion haze engulfed the wide room of the shrine.

My heart raced. Sweat dripped down my chin like August rain. I began to whimper in horror.

_You have nerve stealing from me, child. _A faint voice reverberated through my mind. Panic gripped my mind.

And soon, I was dropped into an inky sea of pitch black.

~・☆・~

My bones ached with the impact from the fall. For a few agonizing moments, I lay paralyzed on a floor in the endless darkness, my surroundings nothing but an icy expanse of smooth ground.

“Hello?” I croaked out. The silky, cutting-edge voice returned like the crack of a whip on my face.

_Think of this as a punishment, child. You signed your life away when you stole that relic. _

“But—” I tried to hoist myself upward, only to lose my balance and fall apart yet again.

_Your frail body won’t carry you far. But I’d like to see how far you’re able to get. It’s been eons since I’ve had any kind of entertainment. _

And just like that, the voice vanished.

With ideas of escape circling my mind, I forced myself onto my feet, wincing in agony. I pulled a torch out from my satchel, lighting it with a small vial of gasoline and a match.

The shimmering glow of heat was enough to clear my vision.

It wasn’t until I realized when I peered down under my tattered boots that the ground was made of pure, solidified ice.

But that wasn’t the most horrifying part about it.

Under the thick blue frost we’re hundereds—no, _thousands_, of bodies mangled and entrapped with horrified expressions.

And similar to me, they wore threadbare satchels and hooded leather cloaks. Theives in search of the Undying Septer.

I shuddered.

I jogged, letting my torch whisk away the spoltches of darkness. Until I saw the forest.

The ice faded away into a clearing of vibrant lush grass. Towering blossom trees filtered shimmering sunlight, plump fruits shining. Flowerbeds of wild, ethereal flowers greeted me with their dainty petals.

I was free!

Smiling, I tumbled through the thicket, breathing out a gentle sigh of relief.

A mass of colorful fairies descended upon me, smiling cheekily. Their small hands spread specks of stardust on my skin.

“Do not fret, young miss, you’re free now.” One piped up. I sagged on the floor, beginning to feel my muscles relax and skin flush. I felt oddly drunken.

My satchel opened, causing the relic to spill out.

The more stardust raining on my skin, the more I felt myself dissociating and growing weaker.

“I . . . wait . . .” I clenched out. I couldn’t stand.

The fairies’ faces twisted into bulging, wrinkled skin. Fangs poked from their mouths, dripping in glittering blood. Their eyes glowed.

_You’re a foolish girl, _the voice returned smoothly from the fairies mouths. I gasped.

Just as a small, clawed hand began to reach for my skin, the pierce of a blade through flesh filled my vision.

A silhouetted figure had saved me, his blade slicing the fairies to nothingness. The stardust wore off, and I retrieved the relic from the ground.

I gazed up.

He was a boy no older than my age, his hands and neck wrapped in yellowed bandages. My eyes widened at the unmistakable leather cloak and satchel. He was another theif.

“Thank you,” My voice came out uneven.

“You can’t trust the apparations here. They’re all creations of the Relic Master to distract you.” The boy snapped frustratedly.

“What are you talking about?” It was my turn to grow frustrated now. “Who are you?”

The boy sighed, running a bandaged hand through his feathery strands.

“You’ll lose the Relic Master’s game if you die in here. The rest of us did.”

I shuddered in fear. “You lost?”

He nodded. “Atlas Kade. I died here centuries ago when I tried to steal the relic. I’m merely a ghost now.”

“Jinx Opal,” I said shakily.

“Your name won’t matter if you don’t survive the Relic Master’s fight.”

I delicately touched the useless silver-tipped blade in my satchel. “Do I have a chance?”

“That’s for you to decide,” Atlas answered, gesturing towards a darkened path that led out the forest. And soon, he dissipated like steamed water.

_Oh, you’re alive? _The voice taunted. _I’m waiting. _

__

And I started down the path, heart trembling.