{Level 4, Hall of Darkness}
"Dun-dun" Novem made theatrics with his mouth to kill time.
His Royal family has particularly bad eyesight, but in its stead, they would have a hightened increase in other senses.
A normal Royal's sense of sight is twice that of humans, while theirs is one time poorer than a normal human. Apart from that, they have an unusual blackness over their pupils so most of what they see Is outlines (like touchable silhouettes) of their surroundings and the people or things around them. That's why they take particular interest in people's eyes, bright ones in particular.
"Haa" Novem sighed, "I wonder what everyone is doing right now. I can sort of imagine Kelvin panicking" he chuckles
Novem glances around; up, down, left, right. It was the only way he could comfort himself now that he couldn't see anything.
He moves about the corridor and feels the walls. "Will there ever be a source of light"
Novem's hand brushed against an object and he quickly picks it up after feeling what it is. "An umbrella!?" Why would an umbrella be here.
He opened the umbrella and closes it back. I'm used to darkness, but I still hate it. He muttered
Up ahead, a white beam of unnatural white ilight blared inside a transparent cube. Novem felt the urge to run towards that only source of light, he nearly dropped the umbrella.
But he grabbed it back and gripped it tighter. Suddenly remembering the phrase, "....Like moths to a flame"
"Light!"
"There's light over there!"
Distant clamour of people running in his opposite direction made Novem curious. "If they made it to this level, shouldn't they be more cautious?"
"Two…three… just three people, two men and one woman." Novem moves forward, "Wonder what will happen to them if they touch the light"
He steps on something metallic and sturdy. Novem bends down and picks it up, "An iron bar. This seems fun" he grins
The people in the opposite direction were getting closer to the cube of light,
"Um… what was that guy's name again" Novem scratched his cheek, "Oh, Morim!" I should have asked for his full name he then scratched his head in embarrassment
The people ahead paused, "Morim? Who's that?"
If he's not amongst them, "Don't worry, carry on" He urged and turned around
The people ahead seemed confused, they looked at one another and shrugged, running towards the light.
The first person to get there was the man at the forefront. He reached his hand towards it and his hand entered inside.
He laughed, "Guys! It's safe!" He beckoned for the others to come
The other two sighed in relief.
November smiled wryly, "Nothing is safe here"
"George?" The woman called out
The cube of light really was unnatural. It was a big white light, although the amount of light it gave to its surroundings was only a few centimeters surrounding it.
"Apparently, George is the person who has just touched the light". Novem murmured, at some point, he had moved so close to the ball of light to see what was happening. At the very least he could still tell what was light and what was not.
"My sight might be dull, although I can swear I saw him get pulled inside" Novem backs away from the light
"He just disappeared! Do you think he entered the light?" The other man asked the woman
"I don't know!" The woman shrieked
Novem who was already lengthening the distance between him and the light, snorts, 'The light is right in front of you, how could you not know'
"L-lets just go in" The man said
Novem whipped his head around again and watched with squinted eyes as the man places his hand on the cube of light.
"I-it really is safe" The man smiled and brings his hand back outside.
"I see" The woman still wasn't sure, "Then where did George go-.....to..." she watched with horror, "Kyaaaaaa!!!" The woman screamed
"What's the matter" The man asked, his eyes hollow as he looked down at his missing arm. "M-my arm!!!"
As a doctor, November couldn't stand by and watch this. He may not be able to use his healing ability but he could stop the bleeding for now.
Novem reached into his pockets and fetched out a handkerchief when he heard another scream.
He looked up to find the other man missing his upper body.
"How did that happen." Novem puts his handkerchief back in its place since there was no more use for it.
The woman shrieked, she fell on her behind and immediately turned around to crawl her way out.
Novem couldn't allow this. "Classic" he doesn't like cliche troupes, especially ones where one gets so scared they fall down and crawl backwards instead of running for their lives. Just what do they contemplate down there? so her current situation was getting on his nerves.
"Stand up and run, woman." Novem said, "Crawling won't get you anywhere"
The woman did try to stand up but she fell right down.
The cube of light was slowly descending towards her.
"Well" Novem sighs, "The empire do you reside in will dpend on your special treatment"
The lady gulped and tried to speak but she choked on her words.
Novem approaches the woman, he was now in a position where only the cube of light separated him from her.
He raises the thin iron bar and with incredible force, slammed it on the side of the cube. The cub crashed into the wall and loses its light, blinking before finally turning off. It was made of a sort of heavy glass, so he could say it shattered but only by the side which was struck by the iron.
Novem taps the iron on his foot as he looked down at the woman he now couldn't see.
"W-who are you" she asked fearfully
"Do you need me to help you" Novem asked back
"C-can I know you first?" She asked
"Novem. From the Fourth" Novem answered
It was a sort of reflex, the woman snorts. "Lord Novem of the Fourth empire?"
"..." Novem remains silent,
"How can I count on you to protect me?" She cackled, "Emperors of the fourth are always-"
The cube immediately glowed up and sprang into the air.
Novem sees this and starts to walk back,
"Wait!" The woman called for him
The bulb swiftly slammed itself on the woman. It seemed once a target, forever a target.
November glanced back and turns around to mind his business, "She must have been from the second empire" he said, walking down the lonely corridor, "....Just a hunch" he drooped
Only people from the second empire would have so much disdain towards even an Emperor.
Turns out the woman was someone who could protect herself. She only pretends to act weak in front of men so they could feel pity for her and bodyguard her. Blockheads for meat shields, check.
November turned his head to find the bulb glowing in and out. He watched it, and it watched him
It then glided his way,
Novem pulled his iron bar closer.
The bulb continued to glow on and off and suddenly it just went off and never turned on.
Novem didn't think that was the end.
Ahead of him, another bulb flickered on.
He backed the bulb from behind and tightened his grip on the iron.
The bulb ahead glided closer and closer and suddenly turned off.
Then the one behind him glowed up as well, moving closer to him.
Since it was much closer, Novem moved towards it and knocked it down with the iron bar. It glowed and tried to hover again only to get slammed back to the ground.
"Things keep getting bizarre. Just what exactly am I supposed to be fighting here?" Novem couldn't comprehend. "First there's an umbrella, now an iron bar"
Should I be knocking them out? Is that right?
The bulb from ahead glowed up again and it's speed increases as it rushed towards Novem.
November raises the umbrella over his head and the ball of light stopped right above his head. It descended,
It was like his own presence was concealed under the umbrella.
Novem moves the umbrella again, but this time, places it over the cube filled with light which was now close to his face.
The umbrella was illuminated by its light, and Novem could see underneath it,
{That which covers from darkness}
The bulb descended further, grew smaller and gradually lost its light. Novem could now hold it on his palms.
It was still too big and heavy so he held it with his hands, his umbrella, he wedged between his neck and shoulder.
"This instance is way too random" He muttered
All that remained from the glass was a faint glow.
It was getting too comfortable, so Novem threw it down with a thud.
November moves again, back to where he was going, the direction opposite where he came in from the last level.
"I'm tired," Novem said, folding his umbrella and dashing into the darkness. Immediately, many cubes of light sprang up from who knows where and started chasing after him.
Behind him was also the bulb he had thrown down, it scratched itself against the floorboards and headed his way. Instead of joining in on the attack, it crashed itself onto the other balls of light. Novem noticed this and glanced back, he then turned around and slammed the nearest one to him with his iron.
The bulb made a pretty good partner as it and Novem has each other's backs. "I don't know what I'm teaming up with but nice" he complimented with a smirk.
Although it's reason for helping me is beyond my knowledge. Is it because I sheltered it with an umbrella? Novem wondered. "Also, aren't these light bulbs defeating the purpose of this corridor's theme, 'darkness'? Something hit you in the head?" He said out loud, chuckling. 'I'm starting to talk Zachary.'
Something hit the whole Instance and everywhere started to distort. The footholds were not holding up and Novem couldn't balance on to anything. "It probably got mad" Novem pouts
…
A purple hair and a funny-sort-of-blond hair walked down the distorting corridor.
"I wonder what's going on" Isla asked, scanning the vicinity
"It's only natural something like this would happen since we literally forced our way in" Grace said with a frown
"Ahh…." Isla beamed, "You did"
"Shut up, and I won't cause you a problem" A vein bulged in Grace's temple
"Yes ma'am!" Isla smiled
"{Isla}"
The purple hair turned back when she heard her name. She paused and looked back in her position for a while,
Shivers went up her spine, causing her to immediately snapped her neck forward, walking after Grace.
Whatever had called her wasn't human. That much, she knew.
…
Novem was falling down, to where? he didn't know. It was like gravity was at its minimum, he just kept on falling with ease, no pressure, no enough friction. He had his arms folded and beside him was a significantly reduced size of the cube.
He looked back, and below him was an endless darkness. What layed at its end, he didn't know, what layed above him, he didn't know, what surrounds him… he also didn't know.
Novem glances at the cube of light beside him and looked back up.
"When will I go home" he said exasperatedly
Novem continued falling for a while until when the gravity suddenly got lighter. Quickly, he pulled himself to stand vertically and just after he did that, he landed on a smooth surface. "Talk about perfect timing" he chuckled
Upon taking strides after strides, November heard crowds coming from all directions, even from behind him. He continued walking on and met with a lot of people, more of commoners than royals.
"It's actually bigger than I thought" Novem mused
Someone grabbed his arm. Novem turned around to see a middle aged man holding onto his sleeve.
"You're Lord Novem, could you please help me- us out of this place" the man cowered
"Are you from the fourth Empire" Novem asked
"Huh? Oh no, I'm from the third empire" the man said, nearly laughing
"I see" Novem snatched his arm, "I'll do my best, the rest is up to you"
"Heyyy! I found you!" Came Ayrene's voice, "I don't like that witch!" She whined, "She made me lose the daggers you gave me!!" She continued, gritting her teeth
"It's fine, I also lost the sword you handed me" Novem dismissed it. He glanced around and announced, "Anyone here named Morim!?"
A wooden board tied at one end with a frayed knot suddenly dropped from the dark ceiling they couldn't see and falls on a man's head.
"Yowch!" The man held his head and moved aside, "What is this!?" He nearly shouted at the hanging board
The board swayed and the people gathered, including November moved to read it's contents.
It was really dark, and the nearly blind set of people scrunched their face to see what it was at a distance.
"What's it say?" Novem asked
"No idea" Ayrene replied
November squeezed his way through the panicking crowd and asked a woman at the fore front, "What does it say?"
The woman turned her head and gasps, "Lord Novem!"
"What?"
"Lord Novem!?"
"An emperor is here!?"
"He's here to save us!"
'Yeah, right' November rolled his eyes
"It says," the woman gulped, looking back at the hanging board
"{Surprise!}"
The next moment, a furry of hanging boards came tumbling down and everyone had to lower their heads or go down on their knees to avoid being hit. November danced through them.
{Down goes the day}
{Chase!}
{Survive}
{Mystery}
{Pursuit}
{Escape!}
{Chaos}
{Rampage!}
{Frenzy!}
{Frenzy!!}
{Frenzy!!!}
{Monsters in a Frenzy!!!}
As soon as they read the words on those tumbling boards, nearly fifty of them carrying freakish words, everyone's eyes turned bloodshot and they looked to their right at the same time.
The whole of the corridor was illuminated in a bright blood red light, and the walls by their right gave way, with the instance rotating and pushing them down towards the hole.
By the time they opened their eyes to what was in front of them, they had been separated into groups of twenty-four with twenty-four room doors in front of them.
The corridor remained painted in red.
The guests held their heads in fear,
Bow down and shed silent tears
As they pray for relief of their torment, dilemma and stress.