Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Life is like a game, every day there is a new task waiting for you, a new level with new and unique troubles. We have to play it because we cannot back off, it's our life. No one is coming to save us.

You have to save yourself!

You have to find a way to succeed. The way which only leads to success, the way where is no chance of failure, the way where failure is like a teacher who teaches you how to fight. Who teaches you never to give up without even trying harder.

Marietta P.O.V

Will they believe me? That was the only question coming into my mind right now.

Masked savior said he was my jackpot and I had to save him. I pushed my doubts on the back of my head and taking a deep breath in, I trudged towards the huge gate of the castle.

Four guards dressed in Olivia's style looked at me, one nodded to others and they opened the gate for me. I stepped inside and started to walk in the direction where we last met......

The castle was beautiful, crystal chandeliers hanging at every five feet distance, decorated with flowers, portraits, statues, curtains, everything was fantastic. The sweet fragrance of flowers made a strange feeling inside me. Everything here reminded me of fairy tales. It seemed like everything here was only made of diamond, crystal, and magical shining. It all had a magical aroma in itself.

Why was so much silence? Wait...... l noticed one thing. When I came here in the night, it was morning here. Now I came here in the morning and it was night. It was the opposite of our world.

Slowly walking in the silent castle. I chuckled looking at my reflection on the wall, I was still wearing my nightdress, pajamas, and an oversized hoodie. But that wasn't my fault she didn't let me change.

I passed the long hallway and turned to the left side and ended up in the lobby full of doors. If it was night time then they would probably be asleep. In this big castle, how am I supposed to find them? When I didn't even know anything about here.

Entering in a closed room without permission, wouldn't be a good idea.

I turned around back towards the hall when my eyes caught a door on the right side, half-opened. Dim blue lights were coming out of it and curiosity did the best at me as I ended up in front of the door. It was a light blue-colored huge door, decorated with weird symbols on it.

I pushed the half-open door and it showed stairs going down. I went downstairs, the stairs looked like made of ice and the whole room lightened up in dim blue light. A beautiful ice chandelier was hanging and just beneath it, was a lovely blue-colored piano inviting me.

I approached it and slightly touched the tiles with my fingers. An urgent desire developed inside my heart to play it. Stopping myself, I tried to remember why I came here when someone placed a hand on my shoulder and I jumped on my feet.

"Relax it's me," Walter whispered. His bright blue eyes were perfectly matching the aura of the room.

"You scared me." I whispered, catching my breath.

"How did you come here?" He looked around suspiciously and asked confused.

"Mike.....you have to save him," I said completely ignoring his question.

"You guys are the royal guardians, right? Then gathered everyone. I know where is Mike." I said.

"How do you know that? How did you come here?" He asked again suspiciously looking at me. I gulped looking at his questioning eyes because I couldn't tell him. So, I remained silent. Masked savior warned me not to tell them about her.

"How do you know where is Mike?" He again asked.

"You have to tell me because everyone is gonna ask you this. It would be better if you tell me and I will handle the rest." He said with a warm smile.

"I have my ways," I shrugged and looked away. I never thought one day I would use this statement ever in my life, but right now, it was the only appropriate answer that came to my mind.

"What kind of ways?" He asked, raising his brows.

I could understand his curiosity but I just couldn't tell him anything. Meanwhile, footsteps from the stairs came and all guardians came in front of us. They looked at me with full confused faces and at Walter.

"I bring her here." Walter lied and I looked at him when he showed me a look 'we-will-talk-about-it-later'.

"But guards told me she came here alone," Olivia said and I internally cursed Walter for such a problematic lie.

"Is it true?" Peter's voice was full of anger. He glared at Walter and Walter glared back. While other was observing me. Or maybe my outfits.

"I know where is Mike," I said loudly and all heads snapped at me.

"How do you know?" Mona stepped closer and asked.

"I will tell you that later but first you have to save him," I said, trying my very best not to show my nervousness and fear.

"Where is he? Is he alright?" The girl whom I remembered as Snow asked worriedly.

"Where the green forest end, there the start of the dark world, the town of bats, under the tree with a green flower, you can find your jackpot. But be aware, you can't beat them, you have to become invisible if you want to save him." I said all the words that the masked savior told me.

"Even master spell didn't find him. Then how do you know this?" Peter asked. Have I told you, I really didn't like Peter and Olivia sometimes?

"Does it matter that how did she know? He is missing for many days, I think you guys should thank her instead of interrogating." Bell said and I smiled at her. I liked this girl.

"Right, the town of bats. It means entering the dark world which is not going to be easy." Lilly said.

"But still, how did she know that?" Olivia said like a stubborn kid repeating one thing again and again. I sighed.

"I can't tell you. But please...... you have to save him before it gets too late." I said, looking at them.

"I think we should trust her. After all, she is our to be queen. Secondly, we don't know anything about Mike. We have no other choice but to believe her." Mona said, looking at Peter and Olivia.

Peter and Olivia frowned, then said in unison, "Fine!" Then glared at each other. I like their way of bickering.

Snow asked, "Now what?"

"I have a plan," Bell said with a playful smirked on her lips.

********

We were walking towards the boundary of the green forest. The green forest was adorably green, tall green trees were shading us, chirping of birds made me enjoy the melody with them, the sound of the waterfall, the fragrance of moist mud developed an urge to close my eyes and just felt nature. That forest was actually worthy of calling Green Forest. A place where everything was green.

The night sky here was as beautiful as heaven. A colorful mixture of shimmering stars and colorful clouds. I couldn't take my eyes off. It was so beautiful that for a moment I forgot about everything and lost in the depth of it.

"Do you like the night sky?" Walter asked. I did not notice that I was standing frozen in my position and staring at the sky.

"I love it," I said and again started walking. We were walking a little behind because I stopped to stare at the sky. Bell and Olivia had already left as they said they would meet us on the boundary.

"So, how did you come here?" Walter again asked.

He was so stubborn. I again chose to remain silent and kept on walking silently.

"You have to tell me." He said.

"I will but not now," I said.

"Trust me, you can trust me." He said and I felt a warmness of comfort in his words. But then masked savior words echoed in my mind. 'Don't trust anyone. Especially on those, you don't know.' So I just nodded at him.

Soon we reached the boundary type area as there were fewer trees and more wasteland. The cold and chilly air hit my face and a shiver of coldness ran down my spine. That place looked like hell in the form of the dark world.

The sky was as red as blood, trees were dried and thin black as if you remember them from horror movies. You could see greyish fog everywhere. Trust me that place was worthy of calling it the Dark World.

My eyes got wider and I lost my voice because I tried to scream but the result was a scream without a voice. A really giant bat came near us and everyone posed like they were going to fight with him.

While Walter stood in front of me like a protecting shield. That bat was horrible, I have never seen such a huge bat, with big red bloodshot eyes and long sharp fangs. He stood near us and a familiar person jumped on the ground from the top of him.

Everyone posed easy and Walter passed a smile to me. I was still confused and shocked, trying my best to understand what was going on here.

'They have to tell me about them first, especially about their powers.'

Peter asked pretty impressively, "How?"

"It's a long story. We don't have time for it." Bell said proudly.

'What's going on?'

Olivia came out of nowhere and started to explain, "We've checked the area. In the whole bat town, there is only one thing which knows as a tree with green flower and that's the cage where giant bats like him sentinelship strictly." She said, pointing at the huge bat.

Bell added, "Now listen, we will divide into two groups. Group 1 will save Mike and teleport back to the castle safely and princess Marietta is in that group. Group 2 will divert the attention of bats so that group 1 will get time to complete their task."

"How many bats are there?" Mona asked.

"They're 30 in total." They all nodded and I was watching them like an idiot.

"Alright. Walter and Marietta." Peter said pointing at us."You two will save mike and teleport back to the master house. Leave the rest of the work on us. We'll clear your path." Walter nodded at him.

Teleporting in front of the cage, we hid behind a big stone. In front of us, there was a big spider web-style black-colored gate. Two bats were standing on both sides like guards. Ten were flying in the red sky and some were walking around the gate.

"So, how are you guys going to divert their attention?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Not a big deal," Olivia said and threw her arrow towards the huge bat who was standing at the gate. That arrow fixed flawlessly on his eye and he fell on the rough ground groaning loudly.

My eyes grow wide looking at her merciless act. But then I remembered that I had to develop the habit of seeing things like that. I had to become strong.

Now all the bats turned towards us, after all, we had killed their partner but without missing any beat Peter threw fireballs on them making their attention fully towards us. I wondered, why we even bothered to hide behind a stone?

Wait for a second.....FIREBALLS!!!

Snow froze the flying bats but more came from inside that place. I looked at the scene in front of me with the dazed state I never felt before.

"Let's go!" Walter grabbed my wrist and said.

We teleported inside and that area was horrible as the rest of the place. A long doorway, black walls, and red neon lights. Every door had a statue of the bat with an open mouth, making that place looked even more horrible. We passed almost ten doors when two different ways appeared in front of us.

Walter stopped and asked, "Now.....which way?" I slapped my forehead.

"Do I look like a Vampire to you? I don't know. I only knew Mike is here." I said annoyed and he chuckled. But all the humor ran to the human world when we heard footsteps coming near us.

In front of us, there were two ways left and right. One wrong way and we would become the dinner no-no...breakfast of vampires and bats. Did they eat humans or just drink blood? When I was busy in my thoughts Walter was trying to observed something.

With every footstep noise, my heart was taking accelerating speed.

"This way..." Walter said. I looked at him unsure. He nodded.

We stepped on the left side and hid behind the pillar in darkness. The vampire came from the right side and stood on the spot where we were standing a few moments ago. From the back, he looked like a normal human. But clothes.......black and old fashioned. His body figure from the back looked familiar.

He turned around and my eyes came out of my sockets. He was the vampire who attacked me in my house. I gasped and clung to Walter's arm as the memory appeared in my mind and a shiver of fear ran down my spine. Luckily, he noticed us.

"Look like guardians have a death wish." He said in his creepy voice and chuckled.

My grip on Walter's arm more tightened, he looked at me with concern, giving me a satisfying smile he moved out and stood right in front of that vampire.

"Where is Mike?" Walter growled angrily.

"Mike?" He said playfully. On the next moment, he was freezing from downward to upward. Making him a half-ice statue, Snow came from behind and said, "Did it help?"

While I was still hiding behind the pillar in the darkness.

"Two options. First, tell us where is mike and maybe...then we will forgive you and let you go. Second, freeze like ice and then we will break you." Walter smirked.

"No problem...I'll never betray my queen." He said still smiling when his half-body was frozen in the ice.

"Alright, then the third option...." Walter winked at him.

"Third option...." He said but remained half completed. Because Walter was looking at him, directly in his eyes with focus as if...........

"Leave him," Walter said to Snow. She evaporated the ice in just one wave of her hand.

"Where is Mike?" Walter again asked, looking at his eyes.

"In the black cage." He replied without any problem.

"Where is the black cage? Lead us there." Walter ordered as so he obeyed. He started to walk on the right side. Walter called me and gripped my hand and started to walk behind him. I looked at our intertwined hands.

Why did I felt strangely warmth with Walter? Not in a way like Veward but something else like Alessandro.

"Don't be scared, ok?" Walter's voice cut the chain of my thoughts.

I looked at the vampire leading our way and curiosity was biting me inside so I asked, "You....."

"Yes, I controlled his mind." He immediately replied as if, he already know my question.

We walked past many doors, left then right, and again left and stopped on the spot where the road was ending. There were stairs going downstairs. We went downstairs and hid behind the wall, there was a big black bat door.

In front of the door, there are four giant bats were standing. Walter ordered that vampire to send them away. He obeyed and went there. After a few seconds, four bats disappeared. We rushed towards the door. To my surprise, the door opened easily.

Entering inside, we saw Mike lying on the floor unconscious. In the dim red light, his skin was pale and huge eye bags were circling his eyes. He looked weak and sick.

Snow said patting his cheeks, "Mike!!! Open your eyes. Do you hear me?" But nothing happened to him.

I felt a pang of guilt in my heart because of me he was here in that condition. My eyes went to the ring in his hand as same as mine. I didn't know what came into my mind and I put that ring off his finger. Snow looked at me surprised and shocked more than confused.

"We have to get out of here." Walter said, looking quite confused.

"What?" I asked, looking at their confused faces.

"Nothing, let's go!" Walter said.

They hold Mile like his arms around their necks so that his weight became easy to lift. Walter showed me his one hand and then said, "Come on, we have to go back."

I grabbed his hand and in a blink of an eye, we were standing in a place where just a tornado hit. The room was messy and everything here was broken.

A room with everything was broken with a figure lying on the ground.

Not a good cue!