Chapter 60: Chapter 60

"Damn, why do they have to look for me?" Loma muttered as she continued to run through the corridors of Vlad's castle. Earlier, Loma had made sure Vlad had left the castle to meet Erebus, so this was her chance to escape. Loma didn't want to break her promise to Vlad, but her condition forced her to leave. She couldn't continue to be trapped in Vlad's place with her diminishing powers.

A while ago, Loma received word that a group of people was searching for her in the Plantae territory. Luckily, she got the message in time and didn't go to meet Sherman. Loma then stopped in front of the door to Aurel's new room. If she left here, it meant she had to leave the human. Loma thought about it but came up with an idea that might benefit her.

Consider it payment for taking care of Aurel all this time, and maybe bringing Aurel with her could be an advantage. So, Loma finally opened the door, revealing Aurel, who was working on a canvas she had given him earlier.

"Are you painting?" Loma asked, making Aurel glance at her briefly before nodding. Loma then walked over to the painting, noticing a woman with her back turned in the middle of a flower garden, gazing at the setting sun.

"Who is that?" Loma asked.

"I don't know; I just accidentally drew her," Aurel replied casually, making Loma stare at him.

"Are you sure it's not you?" Loma asked again, and Aurel shook his head.

"I don't know; I just felt lonely and bored suddenly, and my hand moved to create this painting. Maybe it's an expression of how lonely I've been cooped up in this castle," Aurel explained, making Loma smile.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Loma asked, causing Aurel's eyes to light up.

"Can you get me out of this castle?" Aurel asked to confirm, and Loma nodded.

"Yes, this is our chance to get out of this castle," replied Loma. However, the next moment, Aurel looked at her with a suspicious gaze. Didn't Loma say earlier that this castle was the safest place for Aurel right now? Why did she suddenly want to take him out? What's really going on, thought Aurel.

"Why all of a sudden?" Aurel asked.

"I just feel sorry for you being cooped up here. You must want to meet your family too, right?" Loma said, making Aurel nod.

"Did something happen to you that you need to leave the castle as well?" Aurel asked, making Loma pause for a moment. Afterward, she nodded.

"Yes, it seems I have to leave this castle. That's why I thought of you. I can't get out of here on my own, so I've decided to take you with me," Loma replied, causing Aurel to contemplate whether he should stay in the castle until he meets the man who had previously ordered Loma or go with her.

"Don't worry; I won't harm you and leave you behind as long as you stay by my side. You'll never be able to leave this world if you're separated from me," Loma reassured, making Aurel finally nod. At least, he could rely on Loma, who had been looking after him all this time.

"Alright, then I'll go with you," Aurel said in the end, making Loma nod. She immediately held Aurel's hand and placed a bracelet that looked like it was made of white swan feathers.

"What's this?" Aurel asked before they truly left the castle.

"This bracelet will keep you with me, so never try to take it off," Loma said, making Aurel nod slowly. They opened the door and saw the castle. Like before, the castle corridor looked very dim, but this time, instead of leading him down, Loma continued to climb the stairs, just like they did before. However, Aurel's steps came to a complete halt when he saw a painting on the wall of the corridor they passed through.

"Why?" Loma asked, looking at Aurel, who was staring at the wall next to her. Loma had forgotten that the corridor was filled with paintings that resembled her.

"Do you also sense that it looks like me?" Aurel said, making Loma pause before letting out a long sigh.

"We don't have time to look at that painting. We better leave before the owner of this castle shows up. We won't be able to escape if Vlad returns," Loma said. It was the first time Aurel had heard the name from Loma's mouth, so the owner of the castle and the one who had been ordering her was someone named Vlad, thought Aurel, nodding in understanding.

Loma led him until they finally stopped at a large iron door.

"Is this the way out?" Aurel asked, making Loma nod.

"Step back a bit; I need to do something to this door," Loma said. Aurel followed her instructions and placed his palm on the door. Light emanated from Loma as she chanted something like a mantra, and that's when the iron door, with an almost invisible lock, began to open.

"We can't open it wider; otherwise, we'll get caught. We can squeeze through, even if it's just this small," Loma said, making Aurel nod. Loma once again held Aurel's hand and slipped out of the castle. At that moment, Aurel truly felt like he could see the outside world again after being trapped in the castle for so long. He looked around, and the sky appeared dark, with the surroundings seeming desolate, as if there was no life around the castle.

"Where are we, actually?" Aurel asked, making Loma shake her head.

"There's no time for me to explain everything to you. We can talk once we're in a safe place. For now, just follow my lead," Loma said and then led Aurel into a forest filled with large, dead trees. For some reason, the pungent smell of mud made Aurel uncomfortable, not to mention the damp ground he walked on. Aurel could only focus on Loma's back as she led him.

"How much longer until we reach a safe place?" Aurel asked, growing impatient to get out of the forest, especially with the fog that was starting to fill the area as they ventured deeper into the woods.

"I hope we'll get out soon. Just stay focused and don't think about anything that might distract you. This forest is a bit dangerous," Loma replied, making Aurel nod once again. He could only continue to hold Loma's hand, feeling her starting to sweat. His steps slowed down, and his breathing became irregular. Aurel was starting to feel tired. He didn't know how long Loma had been leading him, but they seemed to be going in circles inside the forest.

"Darn, I still can't use my power to get out of this forest," Loma said, making Aurel finally stop in his tracks.

"I can't go on; we need to take a break," Aurel said, causing Loma to look at him.

"Alright, just a moment. But if we don't move soon, Vlad might really find us easily," Loma said. She gave him only a few minutes to catch his breath before she resumed dragging him along.

"It seems I can start using my power from here, so just keep holding my hand, no matter what happens, okay?" Loma said, making Aurel nod. Finally, Loma unleashed her power, and a bright light began to radiate around them. At that moment, it was as if the fog retreated, giving them a way out of the forest with considerable force. Aurel could only shut his eyes tightly, and finally, he could breathe when the air hit his face.

"We finally made it out of Naighthell," Loma said, and I looked around. If before we were in a dark and eerie forest, this time we found ourselves in a normal-looking forest with green plants and fresh air that I could breathe.

"Are we safe now?" I asked to make sure, and Loma fell silent. She seemed to be catching her breath, especially after using her powers to get us out of the previous forest.

"Yes, we just have to hope we're lucky and that we're safe now. But I'm sure Vlad is going crazy in his castle right now, so we need to find a hiding place quickly," Loma said and started pulling me along, but I immediately stopped her.

"Can you tell me where we are?" I asked.

"We're still in the Naighthell territory, even though we've left the castle area. But it's still not entirely safe," Loma replied, causing me to shake my head.

"That's not what I meant. Is this not the world where I'm supposed to be?" I asked, making Loma shake her head again.

"From the beginning, you've already left the human world, and right now, we still can't return there. My powers aren't enough to take you back to your family yet," Loma answered, and I kept watching her, still paying close attention.

"Okay, you can recover your strength, and we'll find a safe place. I trust you," I said because there was no one else I could depend on. I didn't know Loma for long, but I believed she was a good person.

"Do you trust me?" Loma asked, making me nod.

"Then what if, from the beginning, I had ill intentions toward you?" Loma said again.

"If you had ill intentions, you should have left me in that castle alone because I couldn't do anything there without you," I replied, making Loma fall silent.