The darkness was everywhere and Rhonex couldn't see a thing. He had been roaming around the wing and still hadn't seen anything. He tried to go back to the door he used to come in, but there was no door there anymore.
"Have I been tricked?" he thought.
Then a voice, he didn't know who was talking. It sounded like a little girl's voice, the kind used to haunt people in horror tales. He heard footsteps and turned around.
"Who's there?"
No response.
Then he heard giggling, a soft giggle that grew louder and louder until it filled the whole wing. He shouted, "Stop!" using his demonic strength to roar.
Everything went silent. The giggles. The footsteps. Then, a voice, childlike again.
"Oh my, oh my, you are very powerful. What brings you to this cursed place?"
Rhonex responded, "I believe this cursed place has something that belongs to me."
"And what may that be?" the voice asked.
"My sword is here. I can feel its presence strongly."
"Yeah," the voice laughed. "This place has a lot of treasures. And do you know why most people treasure them here? It's because they don't want anyone else to have them. Maybe your sword is too dangerous." Rhonex cut her off. "I don't have all the time in the world to hear your story. So quit the speech and let's get straight to the point. How do I find my sword and get the hell out of here?"
"I like you," the voice replied. "Your energy is quite… I don't know how to put it. Should I say unique? It's different from every other person's energy I've felt."
A pause.
"But anyway, it's all the same. I've stayed here, no, been trapped here, for ages. Many have come in, all searching for something. None ever came out. It might not be any different for you."
Rhonex's devilish smile curled on his lips, and he asked,
"What if I prove you wrong?"
The voice laughed, light and eerie.
"It's not every day I get to see such amusement. Many fear to enter here, and those who risk their lives for whatever treasure they seek… well, they've all ended up amusing me in the end."
She paused, then added,
"But if you are up for the challenge, then I shall give it to you."
"I'm ready for whatever challenge you throw at me," Rhonex said coldly. "As long as I get my sword."
"Very well," the voice said. "There are three challenges you must face. These are the same three that everyone else before you encountered… but none of them made it past the first."
"And the final one?" Rhonex asked.
"Ah, the final one…" the voice said with a sly tone. "Even I don't know what it is. But if you pass the first three, the final challenge will reveal itself. And if you succeed, you get your precious sword, and walk out of here. Easy peasy."
Rhonex noticed the mockery in her tone. She made it sound simple, but the air around him was heavy with something far more sinister. There was also a strange excitement in her voice, as though she wanted him to try.He narrowed his eyes.
"What's in it for you… if I win?"
The voice paused, and then let out a small gasp of surprise.
"Oh my. You're very intelligent, aren't you? Well, if you win… I'll finally be free of this miserable place."
"Hmm," Rhonex muttered, already calculating.
"So… shall we begin?"* Roderick asked.
"Yes," the voice replied with a playful edge.
A chair appeared behind him, elegant yet eerie, carved with strange symbols.
"Sit," the voice said sweetly. "It would be quite rude of me to keep you standing. But before your trials begin, I must tell you a story… the reason this place became forbidden."
Rhonex narrowed his eyes but took the seat, alert.
"Long, long, long, long,long ago," the voice began, "when the Kingdom of Velmoria was first created by the Celestial Council, it was not one land, it was five. The kingdom was divided into five regions, and each region was ruled by one of the five original vampires."
"But peace didn't last. Misfortune began to sweep through the sectors. Robbers from unknown lands raided villages. Witches cast their oppressive spells, turning night into nightmares. And worst of all, blood grew scarce. Vampires who ventured into the human realm never returned. Hope was thinning."
"Then, the eldest vampire called his brothers for a gathering, a feast within this very wing. It was the first time they had all dined together since arriving in Velmoria."
The voice softened, now almost reverent:"He said: 'We have all suffered… and there is a saying, divided we fall, united we stand. Let us merge our clans. Let us form one great kingdom. Let us be Velmoria."
Rhonex leaned forward as the voice continued:
"But then… the third vampire asked, 'If we merge our clans into one kingdom… who shall rule?'"
A pause. Tension.
"And that," the voice whispered darkly, "was the beginning… of the end."
The eldest laughed and raised his goblet.
"It can be anyone among us who desires to be king," he said. His tone was light, but the weight of his words lingered in the air.
The five drank and returned to their sectors, each promising to return in five days with a decision.
When the appointed day arrived, they gathered once more in the same wing, this very place, thick with the scent of age and memory.
The eldest stood and spoke:
"So… what are your answers?"
One by one, they all agreed.
"Unity is the only way forward."
Then the third brother asked again, "If we are to become one, who shall be king?"
The youngest spoke with certainty:
"I believe our eldest should take the throne. He is wise, strong, and just. He's already led in spirit, let him lead us in title."
A brief silence followed, then laughter echoed through the hall. They clinked their goblets in agreement.
The eldest, though shocked by their trust, bowed and accepted the responsibility.
"Very well. I shall serve as king… not above you, but for you." With preparations made, the coronation was held under the blood moon. The five clans gathered in grandeur. The eldest was crowned King of Velmoria, and his four brothers became his council, each overseeing one part of the kingdom.
That night, to celebrate their unity, they followed an ancient vampire custom to seal their oath.
They gathered around the blackstone table in the wing. Each of them, without hesitation, sank their fangs into their own wrists. Blood dripped into their goblets, dark, ancient, powerful.
They mixed the blood with wine, lifted their goblets, and drank.
"To Velmoria," they chanted in unison.
And in that moment… the oath was made.
They held their goblets high, the bloodied wine glinting under the torches. Then they drank, sealing their oath as brothers, as one kingdom.
But no one could have predicted what happened next.
In the blink of an eye, the youngest brother lunged, sinking his fangs deep into the neck of the newly crowned king. Before anyone could react, he drained their eldest brother dry, letting his lifeless body slump onto the ceremonial floor.
The room erupted in shock.
"What have you done?!" the third brother roared.
"You killed him! Why?!"
The youngest, now glowing with dark energy, smirked.
"Because I must be king."
"You were the one who suggested he be king!" one of them shouted in disbelief.
"Yes, well… it was all part of the plan," he said coldly.
"Even if I wore the crown, I would still be bound to deal with you all as council members. I don't want that. I want you dead. All of you." Their hearts shattered, not from betrayal alone, but from the sheer hatred behind his eyes. Rumors later whispered of a dark deal made with Mammon, the Prince of Greed, an ancient being of greed and corruption. What he gave in exchange was his soul, but the youngest had clearly gained unnatural strength.
Rhonex, who had been listening to the tale, interrupted impatiently.
"Can you just cut the story short? I came for my sword, not bedtime tales."
The voice chuckled, echoing eerily.
"Do not be impatient. Your lack of emotion makes it easy to dismiss pain. But this story, this history, is tied to your challenge."
She continued…
The youngest began hunting the rest. One by one, his brothers fell. But when he reached the third, the dying vampire used his final breath to cast a powerful curse.
"We stood here as brothers, united, strong and you betrayed us. Let this place be cursed forever. None who enter shall leave alive until..... And your beloved… I shall bind her soul to this wing as punishment."
Even as he was being drained, the third brother summoned Mammon, offering his soul in exchange for vengeance.
His final words echoed as he fell:
"If we are to die… we shall all die together." When the youngest turned around, satisfied and blood-soaked, he found Mammon standing there, grinning.
"What is this? I gave you my soul for power! You cannot kill me!"
Mammon stepped forward, smiling cruelly.
"Ah, but I gave you power, not protection. That… costs extra."
With a sharp thrust, Mammon drove his clawed hand into the vampire's chest, ripping out his heart.
At that exact moment, the Grim Reaper arrived to collect the fallen. Mammon whispered to him,
"Two of these souls belong to me."
The curse sealed itself in blood and betrayal.
But the tragedy wasn't over.
The youngest's beloved, unaware of what had transpired, stepped into the wing seeking him. The curse claimed her too, trapping her soul forever in this forbidden place.
And ever since, no one who has entered has ever returned.
"So that means you are," Rhonex said, "the beloved of the youngest one."
"You really were listening attentively, though you acted impatient," the voice chuckled. "Now, I shall explain the three challenges you must face."
"The first is the Trial of Emotions.
You were born without emotions, an empty vessel. But in this trial, you will feel emotions for the first time. And they won't be yours. They will overwhelm you, consume you, claw at your mind like wildfire in a storm.
You must identify each emotion correctly, or you will become lost in them. Lose control, and you'll be swallowed into oblivion.
There are eight core emotions that govern all others:
Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust, Surprise, Love, and Shame.
From these eight, every other emotion is born. You must name what you feel… and survive it."
You must name 5 emotions correctly to pass.
Rhonex narrowed his eyes but didn't speak.
"The second trial is the Trial of Identity.
Here, you will face yourself, but not as you are. You will meet a version of you that has everything you ever dreamed of. Everything you lacked, everything you buried… he will have.
You must kill the fake.
Lose… and your fake self will walk free in your place."
Rhonex clenched his fists.
"The third challenge will only come if you survive the first two.
It's an illusion maze
But beware, the illusion will be so perfect, you may forget who you are. the illusions will be about moment that felt good to you.
You'll find yourself in another time, another place. Moments from your past will be twisted. It will feel real, but it is not. If you believe it, you'll be trapped there forever.
Only by remembering your true self and finding the door out can you win.
It is a test of your will… your reason for fighting. And whether you're truly worthy of leaving this place alive.
You'll need more than power. You'll need purpose."
There was a pause. Then the voice added, with a twisted grin in her tone:
"After all, you wouldn't want your poor bride to become a widow before the wedding.
Although… I think she might be relieved not to marry you.
Still, I imagine she'll miss those golden eyes of yours. I must admit… I rather like them myself."
Rhonex stood, his voice calm but steely.
"Enough talk. Let's get on with it."
"Very well," the voice whispered, growing cold. "Your first trial begins now."
"Good luck," she added with mock sweetness, "You'll need it."
"Luck is nothing," Rhonex said.
And the darkness began to shift.