101

101

SOFIA'S POV

We found ourselves in a place we couldn't recognize, all white.

Before us was a black door. The weird contrast of black and white made me blink rapidly.

I had lost my sense of direction, unable to perceive if we were heading downwards or upwards, but I could pray it was the latter.

The floor was clean, unlike the others we've passed through.

But the cleanliness only made us more wary. I still couldn’t forget the various traps we had to pass through before we finally got to this point.

Leon called onto the woman with heightened hearing, “Check for any nearby traps.” She obliged, squatting and bringing a myriad of things out of her bag, fiddling with them.

I felt curiosity claw at my chest, but I refused to move out of the formation in which I had been placed.

I could wait. “Maybe I'll get the chance to see it later.” The aura here was vastly different; I could feel it.

I breathed in deeply and fisted my hands, staring at the door, imagining my big answers huddled behind it.

I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath coming out in quick and sharp intakes of air. Without me knowing, my foot had gone out of the formation, causing my teammate to grab me by the arm, snapping me back to reality.

I gave a sheepish smile and retreated. Just then, a series of clicks occurred beyond, and various traps and contraptions sprung up as the woman's slender arms bent in an unnatural way, dismantling everything before us.

I could feel a chill go down my spine. If I wasn't held back by my neighbor and had walked straight ahead, driven by my pain, I couldn’t tell what would have happened.

After everything was removed, she took a step back to the place where she had previously come from as I looked at her with an incredulous expression.

I removed my eyes from her when I could no longer see her, now fixing them on the door. At Leon's silent order, we followed in his steps, marching to the door.

With another gesture of his arm, everyone split, lining up along the door in case there was an attack immediately after the door was forced open, while at the same time readying ourselves to burst in and overwhelm the enemy.

My fingers itched. They wanted to do it themselves, while my heart ached and my eyes stung with unshed tears. After so long, we had finally reached.

I just had a feeling that behind this door lay our answers.

I thought that as I remembered what Leon said, briefing us about his discoveries. It turns out that Ava wrote the answers mixed together in the parchment and that Alex was held captive and should be at the top of the tower. But what other clues she wrote, Leon made no comment about it. Still, his words alone were enough to re-energize the crowd.

From my row, a bulky, muscular man walked out, his muscles straining against his shirt almost as if he was intentionally flexing them. He touched the door, probably checking its hardness. With claws out, he was ready to exert force when—

With a creak, the door slid open.

And a raspy voice came from inside, “We've been waiting for you. Hurry up and come in.”

I swore my brain froze for five seconds. It was just shocking.

“What? You're still not coming in?” The voice lowered dangerously, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand erect in alarm. The atmosphere that had just felt empty suddenly became sterile and chilly.

‘This man's dangerous,’ was the first thing I thought without even seeing him. We exchanged vigilant glances with each other.

Practically walking on the front pads of our feet, knees and backs bent, we were ready to react and attack.

But before we could make any movement, someone did first—Leon. His actions once again caused me to reevaluate the burden that comes with leadership.

It wasn’t just about being in the eyes of people regularly, being famous, and all those good things that come to most people's minds when he’s introduced as the Alpha of the pack.

But there’s a responsibility that comes with it that is usually overlooked.

His courage infected me, wiping away mine.

After Leon, staring at his back, I followed him next, at the same time watching out for danger. Being encouraged doesn’t mean I’ll be stupid.

Inside was just as bland and lifeless as outside—not a single touch of personality, like a blank slate. It was honestly maddening.

I wonder how someone could stay in such a room. If I were to be kept here, I would go insane listening to the ticking of the clock.

But.

If he’s who I think he is, anybody who can plan such atrocities, calling them traps, is probably no ordinary man.

He was a lanky, brown-haired man with venomous green eyes that scanned through our group.

I swore they landed on me for the slightest of seconds. It was unsettling, goosebumps sprouting in its wake. I took a step backward.

I didn’t want to feel like that again. It was like I was a piece of meat on a kitchen scale, being weighed for its value.

His light pink lips curled at their corners. “I’m so excited about your presence,” he said. Standing up from the black chair, he walked forward and sat on the edge of the equally black table.

His hands crossed over his chest, and with a tilt of his head, slicking back his hair, he asked, “As you can see, we don’t have any refreshments here, so I’ll have to entertain you without them, no matter how inhospitable that is.”

The corners of my lips twitched in a mix of irritation and disbelief.

Was he actually unaware or acting like he is? And even if he brings out snacks from his office, no matter how starved I am, I wouldn’t dare to even give it a lick.

But seemingly unaware if our bland enthusiasim, as opposed his child-like eerie one he continued his atitude almost reaching a feverish manner.

“Have a seat” he gestured towards a row of chairs.

Taken aback, I glanced at that spot again.

‘I don't remember seeing any seat there before’ I was becoming more creeped out each time he opened those thin lips of his.

Wondering, ‘He acts as if he hadn't seen people in decades and finally stumbles upon them out of the blue… is he flustered?’ I peeked at him, shaking my head slightly.

He's gaze carried a hidden predatory glint, like a cat playing catch with a mouse before stuffing it in its mouth I shudered, having a terrible feeling that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

That in those green eyes of his… we might just be that mouse.

One waiting to be eaten.