Chapter 24: Whispers of The Unknown

The most beautiful castle ever appeared in front of us after our eyesight adjusted. It was glistening in the sunlight, a stark contrast to the dark shadows that surrounded us. The tips of the castle reached toward the sky, their beautiful designs flickered in the sun which gave us an ethereal depiction.

It appeared to be from another world, one in which we were unfamiliar with. As we walked further, an enormous amount of flowers started surrounding us. The petals displayed varying colors such as red and purple.

The flowers were not only beautiful, but it seemed to pulsate with life. Their aromatic smell filled our nostrils with scents that were unfamiliar to us. It was as if they had a citrussy smell about them. Something that we had never encountered until today.

Being here in this moment, I knew we had to take this chance to explore our new surroundings. If we hadn't, then I don't know when we would get the chance to do so. With every step, it felt as though we were stepping into a dream, like everything was fake.

**If this is a dream, I would not want to wake back up into reality.** I thought whilst trying absorb everything that was in my reach.

As we began walking further down the path, our steps reminded us of the importance of seizing the moment. And us exploring where we are is doing just that.

The closer we got, everything appeared to be from another world. Upon entering the castle, the gate closed with a resounding thud. "Elias, I have never seen such opulance before. Have you?" I questioned him, hoping to not be the only one to have seen something this extravagant.

*Creak..* The ornate door of the castle sounded whilst somebody on the other side began opening it. Suddenly, an ethereal like figure was standing before us. They observed us with an air of curiousity.

*Who is that?* I mind-linked my companions, desperately hoping they could provide clarity on the situation. But that was not going to happen, since they also had no clue to who this mysterious person was.

So, I decided to take a better look aorund us and see exactly where they had ended up. "Wow! Look at this place, it's magnificent!" I declared while we observed our surroundings.

After a few minutes, we started walking further once again. As we had done so, everything started sparkling with an otherworldly glow. "Look at that! It is so different from what we are used to." Gabriel said as his eyes widened at each part of the path we had passed.

Meanwhile, Lila was at least 10 steps ahead before she paused. Turning around, Lila faced us with a smirk on her face. **I knew they were not going to be walking as fast as I can. But where is the fun in having them keep up with me?** She thought, as Lila shifted from one foot to the other.

Noticing her stopping in the middle of the pathway, my mind began racing a thousand miles per minute.**What is she thinking about that has her smiling?** I wondered when we started venturing further down the path.

"I know this place is beautiful, but we have important business to attend to," she told us before beckoning us with her hand to follow her down the long winding hallway.

With each step, our nerves sharpened, as the anticipation of what we would encounter increased. The air around us thickened as our resolve to find out more about our surroundings clouded our vision.

**What does she want us to see?** I wondered to myself as we followed her down the path in the castle.

In the eerie quietness of the hallway, the linoleum floor echoed our footsteps with each step we had taken.

While we were enjoying the walk, I looked over and saw Elias's facial expression changing with every second that passed.

**All of this adventure is new for us. I know it is important to show my support no matter what. Because one day, she will choose me over Gabriel.** As Elias wondered this, Gabriel started inching closer to me with a look of concern.

Elias leaned closer to me while he continued to observe our surroundings. His eyes widening as he thought of how to respond to my question.

**I am not going to lie about my feelings of this place. But how will she react?** Elias thought right before he answered me.

"No, I have never seen anything like this before," Elias declared as a smile plastered on his face while discretely grabbing my hand.

Just as he grabbed it, Lila opened the door in front of us. The room was adorned with all sorts of knick knacks.

As we walked further, our eyes scanned every single inch of the room. Every single object glistened-as if they were calling them. Gabriel walked closer to a book that was open on one of the pedastal.

*What is that over there?* He wondered while reaching out his hand to touch it. Before he could trace his hand over the distinct words, I grabbed his other hand. "I don't think you should touch that." I told Gabriel, hoping to persuade him not to do anything.

Right before I could do it, a flash of light engulfed everyone in the room. Then out of nowhere, we were trasnported to another part of the world. The grass under our feet was sharp comapared to where we previously were.

As my eyes adjusted, the smells of the new world became apparent. The sudden flash of light caused our world to be turned upside down. "Where are we?" I managed to question whilst trying to get my bearings.

Looking to my left and to my right, I noticed Gabriel, and Elias laying on thier back, heaving. "Are you both okay?" I asked as I walked toward them with an air of curiousity.

Carefully, they stood up off of the ground, then dusted off their clothing. "Yes, we are okay. There is nothing that you need to worry about." Elias and Gabriel told me with a smile on their face. It was as though they did not want me to worry for them.