Chapter 27: Finding The Truth

As I continued observing her, I couldn't help but notice that she had the most beautiful complexion I had ever seen. But for a split second, Dara's expression changed from a smile to squinted eyes.

Her brain was working for a few minutes. What is she thinking about? What is she thinking about? **What is she thinking about? Is it something worthwhile? Or is it something that would cause us harm?** I pondered while taking in our surroundings and scanned her up and down.

Then I was struck by a strange feeling. Each time I looked at her, I could have sworn she was staring at something or someone behind me. **Who is standing behind me? What is she doing?** My mind was a swirl of unkept thoughts going crazy in my brain. Everything was crazier than the last, and I don't know how I will cope if it falls apart.

Then, in the blink of an eye, every thought was gone. It was as if it wasn't there at all. In my heart, I knew it was there, but it changed immediately. I don't know if it was for the better or worse yet.

Not wanting to cause chaos in the room, I glanced at Gabriel and Elias, their presence helped me immensely. Just being here with them, my heart was pounding inside my chest.

I sighed, allowing the air to calm me down, and I turned toward them. Their eyes were wide and their mouths open in shock. Yet, I was not surprised, because I was also shocked at everything that was ahead of us.

**I am happy to have them here with me. But if they were not, I don't know what I would do.** I thought to myself, a little bit. I am a big fan of adventures, but I also am afraid of the possibility it could go wrong.

Gabriel gently grabbed my hand in his. The feel of his hand and the warmth of his embrace was something I would not take advantage of.

After a brief moment, my eyes made their way to the grand castle in front of us. It was glistening with an otherworldly glow, and I could feel its magic coursing through the air.

Breathing it in, I allowed myself to be immersed in the world of magic. But, I was also a little wary of it. I was not truly ready to be taken advantage of.

Zara spoke, her voice soft yet commanding, "Are you coming?" She asked and then made her way inside the castle.

I shook my head, ridding myself of any unwanted thoughts, and then spoke. "Yeah, sorry. I'm on my way now." I replied with a smile.

And then began walking into the castle. With each step, we were reminded of the importance of doing every adventure together.

The floors were illuminated with a bright yellow and green light as we walked on them.

As we made our way further into the castle, everything around us started glistening with an otherworldly light. My eyes began scanning every inch of the palace, and I couldn't help but admire it.

**Wow! This place is gorgeous! How have I never heard of this place before?** I thought while observing our surroundings. Everything was beautiful and pristine, nothing was out of place, except for my heart.

*Travelers from another world come closer. A secret will be unveiled.* Those words made their way to my ear and sent shivers down my spine. Out of nowhere, I started to rub my hands up and down my arm.

Something in this place is a little strange. I wonder what it could be, yet so many people are still waiting to be resurrected.

"Who's there?" I asked, hoping to receive an answer, but there was nothing. It was only silence from here on out.

Not knowing what to do, I glanced between Elias and Gabriel, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. My nerves were all over the place, yet I could not do anything about it.

"Do you hear the voices too?" I asked them, desperately hoping I was not the only one who could hear them.

Ahead of us, Dara stopped and then she turned around. Her eyes took on this otherworldly glow, causing me to shake with fear. I don't know what it was, but something in me told me to walk closer to her.

Listening to the voice inside my head, I decided to do just that. With each step I took, my hands started shaking uncontrollably.

"My dears, this place is where you will find your true selves," Dara spoke, her voice just above a whisper.

After she finished speaking, the words lingered in the air. The tension was palpable, and I was curious to understand more. So, I slowly inched closer to her, but then a weird sound came from another part of the room.

"What's that sound?" I muttered under my breath while taking in the surrounding surroundings. The sound of people walking by, but no one was there, caused me to turn my head.

The more I looked, I couldn't see anybody, except for us and Dara. So, where was the noise coming from?

There was a door that glowed, whispers filling my ears. "Walk towards the door, and I'll show you something." Then the words stopped and lingered in the air.

I looked at Gabriel. "Did you hear anything? I could've sworn someone spoke to me." I asked him, and my hands started trembling out of nowhere.

The look on his face said it all. But he was not the only one who was scared. By the side of my eye, Elias was staring at something dressed in white. His face was the mask of a scared man.

"What is that? It appears to be a figure clad in a white cloak." Elias spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm. Hearing him speak that way, my heart jumped inside my chest.

As the figure made its way closer, the air was filled with black smoke. "I can't see anything! I can not walk further than one step!" I screamed in the dark and placed my hand out to feel what was next to me.