When the fourth statue finished its narration, I could not react. My chin quivered as tears spilled from my eyes without me noticing. It hurt a lot deeper than I imagined, how much sadness poured into my family history. So that's what happened? Terrible grandparents, a spoiled mother, and me, a baby disliked by a bitter man. I relived it all as if I was there, I felt ashamed. Nothing justified this whole tragedy. So much bitterness from a person who thought he was good. I felt pain in his words. He saw himself as a victim of everything, not a villain. My gaze was lost on the ground looking for some consolation, but the fifth statue of the same adult Zig with a sword in his hand began his speech. I went there.
Nefarious. That old tyrant never liked me! Always teased me in Valkyrie classes. Always preferred Runa. That day he showed himself as I already knew he was. An old man full of grudges and crazy to finish me off. I came close to finishing him. I was unlucky, because he managed to immobilize me with the Cerum potion. He took me to the border of the Pantanal forest and banished me from Lumen forever. Never again, I could set foot in that damn land. Nefarious, of course, became the great governor of Lumen. But he was wrong, because when he threw me here, my powers intensified. I managed to create a connection with the first dimension, I decided to create a place for those who do justice with their own hands be welcome, not banned as murderers. Leike’s Land was created for those who don't want to be held hostage by a few.
The last statue, now a king crowned Elof, concluded the speech.
Here the famous jargon ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth’ is true. I can severely punish those who I think I should. We punch and curse each other. Here the Leikians are free to be who they want. There is no imposed work as in Valkyrie. This is a manipulation that Nefarious created with the King to control every step taken in the kingdom. I created this land from scratch, from the dirt floor. I traveled through many eclipses recruiting new Leikians in distant lands. All those who felt unhappy, unhappy in their lands dominated by the hands of pigs, were welcome. Today we are even more numerous than Lumen. Even the prisms who came here know how it is better to live in a place where all is free. My people know how I am a fair king. I decided to take every life, every feature of Lumen when the Red Moon allows us. They owe me this. My jackals scan there whenever they can, bringing in more future Leikians and whatever they can get for maintenance - cattle, food, fun.
We are banished from the ‘perfect little world,’ but we are the resistance. We will not bow our heads to any other people. I will make Leike the most respected land of all dimensions. I built this garden in memory of my beloved mother, but also never to be forget all the suffering that led us here, until the construction of the Leike’s Land.
As soon as the last statue was still again, a dark iron key appeared in my hands. Stunned by all those speeches, I got up from the bench and looked toward the iron door.
That man had reacted in the worst way, finding excellent excuses for all the horror he had done. He was wrong, but I can imagine how injustice hurts. My blood boiled whenever my mother or father were quoted. But I admit to my pity, when I saw him telling how he was humiliated in Lumen. That was not a justification, but he had a reason for everything he did.
All that was past, I had to think again about my goal. My father was close now, a few moments more and I would rescue him. My stomach twisted at the thought of it, I quickened my pace. I needed to find Dakota. She must be in the hands of the guards, right. I left the scent of black hydrangeas behind and started to run when the hourglass appeared showing a small handful of unfallen grains, my time was almost over. Getting closer I saw that there was no hole to open with a key.
“Where is the lock?” I asked out loud.
As I reached to touch the door, weeds wrapped around my feet and pulled me forcefully into the earth. I was sucked into the land, falling into a tunnel a few feet high and many of length that started right behind me. I started to breathe heavily. I have panic of closed places. With my ax, I dug that land in an attempt to escape from there. I touched a harder part of the earth, there could be the exit. I swung my arm for impulse and struck the ax with all my strength.
Did I break to the hardest part? Sure. Was it the way out? Of course not. A strong tremor announced my mistake.
I burst a water tank that threw a gigantic wave over me, dragging me through the tunnel. Towards the end, the icy water slammed into a bronze wall and came back in a wave form, some earth was beginning to give way. I didn't know if I would drown or be buried. My only chance was that the bronze wall would be the door to my key. I swam in the swirl of water and began to fumble for the lock, my breath was horrible and I couldn’t see anything in that sea of mud. It had already spent some seconds there, needing to breathe more than anything. I started to struggle with despair, I was about to lose my senses when I felt the water being sucked to a small space, a lock. It was enough. The door opened and I ended on a rail which was covering a well where the water was falling into.
It took me a few seconds to catch all the oxygen I needed and regain my strength. I reached for a small ladder which led to the well lid. When it opened, making a squeak from the rust, I knew I had done it. Finally, I was inside the castle.
After a few steps already inside, the door slammed. I felt again that sting on my right leg, which made me fall. My eyes which were blue until now, lighted up like two purple headlights illuminating the gloom. The haunted coldness from that place made of stone was making my mouth quiver from cold and nervousness. It seemed impossible it could exist with that beautiful garden outside, so close to a dark place like this. It was deserted, the ceiling was high, I couldn’t see its end. Taking slow steps on the floor that looked like a chessboard, I started to walk in a long hall with low light, surrounded by marble twisted columns. There was no furniture. I was in a place without life.
I heard something breaking behind me. The floor cracked and crumbled, opening an infinite hole piece by piece, ready to swallow me. I dashed into the next room. The farther I ran, more the floor nearly disappeared under my feet, ready for an endless fall. I sped up as fast as I could, heart pounding, eyes searching for a way out. I passed an iron railing that rose, opened and closed a passage at the same speed, leaving the hole outside. The sound of my gasping breath was the only noise echoing in the small empty room until a whimper reached my ear.
In the corner of the room, a few feet away from me was a little girl, sitting with back bent over her legs, crying softly with her head propped against the wall. She looked like another Elof prisoner. She could know where we were. I approached slowly, showing that I was there.
“Hello sweetie, it's fine. My name is Lola. I'll help you out of here, okay? I'm looking for my dad, did you see him around? Sweetie, hey?”
She didn't answer, didn't move, the whining continued. When I touched her shoulder, I felt mine burning, like there was someone behind me too. I looked back, there was no one. I looked to her again, she was staring at my face. The girl was me.
“AAAHHHHH !!!!” she shouted with all her strength, two inches from my face.
I felt my bangs shiver, her scream was like a shock throughout my body. As I stumbled back, she ran toward another room. I jumped off the ground and ran after her, or myself, depending on the point of view.