Chapter 5

I shakily glanced around the place. My heart was beating miles per minute, and it felt like the organ was about to leap out of my chest.

The window opened once more, and banged, just at the same time the thunder rumbled.

"Gods!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I tightly closed my eyes and placed both hands on my ears.

The wind picked up, and it seemed like the lightning and thunder were having a contest on who knew how to rumble faster.

The golden engravings on the box seemed to shine brighter.

"What's going on?"

I tried to rise from the floor, but I found out that I was unable to move. I couldn't even lift a leg.

"No, this isn't happening." I tried once more; however, my attention was called to the black box when I heard an unusual sound.

Boom.

It was like the sound of the hunting gun my brother bought three days ago.

I shrieked some more as the flapping of the window, and the rumbling of thunder, accompanied the strange sound that came from the box.

The light flickered on before the entire place became drenched in total darkness once more.

The wind ceased instantly, and the thunder stopped rumbling. Even the windows, ceased their flapping. The entire place was drowned in total darkness and silence.

"Okay. I think it's time to get out of here."

Staying outside in the darkness is better than in here.

The strange things happening in the room made the outside seem like child's play. At least, out there, I have nothing to fear apart from the wild animals.

But here, the strange sounds, and the black box with the glittering light, shroud the room in mystery.

An ominous sound, that started coming from the box, caused my attention to return to the black thing.

The sound was akin to the music the old women in the village sings during the night of the spirit.

"I need to leave," I tried to rise from the floor once more, but found out I wasn't able to move.

I couldn't move.

It felt like I was rooted to the floor.

"What did I do wrong? Is this Karma for all the times I was mean to little kids? Could this be the repercussions for all the times I've cost nothing but pain to my family? If this is it, please let me live. I promise to be the best princess. I will get married to the Prince of the North, or is it the East? I will do anything I'm asked off. All I ask for is to live."

The sound from the box seemed to intensify with my speech. The tempo increased, and at the same time, the door to the room I was currently in, banged so loudly that it almost caused my soul to leap out of my body.

"Gods!" I screeched so loudly, it will be a miracle if I don't wake the dead with my shouts. Funny how I was thinking of the dead while the song of the spirit is going on.

The box made a noise like that of a person knocking on a board. The ominous sound it made, coupled with the song, caused me to shiver.

The fearless princess who scares spirits is now scared out of her bones.

At this junction, I would have flung my poor body off the window without minding the price. I will die, undoubtedly.

However, it's better than this. With the way, my heart is beating, I don't think I can survive this.

The thumping sound from the box became so loud that it drowned the music coming from the box.

As the thumping got louder, the golden drawings became more pronounced.

It felt like the drawings were moving. The characters seemed so real, it almost sucked me in.

However, the spell was broken when the black box opened on its own.

"Tell me I'm not seeing this right."

The cover fell to the side and white smoke started escaping from the box I once thought contained treasures untold.

I watched, mesmerized by the smoke coming from the box. It felt so magical. The smoke slowly danced as they went up.

More sounds came from the box before something strange happened.

The light in the room suddenly flicked on, and I saw the scare of my life.

Standing on the box, and surrounded by the white smoke, was a human.

No.

That can't be true.

It can't be.

I shook my head as my eyes took in the man who was standing on the box. The white smoke covered his entire body, leaving only his face in view.

His white hair, which was as white as snow, fanned his face, partially covering half part of his face.

However, those were not the things that caught my eye.

The eyes.

Gods of the land, please save me.

The eyes of the man were as red as blood. It felt like there were embers in them.

A screeching sound left my mouth.

The man suddenly fixed his peculiar red eyes on me.

His mouth upturned in a frown as he glanced at me as if I was a fly that happened to perch where it wasn't supposed to.

"A human?"

His voice was hoarse.

It seemed like he hasn't used the voice for a long time. You can tell by how raspy the voice is, and all that.

"Please." I didn't know what I was pleading for.

"After all these years, a human happened to be the one to wake me?" He laughed hysterically, as if there were something funny about that.

I tried to move my body, but it was fruitless. My body was rooted to the floor.

The strange being in front of me came out of the box. He trained his eyes on me, as he got closer.

"No, don't come any closer!" I shouted as I tried to take a step back, but it wasn't possible.