For a long moment, Aria couldn't move.Her heart thudded like it wanted to claw out of her chest. The room—those paintings—were burned into her eyes, even after the walls closed behind her. Every portrait felt like it was still watching her from inside her skull.
She rubbed her temples, trying to calm down. "Okay, okay, breathe… you're fine," she whispered, though she didn't believe it. "It's just—paintings. Weird, creepy, obsessive paintings. That's all."
The echo of that voice still haunted her though—soft, ghostlike.You were painted here long before you arrived.
Aria shivered. "I'm losing my mind," she muttered.Then she noticed the blue paint on her hand again, faintly glowing under the moonlight that slipped through her window. The mark pulsed once—then dimmed.
That's when the floor shifted beneath her.
She yelped, grabbing the bedframe, but the stone under her feet gave way with a loud crack. In an instant, the ground tilted—her candle rolled off the table—and before she could even curse, she was sliding down a hidden shaft in the wall.
"Wha—no, no, no—!" she screamed as her body slammed into smooth, angled stone. She tumbled downward, hair flying, arms flailing uselessly as she slid through the dark.Wind rushed past her ears. The tunnel twisted sharply left, then right, and before she could orient herself—
Thud!
She hit something soft.Grass?
Aria groaned, rolling onto her back. The air here was cold and damp, filled with the smell of pine and moss. Faint moonlight shimmered through trees overhead.
She was in a forest.Outside the castle.
Her mind spun. "The castle has— a trapdoor to outside? What kind of lunatic builds a death slide into the woods!?"
She staggered to her feet, brushing leaves off her gown. "Okay. Calm down. You're not dead. That's a win." She looked around—massive trees, twisted roots, mist swirling low across the ground. The castle loomed far behind, its towers visible above the treeline like distant pale ghosts.
She turned slowly, half expecting something to lunge out of the dark.That's when she saw the silhouette.
Tall. Motionless. Watching her.
Her breath froze in her chest. "Oh no. Nope. Not doing this. Not—hello?" she called, her voice trembling slightly. The figure didn't move. Only the faint sound of leaves rustling in the wind answered.
Then it started walking toward her.
"Stay back!" Aria shouted, backing up quickly, hands raised. Her foot caught on a root, and she nearly fell. "I swear I'll—uh—throw a rock! Or something!"
The figure stepped into a slant of moonlight—and Aria's fear drained into something more like irritation.
"James?!" she gasped.
The boy grinned sheepishly, his curly red hair wild as ever. "You know," he said, hands on his hips, "for someone who's supposedly not supposed to be out here, you make quite an entrance."
Aria blinked at him. "What are you doing here?!"
"I could ask the same thing," he said, leaning against a tree. "Except, you know, I didn't just drop from the castle like a sack of potatoes."
"I didn't drop—I fell! There's a difference!"
He smirked. "Gravity disagrees."
Aria glared at him. "That's not funny."
"Little bit," James replied, suppressing a laugh. "Anyway, why are you out here? Lirien's going to skin you alive if he finds out."
"I didn't mean to fall through a floor, James! There was a… hidden passage, and I—"
"Oh, so you found one of the fun ones," he interrupted. "Nice. Those are ancient. I think even the ghosts avoid them."
She crossed her arms. "Well, I'd like to go back now before someone actually kills me."
James rubbed his chin, pretending to think. "Hmm. I could take you back. But then again, it's kind of a long walk… and technically against orders… and I might get yelled at…"
"James!"
He laughed. "Alright, alright! Relax, I'm just teasing." Then his tone softened. "Seriously though, you shouldn't be wandering around down here. There are guards posted beyond the ridge. If anyone saw you, they'd assume you escaped."
"I didn't escape! I—"
But she stopped as a branch snapped somewhere behind them.
Both turned.
From between the trees, a shadow emerged—tall, smooth, purposeful. A faint shimmer of light flickered off a black coat.
Xyren.
Aria's pulse spiked. He moved through the mist like the forest bent away from him, his eyes glowing faintly blue in the moonlight.
"Aria," he said evenly. "What are you doing here?"
James's mouth opened, but he spoke first—too fast. "I brought her!"
Xyren's gaze flicked toward him. "You… brought her."
"Yep!" James said quickly, nodding so hard his curls bounced. "I thought maybe she could, uh, spy on Lirien. You know, since she's human and stuff. Totally my idea."
Aria stared at him, horrified. "What—James, what are you—"
Xyren lifted a hand sharply, silencing her. His voice dropped low, dangerous. "Don't say that aloud again."
The air seemed to tense, like the whole forest was holding its breath. Xyren stepped closer, eyes glinting. "You know better than to speak our work in the open."
James swallowed. "Right, yeah, I—uh—sorry."
For a long moment, Xyren said nothing. Then his tone softened slightly, though it still carried weight. "Take her back to her cell. Quietly. The guards patrol this side at dawn."
James nodded quickly. "Got it."
Xyren turned to leave, melting into the fog again. Aria called out before she could stop herself. "Wait—!"
He paused, glancing over his shoulder. The faint blue glow from his eyes cut through the mist like light through water.
"I just…" she hesitated, unsure why she even spoke. "Thank you."
He didn't answer—just gave the smallest nod before disappearing into the shadows completely.
The silence that followed was thick.
James let out a long exhale. "Well. That was terrifying."
Aria turned to him. "You lied."
"Yeah," he said simply, grinning. "You're welcome."
She frowned. "You could've told him the truth!"
"And what, let him think you just fell into the forest by accident? He'd have thought you were sneaking into Lirien's labs or worse. Trust me, you don't want to be on Xyren's 'list.' It's short. And ends badly."
She sighed, rubbing her face. "I hate this place."
James smirked. "Welcome to Carfein, where every wall has a secret passage and every tree probably spies on you."
"That's not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be."
They started walking, weaving through the dark trees. The castle lights glowed faintly in the distance. Every few steps, the leaves rustled as tiny sparks of blue fireflies floated around them, lighting the way.
Aria couldn't help glancing sideways at him. "You really weren't supposed to be out here, were you?"
"Nope," James said cheerfully. "But rules are more like… loose suggestions to me."
"Do you ever take anything seriously?"
He grinned. "Breakfast."
Despite herself, Aria laughed. It came out small, surprised—and real.
"Why are you even helping me?" she asked softly after a while. "You could've left me there."
James shrugged, hands in pockets. "Because I've been where you are. Confused. Trapped. And because Xyren might act all mysterious and powerful, but he'd probably murder me if you got eaten by wolves."
"...Wolves?"
He smirked. "Joking. Mostly."
They reached the base of the castle wall, where the tunnel mouth gaped like a shadow in the rock. James crouched, motioning for her to follow. "This'll take us back near your cell. Try not to fall this time, yeah?"
She rolled her eyes but crawled after him through the narrow space. The stone was cold beneath her palms, damp with moss. They moved in silence until the familiar scent of parchment and candle soot returned.
Finally, they emerged behind her cell's wall. James pressed something on the stone—a small sigil glowing faintly red—and the bricks slid back into place with a soft click.
"Home sweet prison," he said with a mock bow.
Aria shot him a tired look. "You're impossible."
"Thanks." He started toward the tunnel, then paused, turning back. "Hey. Don't do stupid things again, alright?"
"I didn't mean to—"
"I know," he said, cutting her off gently. "But listen, Aria—if it hadn't been me who found you, you'd be halfway to being dead right now. Lirien's guards don't ask questions. They'd have taken you straight to him."
His grin faded for the first time all night. "You have no idea how dangerous this place gets when no one's watching."
Something in his tone—quiet, serious—made her nod. "I'll be careful," she said softly.
"Good." He flashed a half-smile again, the mood lightening. "Try not to break any more floors."
"I'll add it to my list of life goals."
He chuckled, turning to leave. "Night, human girl."
"Night, horn boy."
The hidden wall sealed shut behind him, and silence fell again.
Aria sank onto her bed, the events of the night tumbling through her head—the fall, the forest, Xyren's warning, and the haunting room of paintings.
Her eyes drifted toward the small crack in the floor where it had all begun. For a long time, she stared at it, wondering how deep the secrets of Carfein truly went.
Then she whispered to herself, almost like a promise:
"I'll find out. Even if it kills me."
Outside, somewhere beyond the towers, a raven cried—and the first pale light of dawn bled across the sky.