After nodding his head, the queen clutched Henry's hand, and began running. She was fast, faster than expected for someone who had just escaped being encased in marble.
'Can I trust her?'
Henry looked up at the beautiful queen, watching her every movement, she was calculated, this plan was in the works for a long time. He had realized that all this time, she must have been conscious trapped in the immovable stone, forced to watch as her city became, the dreaded labyrinth that Henry had wandered until now.
Mustering all his courage, Henry asked the first question on his mind.
"What happened here?"
The queen did not stop and instead picked up her pace, moving between rooms within the castle with ease, she was dedicated, this path was plotted many, many, many years ago.
"We were targeted, by something we did not understand. I thought that with my abilities, I could protect the kingdom from anything… but…"
A solemn look overtook the queen, her weeping face being contorted into a near sob. Henry wished to stop, he wished to let her know it was okay, and that at least she was safe, but he couldn't, the time was too slim, apparently.
"Uhm, so what about the door, like the one that appeared and brought me to you?"
Her face eased, and she answered the question quickly.
"It's what's left of my people, their spirits masked together to create one final hope. A door, malevolent, and dangerous. Yet, its goals were at one point good, and since you found me, I guess its purpose was completed. Though I would stay away from it if you found it again. There are places that door leads that are beyond this world, places inconceivable to the human mind."
But was Henry a human by now, he already had no face, and with the artifact's eyes, his chosen body, he was far beyond any normal human.
The two dashed through a hallway to a side exit of the castle, that led to a paved path, into a dark distant location.
"Where are we going?"
"To turn the tides, Henry."
'Did I tell her my name?'
*****
They continued running deep, and deeper into the dark path.
"One more question… Do you know how I can escape this place? There just isn't any monsters, and I thought I'd feel a presence, but I have-"
The queen stopped her precious internal clock still ticking.
"Get on your knees."
Henry fell to his knees immediately, her word was strong enough, his body couldn't resist.
She rested her hand on his head, cold and comforting. The queen looked to the sky, the two stars seemingly staring down right at them.
Instantly, energy poured into Henry, washing over his whole body, it felt like he was ten times, no twenty times stronger. But just as fast as it was given, it flushed out of him.
The queen stumbled back, tears pouring down her face, she struggled to breathe.
"Are you okay"
Henry reached for her, but she slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me!"
She gasped.
"I-I'm sorry, Henry, I'm so sorry, but your journey home will be far more complicated than I hoped."
Collecting herself, the queen stood and took Henry's hand once more, it made him uncomfortable after their last interaction, but he could tell she meant no harm. Looking at her, she seemed… scared, as if she had seen a ghost.
They continued their run, the queen desperately searching for something.
In the distance, Henry saw a structure, its white walls making it stand out. It was made of the same marble material that the queen had been encased In. Except this wasn't a person, or a sculpture, Henry knew what it was.
'A mausoleum? Why is it here?'
The queen's face grew a grin, and she dashed for it, almost leaving Henry in her dust. Once face to face with the mausoleum, Henry saw words carved into its entrance, "facilis descensus averno" It seemed to be readable; however, he had no idea what it meant. Something he would have to keep in his memories for now.
The queen pushed through the stones blocking the mausoleum entrance, and they crashed down, falling far down, as if the damned grave went down forever. She looked at Henry.
"It's going to be dangerous, do not let go of my hand."
She put her hand out once again, and Henry took it.
"Okay."
'I trust you.'
They walked into the mausoleum, and were met by ornate stairs going deep below. Henry gulped, and tightened his grip on the queen's hand. The queen took the first step, and then the second, and the two had begun their descent.
*****
Each step they took, the air became thinner, and Henry's panic grew larger. With the queen, he was able to stay calm, but beneath the surface, he was terrified. Something about the path they were going down felt wrong, as if the two were not meant to be there, they were trespassing, and in a tomb of all things.
"I'm sorry, but can I ask another question, It's too quiet."
The princess twitched her head, before nodding.
"Do you know what the Rotting Fish is?"
The two continued descending, without any words for a moment, then she spoke.
"No, do you mean that literally? Because I know what happens when fish go bad. "
'Dammit'
Henry kicked a small rock, and it tumbled to the steps, creating a loud echo.
"No, it's fine, never mind."
He let out a sigh.
"So, what's it like being a queen."
The maiden continued walking, not speaking a word.
"My bad."
Henry put his head down, 'Why would I ask that?! Idiot, idiot, idiot!'
The two continued walking until a light became visible far off.
'Yes!'
Henry was not the biggest fan of how dark the area was, he could barely see, relying on the spectral eye's wider range of vision for guidance. Though he felt silly complaining about sight, since the queen had no eyes.
"Stop me if I'm being pushy, but what happened to your eyes?"
A shiver went up the queen's spine.
"They are far, far, far from here. Deep in the sky, shining, looking over my beautiful city."
'The stars?'
If the queen wasn't lying, the two stars that illuminated the entirety, of Rakh'el were her eyes. That would describe, the feeling of being watched Henry felt wandering the city, but it was impossible, what being could do that? The scholar?
He put those thoughts away as they arrived at the light. It was a torch, the queen grabbed it, and its light changed from a warm hue, to the familiar twilight color that filled the city above.
Their path was now straight, something was down there, something with extreme energy overflowing from it.
'What is she leading me too.'
Henry began to have doubts in the queen, but it was far too late to turn back now.
They arrived at a small room, in its center sat a large sarcophagus, a name was carved into the top of it however it had long been corroded, impossible to read.
"What is this?"
Henry asked, in bewilderment, what were they doing here, how was this going to help him.
The queen ignored his question, and gripped the sides of the coffin, ripping it open with ease.
Dust filled the tomb, Henry coughed, blinded due to it. As he slowly regained vision, the queen was doing something to the contents of the sarcophagus, a bright flash of magical proportions was being sent straight into it. Once it stopped she reached in, pulling out a book, seemingly it was normal, he's eyes didn't pick up anything unnatural about it, but the aura it had, made it hard for him to breathe. The hairs on the back of Henry's neck stood tall, he was sure of it, that book was never meant to leave this place.
The queen stepped to him, and held the book out.
"Take it."
"What!?"
'There's no way.'
Henry couldn't, it filled him with dread, just looking at the book, this was not something he was meant to have.
The queen shoved it into his hands.
"We don't have time! Now listen to me, Henry."
She lowered herself, gazing straight into his eyes,
"You must not open this book, until you escape this place, do you understand."
Her voice once beautiful contorted becoming monotone, and threatening.
He nodded his head, shuddering from holding the book.
Someone, however, was wrong. The queen fell over, holding tight to the ground, screaming out in pain.
"Are you okay!?"
Henry rushed to her side checking her body to make sure she wasn't hurt, looking deeper with the specter's eyes, he realized, her body was devoid of any Miasmal energy, neither with any other sort of energy.
"Wh-what happened?"
She grasped his collar, and looked at him, the empty abyss's staring back as he stared into them.
"Henry, you need to run. Get far from her, deep within the city's ruins. I know what is to come will be hard, but I trust in you to make the right choice, and survive."
The surrounding area began shaking, and Henry watched as the rocks, on the furthest wall from him, began to fall and cave in.
"Shit, we have to get out of here, I'm not just leaving you behi-"
"Henry, go!"
She pushed him away towards the stairs.
"Get out! Run, now Henry!"
She screamed at him, her voice breaking and cracking.
Henry watched as the area caved in more, and more, eventually crashing down on the queen's legs. He was frozen with fear.
"You need to live now run!"
She screamed with pain in her voice. Snapping Henry out of his trance, dust filled his eyes, and lungs, but he pushed through turning, and running as fast as he could towards the stairs.