Cleo didn't realize how soon they would reach the tower, if felt like decades to get to this point and yet here they were.

She peeks out through the window way, immediately coming face to face with tall massive trees circling a taller dark edifice.

It wasn't at all what she pictured it to be, she actually didn't know what to expect in general, but it certainly wasn't what she was seeing before her.

The horses came to a halt before the ruined building and faster than a blink of an eye, Cleo hopped out of the carriage and didn't wait for any guard else to accompany her; before standing before the tower.

It has no fencing around, save for poison ivy and thorny bushes growing along the walls of the ruins. The foliage was so thick, it looked like an abandoned building. She could tell it was painted before a creamy colour but is now peeling and bubbling right off.

Her boots crushes the dry leaves beneath her as she makes her way to the mausoleum like entrance, which seemed like the only entrance to the building unless they searched the back; and the building stood towering above her, blocking out the rich shining sun through the naked trees, making it look like cobwebs displayed onto them.

She could tell that the place was dead. If there was something more than dead, then this would be it.

Also...

It looked nothing like a Tower, she didn't know why everyone called it a Demon Tower. The edifice stood tall but so empty. It didn't even look as if there was life in here.

It looked almost like her Court, with the many springing turrets and flanking towers jutting from the main keep. The only component that made this different from a medieval castle was the absence of a surrounding wall— as in its place was thick flora and shrubs.

She wouldn't believe anyone if they were to say that this place  was contaminated with Demons, not for one single minute. It was more empty than herself.

She scans the perimeter the same way she does when she crosses the boundary separating the Village from the Court. Seeing nothing else, besides trees and more trees, and even more shadows and birds, she turns to find the majority of her guards at her back.

"Are you certain this is the place? It doesn't even scream Dark Tower."

Her young King of the Guard, just like her scans the ruined idle uninhabited building over her shoulder. His blue eyes zapped all over the holes and gaps in the building just like she did; that could of been caused by war, force or since it is a vacant structure — erosion; making it look like cheese with holes in it.

His blue eyes are knitted together as he meets hers. "This is what the map says, all directions leads to here."

Cleo nods. "I guess we're going in then."

He shakes as if someone ran a snake down his back. "Already?"

She sends a dumbfounded look his way. "What do you want to wait for then? Your mother to give you permission to enter a forbidden world. Please. Grow up."

She scoffs then and makes her way to stand before the mausoleum entrance. She supposes this small entrance would lead to the provocative vivid world inside.

Behind her she could hear the young man send out commands to search the perimeter front and back as he will enter with her.

He was supposed to be protecting her as she bid her entrance , but Cleo thinks that it was the other way around. As usual.

The door of the mausoleum is a dirty white filled with deep grooves of scratches and dents leaving black and debris in those crevices. She could only assume that it was the work of the demons. Either getting tortured against this door or trying, no; begging to be let in.

She nods to the young King of the Guard standing beside her looking fully overwhelmed at the sight of the door; and taking his knife to chop the doorknob off.

It was too old. It fell right off.

                                                               °°°

She second guessed the inside of the place. It was up to her expectations and at the same time it wasn't. Like she expected to see— the  fallen in roof at certain portions  was the only source in what would be a terrible darkness, that cascaded down into the huge vastness.

It consisted of nothing else, but shattered tiles and plentiful cobwebs across nearly every expanse of the room. The high windows were barred completely with wooden planks, which was either meant to eliminate sunlight or to lock someone or something inside.

To her it just looked like an extremely big and empty ballroom where enemies were at war with one another, only in this case everything that remained of their bodies turned to ash or got washed away into the deeper corners that she couldn't see past, even with the limited light.

Behind her, she could hear her guards slowly spreading out around the room with their weapons bared, and circled around the sides of the oval-shaped room as she took the center— with her boots crinkling against the dust beneath it.

Cleo assumed that there was a heavy fall of the roof breaking in onto the floor, that could be why the floors were cracked and broken showing hard cement underneath; but the heavy loads were removed leaving the floor open and exposed.

The force to break the rugged and strong roof had to come from outside, and her guess was the demons itself. But just where in the world were they?

She looks to the walls with the paint chipping off— clear of windows and doors save for one single doorway at the one end of the oval-shaped area at back of the room. She couldn't see anything but utter darkness behind it.

She could see her own guards purposely straying away from it and busied themselves searching the walls and floors. As if a monster was going to spring up from it.

She mentally face palms herself at their obvious intelligence and bravery.

"It seems quite dead don't you think?" She mutters to the young guard behind her.

She could sense him behind her with his weapon out. With her protecting him.

"Aye. Indeed. It doesn't look like much of a Demon Tower."

She moves closer to the middle until she was in line with the fallen ceiling above her. She tilts her head back with her mouth falling open in the process. It was clear skies with no clouds in sight. The sunshine fell softly onto her face like sweet soft kisses. She could revel in these anyday. With the chill and severity of this place the sun could finally be welcomed with open arms.

She glanced to the rest of the guards still looking as if they were doing something, but the one fact remains. This place is deceased.

"Perhaps we should be on our way back again Miss?" His voice sounded afraid. Like a little child doing something they weren't supposed to.

"No. We still have that entrance at the back. If you're all too scared I'll go myself. I won't report you to Landon either."

Cleo lifts her chin not awaiting their reply and tramples with fast steps to that specific single dark doorway. She did hear a few grunts and moans and even hissing, but shortly after she heard them following her from behind.

Her steps falters the closer she gets to the archway. She could see nothing behind it, except for darkness and a cool mist emitting from it. The tips of her nose and cheeks is suddenly freezing from the coldness so much she rubbed her face to bring circulation onto her face.

The air seems thinner here too, worse than it did from just being in their mountainous region itself.

She holds her breathe in and takes another big step forward to stand right beneath the archway— until someone grabs her forearm hard and jerks her back hard enough to collide into the body behind her.

She immediately let's go of her breathe and squint at the young King of the Guard, who was sure as hell stronger than he looked.

He still had her arm tightly in his grasp and when she looked down at it, he met her eyes and followed where he still held her and jerked his hand away instantly.

He closes his eyes making his height and strength look like a toddler to her. He then speaks out, "Aye. Apologies Miss, I just think- I just think that someone should go in before you."

He then bites his lips and fidgets with his fingers.

Cleo rolls her eyes. "Would you like to go in then?"

He starts shaking and pales, Cleo almost pitied him. His hair even seems to turn a shade paler than his original locks.

She clicks her tongue. "Thought so." She then hums, looking who to pick on next. When her eyes comes across a bulky guard with light brown eyes and a bald head she points to him with her finger and motions for him to enter.

He didn't even jerk or look shocked and stood right in the entrance, first testing his hand through it and then taking a smaller step deeper inside.

Cleo stood close behind him and summons a flame the size of a head before moving the strong figure before her to the side and throwing her ball through.

Everyone watched as the flame flew through literally lighting up nothing and then falling till it was gone within seconds.

That brought a frown upon her brows. The flame could not of just disappeared unless it was so cold that it got demolished.

"I will go more forward perhaps I can see something more..."

He trails off and steps into the dark room with her right behind him. She was right. It was ice cold here. It felt damp too, like an underground cave. She could see nothing, the view behind her looked like the only escape from this-

The man before her fell over, he screamed and yelled out loud, she could even hear him flapping his arms and kicking through the ice air.

Her heart drops and she immediately kneels down not moving closer to the ledge that she was on. It feels like wet stones and her hands came away grimy and dirty from the floor.

"Miss get away!"

Her guards stood more on alert and looked double the amount too, which told her there must have been nothing going outside.

"I'm fine." She mutters but doesn't leave her spot.

Instead she creates an even bigger ball of fire about twice the size of her body and shoots it above them this time. She still can't see shit with it. Except for darkness. Pure utter onyx. Only thing she could see was the narrow ledge she stood on alone. While the rest of her team stood outside gawking at her.

The ledge was the size of three bodies next to each other. Not too big. The guard before her must of thoutht this whole place a floor as well and took the next step before plopping over.

She could hear nothing else from him. No sound of his body falling no more screams nothing.

This was the only portion left of the floor, which must have been engraved from the walls and floors, in this, what Cleo presumes — is a huge hole, with only a ledge as entrance.

When she looks over the edge, she could see nothing but more darkness she couldn't even hear anything else besides her shallow breathing.

If darkness could become darker that would be what she would describe this pit as.

"What was his name?" She didn't turn around to face them, she knows their faces would look pained and afraid.

"Bart."

A rough name for a brave man.

She moves closer to carefully feel for the edge as she grimaces from her knees digging into hard uneven rock. She looks over to the black hole. Squinting her eyes to make out even a hint of movement.

But after seeing nothing save for more mist she calls out his name.

It's a little too late for that she thought, he could of already been dead.

Getting no reaction and reply whatsoever, Cleo hops on unto her feet and cracks her joints in her neck, fingers and ankles.

Now this was the part she wasn't looking forward to.

"Miss what are you doing?" That was once again the King of the Guard.

She sighs and tries bringing confidence into her body, taking the death part out of her head. "What is your name?"

"Wh- What? My name?"

"No your mother's."

"I don't understand... Are you being sarcastic?"

She throws her head and groans, after that she turns around to face him.

Everyone sent her concerned looks. Lastly she faced him and replies. "What is your name?"

He shakes his face and frowns as if the question needed him to think hard and long.

After a bout he opens his bright eyes suddenly not looking afraid. "It's Terrance."

Oh what was his mother thinking wih that name?

She takes a step back, her heart thumping hard in her throat as she feels the edge through sole of her boot. But she forced herself to not look frightened, it would make them lose confidence and not follow her lead.

"Well Terrance. It's simple what I'm going to do. I'm going in."

Without another word she jerks herself with the momentum hard enough — it sent her closer to the ends of the round room.

The adrenaline spikes inside of her. Filling up her legs and arms until it buzzed and her head felt light. The coldness she felt disappears, giving way to boiling heat. Blood sizzling reaching each and every nook and cranny in her body. It's like someone filling her up with fire to function similar to those Blacksmith machines. But this time the rush of endorphins was exhilarating making her feel excited. God's. The rush.

The air whooshed almost painfully through her ears and the strong force that she is falling at, made her struggle to even inhale causing her lungs to tighten and her body to flail wildly. It feels similar to when she drinks cold water after eating strong eucalyptus. She could barely breathe. The air could bruise. It hit her hard.

Above her she could glimpse dark spots falling. It was either her vision telling her it's the end of her time or her guards followed her, like she wanted.

Either way. They were brave.

Only difference was, she could hear frantic screams and shouts, but she didn't even utter a single word.

                                                            °°°      

"You don't like this one do you? It goes with your eyes. Like gold and silver."

Mira snaps her attention towards Adelaide holding a silver dress before her in the mini boutique she worked in. They were in the back of the rich scarlet coloured room, with piles upon piles of dresses, some just lounging about on the carpeted floors and new arrivals still in packaging at the bead covered doorway.

Mira narrows her eyes trying to draw in the finer details of the dress. But just like her breakfast this morning — she simply didn't want it.

Mira shrugs and rubs her hands on the velvet couch she sat on steering her eyes away from Adelaide's scrutinizing ones. "It's fine I guess."

Shs didn't have to look up to know that Adelaide cocked her hip and crossed her arms giving Mira a filthy look. Because how dare she not like anything that Adelaide gives her?

"Just fine? What is this?" She hums and in her green dress she tromps to Mira and shakes the dress in her face forcing her to lift her gaze.

"Pure silver Mira! Bet you've never come across such a dress before. I purposely saved it for you right after you practically screamed in my ear that you needed a dress."

Mira sighs and leans back on the couch awaiting for Adelaide's banter.

Adelaide tilts her head and smiles dreamily at the silver dress, before opening her mouth. "I didn't even know you were going to go to the ceremony and now suddenly you urgently seek a dress for it. What made you change your mind?"

She plays with a strand from her messy bun and crosses her one leg over the other lifting her face to meet those blue eyes. "No reason I just decided I want to go. But alone."

Adelaide scoffs lowering the dress dramatically with it with a frown on her face. "That is unlike you. We always do things together, you, Z and I. What's going on with you? I know recently we haven't been together for quite some time, so has that made you... Sick?"

It was Mira's turn to scoff. "No. I'm good. Stop pestering over me." She palms her face rubbing evidence of the sweat off her  before drying it over her pants.

Adelaide sighs and neatly places the dress back on its hanger amongst a million others before gently sitting beside her and taking her hand.

"I can see you are not well. Is it the cold?"

Adelaide's hand in hers feels strangely snug and pleasant in hers. Like a mothers touch. Warm and safe.

She faces her and smiles softly. "Adelaide I am alright. It's my cycle coming along-"

Adelaide let's go of her hand and gasps aloud pressing both of her hands over her mouth like Mira just told her an immense secret.

"You're pregnant aren't you? Your cycle is late... That's why you don't want lunch and you look slightly thinner and pale-"

"No what-"

"I knew it. Oh God's! I have to tell Madam Rusebotham."

Mira in panic mode gets up with Adelaide and pulls her away before she could reach the beaded curtain.

"Adelaide I am not pregnant."

Her face went from frantically excited to puppy eye mode in just a second. All of her features went down. Mira notes that it wasn't good seeing Adelaide upset. It destroyed her entire figure.

All too soon her eyes narrowed and busy-body Adelaide was back. "Are you telling me that you didn't sleep with that boy at the festival?"

"What festival?"

Adelaide rolls her eyes and palms her chignon— probably to make sure that it didn't fall apart the way she did moments ago. "The flower one of course what else?"

It took Mira a few seconds to remember the mage's son that she so dirtily smooched with against a tree. "How do you know that?"

"I spotted you with him but didn't say anything. So you didn't...?"

Mira shakes her head. "No. And I never will. Look Adelaide I think I should just rest, we can have lunch together tomorrow perhaps. I am truly sorry for the way I am."

Mira leans in to hug her and Adelaide holds her tightly in her arms. Mira can feel the sincerity in her arms sending her sustenance.

Adelaide is the first to pull away and kisses her cheek in a friendly peck. She then giggles and grabs ahold of both Mira's cheeks and squeezes them the way she would a dog or a baby.

With her squished face Mira attempts to speak up. "Adelaide, you are strange as hell."

Adelaide pulls her hands away and pats her dress. "That's why you love me is it not?"

Mira nods.

"So anyway, I'm keeping this dress for you. I'll store it away so that Madam doesn't see it. And you're wearing it no matter what." She gives Mira a stern look and points almost viciously her way with her pointer finger.

"Yes Adelaide as you wish."

Mira left shortly after that and exits the quietness to the mass noise and people of the Village outside. She breathes in the absurdly not that hot and dry air and closes her eyes drawing tranquility deep into her body.

She then sighs.

The things she has to do to keep her brother alive.