Heaven told Gina where she was supposed to meet the silver-eyed stranger. Black rosewood.
Gina knew where it was, but she didn't like the idea of going there.
"Why did he tell you to meet him there? I heard that forest is eerie."
Heaven wanted to back down, but then she gathered her courage and decided to get it over with.
"Should we feel scared? I mean, we are what people fear."
Maybe people believed supernatural beings like ghosts or demons to dwell in the forest, but Heaven didn't believe in ghosts and she was a demon.
Gina shrugged. "Yeah. I guess we have nothing to be afraid of."
But once they arrived at the forest, Heaven could feel that something was definitely different about the place.
It was dark, the leaves from the many tall trees covered the sky like dark clouds. The air was cooler, making her flesh creep and her body squirm. She turned to Gina who was walking next to her with arms wrapped around her shoulders.
"Why is it so cold?" She asked.
"I don't like this." Heavens said. "Maybe we should go back."
Gina shook her head in denial, as expected. Her friend liked the scary and the dangerous.
"Since we are here, we might as well take a good look. What could be in here? Animals?"
No, not animals. But surely predators.
The silence was haunting. There was no sound or signs of life around them. Only the trifling noise of rustling branches and leaves and the howl of the wind.
Heaven and Gina scampered through the wispy trees, stumbling over stones and roots.
Suddenly Gina drew her sword. The scraping sound of sharp metal echoed in the silence.
"Did you hear that?" Gina whispered.
Heaven straightened her ears.
"Hear what?"
"You were right. We should go home. I don't think it's safe here. Not a romantic place to meet either." Gina said, looking around with hawk-like eyes.
Heaven knew her friend was right, but something far away, deep in the forest, was calling to her.
"Heaven, what are you doing?!" Gina hissed.
She was already walking into the forest without realizing. Gina came after her fast and grabbed her arm.
"We should really leave. I don't like this place."
"Gina, we are close." Heaven said without knowing what it meant.
"Close to what?" She was still looking around for any threat.
Close to him. He was here. Heaven knew from the way the icy wind gusted. Every time he was near, she felt cold.
Ignoring Gina's question, she continued further into the dark forest.
"You will get us in trouble." Gina muttered, following behind.
A smile curved Heaven's lips. She was usually the careful one. It was fun now that they switched roles.
As they continued further into the forest, it became colder and darker.
��Oh God," Gina shivered. "Do you think ghosts exist?"
"Are you asking me or God?"
"Are you being sarcastic right now?"
Heaven thought this was the perfect opportunity to scare her friend. Turning around, "maybe you can ask the ghosts themselves." She said nodding behind her.
Gina swung her sword behind her, just to cut through thin air.
A laugh escaped Heaven's lips.
"This is not fun!" Gina turned, looking angry.
"I am sorry. I have just never seen you so scared."
"I am not." She denied. "But... we should really go back. I don't feel good about him calling you here."
"Just a little further." Heaven returned to walk, but after a few steps she discovered a cave a few feet away.
"Gina." Heaven nodded toward the cave. "Look."
The cave's mouth was an impenetrable darkness covered with spider nets.
"I don't like this." Gina repeated, looking at the entrance. "We should go home."
Gina was usually not an easily scared person, but Heaven could resonate with her fear. There was something about this forest that indicated darkness and danger which erected fear in someone's heart.
But Heaven was too drawn to the darkness now that she couldn't back down. The further she got into the forest, the stronger the pull toward the darkness became.
Despite the force that drew her closer, Heaven took safety precautions. She withdrew her daggers from her pockets while strolling toward the cave.
"Heaven. Where are you going?!" Gina sounded annoyed.
"Let's take a look." Heaven said waving for Gina to follow.
Gina shook her head. "You are getting us in trouble."
Yes. She was, but why couldn't she stop. This was dangerous. She was putting her friend, her family and herself in risk?
Why were her feet taking her toward danger?
When they came near the entrance, Heaven looked inside. It was pitch-dark, so she couldn't see anything. Suddenly she became afraid, yet she continued to step inside.
Gina used her sword to remove the spider nets from the way.
When they entered the cave, it engulfed them in a chilling darkness. Underneath her feet, rocks shifted, causing her ankles to twist left and right. The noise from the rattled stones echoed off the heavy walls. Ahead, she could hear the sound of water dripping.
Heaven got an ominous feeling. She tightened her hold on her daggers as the road darkened. She could still see because of her supernatural senses, but if she continued, it might not last. Just when she chose to turn back because it was getting difficult to see, she stumbled over something and fell on a hard surface.
"Are you alright?" Gina called, but then paused when she noticed something.
Heaven got up on her feet before taking a look. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Is that a coffin?" She asked.
"It seems so." Gina shrugged. "But look at this."
Gina touched the surface with her fingertips. Symbols were carved into the wooden coffin. Heaven got closer to see. She knew these symbols, or to be more correct, spells.
Her grandmother had taught her how to perform basic spells, but these seemed a lot more complicated.
"These are spells."
"Why would someone carve spells into a coffin?"
"I don't know." That confused Heaven as well.
Leaning down, she tried to figure out their meaning. It seemed the spell was to protect what was inside from getting out or to hinder someone from getting inside.
But why?
"I think there is something in there, and it's not a dead body." Heaven said.
"What do you think is in there?"
"I don't know. But something valuable enough to hide in a cave and lock with a spell."
"Oh, then we should open it." Gina got suddenly excited
"I don't think I am powerful enough to open it. The spell is complicated."
"Well, try before giving up."
"Maybe we shouldn't open it. It probably belongs to someone." Heaven hesitated.
"We don't have to take it. I am just curious to see what's inside."
Heaven couldn't deny that she was curious too. What could there be inside, that someone would go through so much trouble to hide?
Thinking that she probably wouldn't succeed in opening it, she performed the spell.
And she was right. Nothing happened.
"I told you. Let's go home now. All this was a terrible idea."
Gina let out a sigh. "Came all this way here to see nothing." She muttered, disappointed.
As they turned back to leave, they heard the creaking sound of wood, making them stop in their tracks. Heaven glanced behind at the coffin. Then she looked at Gina.
"I think it opened?" Gina whispered.
She made her way to the coffin and tried to lift the lock. It wasn't opening.
"God this is heavy. Help me."
Heaven hurried to help Gina, ready to use all her strength, but when she lifted the lock it opened so easily.
A heavy smoke came out of the coffin, blurring their vision and making them cough. When the smoke slowly followed the wind and disappeared, they saw what lay in the coffin.
A gasp escaped Gina's lips. It was indeed a dead body. It lay unmoving like a statue, with only bones and skin. The skin was a pale grey and blue and seemed to rot, making the veins underneath visible.
Heaven stared, shocked. This was not what she expected, and she was still confused. It made no sense. Why would someone put a spell on a coffin with a dead body?
It's not like the body could escape.
Unless…
It was alive.
Oh, no!
Heaven was about to step back when a skeletal hand grabbed her wrist, making her unable to escape. Her heart jumped to her throat when the dead body opened its eyes.
A pair of unearthly silver eyes.
A scream erupted from her throat.
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???? Hello everyone ????!
You guys have been asking for an update schedule and I have finally decided what days to update. I'll update on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Please note that we have different time-zones, so for you guys it might be different days.
Thank you so much ❤️❤️ for all the support and love. I wish I could update every day, trust me, but life and studies get in the way.
Please be patient with me, ????..
Lots of love ❤️