UNDER THE MASK - EPISODE 34

★★★★★

Landing in an unknown place with a loud thud, Athena stood still for a while before looking up

She found a strange world around her, of course the Frost forest won’t look like any other earthly place

It’s a thick forest possessed by deafening silence, Athena stood slowly and even with the fact that she’s wearing a thick hoodie, the cold us unbearable cos it’s heavily snowing and the air she’s breathing is scaring cold

She quickly put down her backpack and took out another two hoodie which she wore on the one she’s putting on before though that didn’t completely fight the cold, she’s still feeling cold but it’s better than the earlier

She took her bag again and made to start journeying but something fell in front of her, it would have fell on her but thankfully it didn’t

It’s a big cube of ice and it’s sure that if it falls on her head she’ll die instantly

She touched her head and adjusted her muffler on her neck before taking another step

As she took steps, she got bolder and bolder to walk faster, looking around for any sign of a bird

It was peaceful for the first thirty minutes but then she heard movements behind and when she looked back, it’s a dead spirit which almost made her scream out her lungs but she remembered the no speech rule and tried her best to keep mute by blocking her mouth with her palm

The ghost is a kid, maybe twelve years old or more, wearing a white gown that has bloodstains allover, her hair has become knotty and rough allover her face that’s covered with blood too

Athena stood on her spot and refused to move but when she sensed that time is not gonna wait for her, she moved from her spot and shakily walked past the spirit who surprisingly did nothing to her

The next thing she did is running immediately she took some steps away from the spirit till she’s very far away from her

She held her chest that’s pounding hard and swallowed hard

“I hope I will be able to do this” she thought and continued on the journey

By now her hoodies are now even cold, the cold is penetrating into her body and she’s freezing cold but she kept moving with shaky legs till she got to a house, it’s more like an hut, it’s old and looks like it’ll soon crumble

She pushed the door gently and it opened slowly, she peeped in and only a a candle is burning inside the house

She went in though her chest is busy threatening to break to make way for her heart to fly out with the way it’s beating fast

She took few steps to the candle and took it then she looked around the room with it

The house is just as small as it looked outside and nothing is In except the table the candle was sitting on, but on the wall there’s a picture of a bird with two colors, blue and yellow

“Blue and yellow is the two main colours of a fire, then is this the picture of the fire bird?” She thought in her mind and walked closer to it

She studied the bird more, it’s eyes is like a burning fire and the legs has the colour of flames, the feathers is bulky and that made it look big, a silver pendant is attached to its bulky feathers

“It’s surely the one” she thought and immediately removed the picture from the wall

Immediately she removed it, she heard a cracking sound and she looked back fearfully

Then she saw the wall in front of her , the cracking sound came from there cos it’s already cracked

Another cracking sound made her run with everything she has out of the house and Immediately she got out, the house crumbled into bits right in front of her.

Without wasting much time, she made to go but something wrapped round her legs and made her fall but luckily no wounds

She tried to stand up but the rope on her legs leg kept dragging her on the ground down the sloppy area, thanks to the hoodie she’s wearing and the leather underwear she’s wearing underneath, it prevented her from having wounds as she kept rolling down till she fell into a pit

She stood up and when she saw it’s a deep pit, she almost cried

“How do I get out from here?” She thought, checking the time.

****

AOS**

“An hour gone” Ursula said, entering the treatment room where Damon is still terribly sick

“I’m hoping she’ll come back safe and sound, that’s my only prayer right now” Eden said

*Me too, I just hope she doesn’t get wounded even if she comes with the blood” Venus said

” Let’s all keep being optimistic” Kaitlyn said

” Damon is going through a critical time right now, the least we can do is to hope for Athena’s safety till she’ll be back, if we lose Athena, we’ll lose him, I just hope she’s able to do it without getting wounded” Moon said

Ursula left the room later, leaving them with Damon but Moon stood to leave too

“Why?, Why are you leaving?” Venus asked

” I need some air” Moon replied

“You love him right?” Kaitlyn asked

Moon faced her and nodded slightly

” But I’ve lost the chance to say I love him, for being a coward, can I even still tell him how I feel even if he wakes?, No that’s Impossible when Athena loves him so much to the point of going on that dangerous journey for him, I couldn’t volunteer because I was scared, my boldness got wiped immediately I heard about the dangers and perils on the way, maybe I don’t love him the way Athena does, maybe my love for him is meaningless, maybe I don’t feel much for him , maybe it’s just selfishness…or lust” Moon said and left the room instantly

” You think it’s lust?” Elaina asked Kaitlyn

” I don’t think so, she’s just feeling guilty that she wasn’t able to sacrifice everything for someone she loves, maybe her love doesn’t measure up to Athena’s, Athena’s love is undying and sacrificial, Moon’s love is fearful” Kaitlyn replied, stepping out of the room

****

Moon cried bitterly when she got to her room, unable to stop her tears as it continued flowing uncontrollably

“I don’t deserve him, I’m a coward” she thought, sitting in front of her mirror and watching her falling tears

“Athena, please come back safely and save him, I don’t want him anymore, you deserve him and he belongs to you, please just come back safely” she cried.

****

Walking down the hallway on her own, Kaitlyn hoped fervently for Athena’s Sade return, she closed her eyes at a point and spent two minutes on a spot, wishing for her safe return

Mika appeared behind her with her sword in hand and smiled evilly

She positioned her sword in her hand very well and licked the blade with her tongue, lacing it with poison in the process before starting to walk towards her with the intention of just stabbing her with the poisoned blade but Kaitlyn got suspicious

She looked back swiftly and saw a fallen sword, it actually fell from Mika cos Min is already gripping her neck hard, chocking her with all he has

Mika widened her eyes and it sent flashes to Min’s eyes which made him let her go

She fell on the ground and smiled then picked the sword again to attack but Min held her again and hit her back on the wall

The cowry on his neck shined and the light it emitted entered his eyes, making his eyes change color and Mika started bleeding

He threw her away and she landed far away, holding her neck tightly

“How dare you try to hurt my queen!” Min said angrily with eyes that are full of rage as he started sending pains to Mika’s body and she spit out more blood

Throughout, Kaitlyn watched everything like a movie but when she sensed that he might make her land in coma if this goes on for longer, she stepped in

“Changmin please” she said

Min looked back at her and his eyes softened. “No, I don’t joke with what’s mine and I can’t let anyone hurt you!” He said seriously

Kaitlyn has never seen such an angry Min before

Min face Mika again and continued sending pains to her body, making her scream in pains till he’s satisfied

He let her go and smirked regally

“The next time you try this I’m gonna kill you” he said and grabbed Kaitlyn’s hand then took her out of the place

Elaina smiled from where she’s watching from. “The royal blood is starting to run through him, war is really coming, it’s cool to see him acting like a king” she thought

” Are you ok?” Min asked Kaitlyn when they finally got away from there

“You looked different back then” she said

He smiled and held her hand

” I felt that way when I saw her trying to hurt you, if anyone tries that again, believe me it’ll be death” he said

” Huh!” Kaitlyn said

” Yes… death” he replied seriously.

****

Frost forest**

Athena has been in the pit for more than four hours with no one or strategy to rescue herself

She has twenty hours left now and time is still running

She tried her best not to cry so she won’t ruin everything

“Damon please hold on for me, I’ll save you at all what it takes” she thought and almost immediately, the pit started growing shallow and shallow till she got liberated

She smiled and picked he bag before stepping out happily, it would have been fine if she didn’t see Depp’s dead spirit passing by and looking at her

“Depp” she whispered, forgetting the no speech rule

Immediately she mentioned that name, the forest started shaking and Depp’s dead spirit vanished

“What have I done” Athena said and started running

Ice blocks started falling from the sky and trees kept falling on her way

She kept dodging and dodging and at a point , a tree almost fell on her but thanks to her fast instincts that told her to run and she did

Only the heavens understand why ice didn’t fall on get or why any of the falling trees hasn’t fallen on her

It didn’t stop till she got to a sandy area and everywhere became calm but the calmness is suspicious

Soon, another fearful sound started, it’s sounding like when battalion of soldiers are going to war on their horses

She took to her heels and started running again but by now she’s tired from the running she did earlier and from the cold that made her limbs weak.

“I want to save Damon, I must save him” she kept thinking in her mind till she fell when her leg stumbled on something

She lay there for a minute before slowly looking up but what she’s seeing is not close to fair, she’s already surrounded with snarling demons of all kinds and they’re all just too scary

She’s unaware of when tears escaped her eyes.

“It’s a human, welcome to Frost forest, never knew I’m gonna have a nice meal today, I’m really tired of eating animals” one said with an husky voice

” I know right?, Let’s make it fast, her blood will be so sweet” another one said

” She’ll have a delicious flesh since her skin is so fresh” another one said

” Please let me go, I need to save my friend” she cried maybe they’ll pity her but they’re not ready to do that

“She’s pleading, but too bad our ears only love to listen to agonizing cries, take her!” One of them said and she was grabbed

” Shouldn’t we play with her a little?” Another voice said

“That’s true” majority chorused and she was thrown up just like a ball will be thrown, her backpack fell and she followed, she landed on the ground and spit out blood

She figured out it’s useless to beg so she decided to take in all the pains while crying silently

She was picked up from the ground again and thrown

Her back landed on a rock this time around and it almost broke into two

“Ahhh!” She groaned loudly and that only aroused their fun and hunger as she fell on the ground and bled from the nose

“I want to save Damon” she thought, spitting out blood again and she’s now close to lifeless

The next thing she felt is slaps, kicks, blows, punches allover her body and she was picked up again after that

“Damon I’ll save you, wait for me” she thought

She was thrown up and she landed back on a pile of fallen trees, she bled from the ears this time around and lost consciousness…