Bab 31: Secret Chamber
An unknown spell had sealed the use of mana.
There was no lantern in the closed space, and so they were steeped in darkness.
A rumble sound gradually drew nearer as the walls started close them in.
Nesrin's breath were trapped in a small space, she could even hear the faint echoes of her shaky breath in the dark small prison. Faster and faster her breath rose as a numbing fear crept up in her heart.
She wanted to hold someone's hand but she remembered too well that he despised closeness.
Izekiel might have shown her kindness but she remembered well that he hated closeness with anyone.
"I will inform someone,"
Izekiel placed his fingers upon his temples and closed his eyes. A few seconds passed, and then he creased his brows together.
"He is sleeping..." these words burdened Nesrin from inside, "It will take a little time, but they will be informed soon,"
The space had closed her in, something about it bound her in shackles as her fingers tightly clutched against her heart.
"Are you afraid of the dark?" Izekiel asked her after a while.
His voice sounded oddly gentle.
"No...it's-it's nothing..."
He became silent, and then, after a while, he embraced her.
Nesrin stiffened at this unexpected gesture, she could hear his faint irregular heartbeats. She wondered if he was also afraid of small places, but that sounded like an absurd thought.
This gesture puzzled her.
"Your majesty?"
"Shh," his warm breath tickled her ears, "Breathe slowly, and deeply..."
This was not like him, Nesrin tried to find the reasons for him to show care but she couldn't find any. She tried to stay rational but something about the way he caressed her, made her want to melt right there.
"The walls are drawing nearer," she whispered.
"Are you afraid of dying?" she could hear him smile.
"Who isn't afraid to die..."
"How can someone harm you with me being here?"
There was arrogance in his words, but Nesrin found herself smiling as she closed her eyes and counted her breaths.
How come, in her previous life of twenty years...no one ever held her like this?
The rumble of walls didn't bothered her as much anymore, but as her breaths became calm, a locked up memory of past resurfaced in her mind.
She was back to her younger self, crouching in a dark corner as unfamiliar shadows tried to devour her whole. Her sobs broke down as her small body shook.
But cries coming out from that cabinet were louder than her sobs, she flinched at every sharp shattering sound.
Nesrin wanted to run away, but she was too afraid to face what happened outside, she couldn't stay in the small suffocating space, but there was nowhere she could hide, nowhere she could be safe.
That was the first time she was confined in her own house, unfortunately, it was not the last.
Nesrin was brought out of her memories when a distant inhuman echo resonated across the tunnel.
The walls around them trembled all of sudden, the incoherent echo grew louder as it erupted from the unknown.
"What is that...?"
"Something we should avoid," Izekiel advised and let her go.
With a low hissing sound, a soft black smoke spread through his hand. There were sparks of violet that crackled.
He stood in front of her.
This swirl of darkness roared from his hands and burst across the wall, with this, the tunnel shivered and a few bricks fell.
Nesrin was dumbfounded by the large cracks around the tunnel.
Izekiel grabbed her hands and brisked her away.
"Your majesty, please can you slow-" Nesrin asked as she stepped on her skirts for second time and almost stumbled.
Why was he walking so fast?
With a loud rumble, the ceiling of the tunnel behind them crashed down. Nesrin glanced back and saw the floor falling apart and drowning down into an abyss. The cracks were reaching them at a fast peace.
Izekiel slowed down after hearing her troubled voice.
Nesrin grabbed his hand, hiked her skirts up, and sprinted as fast as she can. He was surprised at the sudden pull, then he chuckled to himself.
He wanted to tell her that he can simply create a shadow bridge but something stopped him when he noticed how firmly she held his hand, it was as if she was trying to protect him...
Why bother? he thought, even if she ran away by herself, it won't be like Izekiel was not able to protect himself.
Most of the people would simply abandon someone like Izekiel.
Izekiel pushed those thoughts in the back of his mind.
"Her highness certainly runs fast, I can almost not keep up," then he teased, "Nesrin, why is your face red?"
"I used to be very athletic in my schooldays," Nesrin quickly dismissed his remark and glanced back for the seventh time.
Finally, it seemed like they were safe enough.
She placed a hand on her chest while panting and finally stopping.
"I thought magic was sealed?"
"There is a difference between magic and innate prowess," Izekiel replied.
Nesrin's face was blank, she blinked her eyes and then slowly nodded. She didn't understood what he meant even though it felt like she was supposed to know this...was she forgetting something?
"Magic is borrowed from mana present in nature," Izekiel explained, "Innate prowess are something one has since birth,"
"Oh,"
She felt a little embarrassed. If he was already able to use his powers, then she panicked in the dark for no reason.
However, she had read the novel thoroughly...then why she forgot about his innate dark magic?
A gentle gush of cold wind kissed her neck.
Her eyes lit up and she sighed in relief.
They were close to the tunnel's end.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Alancaster
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