บท 11: The Vile Castle[World of Reverse, Cathedral, An Upside Down Castle.]

As they ascended the mountain, both Tera and Evie cursed within them. They were obviously not mountain climbers, neither were they conversant with it. So it was more difficult for them than it is for Blake. Blake is a man, plus Jotham included mountain climbing as one of his main course in training, so he has much more tolerance and resistance to the pain. But the ladies were already groaning out of their wits.

At first, when they started the mountain climbing, they thought that it would be so easy with the slabs shooting out verbally. Unlike regular mountains where by their surface is almost smooth with no rough surface. But as they progressed even higher up, they were slowly running out breath, Blake was not exempted. Their hand were groaning relentlessly plus their breath was ragged and laboured.

"Geez, Blake I can't keep up with the strides..."

Tera said as she took in a sharp breath only to stop in her movement. Evie turned to her because, even the Blake she spoke to seem to be deep in his own thought. So Evie just had to urge her own. Evie herself was stressed to the point of her almost letting go of a slab in order to attend to her itchy eyes. At least, they realised that Mountain climbing was not their thing at all. It is either they learn it from the best or avoid climbing mountains at all.

Finally, they reached the top of the Linards Mountain and all three of them crashed on the flat edge as they panted heavily for breath.

The top of the mountain was sloped downwards, and then an assimilated dome was probed behind a crater. To the side of the Mountain, something that looked like a ruined Alter came to Blake's view.

Although he was practically exhausted, he still stood to check it out while letting the girls recover from the climb. Beside he was fine but not them.

'Another god's dwelling place.'

Blake guessed as he pondered on what god exactly is occupying the Alter. The Fire god had showed itself and they had passed through that phase, but what about the sun god? The god of hope? All of them...

Blake couldn't help but feel curious as he studied the battered Alter. The Alter looked like a heavy gale destroyed the place. The wooden pulpit looked like it would crumble into dust at any minute because of the way it looked like an abandoned shivla for years. And just like in the cave below the mountain, there was a gateway[Portal].

The gateway was like a round pauldron which had different lines cutting each sides inside out, and encentered within its vast chronic charlls rounding the gateway[portal] over its globe. An intricate design and circular curving was encased in the pauldron. It looked thick black and was broken on several ares and with cracks stretching from the very beginning to the end which created more cracks. The only thing missing was the runes to power the gateway. Besides, the gateway would not even be able to hold when the runes appear. Even before they would enter the pauldron, it must have crashed down into different particles.

Blake sighed and turned to face the ladies who seem to be recovering still from the climb.

"Ladies, up!"

Evie got up quick hearing Blake's call and she helped Tera to stand. Soon after, they followed Blake as they descended the slope.

A minute or so, an opaque and somber black cathedral emerhed. Tje cathedral was launched atop an isle, connected with an overbearing chain which hauled in length downwards to kiss the body of the Linards Mountain. This isle was higher than the other isle they have passed through because this particular one was above the mountain. It was durable and is considered an old isle.

Normally, isle stay for long. But will one day end up being destroyed by the natural forces only to regenerate after some years to come. Isles do have their own cycle and it has always been like that. But, this one was different. It stood proud for millions of years and thousands of centuries without falling due to its strong and undying will. The black cathedral was channeled downwards with a stairs and then, it was like an intersection was created deep in the mountain's wall. And then, almost deep within the mountain's wall where an opening was made, the Vile Castle stood upside down within the embrace of shadows. The flat edge which was the floor boreding now the roof, while the dome like roof seems to be categorised as a floor.

The path leading to the Vile Castle was long and narrow. There was barely enough space for two people to walk side by side, so Tera followed him behind while, Evie followed Tera behind. To his right was the stone wall of the isle, and to his left was the bottomless dark abyss of the sky below. One careless step could spell a person's doom.

The placement of the stairs was not accidental, as well. If an attacking force tried to lead an assault down the path, they would have had to fight the defenders one at a time, with the movements of the fighter's right hand being restricted by the slope. Range attacks wouldn't help much due to the curvature of the wall, too.

In a place like that, one warrior could stop an entire army.

They descended lower and lower, finally reaching the dark side after a long time. At a point where the slope turned almost completely horizontal, the stairs transformed into a strange hanging bridge that was attatched to the stone surface above by rusty chains. It swayed precariously above the dark chasm of the Sky Below, leading all the way to the center of the isle... to the Vile Castle.

Blake paused for a while as he stood by the entrance of the place that marks the beginning of the place which made both girls to halt after him.

Blake stared on.

Inside the Vile Castle was like, something eerie was lurching in there. Something so dark and dangerous, with the eerie somber feeling resting deep within the pits of their hearts, and to say that their freedom lies in the Vile Castle and not the Cathedral. The Vile Castle and the cathedral was inter-linked in such a way that the isle hovering above will not find it difficult to move. Sometimes, every two hours, the isle changes its position and then the chains drawing after it in a loud rattling noise.

Somehow, the cathedral would end up going ahead the Vile Castle or will perhaps be behind. Sometimes, at its sides which is indeed rare.

"Blake! What do we do? We are already in the Vile Castle."

Tera asked.

"Blake looked deeper. He himself did not know what to do. They just stood motionlessly at the entrance of the castle and then Blake sighed as if all he has been doing lately was sigh...

'I am not sure myself..."

"Shouldn't we go inside, I mean.."

Evie cut right in.

"Yeah,"

The three of them stepped in and the gate at the entrance suddenly let out a shrill creak and then closed tight, jolting all three of them.

"Hey!"

Blake yelled. He started to bang on it rather rapidly. Effortless. He pulled at the unlock patch and tried to unlock the cleavages of the unruly door but it wouldn't bulge for once.

"Why did the door close up so suddenly?"

Evie asked as panic crawled instantly to their hearts and Blake cursed inwardly... he was clueless.

Both Evie and Tera had hands glowing with radiating silver. While the [Night Tide] weaved itself into sparks as he positioned himself for battle.

Something was coming at the other dark end... and a terrifying fear accumulated itsway in their heart. This type of fear that Blake never get to feel even when fighting creatures it was there so ernestly as they waited for the domineering evil.