Of all the things that have happened with them all night, Amelia very well knew this was a place they need to flee as fast as possible.

The demoness having vanished on the arrival of daylight, fatefully has not made it's ravishing return yet.

But Amelia, quite naturally, was counting her breath on every step they took.

The two of them decided to rest their tired legs and souls for a while on the castle balcony watching the morning in Moosham unfold before their eyes.

The sun, only a faded glow of red at it's budding, spread itself among the alpine highlands, its blessings of light penetrating through the thick canopies of slender alpine trees making the horizon seem like paradise as the morning began to unfold futher.

Amelia, with the warm morning sun on her eyelashes, turned her head towards a still, somewhat shocked, Farhan and gave a wide-parted smile.

"Thanks...for everything"

Farhan smiled back, he of all people, very well knew what they really have been through last night.

For a start, he really regrets his idea of exploring into the castle.

"Do you think Professor would be safe?"

"I believe so, after all professor Sean knew there was something really wrong with this place"
Amelia spoke with a flow in her words, but she was not bubbling with much confidence over her utterings.

Farhan let out a deep sigh.

"I think it is time we get in touch with professor, and along with Rexi and Zani, make our way out of Moosham"

Amelia kept silent, something inside her told Farhan's plan of actions won't be so easy and straightforward to execute.

Farhan stood up, rubbing the dust off from his trousers
"Come, let us move downstairs"

As they traced back their steps to the museum hall, Amelia was shocked with the amount of damaged that plagued this place as the demoness had raged about in their pursuit.

Pots and earthen artifact vessels lay broken, with their fragments on the floor, sulking in the sunlight that came through the windows.
A few window glasses were fractured aswell, clearly shattered at sharp, forceful impacts.
The whole hall resembled the aftermath of a violent attempt at hooliganism.

"What kind of demon was it, what do you think Farhan?" Amelia asked, her voice dissolving in the scene that lay before them.

"Maybe, Zani would be able to shed some light over that, we must find professor Sean and get to them"

As they started their journey downstairs, Amelia was met with the marks of the talon claws that the demoness had left on the handrails.

So ferocious, yet it had vanished as soon as daylight arrived.
Was it really scared of daylight, or did the demoness have other intentions?

It was only upon reaching the ground floor of the art gallery that horror gripped them.

Strewn, all around, were the mutilated corpses of...Farhan counted...seven men and three women.

This horrific butchery seemed to have taken place early, last night, as the pools of blood around each person had already left reddish black stains on the white marble floor.

Flies had started around the bodies giving the gruesome scene a more foul taste.
Amelia could bear no longer. With her hands cupped around her lips, and a groan of shock, grief and terror, she hurried went ahead to inspect if any of them were still alive.
Farhan followed.

Alas! Each one of those bodies were far from any condition to be revived to life in any way.
Mutilated and carved with sharp forceful claws, they seemed like the work of a living devil.
Farhan thought of rushing out and letting everyone know of the harrowing scene inside.
But the lock on the museum door was still there.

It was at that very moment, Amelia hear Human sounds nearby, two of them quite familiar.
Rexi and Zani!
She dashed to the glass door and started banging on it, trying to grab attention of her friends who seemed to be very nearby.

And sure enough, her calls for help were returned, as she could spot Rexi, sprinting across the corner of the wall on the right side, tears of happiness in her eyes on finding her friends safe.

But she stopped in her tracks as she reached close to the door, the scene inside, made her tumble backwards in shock. Miss Ruth arrived in time, laying a firm grip on the shoulder of Rexi just as she was about to fall to the ground.

The Lock was broken, and the two parties met finally, each having its own plethora of mishaps and information to convey.
For a few minutes, it was just hugs and tears of happiness, the friends happy to re unite after the long night.
Miss Ruth, standing behind, even had a smile escape her lips despite her mind being very anxious among such peril to the castle.

☯︎

Professor Sean looked around the place he seemed to be in.
Far from that dark, cold room of slimy fluid on the walls, this place just seemed to be an endless void.

It was ghastly, not in the way one would expect it to be, filled with blood or gruesome scenes, no, ghastly in its emptiness.
He had walked about in this emptiness. It all felt like a dream to him, a dream he would never want to have.

Above all, he was concious of all his memories. His encounter with the demoness was still very fresh and piercing in his memory.
Was this her ploy?
Or was this another world?

What kind of a force was she?
How could he strangle himself out of her grasps? These were the questions that were banging his head.

And that is when, a music started playing, soft, yet so sad.
Like someone was stringing misery herself on the strings. Professor replled himself from the sound.

This sound, had something to it, something that made his heart bleed on its own.
How powerul is this music?
Then, professor Sean tried to gauge which direction he was moving.
Why does he seem to be moving towards this sound, rather than away from it.

But in this void, which way is forward and which way is the way back?
This wail of misery, it seems to be getting louder, as if it just moved much more close to his ears, amplifying itself in thin air.

Finally, he shrieked at the melody, with the force he could muster.

"STOP IT!!"

Professor Sean thought his screams would be fruitless, whatever he was up against would not cease its music of such misery.

But, to his surprise, it did lower it's intensity, just like it was a few moments ago. Even though it did not cease, it seemed to have moved far away, back to the place it seemed to be originating from.

Professor Sean stood confused in the vast darkness. Eerie music echoed all around, filling the emptiness with mournful tones. But where did it come from?

"Who plays such miserable music here?" he called out angrily. Professor Sean moved his eyes about, trying to see if something answered his calls. For moments, only the music responded, growing louder.
Then a venomous voice answered. "I play this tune of woe, good Professor. I shall continue until you succumb to madness."Sean froze in dread. That voice... there was not a speck of doubt in his mind it belonged to the demoness from last night!

So it has not vanished afterall. This was her world, this is where she torments her victims.

"Why do you torment me so?" he demanded shakily. "What more do you want?"

The demoness laughed herself to pleasure it seemed.That devious laughter chilled his bones. "To show you despair as I've known it. I will break you for what was done to me."

Sean steadied his racing pulse. He couldn't let the demoness get to him so easily. He must show some mettle.
"You will not conquer me so easily. My will is stronger than you know."

More mocking laughter echoed amid the tune's pounding notes. "We shall see about that, Professor. We shall see..."
The melody swelled, pounding Sean's mind with its intensity and power.
He fought against the rising tide of anguish, gritting his teeth in defiance. He had no idea how to counter to this evil entity's schemes.

Her actions spread only more pain. There must be a way to end this.

Then amid the din, Sean heard a faint cry that stopped his heart. A girl, sobbing in the distance. He strained his ears toward the sound. Where did her tears come from in this desolate abyss?