AllenVex 2020

Waking up in a cold room full of darkness, Isaac slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. There had been a thick piece of fabric over him and it was then he realized he was in his room that had been provided by the princess for all of the contestants who entered this competition.

He got up and looked to his left where his spear was. Despite the darkness, there had been a candle that was lit which gave him some light. He looked down to where the wound was on his right shoulder and saw that the piece of his shirt that had been there to stop the blood was now gone and replaced with the proper material.

He also noticed his change in clothes, he didn't have his dusty blue jacket anymore, but instead it was replaced with a nice dark crimson jacket which was trimmed with gold edges. A delicacy from the king perhaps. But he still couldn't shake the feeling off that somebody had kidnapped him. It couldn't have one of the other contestants because they would kill him straight off the bat, so who did it?

He limped forward and noticed a note on a stool that was right beside him. It was written in Anglo-Norman which he was familiar with. Luckily, when he was younger, his parents would help him with reading and writing, since the servants barely knew how to read or write they couldn't help him with that.

The note couldn't have been written by a slave because none of them could've possibly had such a privilege. So Isaac thought it could be one of the messengers. When he read it, he knew it was one of them because it just had that report touch to it that made it easy to know it's a report. It also mentioned the name of his uncle at the start which could have meant it was a report from him.

"Conner Vrosala, a strong man investigated the tunnels of clinker which led to the cult building of Edgard. A rich businessman, who specializes in different toxins and science was put under investigation."

His eyes followed along the next line and he dropped to the floor. His eyes widened and he felt like a hole was drilled in his stomach. He ran out of the room and slammed to the door with the intent for it to fall apart.

He panted vigorously as he walked down the halls of the castle. As he walked to the end of the grand hall, he saw Lusilla. She had been walking innocently with her head down but when she looked up she was shocked to see Isaac, probably since he was the first to get out of the labyrinth. Isaac approached her and yelled at her while looking at her in the eyes.

"Did you know!?" he asked furiously.

"Know what!?" Lusilla replied in fear.

He shook his head in anger and reached for his pocket. Then he straightened out the note that was crumbled into a ball and stretched it out, making it flat. Then he held it out to Lusilla. "This is the reality of the situation I'm in!" She only froze, re-reading the note over, and over again. Her face turned pale and her eyes widened. "I'm so..."

Then Isaac continued, "And you and your father were talking about the cult yesterday! Did you somehow plan my uncle's death!?"

She paused for a second and looked at Isaac straight in the eye with a serious tone. "How did you-" "the tunnels..." she continued on. "You found out about them? The room was locked and soundproof and the only way to hear us was from the tunnels..."

"Does it matter!?" Isaac replied. "This message is so scary I don't even know anymore! So please, please tell me what's going on!"

"Follow me..." she said.

Isaac followed her into a private room which was excellently hidden. Then they sat down and Lusilla said, "What happened wasn't just a coincidence..."

Isaac looked at her and replied. "No duh. What, did a piece of meal accidentally hit him on the head and he died from blood loss?"

"Listen, to understand you must know everything." she took a deep breath and released it and braced herself for what would happen next.

"You're aware of the death of my brother. During that time, we had the royal knights investigate everything. The royal knights are the ones higher than regular knights if you didn't know," she paused before continuing, "later, they found out that it was a murder from somebody inside who was leaking inside information. That is the exact thing that causes a war..." "Not just that, this challenge, it's not what you think it is... this challenge is a lure for the real bad guy to come out. In a few days. We will be attacked, and if our calculations are right it will be the same group who is responsible for the inside leaking." then she slightly paused. "Your uncle... I'm so sorry about your loss but, all of it was pinpointed to you, Isaac Kora. You'll be the next to die and if we want to solve any of this you need to win this competition. It all depends on my theory."

Just hearing this had been too much for his ears. The princess wanted him to win the challenge so they could find out what they needed to find out and expose the traitor, but if he won the challenge she knew he would immediately become her husband. So what wasn't she telling him?

Finally snapping back out of his thoughts. He gave her a nod and walked away, it had already been midnight and the skies were pitch black. He had an exhausting day and had no sleep at all, and the last time he had it was two days ago.

Most contestants were still outside trying to find their way through the maze and out. But he doubted any of them would find the path out before sunrise. That included Elijah, so he walked to his room door, with his head facing down to the ground and as gloomy as ever.

He needed answers because nothing made sense. But what he really wanted to know was, if the princess did like him. It almost sounded like a Fantasy.

Her actions and body movement said it all, but since she was a mix of sweet and fierce which made it hard to tell. She was kind to many but she always would stand her ground and be able to defend herself. He doubted her love for him but there could be a chance that he had been beginning to fall in love with her. If he truly was, he knew it was wrong but he couldn't help but think about it.

Whatever the case was, he fell asleep thinking about it because when he woke up the next day he had been lying half-naked on his bed. Still, when he woke up, nobody had been there which meant they were still outside. He had probably been first to finish but by now everyone should've been back. He wondered what could've happened but tried not to think about it too much. Words of blood echoed down his spine. His uncle had died and he would be next... Then he heard a banging sound from the floor above him.

With each breath that passed the banging became louder and louder. Until he decided to put some clothes on and run up the long and tall carpeted stairs.

It took all his energy but when he got up to the next floor, Lusilla had been lying on the ground with blood smeared all over her face. He checked her hand but in it, there was a note. And it made him feel destroyed. "You're next, Isaac Kora, and we will torture you so everyone can see and then send you off to your death." But it wasn't the note that made him fear.