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When the long corridor appeared, it stretched far into the pitch-black darkness, its towering walls adorned with countless portraits, each with a faint candle flickering beneath it
Reishel cautiously approached the first portrait and stopped in his place, shocked! Inside the frame was a child his age, with the same features as his own, but with medium-length hair and different clothes His heartbeat quickened as he looked at the name engraved beneath the picture:
"Rafael Galverhad"
Questions flooded his mind: "He looks exactly like me... Why does he have my family name?!"
He moved toward the second picture, only to discover the same scene: another child with his face but longer hair and different clothing
He read the name:
"Daniel Galverhad"
Then a third picture:
"Nathaniel Galverhad"
Then a fourth:
"Lionel Galverhad"
The same face, the same age, but with slight changes in hair and clothes
He stood in the middle of the corridor, his heart filled with confusion as he stared at the endless remaining portraits, each one reflecting a version of him
The questions kept increasing, and the mystery wrapped around him like thick fog, as if the corridor walls were slowly closing in on him
Before he could think any further, the silence was broken by footsteps approaching from behind
He turned quickly, his eyes widening with hope when he saw Silas, his personal guard
"Silas!" he called out in a voice filled with relief
But Silas didn't respond!
He passed by him as if he were invisible, his steps slow, as if carrying the burden of years
He stopped in front of one of the pictures, staring at it with sadness and eyes filled with melancholy
Reishel approached hesitantly, looked at the picture... but it was empty, with no name!
"Silas… what's going on?" he asked in a soft voice
But Silas didn't answer. He turned and started walking deeper into the dark corridor
"Wait!" Reishel shouted, rushing after him, "Where are you going? Don't leave me!"
But Silas continued walking, without any reaction, like a lost ghost in the dark
Reishel moved beside him, but he noticed something strange. With every step Silas took, he seemed to grow older, which made him feel uneasy
By the time they reached the end of the corridor, they were standing in front of an abandoned room, its walls cracked, and its ceiling missing, where the large moon appeared high above, casting its silver light over the rubble
Reishel turned to look at Silas, but what he saw shocked him
Silas had become an old, worn-out man, hunched over, his hair completely white!
Inside the room, on an old, luxurious chair, sat a small child, his face identical to the first picture on the wall
He wore a broken ancient crown and clutched a small doll in his hands… a doll that looked exactly like him
Reishel slowly approached, his breath catching between curiosity and fear, and when he stood directly in front of him, the child raised his gaze and smiled a hollow smile
Reishel asked:
"Who are you?"
But the small child didn't answer. Instead, he extended his hand to give him the doll that resembled him
Reishel extended his hand to take it, but as soon as he grabbed it, the doll began to scream
It was a terrifying scream… not a doll's scream, but the cry of a child in torment!
Reishel recoiled in shock, as terrifying sounds began to rise from within the room: sounds of crying and wailing, the screams of children crying in pain
He looked around, his eyes widening in horror… the children in the pictures were lying on the ground, their bodies torn apart. Some had smashed faces, some had burned hands, and some had their chests opened!
Reishel felt immense terror, and the horrific sounds grew louder. He began to run around the room, trying to escape, until he spotted a door in one of the corners. He hurried towards it, opened it quickly, and entered
But the surprise was that he had returned to the same palace where he had been the first time!
He stood in the middle of the hall, breathing heavily, trying to understand what had happened
He felt a slight sense of relief because he had returned…
But! The same event happened again
The candles extinguished… then relit again
And what was shocking was that it wasn't just one person who had died… but everyone in the hall was drowning in their blood
Their bodies were lying on the ground, filled with stab wounds!
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