I was getting exhausted from constantly failing at escaping from Nosferatu. Felix tried his best to give me a window but the giant beast was not just strong but also too fast for his figure. He simply wouldn't let me slip by.

"Whaaaat?!", the beast growled, "This isn't amusing at all!"

The two of us hadn't managed to land a single blow yet, we were constantly on defense and yet this beast hadn't broken a sweat yet. We couldn't find an opening no matter how hard we tried.

"I know why you are here", he grinned, looking at me.

I wondered if that meant what I was looking for was really here. I didn't get fazed by what he said and kept my guard up.

He then looked at Felix again and then laughed, "Amusing!!!".

At least his very long laughter gave us time to catch up on our breaths. I didn't think Felix'd be doing really well, but I noticed he was holding up. We couldn't let Nosferatu take us for granted like this and Felix knew it better than I did.

"But!!!", the beast exploded and I believe the whole castle shook with his voice, "The fun hasn't started!".

Before I knew it, I was hearing a crushing sound and feeling a pressing feeling on my right side. This was followed by my insides exploding and blood gushing out of my mouth.

"Huh?", I wondered what had just happened.

"Seraph...", I think I saw a terrified Felix looking at me with a very concerned look on his face.

That's when I realized the pressing feeling was Nosferatu's mace and when my eyes met his for a brief moment before I was sent flying into a wall, I saw a sinister grin and a glimmer. He was entertained.

I'm surprised I didn't lose my conscious even after a hole was put into the wall because of me and I'm sure most everything inside me was crushed and broken. In fact, I don't think I could feel pain. I was going to die in the next 10 seconds. And the fact that the last thing I'd get to hear was Nosferatu's vile laughter, was nothing but sad for me.

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"Don't blame yourself, human!", Nosferatu spat, "It is not your fault you were born to be crushed. For the strong-"

"Nos", Felix interrupted. He was calm and composed.

Nosferatu's attention was wholly on him now.

Suddenly my vision became clearer and the voices weren't as vague anymore. The numbing sensation began to fade and I could feel immense pain in my body.

"Seraph", Felix spoke without removing his eye contact with the monster, "I'm better now. This won't take long".

I stayed in place, confused as to what he meant.

"What's the matter, Seraph? You can move now, can't you?"

And he was right, I was good as new before I knew it. After having confirmed that fact, I hurried towards the grand staircase as Felix stood between me and Nosferatu. As I approached it, the monster leapt toward me and I was sure he would get me but he was blocked by a magical barrier that Felix had put up.

"I told you, Nos. I'll be the one who dines with you"

Somehow Felix looked so different, like he was a completely different person even though nothing had changed.

I looked at him and Nosferatu who had given up on me now.

"Felix...", I muttered under my breath, "So you've finally remembered...have you?"

I looked at the two as they engaged in a battle that I turned my back on and hurried upstairs. Once upstairs, I went into a corridor which lit up as I walked on. I was constantly vigilant, though there was nothing and no one there.

I didn't realize how long that corridor stretched as I kept on walking endlessly. It was carpeted red and the walls were made of huge grey bricks lit up by candles. I felt the place got colder and colder, though there were no windows or vents in that strange corridor. At times, it felt like I was going in circles and as I got dizzy, I decided to sit down.

That's when I noticed drops of blood on the ground. They were in a trail and I felt like I needed to follow them. I took a deep breath and examined them. They seemed fresh but again with such a closed space, they could have been a day old and they wouldn't dry up. In any case, I needed to follow the trail that was soaked in that red carpet, painting it crimson. At times, I felt I was losing focus but very soon I was standing in front of an entrance. It led to some unknown downstairs. I could see that the stairs stretched a long way down where there was nothing but darkness.

I gulped and took a deep breathe. There was no way I was turning back which means there was no other way for me to go but down this spiral.