Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

As she murmured to herself, her thoughts were interrupted by a soft glow from the ring on her finger. A message.

-Morrigan- "Where the hell are you?"

Enjoy new adventures from m-v l\'e|-NovelBin.net

-Seraphina- "I don\'t know, all these doors look the same to me. I\'ve been walking for like a few minutes now."

-Morrigan- "Alright, what direction did you take when you left your room?"

-Seraphina- "Umm, left?"

-Morrigan- "Don\'t go anywhere, I\'ll come look for you."

The brief exchange left Seraphina standing still, hoping Morrigan would find her soon. She leaned against the cold stone wall, silently cursing the maze-like castle.

As she waited, a delicious aroma wafted through the air, catching her attention. It was rich, savory, and warm, teasing her senses until her stomach growled in response. The longer she stood there, the harder it became to ignore.

"Maybe just a quick peek..." she muttered, curiosity winning over.

Drawn by the scent, Seraphina followed the aroma down a side hall and soon found herself at the entrance to the castle kitchen. Inside, a chef stood behind a stove, still hard at work late into the night, stirring and frying what appeared to be a feast.

The air was thick with the mouth-watering scent of roasted meats, sizzling herbs, and fresh bread, making Seraphina\'s mouth water.

"You\'re cooking this late at night?" she asked, stepping inside, her hunger now impossible to ignore.

"Yes, actually. Most of the people who work here: guards and maids alike, take their dinner around this time. Another group covers for us while we eat, and we rotate through three shifts daily," the chef explained, his hands never stopping as he stirred the simmering pot.

"That\'s a lot," Seraphina remarked, her eyes fixed on the pot\'s contents, the aroma continuing to tease her senses.

The chef, noticing her eager gaze, smiled warmly. Once he was done, he grabbed a plate and ladled a generous portion of the dish onto it before handing it to Seraphina.

"Here, give it a try," he said, watching her reaction.

Seraphina gratefully accepted the plate, her eyes lighting up as she took her first bite. The food was exquisite: perfectly seasoned, rich in flavor, and warm enough to melt the tension in her body. Each bite seemed to get better as she continued, a happy hum escaping her between mouthfuls.

"So good…" she mumbled, barely pausing to catch her breath before taking another bite.

Enjoying the moment, she decided to strike up a conversation. "So, the princess... what was she like?" Seraphina asked, still munching on the delicious food in front of her.

The chef chuckled softly at the question. "She was a really nice girl. Kind, cheerful... always had a smile on her face. You could hardly catch her without one," he said, his expression growing more thoughtful. "At least, up until recently.

She started complaining about something."

"Huh? What could make her complain? She\'s nice, and she\'s a princess," Seraphina said, now invested in the conversation as she set her fork down, intrigued.

"Well," the chef began, wiping his hands on a nearby towel, "she kept saying she didn\'t want to be alone in her room. Said she felt like something was watching her, especially at night. We searched the room from top to bottom, but nothing ever turned up. The king eventually had someone stay with her, just to calm her nerves."

Seraphina frowned, her curiosity piqued. "That\'s sad. Was it... a ghost or something?" she asked, half-joking but with a tinge of seriousness.

"We really don\'t know. She never gave us a clear description of what she was seeing or feeling," the chef replied with a slight shrug.

"What do you think though? About the king\'s conclusion?" Seraphina asked, her mouth half-full as she shoveled in more food, the conversation too interesting to slow down.

The chef paused, glancing around the kitchen to make sure no one was listening. His eyes flicked to the doorway, ensuring it was clear before he leaned in closer.

"Between you and me," he whispered, lowering his voice, "I think it\'s crazy that the king still doesn\'t believe his own daughter. There\'s definitely something off about the whole thing. Why else would they have guards posted right outside her room when there\'s supposedly no threat? It doesn\'t add up. Just think about it."

Seraphina\'s eyes widened slightly, the chef\'s words stirring her curiosity further. They continued to chat, exchanging thoughts about the princess, the mysterious happenings, and the odd behavior of the king. After some time, Seraphina finished her plate and thanked the chef for both the meal and the conversation before heading out of the kitchen.

As she tried to retrace her steps, her mind wandered back to the conversation. The chef\'s words about the guards and the king\'s doubt lingered in her thoughts, nagging at her as she wondered what could be going on. And then there was Morrigan: where could she be?

Lost in thought, she didn\'t notice where she was going until—bump—she walked right into someone.

"Where have you been? I\'ve been looking all over for you," Morrigan\'s voice sounded exasperated, but Seraphina could see the hint of relief in her eyes.

"Oh right, I just met the nicest chef ever!" Seraphina beamed, her expression bright as she recalled the delicious food and the interesting conversation.

"Gosh. You know what? Don\'t tell me. I don\'t even want to know." Morrigan sighed dramatically before grabbing Seraphina\'s arm. "Let\'s just go."

Without waiting for a reply, Morrigan started pulling her down the hallway, determined to get them back on track.

Seraphina didn\'t budge, even as Morrigan tugged at her arm. Her gaze was fixed on the lavishly decorated door next to them, its intricate golden patterns and ornate carvings standing out against the dimly lit hallway.

"What are you doing?" Morrigan asked, exasperation creeping into her voice as she tried to pull Seraphina more forcefully.

"It\'s gotta be the princess\' room, Look how nice the doors are." Seraphina muttered, eyes still locked on the door. "The guards... they aren\'t here."

"Who cares about that right now? Let\'s just go," Morrigan huffed, tugging again.

But Seraphina was resolute. "I\'m going in," she said, pushing the door open without hesitation.

"Wait, Seraphina!" Morrigan protested, but seeing there was no stopping her friend, she sighed and begrudgingly followed her inside. "This is such a bad idea…"

*****

The room they stepped into was breathtaking. It was spacious, with high ceilings and walls adorned with elegant tapestries and beautiful paintings. Silken drapes flowed down from the windows, which were framed by polished gold trim. A chandelier with shimmering crystals hung above a canopy bed that looked as if it belonged to royalty: which, of course, it did.

Every detail in the room screamed luxury, from the embroidered rugs to the intricately carved furniture.

"Stay sharp. We don\'t know what to expect," Seraphina warned, raising her guard as her eyes scanned the room.

They began searching through the room, looking for any sign of a clue. Seraphina rifled through drawers, while Morrigan hesitantly peeked under furniture, clearly more cautious about making a mess than finding anything important.

"What exactly are we looking for? I feel like we\'re just making a mess here," Morrigan muttered, her movements more reluctant as she overturned yet another pillow.

"You\'ll know when you see it," Seraphina replied, her tone confident despite the lack of evidence so far.

Morrigan raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You have no idea what we\'re looking for, do you?"

Seraphina paused for a moment, then smiled sheepishly. "Not really, no."

Morrigan sighed, rubbing her temple. "Why not check under the bed? There was something mentioned about that in the poem…" she trailed off, trying to remember.

"What poem?" Seraphina asked, her expression puzzled. She hadn\'t been present for any talk of a poem.

"The one we went over while you were busy playing Dora the Explorer," Morrigan quipped, rolling her eyes. She knelt down and peered beneath the bed, searching for anything out of place.

"You really think something might be down there?" Seraphina asked, watching as Morrigan squirmed to get a better look under the bed.

Morrigan huffed in frustration. "We\'ve got nothing to lose, do we? We\'re already here, so we might as well check."

As she struggled to shift into a better position, Morrigan\'s hand brushed against something cold and smooth. Narrowing her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a dimly lit object nestled in the shadows. Curiosity piqued, she reached out and carefully pulled it from under the bed.

"What\'s that?" Seraphina asked, her eyes fixating on what Morrigan held. It looked like a fragment of a larger object, shaped irregularly. The fragment was made of gold, adorned with small gemstones that glittered even in the room\'s dim light. However, its true form remained unclear.

As Morrigan examined the object, a translucent screen flickered into view before her.

[Holy Key Fragment 1/5]

[Description: ???]

"Holy Key fragment?" Morrigan murmured, reading the notification aloud.

"What key? What are you talking about?" Seraphina asked, leaning closer, clearly intrigued.

Morrigan frowned and waved her hand in front of the screen. "You can\'t see this?" she asked, gesturing at the transparent screen floating in front of her.

Seraphina blinked and looked around, confusion creasing her brow. "See what? Stop messing with me."

Annoyed, Seraphina swiped the fragment from Morrigan\'s hand before she could react. "Hey…!" Morrigan exclaimed, but it was too late. Seraphina was now holding the fragment.

Suddenly, another notification appeared, but this time it was visible to Seraphina.

[Holy Key Fragment 1/5]

[Description: ???]

"Oh... so that\'s what you meant," Seraphina said, offering a nervous smile as the translucent screen flickered before her eyes.

Morrigan crossed her arms, glaring. "Yeah, *that\'s* what I was talking about."

As they both tried to make sense of what the fragment was, a chilling presence swept through the room. Without warning, a misty, spectral hand emerged from under the bed, curling around Morrigan\'s leg. Before she could react, it yanked her with a sudden, violent force.

"Morrigan!" Seraphina yelled, trying to grab her, but the misty hand pulled Morrigan into the dark void beneath the bed with a terrifying speed.

Seraphina barely had time to process what had happened when the hand reached for her too. She fought back, slashing at the floor with her claws, leaving deep marks in a desperate attempt to anchor herself. Her heart raced as she struggled against the pull, but the force was too strong. With one last effort, her grip failed, and she was dragged into the shadowy depths beneath the bed.

*

*

*

I guess they we\'re both just unlucky.