Not a word was spoken as he traversed the labyrinth. Yet, his energy was unstable—tense even. And even as a bodiless entity, I could feel it. It's been centuries since he's been like this.
Lord Baylor.
"Since he… since I—"
"Since you what?" he asked coldly, forcing the thought to retreat to the depths of my consciousness. His deep voice echoed through the tunnels.
"You're unstable, sir," I replied.
"Does it concern you?"
He stopped abruptly and turned to me. His red eyes burned through my translucent form.
"Careful now," he said, pointing toward the hunchback's corpse floating behind him. "I can still seal you into a body and torture you."
His voice was gentle, but every word was laced with menace.
"Who is she?"
"…What is she?" I corrected myself quickly. "I felt no—"
"Enough." His growl forced me back. I phased into the wall and vanished from sight.
If he won't tell me... I'll find out myself.
Eventually, I emerged into a vast, dimly lit library. A grand chamber, layered in ancient stone and lined with endless shelves. At its center sat a woman—brown-skinned, beautiful even with the faint cracks running along her face, revealing the corrupted energy beneath that begged to be released. Her long, braided white hair shimmered, not a single strand out of place. She wore a dark gown that spread outward like a blooming black rose.
"What is it, Spectra?" she asked, closing the book she had been reading.
"Oh, nothing," I said, inching closer. "What are you reading, Madam Rose?"
She eyed me with suspicion. "What is it really?"
"Ah, you feel it, don't you?" I said, circling slightly. "The master… he's on edge."
"Your master, not mine," she hissed.
"Oh, yes, yes. It's not like you sold your soul for power or anything—"
Before I could finish, chains shot at me from all directions, binding me in an instant. They burned into my essence as I struggled to phase away.
"You asked what I was learning earlier," she said, standing over me with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "A binding spell. A special one—designed just for bodiless souls."
"Impossible!" I screamed in agony.
"Shush now. I won't kill you—not that I can. I'll just torture you."
Suddenly, a deep voice rang out behind us.
"Take this witch," said Lord Baylor. "Your toy is broken. See what you can get from it. Make me another."
He dropped the dead hunchback beside me like trash.
"Master, please!" I cried, but he was already gone.
Rose muttered something under her breath. A moment later, the chains tightened further. The burning was unbearable.
"Fine! I'll tell you!"
"Do you think I care for your master's secrets?" she spat. Each word made the chains constrict further, the flames lapping at my very existence.
"Those flames… don't they look familiar?" I said through clenched teeth. "She made them."
I screamed as the chains blazed white.
Seconds passed before the bindings loosened and the burning eased.
Rose's voice shifted—curious now, almost concerned. "Who?"
"You know who."
She paused. Processing.
Then came her voice again—firm, but now doubled. As if another being echoed through her.
"You will tell me everything."