To His Hell and Back-Chapter 26: The Sparrow Necklace

The maze began to constrict around her, the towering hedges twisting and writhing as if alive. The air grew suffocating, thick with the stench of damp earth and decay. Behind her, the black vines surged forward, their thorn-laden tendrils snapping like whips, thirsting for her flesh and blood. Each lash was as precise as it was brutal, slashing through the air with a deadly hiss.

Arabella pushed herself forward, her feet pounding against the uneven ground as the maze roared with unrelenting malice. One of the vines struck close to her ankle, snagging the edge of her skirt and tearing it away with terrifying force. She stumbled but caught herself, her breath ragged as adrenaline surged through her veins.

Just then she heard someone's words whispering, "Here! Over here!"

She didn't want to hear the whispers of this maze, knowing that if it could pretend to be her sister, it could also pretend to be her savior. The womanly voice, sweet and gentle was even more frightening for her to put her trust in. Despite that, she couldn't help herself whose eyes moved in desperation to the hand that seemed to wave for her safety.

She gritted her teeth, her choice between believing or not believing the said voices when she saw the sudden tendril that shot right across her cheeks, wounding her slightly. Her entire body jumped in fear, her eyes widening while her heartbeat raced. She needed a moment to calm down but even that wasn't allowed as the vines behind her began to close in.

Fear caused her to feel cornered and she could only run to the voice that had told her where to run. As she reached the path the black vines behind her remained pursuing the path she had ran earlier, continuing to go straight as if it couldn't sense that she had took a sharp turn.

Relieved, Bella let out a soft breath, looking at the wound on her ankle, arm, and her cheeks. They weren't deep enough but now the words of Cassius's echoed in her head.

He promised. He promised not to hurt her.

Then what was this? Wasn't this monster going to kill her? To put her to death?

The anger and betrayal reached its highest when she thought about the false Ariel, her sweet sister, which the maze had shown, making her feel frustrated and most of all- upset and saddened.

Realizing the help she had received momentarily paused her anger. She turned to her side where she had heard the voice that had helped her came from. But when she turned her head, she found the spot empty as if everything was simply her hallucination.

Having seen a monster pretending to be her sister, she didn't know what she could believe anymore, as if her eyes and body have all betrayed her senses.

Not wanting to dwell here, she needed to leave. Leave and escape this place for good.

As she picked herself forward, Bella stepped forward only to feel a small object under her feet which had pricked her a little. She removed her feet from the position, her eyes looking downward to find a bird necklace made up from gold.

Arabella bent down, gingerly picking up the golden bird shaped necklace between her fingers. The delicate design glinted faintly even in the dim light of the maze, its intricate details unmistakable— a tiny bird mid flight, its wings outstretched as if caught in perpetual freedom. For a moment, the sight of it silenced her turbulent thoughts.

Is this the object Cassius mentioned? 

Bella was sure this wasn't supposed to be here but she didn't expect the object to be so small and delicate, unbefitting to that man.

Despite her initial confusion, she didn't linger her thoughts too deeply into it and instead round the necklace fragile chain around her neck. She took a moment to brace herself, her eyes looking at the place where the vine had came from.

Why was it so desperate to protect only that spot?

It was odd. It was as if it feared that it would be destroyed. Or maybe that the prey escape from it?

She slowly stretched her head forward, her eyes looking at the vine that was still searching after her and after briefly pressing to her wound to grab the blood, she ran toward the source of the black vines, running with her feet padding on the ground- running as if her life depended on it- as if she was being chased by death itself.

The black vines that seemed to have realized and smelled her blood suddenly snapped its neck, the tendrils sensing that their prey was running toward their core and seemed to freak out as its chase after her.

"So this is your weakness!" she shouted, her voice defiant despite the terror coursing through her.

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The maze answered with a deep, guttural growl, its labyrinthine walls seeming to shift and pulse with sinister intent. Bella knew she couldn't outrun it forever, but she refused to let herself fall without a fight.

Just as she was about to reach its core which was a bundle of thorns tied into a ball, another vine lunged toward her, aiming for her throat. Bella ducked at the last moment, tumbling to the ground in a cloud of dust and dead leaves. She scrambled back to her feet, her body aching and her resolve hardening with every close call.

She could feel her life slipping away every movement she made but finally she was able to take the bundle of thorn with her hands. The thorns pricked her but with sheer determination, she had managed to pulled it and rip it apart.

It wasn't that she was strong to the point she could pull and tear the vines, it was that the core was weaker and was perhaps the reason why the entire maze was so focused on protecting it.

Sounds of snapping resounded from behind her and in a moment of fear, she turned back to find the thorns that were rushing toward her, as if angry. Despite knowing that their core had been ripped and they were going to meet its end, their movements in rage spoke of their need to destroy her, to bring her to their demise.

Bella's face drained of color when she realized she didn't have any other ways of surviving. She could only shut her eyes tightly, bracing for the agony she was certain would claim her life. Her face turned away instinctively, refusing to meet the inevitable. The sharp sting of fear clawed at her chest as the sound of the approaching vines grew deafening.

Then, a sudden and violent gust of wind surged past her, cool and biting against her cheeks. Her brownish-red hair whipped wildly around her, as though the storm itself sought to carry her away. The rush of air was so strong, so unexpected, that it forced her to gasp despite herself.

She waited, heart hammering, yet the pain never came. Seconds stretched into an eternity, and the absence of agony was almost more unnerving than the threat itself.

Was this death? Was this what it felt like— numb and silent?

Tentatively, Bella cracked her eyes open, confusion tightening her features. Her breath hitched. She wasn't wounded. The vines, so ravenous mere moments ago, hadn't even grazed her skin.

But her reprieve wasn't born of the maze's mercy.

Standing before her was a figure cloaked in shadow, a striking and imposing silhouette that seemed to command the very air around it. Her heart skipped as recognition set in.

Cassius. Cassius. CASSIUS! 

The vines hadn't faltered; they'd been stopped. His hands, strong and unyielding, gripped the writhing tendrils, tearing them apart with a ferocity that seemed almost monstrous. Black ichor dripped from his fingers, staining the ground like spilled ink. His golden eyes gleamed in the dim light, not with madness, but with a cold, calculated fury that sent a chill down her spine.

Bella staggered back, her breath catching as her gaze darted between his bloodied hands and the shredded vines. For a moment, the maze itself seemed to recoil, retreating as if even it feared him. It was clear that even this uncontrollable monster could recognize the power Cassius has.

She wasn't sure what unsettled her more— the fact that he'd saved her or the brutal ease with which he'd done it.

"You look surprised," Cassius drawled, his voice dark and sardonic, though his gaze remained fixed on the retreating vines. "Did you think I'd let you die so easily?"

Bella's breath hitched as her wide eyes took in the scene before her. Cassius stood tall and imposing, his crimson gaze burning with a mix of fury and something else she couldn't quite place, possessiveness. His pale hands, slick with the black ichor of the vines, trembled slightly, though whether from exertion or anger, she couldn't tell.