Death or me? Ch. 2

[Prompt 1] You mysteriously inherit a mansion from a long lost relative. You and your family move into the house and come to find out the house grants immortality as long as you never leave the premises. If you leave, you die.

[Prompt 2] You wake up after a night of drinking out with your friends. You don't remember much. The first thing you notice is that your hands were bound and you're on a moving carriage. Suddenly a person in front of you says "Hey you. You're finally awake"

Chapter 1

The moment his carriage left was the last we saw of the great Damian Knightly.

The lands the castle had to offer were indeed vast and it took me and my sister weeks to finish exploring everything. orchards that bore such unique fruits, Flowers of such exotic backgrounds, even some herbs that were long thought to be a rare find now could only be found here. Who knew what other secrets were kept in this castle. even the mills were all in such good condition yet it was so suspicious that no human dared approach this castle. it must have been a whole year of living in said castle now since my family and I last saw other people besides the hooligans that brought us here. None of us even dared leave the premises too but at times my sister and I would still gaze beyond the gates, hoping to see humans of any sorts but none came.

Perhaps it was curiosity but one day, my sister and I decided it be fun to go out to town for a bit, Sir Knightly left a map, after all. We simply had to follow the map but as soon as the map I held in my hands that time became exposed to the air beyond the gates, it crumbled and turned to ash. Fear struck us and we simply retreated back inside. No, that paper couldn't have just crumbled like that, it was in perfect condition... We took a few fruits then again, we threw it out of the gate. The fruits didn't even hit the ground. The moment it passed the gate, it dried up and reduced itself to nothing more than ash. We could never escape. Never.

Decades, maybe centuries passed since that last attempt and at times, my sister and I still tried throwing materials beyond the gate but the same thing would happen. We also noticed, maybe after 30 or 40 years of staying in there, that our bodies never seemed to age, wounds seem to heal instantly as if they were never there and food never spoils, as if time was paused just within the gates of that castle. It was fun not to age at first, specially with the collection of books that filled the library and the number of games that Sir Knightly collected yet it wasn't the same as it was outside. Nothing rotted so we could not even ferment our own wine and liquor nor make preserves because the fruits stayed in their fresh states unless cooked. It was maddening yet we survived.

Crazed with the yearning for the outside, we soon began our search for answers about this house. No book in the library ever provided answers. No book about witchcraft yet there was one thing that caught our attention and that was that we never touched sir knightly's room. Perhaps there we'd find the answer we would need.

One.. two... three! We tore the doors down. No lock fitted the doors and no amount of pick locking worked, brute force was the only way. In his room... it wasn't something we would expect from a man of his stature... specially when he didn't seem to be as disturbed as what his room had showed us. There lies signs, symbols of all sorts. Body parts all preserved in jars filled with who knows what. But what struck us the most was the rotting corpse that seemed to have been affixed to his bed. Could she have been his wife... we looked through the number of journals he possessed. The stacks of unorganized papers that spread across the desks and floor. His last research seemed to have been linked to devil worship and she... was the one that gave this house the curse... it was the day all hope seemed lost for our escape here.

Present day, 2020

I was on my usual walk along the gates of the castle. Thoughts of escape still remained very alive yet the strangest turn of events had snappedme out of my train of thoughts. A figure fell from the wall. A figure but I would call her a young girl, maybe a bit bigger than my sister had my sister aged. Maybe this girl was at least 13 or 14? I couldn't tell after how long since I last saw a person, she was just developing and I saw that she was quite the curious one to have wanted to climb the wall yet nothing happened to her. I quickly ushered her out yet I could see that her eyes wandered as I walked her to the gate and warned her never to try climbing it again. The following days she did stick to our agreement but she persistently waited outside the gate instead. She wanted someone to talk to and I wanted nothing more than to know what the outside looked like now. Sometimes she would bring these things called photographs or other materials to show me. Days went by like that, it was either I show her something or she does. Years later, she had showed me this thing called a cellphone which was this magical box that did wondrous things. I had no idea why she showed me these things and why I was saddened on days she could not visit me. On days she didn't I simply sat beside the gate and waited but on days she did, I simply listened. She'd long asked why I never went out yet i never did give her an answer. But I knew I had to tell her why one day. The last time she visited, she said she was 19.

She had turned 20 by her next visit to me. Clothes she wore seemed to grow more exposing yet her beauty seemed to grow more radiant with each visit. She had told me that she won't be visiting me anymore. I stood there silent then she asked one more time why I refused to leave the gates. I didn't tell her anything but instead, I picked a flower near where I stood. I offered it to her from one of the openings on the gate yet she didn't seem to understand why it turned to ash in her hold.

I was at a lack of words, I had no idea how I would tell her my predicament without scaring away the only woman I ever secretly loved. Or so I believe I loved her. I simply knelt and balled my fists in the grass as I tried to suppress the sob that threatened to escape my lips. If I could have chosen to, I would have left this castle years ago when my very existence wasn't that old yet. Soon I felt a warm hand on my back. I looked up and it was hers. She climbed the gate again.

"I'm sorry for breaking my promise to you" She said almost in a whisper as her arms wrapped around my frame. The tears I was suppressing soon poured. I shook my head then nuzzled my head into the crevice of her neck. Her scent was so intoxicating yet so unique. of all the years we had spent talking, this was the only time I could feel her. I apologized and explained to her the predicament, or should I say, curse that plagued people who would stay in this castle. Her gaze were filled with sadness each time I took glances.

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How was it? Imma see if I can make a continuation tomorrow. How would I even give them a life together