The Lost swiftly dragged them through the disorienting maze of corridors and stairs. They were descending lower and lower, most likely heading toward one of the cathedral's belfries. His expression was dark and severe, and for a good reason — everywhere they passed through, the inhabitants of the Night Temple were busy preparing for battle. It was as though they were expecting to face a terrifying siege…
The threat, however, didn't seem to be coming from the outside. Instead, most of the Lost were rushing deeper into the temple, toward its inner sanctum.
…It wasn't long before they heard screams.
The sound traveled through the confusing interior of the cathedral in a strange manner, so it was hard to say from which direction the screams came. They seemed distant, and yet, Sunny couldn't help but feel his blood run cold.
These chilling wails were full of indescribable agony and terror… he knew the type too well. These were the screams that humans let out when they were not only horribly hurt, but also maimed, knowing that their lives were either over or would never be the same.
The sentinel in charge of them stopped for a moment. His face grew ashen, and without saying a word, he continued to drag them toward a heavy metal door at the end of a long corridor.
The Lost used an elaborate key to open the door, and then pushed them inside.
Sunny and Cassie found themselves in a circular chamber that had a tall ceiling… or rather, a tall floor, since it was built in reverse. The domed ceiling of the chamber was actually beneath their feet, sloping down like a deep crater.
In the center of the cell, a large iron cage stood, each bar of it as thick as a man's arm. Strange runes were inscribed all around the cage, circling it entirely.
'What the…'
A moment later, the sentinel unceremoniously pushed them both in the backs, causing Sunny and Cassie to roll down the slope of the dome and through the door of the cage, which he then promptly closed.
It locked with a loud click, cutting their way to freedom.
'No way...'
Sunny rose to his feet, turned around, and watched as the Lost left the room and shut the door behind him.
For a few moments, they were left in absolute silence. The room was dark, with only a single oil lamp burning on the wall near the exit. Its orange flame trembled and danced, barely managing to keep the shadows at bay.
Sunny gritted his teeth, then kicked the iron bars with all his might and screamed in anger and frustration:
"Damn it! Damn it all"
Behind him, Cassie slowly stood up, then swayed a little.
"Sunny…"
He turned to her and snarled:
"What?!"
The blind girl grimaced.
"Something… something is wrong. I feel…"
Sunny stared at her for a few moments, then blinked and looked outside the cage.
...The runes surrounding it were slowly starting to emanate an eerie, dangerous blue glow.