Book 8} The Forbidden Game
Chapter 65 
The Secret Garden
秘密の庭

~

Ray symbolizes a book,
Emma symbolizes a boot,
Norman symbolizes a white chess piece,
so you symbolize a butterfly.

~

I looked around in confusion.
Where was Ray...?
And Yuugo?

There were flowers... buildings.
I looked to my side to see Emma.

My eyes went wide and I shook her.
"Emma!"
I exclaimed. She was still asleep, er, unconscious.

She woke up and looked around in confusion.
"Y/n? Where are we?"
she asked.

"I don't know... I only remember reaching out to you and Ray, then everything went black,"
I told her.

She nodded.
"That's all I remember as well,"
she muttered.

I sighed and sat up, helping her up as well.
"We need to stay calm,"
I muttered.

"Let's try to remember,"
She smiled.

I nodded, thinking.
What happened before?
Were we captured?
By what? Who?

There's no demons.
Where's Ray and Yuugo?
Are they okay?

Emma and I continued to walk.
A huge sign was up.
" Welcome"

And so, we continued walking.
Emma held my hand in case something happened, we would not be separated.

We looked around, I looked inside a house.
This place was definitely colorful, like a fairytale.

A village... Where humans live? Why here though?
It's too quiet.

We continued to walk until we saw something in the distance.
"A mansion?"
Emma suggested.

"A village field. A forest. A mansion. But this is in the demon world, right?"
I muttered.

And the wind... it's warm like spring. But it's supposed to be winter.
Everything is different from yesterday...

"Emma... we're not hurt,"
I then said.

She nodded, her eyes widening in realization.
I don't get it. What's going on?
It's only been one day?
What if many days have passed and we're really far away?

Either way, we need to find Ray and Yuugo.

Then, I saw something from the corner of my eye.
Emma saw it too and she started running after.
I followed her.

A human?
A kid?

"Wait!"
I yelled.
"Please! Come back!"
Emma continued.

~

We soon had to stop.
Where did they go?
Emma then looked at her hand.

"USE
YoUR
PEN"

"That's right,"
Emma muttered, and took out the pen.

And it showed...
AO8-63

~

I looked at some signs.

"RULES
1. MUSIC
2. MONSTERS
3. SURVIVE"

Then, loud music blared. Emma and I covered our ears.
"The monsters are coming. So you should go and hide now,"
the person. The one we were looking for, said.

{ Goldy Pond... is a garden to hunt humans. To satisfy the innate instinct of the man-eaters. It's their secret hunting ground }

~

~

~

Okay, this chapter is short T-T

So... another oneshot!

Ray & Reader x Emma this time.
Cuz I didn't put him last time. 

Ummm Hadestown, in this one.
With Ray as Hades, you as Eurydice, and Emma as Orpheus.
Also Norman as Hermes

~

"You wanna talk to her?"
Norman asked Emma, watching as she looked at the h/c girl.

"Yes!"
Emma said with excitement.

"Go on,"
the girl did, but soon was called back.
"Emma,"

"Yes?"
she asked.

"Don't come on too strong,"
Norman warned, but the girl had stopped listening to him.

"Come home with me,"
a girl with orange hair said as she came up to me.

"Who are you?"
I asked with confusion.
This better not be a murderer.

"The woman who's gonna marry you.
I'm Emma,"
she smiled.

I looked at the boy behind her.
"Is she always like this?"
I asked.

"Yes,"
he answered, sweatdropping.

"I'm Y/n,"
I said, skeptical of her.

"Your name is like a melody,"
she sang.

"A singer, is that what you are?"
I asked.

"I also play the lyre,"
she smiled, her expression hopefully.

"Oh, a liar AND a player too!
I've met too many people like you,"
I said with a sigh.

"Oh, no
I'm not like that,"
she said, her expression falling.

"He's not like any woman you've met
Tell her what you're workin' on,"
Norman said.

"I'm workin' on a song...
It isn't finished yet,
But when it's done and when I sing it,
Spring will come again,"
she said, my eyes went wide.

"Come again?"
I asked.

"Spring will come,"
she said softly.

"When? I haven't seen a Spring or Fall since...
I can't recall,"
I said.

"That's what I'm workin' on,"
she said with a slight chuckle.

"A song to fix what's wrong,
Take what's broken, make it whole.
A song so beautiful
It brings the world back into tune
Back into time
And all the flowers will bloom..."
she paused, she sounded beautiful...

"When you become my wife,"
she then said with a grin, my expression went back to serious.

"Oh, she's crazy. Why would I become her wife?"
I said, sighing.

"Maybe because she'll make you feel alive,"
Norman told me.

"Alive... that's worth a lot,"
I smiled, then turned to her. She smiled brightly.
"What else ya got?"

~

I took a deep breath as I was circled by the man.

He was tall, black hair, black eyes.
Radiated a dominant aura.
I wanted to know more.

I couldn't say I wasn't attracted to him.

"Hey, little songbird, give me a song
I'm a busy man and I can't stay long
I got clients to call, I got orders to fill
I got walls to build, I got riots to quell
And they're giving me hell back in Hades,"
He purred in my ear, I stayed frozen.

What happened... why am I here?
Why'd I have to...

"Hey, little songbird, cat got your tongue?
Always a pity for one so pretty and young
When poverty comes to clip your wings
And knock the wind right out of your lungs
Hey, nobody sings on empty..."

I couldn't help it... why did I actually want to be with him?

Strange is the call of this strange man
I want to fly down and feed at his hand
I want a nice soft place to land
I want to lie down forever
He felt... comforting.

"Hey, little songbird, you got something fine
You'd shine like a diamond down in the mine
And the choice is yours if you're willing to choose
Seeing as you've got nothing to lose
And I could use a canary,"
He said into my ear, I looked over to him and he smirked.

I was dazed, powered by him...
How?

"Suddenly nothing is as it was.
Where are you now, Emma?
Wasn't it going to be the two of us?
Weren't we birds of a feather?"
I cried out.

"Hey, little songbird, let me guess:
She's some kind of poet and she's penniless?
Give her your hand, she'll give you her hand to mouth
She'll write you a poem when the power's out
Hey why not fly south for the winter,"
He stopped, right behind me.
Whatever he was doing... it was working, I was captivated by this man.

"Hey, little songbird, look all around you
See how the vipers and vultures surround you,"
He was right. I froze again, but they were gone before I could do anything more.

He chuckled at my fear.
"They'll take you down, they'll pick you clean
If you stick around such a desperate scene
See, people get mean when the chips are down..."
He purred once more before handing my the contract.

I looked at it, still dazed.
He handed me a pen.
This was a bad idea.... I shouldn't do this.

His breath tingled my neck as I thought.
I lead my head back, and before I knew it, I had signed the contract.

He chuckled darkly.
"Such a good little canary,"
He said and I fell to my knees, not dazed anymore.

~

5.2.2020
Word Count: 1130