Chapter II: "The Sound of Red"

As soon as Bellinay left, the electricity went out again, which was strange but surprising. I went upstairs to the third floor. Everything there looked more like a hospital, with hundreds of rooms all bearing the same signs. According to Bell, the main security rooms have a plaque identifying them. After a while, I finally found the security room. Luckily, I sat down in the chair facing the table with the monitors and started searching through the security camera footage. I searched for the date Isabel disappeared and found it.

The footage showed a hallway I hadn't noticed before, and there she was. Isabel looked the same as the last time I saw her, walking and chatting with a girl with dark hair, white streaks in her hair, and very distinctive yellow eyes.

Suddenly the cameras were filled with static, until I heard a loud crash next to me and a voice shouting something I didn't understand.

Heus tu?!, Quid hice agis?!

I got up from the couch and looked towards where that noise came from. I met a ruby-colored gaze. She looked a lot like Bellinay and the girl with golden eyes, but she was brunette. Her hair was a mix of black and brown tips, and she wore a red and gray outfit: a gray sweater with reddish shorts, white pants, and boots just like Bellinay's but red. Her cape was red and somewhat torn, with a white and red scarf. I was curious about why she was covering her mouth.

—Id quod te interrogo, inquam qui es?— She asked, annoyed, "But I don't understand how I understood: 'That's what I'm asking you, who are you?' It's strange, but the stress caused by the shouting made me simply exclaim."

—Nomen meum est Daniel, et nusquam prodire obsecro— I exclaimed loudly, but then I realized I was responding to someone who speaks another language in the same way; I only had one question in mind. —¿Desde cuándo sé latín? — I whispered, confused, staring at the floor, my mind racing with thoughts I was trying to answer; but I snapped out of it when I felt an icy edge against my neck. That girl was pointing at some kind of weapon on my neck.

She immediately looked surprised at me, maintaining her posture with tense shoulders and furrowed brows. —¡Responde nunc!, ¡¿qumodo me intelligis?!— He yelled aggressively while pointing that knife at me.

I immediately raised my arms in fear. When I finished speaking, she looked to the side and calmed down. I took advantage of this to try to reason with her; maybe she's like Bell, an ally. —Audi, quomodo Latine scio, omnia volo invenire amicum meum— I squealed in annoyance, although I said the last part with melancholy. I miss Isabel; we've always been friends for as long as I can remember, which isn't very long. Meanwhile, that girl with black and brown hair turned her back on me for a moment while she thought.

—Interest bonum auscultare— She whispered thoughtfully while staring at the wall, as if she were talking to someone; then I paid a little more attention to her words and began to understand each one; then she turned back to look at me— Im 'iens ut adiuvet te invenire amissum amicum tuum-- she answered seriously, staring at me with those piercing ruby eyes.

Wait, what?!

"Really? Oh, thank you so much!" I exclaimed with joy and relief. Having another ally is great; if I find that girl, I can find out Isabel's location.

However, that girl placed her right hand in front of me as a stop signal, then put those knives in her belt and crossed her arms, looking at me intently with those red eyes —Unum primum— She murmured —Quantum amas amicam tuam, paratusne es pugnare ut eam videas?— She questioned with a serious expression.

That question was like a dagger to my chest, I admit, I'd never thought about it; but remembering Isabel's face, full of hope and worry, and thinking that she's now lost somewhere in this dark building fills me with uncertainty. So I looked at that girl with a determined expression—I'll do anything to find her—I murmured, looking at her, my chest held high, I'm ready for anything.

Then she nodded. —Iustum est, sed prius probabis mihi te esse fidelem, agemus iter, propterea te in vetustiorem locum ducam, sed prius ibi te ducam— She moved closer, quickly grabbing the collar of my sweater and pointing his fist at me.

Oh no...

"What the hell?!" I screamed in horror, the last thing I said before everything went black. I was left with nothing but the emptiness of my mind.

A gloom that also seemed to reach my mind...

I had a very strange and terrifying dream: I was among the great trees of Stowe once again, and for some reason, I was walking aimlessly through the undergrowth. Everything looked bigger than it was as someone pulled my hand, but I couldn't see their face. Then I tried to turn around, and all I could see was a hooded figure with bright blue eyes.

Then I woke up to the cold marble floor. I looked around; the place seemed very old. There were three doors, one open and leading upstairs, the others closed. So, I grabbed my flashlight from the floor because it was so dark. I tried to call out to the girl from before, but I could only recognize her by her eyes since I didn't know her name.

Since no one answered me, I carefully started climbing the stairs with my flashlight. When I reached the top, I could see the place a little. It was strange. I wondered if this was the place the girl was talking about, since it seemed more worn for some reason. At the end of the hallway I had to cross, I came to an area with two doors and some torn paintings. In the middle was a laptop on a table. Cautiously, I approached it and noticed it had a recording playing. I turned it on and realized it was the voice of the girl from before, and apparently, it was details from the game.