Chapter 91: The Laboratory
Soon everyone awoke, it was quiet in the room, nothing except the yawns of the tired as they all sat and ate a measly breakfast before embarking back into the depths of the castle.
And so they searched again, methodically moving from room to room through the labyrinthine castle. Grand bedrooms with four-poster beds. Studies with shelves of crumbling books. Sitting rooms where dusty furniture stood like silent sentinels. Secret passages that led only to more disappointment. All day they searched, their movements becoming more mechanical with each empty chamber, their hopes dimming.
Then the next day brought the same routine. And the next. And the next...
The castle seemed to be mocking them, endless corridors stretching before them like a cruel joke, each empty room another blow to their dwindling optimism. Their footsteps echoed in the hollow spaces, and the sound of doors opening and closing became a disheartening rhythm that marked the passage of time.
On the fifth day, they found themselves in yet another bedroom.
Lara, who had maintained her composure up until now, finally reached her breaking point. Her cool, calm, and collected mask slipped as she grabbed a decorative box from a nearby table and hurled it against the stone wall. It shattered with a satisfying crash that echoed through the room.
"Damn it!!" The curse tore from her throat, raw and primal.
Arthur and Aziel exchanged alarmed glances before looking away, staying silent and still as statues, not wanting to incur her wrath. Kay busied himself with adjusting the straps on his pack, suddenly finding them fascinating. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a blade.
Jonas, ever the peacemaker it seems, moved cautiously toward Lara and placed a gentle hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. His weathered face creased with concern as he spoke softly.