~Chapter 5- Ebonheim~

Jirro, Ruben, Nout, and Kelvin continued through the maze but were largely undisturbed. They noticed the paths had fewer intersections and became a single winding road. Jirro turned a corner and saw a long stone corridor leading to what appeared to be an exit.

"A way out?" Nout said hopefully.

The group jogged towards the exit. When they came out of the maze, they saw a large structure shrouded in fog. A decayed building with many stone spires pierced through it. A largely demolished manor, one that looked like it was without residents centuries.

Nout scratched his head, "Is that the Duchess's manor?"

"Maybe..." Jirro replied, "Should we go inside?"

Ruben frowned, furrowing its stone brows, "It's either go in there or go back into the maze."

Nout said, "It seemed like the maze was leading us here."

Jirro sighed, "We weren't getting anywhere in the maze... Let's check the manor out."

The others hesitantly nodded, and the group headed into the building. Several boulders were laid out on the dried-out lawn leading to the manor, and one of the long vertical doors of the manor's entrance had been twisted off.

The manor would've been poorly lit if not for the many holes dotting the ceiling. More spires of stone winded through the structure, something the kids were very wary of.

Wide open hallways, ornate decorations, and grand venues made up the manor, though all of them were aged and ragged. The blue carpets lining the halls were tearing apart at the seams, and anything metal had rusted.

They came upon a hall with many portraits on the wall. These were surprisingly well maintained, as if they had averted the decay of time. The first portrait was a painting of a large group of people in elegant clothing. Dresses, suits, all of them with blonde hair and blue eyes. At the center was a woman wearing the most ornate of the dresses. It appeared to be a family, with that woman acting as the head of the family. Perhaps a Duchess? Beneath the portrait, there was a plaque with the transcription 'Age 500.'

"Whoa!" Jirro remarked, "This painting is from almost 500 years ago."

Ruben and Nout inspected the next portrait. A similar-looking family was in the painting, but a different woman was acting as head of the family there. Many of the individuals in the portrait looked familiar but were aged. The plaque beneath read, 'Age 525'.

As they continued down the line, the portraits seemed to show the same family across each generation, each with twenty-five years between paintings. The family maintained the same blonde hair and blue eyes through each photo.

Nout placed his hand on one of the paintings, "It looks like you'd fit right in with this family Jirro."

"Because of the blonde hair?"

"Yeah. Maybe you're related to them."

Jirro nodded, "Apparently my mom came from a family with money. It'd make sense if these people were my ancestors."

"There's a Densius in the family!" Ruben shouted, pointing to one of the paintings. Jirro looked and saw a tall Densius standing behind most of the family in the photos. Its stone arms were folded behind it, and it stood in a poised and proper manner. Its eye stones were dark black. Jirro couldn't help but think it looked sad.

The same Densius appeared in every portrait. While the family aged and passed away, that Densius was everlasting.

Nout asked, "Ruben, how long are Densius able to live?"

"As long as their Heartstone is intact, it could feasibly be forever. The elder of my tribe on Platt Mountain is 424 years old. I've heard of Densius that have lived longer than even that," Ruben looked closer at the blacked gemmed Densius and frowned, "I think this Densius was the family's servant."

"Servant?"

"Relations between Densius and Ralosians weren't always so good. There was a time when my people were forced into servitude by wealthy Ralosians."

"I'm glad it's not like that anymore."

"Me too."

The kids looked through more of the paintings, identifying the black-eyed Densius in each one. At least until the portrait labeled 'Age 675', where the rocky servant was absent. In all following ones, it was gone as well.

"I wonder what happened to it..." Ruben wondered aloud.

Jirro looked at the Duchess of the family in the later painting and noticed an amulet around her neck, one with a large black gem embedded at its center. In each of the following portraits, the Duchess of the family wore this same ebon amulet.

They came to the last of the portraits, dated 'Age 750'.

At the center of a long hallway was a hole in the ceiling casting light onto a podium. On it rested the black gemmed amulet that the Duchess wore, still in pristine condition. Completely unscathed by time.

Jirro approached the amulet, curious at how it lasted so long.

A voice echoed from down the hall, "Leave it be."

The kids turned and saw a figure walking towards them down the darkened hall, a tall figure with their arms folded behind their back. Kelvin pitifully growled at it.

As it drew nearer, they could see the being was comprised of stone, resembling the servant Densius from the paintings. But when it came into the light, it revealed shallow holes where its eyes should have been.

Jirro muttered, "You're that Densius from the paintings."

The stone being nodded, "I am Ebonheim."

Ruben looked to Ebonheim, to the amulet, and back to Ebonhem. A horrified expression crossed its face. "This black gem... this is your Heartstone, isn't it?"

"Quite the astute one, aren't you?" Ebonheim walked towards the amulet and placed a rocky hand on it, "I made one simple mistake. But this family wouldn't allow it. Simply killing me wouldn't be enough; they wanted me to suffer. They destroyed my body and forced my Heartstone into this accursed amulet. For centuries, I could do nothing. Say nothing. I was simply a prisoner within this piece of jewelry. Until I reached enlightenment."

The earth around them shifted, and several rocks began to levitate through the air around the children.

Ruben inched closer to Ebonheim, "That isn't your original body, is it?"

"No. I've learned that I'm not limited to a single body. I can take whatever form I want."

Ebonheim's body began to morph and change until it perfectly resembled Ruben's form.

"I can look like you," Ebonheim said, though its voice had changed to perfectly mimic Rubens. Its body began to change again until it resembled a stone version of Nout. Its voice changed to match his, "Or sound like you."

From the ground behind Jirro emerged another stone figure, one that resembled Jirro perfectly. It spoke, replicating his voice perfectly, "Or you."

Both figures crumbled to dust, but then a new Ebonheim manifested from the earth, standing beside the amulet.

It seemed as if Ebonheim just wanted the children to understand it. Jirro asked, "Look, we're not trying to cause trouble. If you let us out of your gulch, we won't come back."

Ebonheim stared with an eyeless face and looked at Ruben and Nout, "You two rightfully feared me. You only entered the gulch because you were coerced by the others."

Ebonheim turned to Jirro, "And you... I'm fond of you. You three may leave, but the others are mine. No one will respect my territory if I don't take some of your lives."

"What!?" Jirro exclaimed.

"I am attacking the rest of your group outside as we speak. It won't be long before I've claimed their lives."

Jirro shouted, "We're not letting you kill them!"

"I'm afraid you can't stop me. If you leave the manor, I'll create a path for you leading back the way you came. I suggest you take it."

Jirro paused for a moment, considering his situation. It didn't take long for him or the others to resolve to fight. Nout charged at Ebonheim, and as soon as he made contact with the Densius, its body crumbled to pieces.

Stone bars shot up from the ground around Kelvin, forming a stone cage for the hyena. Kelvin bit at the bars but couldn't escape.

Several spires of stone erupted from around the manor, launching at the three. Ruben and Nout jumped out of the way, but Jirro held his back with his hands.

On each side of the hallway, several more figures manifested from the ground, each identical to Ebonheim's body. Nout and Jirro used Focus Bursts to destroy each of them, while Ruben tucked his body into a ball and rolled around into them.

Spears of stone jutted out from the ceilings and were launched at the kids, and the three struggled to avoid each one. One struck Ruben and bounced off its rocky body, chipping part of its shoulder.

"We can't beat Ebonheim like this!" Nout exclaimed.

Ruben glanced at the amulet seated to the side of them, "Its Heartstone! If we take that out, we'll stop it!"

Jirro sprinted towards the amulet. Several more Ebonheim statues erupted from the ground and attacked, but he tore through each of them with powerful blows. He jumped for the amulet, but stones ratcheted from the ground beneath him and knocked him back.

Ebonheim's voice sounded throughout the manor, "I have the most power in the area nearest to my Heartstone! You cannot stop me! Leave while you still have a chance!"

Jirro couldn't relent, not with his friends' lives in danger. He tried to reach the amulet containing Ebonheim's Heartstone, but many stone projectiles struck him painfully, each thudding throughout his body. The ground beneath him wrapped around his legs and held him in place. A stone sickle appeared from the ceiling and swung at Jirro, but he managed to break free of his bonds just in time to avoid it.

More statues of Ebonheim manifested from the ground and attacked the kids until they were surrounded. The kids were doing their best to fend off the attack, but the intensity was wearing them down. They were becoming exhausted, and their bodies ached from the repeated strikes they endured. But they refused to give up.