MANIPULATED Book A (Sequel to Tempted)

9. Over The River And Through The Woods

The two of you walk alongside each other. Down the red mountain, down hills, through the red woods. The woods are what fascinates you the most so far. How a single color can have so many shades that gives the leaves so much depth. The woods are a beautiful place, but no matter where you turn or how many times, you can't seem to escape the view of the black castle in the distance. 

"Dark lives there?" You ask. 

"Technically, it's not his. He stays in it, uses it, but it's not rightfully his own. The castle doesn't belong to anyone until someone becomes rightful ruler of the Other World." 

"So when you defeat Dark, the castle will be yours?"

He just makes a noise of confirmation. 

You wait a moment then ask, "Do you want to rule the egos?"

"I could care less about it. But in no universe will I ever let him take rule. So if I have to I will. Technically, I am already in control of some on the egos here."

"...Jack's"

He doesn't reply. He did say that the other egos live here, but where are they? You haven't seen any running around. You ask Anti.

He says they might be closer to the castle. This place is huge and they could be spread out all over the place wherever they are most comfortable, and for some that is where it is most populated: the valley under Dark's castle. Every ego has a house of some sort that is accustomed to their lifestyle needs and personality. Whatever they need is supplied. 

As for Anti, he doesn't like the population. So he stays in a hut far away from the castle and everyone else. He says he doesn't need a permanent house because he is always in and out between worlds, but he built his himself when he needed a place to stay. Everyone thinks he lives and lurks in the woods somewhere. That's why no one ever really goes in there. 

"Do you think we'll meet another ego?" You ask out of curiosity.

"I hope not. If anyone finds out you are here, they'll fear you too."

You walk on for a little while longer, not knowing what time it is or how long you have actually been walking. But eventually, you approach a shallow river, and on the other side of it is a steep wall of rock and dirt with pieces of fallen trees scattered along the bottom. Something tells you this is the place. 

Anti walks up to a large piece of red bark leaning against the rock, searches it with his hand, and grabs onto some sort of handle of black moss. He pulls on it and the bark swings open like a fully functioning door. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought it was just a piece of broken bark from one of the fallen trees. He walks into the cliff, and you follow. He lights two torches on either side of the door, lighting up the interior. 

From the outside, you couldn't even imagine what it looked like inside. It almost looks like a log cabin. The door opens to a single square room, walls and floor dark wooden planks. It has a fireplace on the right wall with a rug and then a small kitchen with an island table on the left side. And on the back wall there are two doors. Of the entire hut, there is only one window next to the door that is invisible from the outside, and it looks out into the woods with Dark's castle just looming in the distance.

This place is perfect. 

"I hate it here," Anti grumbles. "It's too enclosed." 

"I love it," you say back. "It's cozy. You built this?" 

"It wasn't too difficult. I needed a place to hide and here it is."

You walk to see what's inside the two doors in the back. The one on the left leads to a bathroom with a toilet, shower, and sink. "Plumbing?"