Voyage Of The Villainess

It was very chaotic as the waves of laughter kept going on and on. Until all of a sudden, something different sounded this time.

"Please don\'t laugh."

"Hahahahaha"

"Stop laughing."

Malaya didn\'t remove an inch in the place she was in. She was completely frozen not daring to make a single sound nor move. Multiple voices saying the same things repeatedly echoed one after another followed by multiple laughs.

"Please don\'t laugh."

"Stop laughing."

"Don\'t laugh."

"Hahaha!"

\'What\'s happening?\' Malaya dropped to the ground when a strong gust of wind passed through her. \'Should I just play dead? It\'s not like they saw me in this darkness.\' Then her line of sight caught the light bottle she had that completely showed her place. \'I wonder with that height from the fall, how come it didn\'t break. But yeah, whatever was lurking in the shadows they definitely saw me already. I also laugh like an idiot already. Should I just continue laughing? Hah. I\'m also going crazy here if this does not stop.\'

\'I\'m dead.\' Malaya laid flat on the ground. \'I can\'t see nor hear anything. I\'m dead.\'

"Stop laughing."

"Don\'t laugh."

Malaya turned her body around and above her could only be endless darkness. The laughter and the one who was begging to stop the laughing continued and kept making unwanted noises in the middle of this dark hole. Somehow, Malaya was just starting to get used to this already.

\'This is no good, I\'m getting used to these creepy things. But how long do I have to wait for this laughter-begging to stop? I don\'t want to waste any time anymore. I need to think properly….. oh wait.\' Her eyes grew wide and her heartbeat started to pump faster with her sudden thoughts. "Or perhaps don\'t tell me if this is some strange communication whether they\'ll kill me or not. if that is the case, that is not a good sign. Should I crawl my way out? But out to where? What out will be with this beneath from the cliff? Or should I sing a song and a magical toy car will suddenly light up that would take me out here?\'

"Ahhh! Stop!" An ear-splitting scream made Malaya cover her ear, awakening every bit of the sleeping parts of her body. "Please enough, I can\'t take it any longer."

She winced as she could feel that soon her eardrum was going to burst out. She pressed her hands further to cover her ears from the sudden scream. She groaned as she tried her hardest just to not hear that scream.

When she thought that she would finally go deaf, everything became silent again. There were no creepy voices nor the waves of laughter. \'This silence. Is there anything happening? Did they leave already? Or perhaps, this is not good. Am I deaf now?\' Malaya felt her heart thump louder than before. \'No this can\'t be happening.\'

She flicked her fingers in front of her two ears. One flick then another one. \'Glad that I can still hear.\' She sighed in relief when her ears seemed to be working properly. \'Nothing has gone wrong with my ears. Thank goodness.\'

*Step, step, step,* There were sudden strange steps that echoed through the silence.

\'What is it this time?\' Malaya became alert when she heard the approaching footsteps. It was coming in one direction, to her front.

She immediately stood up as she focused her sight on what was in the front. Soon from within the darkness, she could see a hem of a white cloak until it revealed a woman shrouded in a white veil. She was carrying a lantern in her right hand. She stopped a meter away from Malaya.

Malaya narrowed her gaze as she looked at the woman directly at her location, trying to figure her out. Due to its veil, she couldn\'t see her face completely. And Malaya stopped herself from panicking when there were red stains that looked like blood on the woman\'s white dress. She was also barefooted. \'This was supposed to be fantasy. Not a horror story.\' Malaya kept repeating in her mind to calm herself. \'Or perhaps there could be times that there will be a mix of genres!\'

"Are both of you, the champions chosen by the Ancient Gods?" A monotonous voice of the woman resounded. It felt so dead and cold, sending chills towards her spine.

\'What did she mean by champion? And what kind of Ancient God she\'s talking about? No, wait, she said to both of us?\'

Malaya heard footsteps from her behind. 

"So this is where you have been, huh? I told you to just rest in the cave." Kayden\'s cold voice resounded. He was completely glaring at Malaya this time. "That\'s just the rule I\'ve told you but you still break it."

"Ka-Kayden? Since when did you come here? No, wait, just how did you know that I\'m here?" 

"That was a high privilege for you to know. You don\'t need to know that." His voice sounded mad as he avoided his gaze from Malaya.

\'High privilege? Did he really think that I\'m not capable of knowing those things? Tss this bastard. Did he put some magic on me to follow me? No, wait, now that I think about it, he is always around wherever I am. And why is he even mad at me now? It\'s not like I\'m obligated to follow him or whatever he says to me.\'

"Are the both of you, the champions chosen by the Ancient Gods?" Malaya\'s thoughts were cut off when the strange woman spoke once again.

\'Oh, I almost forgot that we are not alone in this creepy place. I don\'t know what she meant by champions, Is this part of their prophecy or perhaps this is some kind of trick question. If I answer yes, then will she eliminate us or do the same thing with answering no? Could it be one of the answers that will save us? Ah, this is too hard. But she says Ancient Gods.\' Malaya glanced at Kayden and the latter one already had a dark flame sword on both of his hands.

"Hey, calm yourself alright? Don\'t do something unnecessary yet." Malaya said." She\'s just asking some questions to us."

"I\'m calm." Kayden simply answered but his swords were still there.

\'But if she is talking about ancient gods then perhaps it was related to that priestess and shadow. Is this the reason why she sent me here? I don\'t know about this champion but let\'s bet everything on this answer. If possible, now that I have a talisman, I guess I can teleport out here. Wait, should I have done that from the start? Ah, I feel like I\'m becoming stupid this past few days.\' Malaya turned her attention back to the white lady. 

"Yes, we are the champions of the ancient gods," Malaya answered

"Why did you include me as well?" Kayden muttered behind her.

"Are you planning to answer her question?"

"No." 

"Then just let me do this and handle the whole situation. All you need is to stay there and trust me."  Malaya winked at him. 

Kayden just frowned, making a crease to his handsome face. He didn\'t try to respond back and Malaya looked back at the white lady. 

There was brief silence that filled the air. Then the white lady started to move. Both Kayden and Malaya prepared for a fighting stance, but the white lady just turned her back on them.

"Please follow me, chosen champion of the ancient gods." The white lady said.

Malaya hesitated for a while then decided to follow after the white lady. \'She must indeed have what the priestess wanted me to get. So now this is what they said, to achieve something that I don\'t have, I need to do the things I have never done before. I hope the risk I take was worth fighting for.\'

"Are you seriously going to follow her?" Kayden kept his cool aura surrounding him.

Malaya paused when Kayden held him to her right hand, stopping her from moving forward. She tried to budge but his grip was formed on her hands.

"This is why I am here. Well, if you are afraid of the white lady you can go home now." Malaya said while forming a terrifying smile on her lips. "Besides I know that the white lady has something that I need. So could you please let go of my hand?"

Kayden\'s brows furrowed at Malaya\'s remarks. But seeing how serious she was, he let her hand go.

"Thank you," Malaya said then she faced the white lady who was patiently waiting for their conversation to finish before she continued to walk.

Malaya quietly followed after her, and Kayden too behind Malaya.

They kept walking on for how long following silently behind the mysterious lady. The only light that they had was the lamp from the white lady. Until they stopped. Malaya heard the rustling sounds of water.

"Please have a ride, champions of the ancient gods." The white lady gestured in front of her. And now there was a river that they didn\'t know where it was going.

And there was a small boat and another man wearing a white cloak as well. He standing at the top of the boat holding a huge scythe.

\'What is this? Is this really a way to hell?\' Malaya didn\'t move an inch to where she was standing.