The painting of the man with the black hair and the cold eyes stared hauntingly back at the group, those twin chips of optical ice cold enough to pierce the soul. Indeed, it almost seemed as if the picture was moving ever so slightly, subtle actions that would take a doubtful glance to test its validity…wait. There were two more paintings as well….no, four more. Ten? Twenty?

As if suddenly summoned from nothingness, the long staircase leading upwards soon had their walls vacant no longer. Rows upon rows of the exact same painting covered every inch of the group’s sight, those blue eyes now being magnified by numbers. It felt as if the malice held so strongly in that gaze could be felt in the air itself, weighing down on the group like a crushing rock.

At the end of the long stairway laid one final painting; however, this one was much different in contrast to the rest. It showed several figures this time in a wide landscape as opposed to the single portraits seen thus far. The figures all appeared to be…Rosaline, Adrain, Conna'Cel, and…Faira. 

Something was off. The picture displayed a truly gruesome scene.

Each of the group’s members lay in small red puddles sketched in what appeared to be messy marker inside the painting. Crude “X” marks were crossed off on the member’s toonish heads with what appeared to be black crayon, scribbled all over like a child’s madness mantra. Worst yet were the implications of the picture itself.

For although all of the people inside had red leaking out of them and black marks crossed over their visage, one person in particular stood out. Faira, who had been drawn entirely in pink marker, stood over the bleeding corpses with shadow in one hand and fire in the other. A twisted grin was spread across her lips while tears of yellow stained her cheeks.

Beneath the painting was a plaque that was both rusted and soiled from age, time, and wear. Scratched sloppily into it was the name of the particular piece.

[b]She Lies[/b]

A final arrow of blue was traced over to point to Faira, indicating her role in the picture’s story.