As the group traversed through the dark and chilly mountain, Kiel could feel it: the eerie sensation under his skin, brought by excitement and anticipation. There was something in this place that he couldn’t put his fingers on. Something mysterious that he couldn’t wait to see.Aside from the rustling of trees and the cold breeze, there was nothing on this mountain. At least something that they couldn’t see.The mountains at Fract were as dark and as chilly as this one, but Finn could tell that it was definitely different here. He could feel the hair at the back of his neck standing, and he felt like someone was watching him from behind. But whenever he would look back, he would see nothing but the creepy branches of the trees that looked like fingers and faces. He swore they were alive.When the wind blew harsher, they all stopped and covered their eyes to prevent dirt and dust from getting in. But they were all sent flying when a sudden gust of wind hit them, like someone threw the
The search for Limos, one of the four arc shadows, became easier after defeating Thanatos. After all, they seldom venture far from each other.“It’s not like they have anywhere else to go,” said Day. “They can only go here in Flexure to hide. Going to Parastin and Banhar to hide would be difficult for them, since security is tighter, and most of the most skilled elite army are stationed there.”“What about in Fract?” asked Finn. He didn’t mean to mention the place, so he almost scolded himself. He was just curious why they seldom talk about the place, and they didn’t even consider the place as a hiding place for the criminals.“The four arc shadows are originally from here, so they hate that place like all of us.” Day said that in a matter-of-fact tone.Rina continued nonchalantly, “I’d rather hide in Banhar too where the higher-ups are living than go to that filthy place.”Finn clenched his fist to prevent himself from saying anything reckless. He didn’t want to keep asking questions
“Don’t expect,” Euben said, “to be picked as the next katona with this kind of ability. Heck! Don’t even expect to survive as a night hunter if you’re going to do this. You’ll not only let yourselves get killed, but you’ll end up dragging everyone’s feet.”After that, he left.Finn sighed. Even though Euben wasn’t looking at him, he knew that those words were meant for him. He didn’t even have to say his name. Euben already showed his distaste towards him since the beginning.“I’m sorry,” Day mumbled. “It’s my fault. I couldn’t even do one simple task.” Trying her best not to cry, Day ended up on her knees while holding her mouth. She stifled a cry, not able to suppress her feelings any longer.Finn walked towards her, and tried to console her. “No. It’s my fault for attacking without thinking first. We both didn’t know that he’s carrying a sword with him.”“He’s not carrying it with him,” Kiel stated. “It was hidden behind his back so we didn’t see it. It’s another spell to hide obje
SHE RAN AS FAR AS her feet could drag her. Twigs were slapping, whacking, and hitting her face, and stones were digging her skin underneath her feet. But no matter how painful it was or how tired she felt, she continued to run.The unknown creature followed suit, but unlike her, it was chuckling while it pursued her. It didn't even feel tired or exhausted. Instead of feeling all those things, it was relishing every moment. Like its prey's anguish was what's making it more eager to continue the chase."Ah!" The young girl groaned. The pain from her knee to the shin crawled like a giant needle pricked her. But instead of giving it her attention, she focused on crawling away from her pursuer.Using a tree as a support, she tried to stand up. But she slumped back to the ground due to exhaustion, pain, and most especially fear. When her efforts to escape were made futile, all she could do was cry and wait for her end. She closed her eyes tightly, hoping that it would end quickly and painle
"What can you say about the corpse, Private Corpus?" Commander Gideon Sfaira asked, staring at the woman's body lying beside a tree trunk.The katona trainee stiffened, and his eyebrows creased a little. "What do I think?” You're the commander. Why are you asking me? he wanted to ask, but instead, he answered, "It's most likely an attack from a murklin, Commander. Our team searched the area and there are no signs of a wild animal roaming around. And the corpse doesn't have any animal bite attack."The commander chuckled. "Good answer. And yes, it's an attack from a stupid murklin, who can't hide its footprints." He ambled near the corpse and inspected it a little more. "If you look closely at her rolled eyes, her pale and wrinkled skin, and her dry lips, you'll think that it's an attack from a cerise."The trainee squinted in its direction and nodded. "I only know that a murklin did that because there's been news about them killing here in Fract and cerise doesn't go here since they h
Finn busied himself with the household chores. He fetched some water, and picked fruits they would need for the whole day. Sometimes it was enough, most of the time it wasn’t. He had to work twice, even thrice, to feed the family.He chopped wood and made charcoal to sell in the market that afternoon, and he chopped some more wood until he was satisfied. And he wasn’t content all the time. He never was.Another person wasn’t content with him, in fact, in everything he does. His mother always sees the worst in him. Mandy was his archenemy.“How long are you chopping that wood?” And here was her mother, again, criticizing his work. “It’s already two in the afternoon. You won’t sell anything if you’re late.”“Give me a minute. I’m almost done.” After chopping the last piece of wood, he turned to the finished charcoal and secured it with a rope.“You should’ve left earlier when you’re done with the charcoal, then just finish the remaining wood when you get back. Is your brain for decorati
“Did you hear that?” Commander Gideon asked. No one spoke. Gideon and Kento listened to the quiet night and heard crickets chirping.“Nothing,” answered Kento. “It must be your imagination. You should try to sleep sometimes, commander.”“Should I?” He chuckled.The small town of Fract was quiet as the dead. It only had approximately five hundred people, and was declining. No one dared to come here aside from its residence, and no one could leave even if they wanted to.It looked like a ghost town at this time of the day. Even the people living here were afraid to go out after dusk. No one dared to seduce the lurkers of the night.The commander and his sergeant couldn’t sleep that night. They wanted to investigate more about the so-called animal attacks happening in Fract. They were at a dead-end. Even the other squad declined to take the case.But according to Gideon, there was still something they hadn’t done yet. Something no mortal would dare.And yet, they did.The recent attack
A long gasp escaped Edward Elliot’s lips in the middle of eating his dinner. His fingers curled for a second before it moved, like someone else was controlling them. This only meant one thing, another murklin sharing the wrath blood was born.His daughter, Efrelyn Elliot, rushed on his side until it subsided, and then his father said, “Another murklin of wrath is born.”Efrelyn nodded and sighed. “Another headache?” She couldn’t help remembering their last encounter with a murklin, who ended up annihilating almost every mortal in Flexure. If this one was another headache, this meant another workload for her father.When Edward shook his head, Efrelyn said, “Shouldn’t you be happy? As the Lord of Wrath, this will surely be excluded in your work.”“It’s weird.” He motioned his daughter to go back to her seat and continue eating, but he couldn’t eat anymore after what happened. “And strange.”“Weird how?” she asked while cutting the meat on her plate.Edward stared at her daughter. “He’s