The Murklin System: Rise of the Dark Hero

Chapter 7

“Where are we, really?” Finn asked as he roamed around the huge castle where Efrelyn brought him. He didn’t know where he was, and this woman wasn’t saying anything either.

Everything was made with gold. The statue carved into a huge abstract was made with gold. It looked like ropes knotted together. All the vases placed on top of the rails of the stairway were made with gold. Other abstract forms were carved into them.

Even the frames hanging by the wall were gold. The lights were golden, the lamps, the guard’s armor, and even the ceiling. Although in contrast, the curtains and carpet were all red. And the walls and the stairs were made of adobe.

“Is this the royal family’s castle?” asked Finn for the nth time.

Efrelyn stopped walking abruptly. “Can you please stop asking questions?”

“But you're not even answering any of them.”

“Because I told you, I don’t have the answer to all your questions, so we’re going to Lord Edward and ask for his help”

“You don’t even know who lives here?”

Efrelyn groaned before turning and walking away. Finn couldn’t help but laughed at the woman. What a bipolar woman, he thought. Just a few minutes ago, she was smiling brightly at him. But now, she has turned into a grumpy and sulky young girl.

Instead of getting on her nerves, Finn followed the woman into the long hallway. At the end of it, a huge living area greeted them. And again, almost everything was gold. But Finn also noticed that despite having so much gold in this place, the atmosphere was still dark, dim, and a little gloomy.

The chandelier hanging overhead was turned on, but it wasn’t glowing. It was a little dim. This was the first time Finn had seen a golden chandelier, but he was expecting it to be a lot more shiny, shimmering and blinding.

“Lord Edward,” Efrelyn called to the man sitting at a red couch, sipping from his glass of wine. Efrelyn bowed a little, so Finn copied her and did the same.

The man turned to them, and his eyebrows immediately creased upon seeing the mortal beside his daughter. “Hmm… definitely a mortal. He stinks.” He stood and ambled near Finn, circling around him and sniffing a little.

Finn felt uncomfortable. The man was acting like an animal smelling his prey. Not to mention, they just met. He was invading Finn’s personal space. 

“But you also smell like a murklin. No doubt, but weird. Who are your parents?” He stopped in front of Finn and stared at his eyes intently, like he was trying to read his mind. Or maybe trying to intimidate him. Either way, the man succeeded, Finn was intimidated.

Finn looked away, feeling awkward. “Ahm… Mandy and Froilan Erskin.”

“Erskin. Yeah, mortals. I know your great great-grandfather personally. One he-ll of a katona back in his days. He gave us murklins quite the headache.” He pulled back and crossed his arms. “But why are you residing in Fract now? If I remember it correctly, families with a katona member receive special treatments from the royal family.”

“My great-grandfather was kicked out of the elite army for betraying his country. But that’s just b-llshit! He was framed.” Finn stopped on his track and asked, “How do you know my great great-grandfather? Surely you’re not that old.”

Edward chuckled. “I’m even older than your great great-grandfather and grandmother combined.” Finn laughed like it was a joke, but that offended Edward. “Efrelyn?” He looked at his daughter, his eyes asking.

“He doesn’t know the existence of murklins,” Efrelyn explained. “And of all the immortals at that. I think they still call us d-mons.”

Edward’s eyes went back to the mortal. “Tell me, young man. What exactly happened back there? What happened to your family?”

That triggered something inside Finn, and his chest started to squeeze. “How should I know?” he said through gritted teeth. “My family was m-rdered inside our home, and the m-rderer left me alone. And now, I don’t even know where she is!”

“Yes!” Edward exclaimed, smelling Finn once more like he was a freshly cooked bacon. “Yes! Be angry. Let it all out! Don’t be shy.”

Finn stepped back. “What are you doing?” And just like that, the pain in his chest subsided like nothing happened.

Edward gaped with the unexpected scene. “A half blood who can control his emotions? This is unheard of.”

“What half blood?”

Sitting back to the couch, Edward sipped from his glass. There was a smirk painted on his face while staring at the mortal in front of him. It had been a while ever since a mortal piqued his interest. And Finn didn’t seem to know anything about it.

“I know that mortals from Fract are isolated, but I’m not aware that you’re too isolated.” He thought for a minute. “Why don’t we do this from the beginning?”

Edward poured wine on another glass and handed it to Finn, which he accepted even though a little hesitated. “Do you believe in superpowers, young Erskin?”

Is this a trick question? What should I answer? Finn thought, but he chose to be honest. “When I was a kid, yes. But I’m too old for that now.”

“I believe in superpowers. Does that mean I’m still a kid?”

Finn chose his word carefully. “That’s not what I meant. I was only pertaining to myself, not in general.”

“You don’t believe in superpowers.” Edward stood. “But what about now?” 

As he finished speaking, black smoke came out of his body and crawled on the floor. Finn’s eyes widened at the familiar sight he was seeing, and he couldn’t help but said, “What the h-ll? You’re just like that woman, that m-rderer.”

This time, Edward was deeply offended. He scoffed. “No way! Don’t compare me to that lowly woman. I am nowhere near that kind of thing. Just so you know, I am a royal, the Lord of all Murklins of Wrath. That woman is merely a commoner, a one of the million ordinary murklins out there. I, on the other hand, am one of a kind.”

“But…” Finn stuttered. “That smoke was similar to the woman who k-lled my family. She used that thing to k-ll them. I saw it!”

“We don’t k-ll mortals, young Erskin. We merely feed from mortals like you.” And just like that, the black smoke crawled towards him.

Finn tried to step back and get away from it, but he was too late. The smoke already caught his foot and pulled him. He tried taking it off, but just like before, his hands only went past it. He couldn’t get a hold of it, and only managed to grab his own foot.

Finn couldn’t move when the black smoke successfully hugged his body. He screamed for help, but no one came to his rescue. And then he remembered that he was inside this royal’s castle. Everyone in this place serves this man.

But to everyone’s surprise, nothing happened. The black smoke failed to enter the man’s body and feed. It was as if Finn’s body had a barrier that was stopping everything from entering. He was as clueless as them.

“Now,” Edward whispered, “this is getting weirder and weirder.” He smirked, and a soft chuckle came out of his mouth. “And quite exciting.”