The day went by so fast, and evening came.
Riko focused on reading the map at the study table. He studied each strange drawing on the old skin.
"Is this really the map? After a good look, this area was similar to the forest I would visit later. But is it possible that they live there?"
Riko was a little worried. Sometimes he doubted the existence of this strange creature.
"Did I hallucinate then, so I saw the culprit like a spider man because he was sleepy?" Noe Riko's feelings are like a net being tossed about amid the ferocious onslaught of the sea.
For Riko, the creature seems to exist and does not exist.
"Ck! What should I believe? My search for decades has never yielded results. I'm confused." Riko grabbed his hair in frustration.
Hatred and despair battle and destroy Riko's feelings. His brain and heart are never in sync. Sometimes his brain told him to stop, but his heart forced him to keep looking.
"Tomorrow, I will have to check for myself. If I don't find anything, I'm forced to stop and keep this hatred deep inside."
Riko folded his arms on the table, buried his face in his folded hands, and tried to sink into a dream.
∆∆∆
"Don't take the kid! Now that child is mine!"
The five-year-old little boy soon woke up from a beautiful dream. "Whose voice is it?" he muttered innocently.
"He is the son of the King of Morwen! You are only assigned to take care of him until he grows up! However, you instead snatched the baby and took him away!"
Riko caught the faint sound of a foreign man from outside his room. Although still sleeping, he got up and went outside.
"I want the kid to live happily! I don't want the child to suffer the same fate as his father! Am I wrong?"
"Of course! I regard your negligence as a betrayal of the kingdom Pyloruf!"
Arthur's eyes widened. "So you are…!"
Riko frowned in surprise.
'Who are you talking to? Why so angry?!' Riko thought, confused.
"You're right! Therefore you must die!" The four-legged creature spits out a web that entangles Arthur and his wife.
Riko walked limply down the stairs while rubbing her eyes. "Daddy, Mommy, what happened?" he called hoarsely.
Arriving in front of his parent's room, Riko found a dark blue light bursting through the gap in the door.
Out of curiosity, the five-year-old boy pushed the door slowly open.
His eyes widened when he saw a monster biting the necks of his mother and father.
Riko gaped in shock until he froze in place. He didn't have time to scream and even forgot how to breathe when he witnessed that terrible moment.
After being satisfied with killing them, the spider-legged monster on its back hastily escaped through the window by crawling.
It took a few minutes for Riko to regain his senses and convince himself that everything wasn't a bad dream at night.
"Mommy! Daddy!" The boy ran and knelt beside the bodies of his two parents, wailing hysterically.
"Daddy! Mommy! Get up! Do not leave me!" Riko shook Arthur and Marie's lifeless bodies. Both died in a pool of their blood.
Amidst the wailing, mysterious footsteps sounded from behind Riko. The boy's body stiffened, and his breath hitched.
The air of someone approaching was so strong that the hairs on his neck prickled. With minimal guts, he turned and found a big man about to attack him.
"AHHHH!" Riko screamed loudly.
∆∆∆
"Noooo!" Riko gasped in surprise when he woke up from his nightmare. He immediately surveyed his surroundings with apprehension. His breath was panting like he was running tens of kilometers.
Again, the nightmare of that night's tragedy came back to terrorize him.
The young man hurriedly took medicine from the desk drawer and chewed it without drinking. That was the impact of prolonged trauma that caused him to suffer from an anxiety recorder.
"Calm down, Riko. Calm down… it was all just a dream." Riko trying to subside the panic that suddenly attacks him.
When it calmed down, Riko stared at the open apartment window. Either he should have closed. He moved to approach it, then looked around for the hideous figure but found no one.
"If I hadn't slept then, maybe I could have prevented the monster from killing my daddy and mother!" Riko cursed herself while looking at the city's beauty from the 25th floor.
Even though the city looks beautiful and charming, that can't cheer Riko's heart.
∆∆∆
The next morning.
Before going to campus, Riko took the time to visit the police station. An annoyed look greeted Riko's arrival. However, the young man smiled awkwardly at everyone passing by while holding back his embarrassment. They must be so sick of it.
"Excuse me, Sir. May I -"
"Why do you never get tired of bothering us?! All the cops here are busy! Get out, hurry up!" snapped Rudolf.
"But I have to meet captain Calvin. Just a moment."
"How many times do I have to say that your parents were killed by an assassin, not by a strange creature like your fantasy, you idiot!"
Riko lowered sadly. "But I witnessed it, Sir. I beg you to return to investigate the death of my parents. I want the culprit to be caught."
"So you want me and all the police to transform like superheroes and then fight those monsters using laser beams like in the movies?!"
Riko was not offended. "I want to know the real culprit. Am I wrong? Because I'm sure, the killer of my parents is a creature that was never considered real. Because of that, I want you to kill that creature like he took my parents' lives." Riko said softly.
"The creature, it's not real! Do you understand?!"
Riko was silent.
He doesn't know who else he should ask for help to unravel the mystery behind the death of his father and mother. In fact, justice enforcers have given up and no longer want to interfere.
It's been dozens of years, and Riko has never been absent from visiting the police station, searching for justice, or finding any clues. However, the police firmly said that both his parents died because of the work of a professional contract killer, but without presenting accurate evidence.
"Why are you still silent?! Quickly get out of here!"
"But-"
"Do I have to imprison you to give up?!"
"What's this commotion? Why are you both fussing in front of my office door?"
"Captain!" Riko smiled broadly.
"Riko? Why did you come here again?" Captain Calvin asked with raised eyebrows.
"I want to tell you something."
Captain Calvin sighed tiredly but didn't refuse Riko's request.
"Come into my room if you want to say something."
The two entered and sat across from Calvin's desk.
"What is that?"
"I want to ask you …."
"I want to ask you to return to investigate the mastermind behind the murder of my parents."Captain Calvin took a deep breath while massaging his forehead. He was very frustrated with the behavior of a young man who had lost his mind."Haven't I often said that your parents died because of a contract killer?""How can I believe you if you have never proved anything to me!" Riko protested, annoyed. "Even though I have clearly seen it with my own eyes, the spider demon had the heart to kill my father and mother!""You don't know anything, Riko. You better forget about this problem and live as a great young man who can make your parents proud." "Forget it?!""After all, this case was closed a long time ago. If traced back, there will definitely not be any traces of the culprit left." Riko growled angrily."I know you will never accept the tragic death of your parents. But if you continue to drag on harboring hatred, it will slowly destroy you more and more. So just let them be. Not al
Everyone will definitely say that Riko is crazy because he is desperate to prove the existence of mythological creatures with only an old map.Sometimes Riko also feels stupid for allowing himself to be toyed with by his own hallucinations. However, the death of his parents is enough to prove that the creature is real and exists.Before coming, Riko had already marked the places to be visited with a pen.Earlier, Riko had been fixated on the super small box symbol, so he had to see it with a magnifying glass.Riko doesn't know what the box is. But, it was enough to disturb his concentration. He had the urge to look for him but couldn't because he should save time on valuable things.Moreover, the main focus is to find traces of the creature's life.He walked according to inspired directions.The day goes by so fast. It didn't feel like Riko had been walking around the forest for more than three hours.Step by step, full of certainty, Riko walks through the forest according to the inst
Riko put it on a large rock instead of a table. "Wow! Very beautiful!" Riko's eyes twinkled in amazement, so he didn't blink when he looked at the beauty of the strangely carved old box.Riko examined the box to find where the keyhole was to open it. The mysterious box looks like a box in ancient times."What exactly is in this box? If it contains treasure, it should definitely be a keyhole to open it."Riko cleaned the box with his jacket to get rid of the dirt still stuck to it to find a hole."Shit! My map! Where is the map? It must have been lost when I was carried away by the avalanche earlier."Riko rushes to find the old map at the last place he fell.After finding it, Riko rushes back to the old box and examines all the symbols that can still be read to determine whether the box is related to mythological creatures."Tsk! Why does the ink have to disappear?! How do I read it!"After trying to read the writing, Riko suddenly exclaimed, "I have an idea!" he spontaneously snapped
A city is more appropriate to be called a village because it is not touched by modern culture and still relies on ancient defensive walls as a stronghold. But now is not the time of war.Riko has no choice but to enter the area and ask for help. He hoped someone would help him.Honestly, he was afraid. However, he was far more scared of dying from starvation.Finally, Riko arrived at the entrance gate of the city. Before entering, he gathered courage and steeled his resolve. Because he doesn't know what will happen next.Riko sneaks in. He was amazed to see the structure of the houses that looked strange in various sizes, big, medium, and even small like the dwarf house.Riko thought the city was a tourist spot with an ancient theme. However, after not finding any tourists, he was pretty doubtful.'Why is it so quiet? Has this city been abandoned just like that?'As Riko digs deeper, he is surprised to find more oddities and discrepancies. There were various giant fruits and strange a
Riko slowly opened his eyes and moaned softly. His head throbbed painfully. He frowned to look around but couldn't see clearly because his eyes were nearsighted. "W-where am I?" Riko muttered softly. "Who are you?!"Riko flinched in surprise when the loud scream pierced his ears. That voice is already familiar. He looked around to find the owner of the vote. A second later, he realized he was being shackled with his arms hanging down."What is this?!" Riko tried to free his hands but to no avail."Don't expect you can to escape from my prison!" A man wearing a crown of snakes suddenly stood in front of Riko with a fiery red gaze. Riko was stunned. "Aren't you...!"Draco frowned with a cold face. "Who exactly are you? Are you Morwen's accomplice?"Shit! Why can't my mouth ever cooperate?! Riko cursed his foolishness for suddenly talking with a devil."Quickly answer me. If you don't want to …!" Draco drew his snake-handled sword from its scabbard. "I kill you!""N-no! I'm not Morwen
"Don't kill me!"The blade broke Riko's shackles in one fell swoop.Riko slowly opened his eyes as the chain fell from his hands."Come with me," he ordered, then flew towards the air vent."Wait! How can I fly?!" Riko shouted angrily.The man snorted in annoyance. He came back down, gripped Riko's shoulders with his eagle-like feed, then returned to the gate."Hey! It hurts! Get off me!" Riko rebelled."Be quiet if you don't die," he said firmly.Riko immediately looked down. The creature was right. Now, he was at a height. If he fell, his body would definitely be crushed.The bird demon takes Riko away from the castle and manages to trick the guards."Actually, where are you taking me?" asked Riko in the middle of the road.The creature was just silent."Hey! Answer me!" Riko protested angrily. He couldn't just believe in stealth. For all strange beings are equally evil."If you don't answer, I will kill you!" Riko denounced and lost his mind.He only glanced at Riko briefly, then
All the students who were passing by immediately gathered around to watch Riko and Edward fight. They were shocked by Riko's bravery in fighting the wealthy young man.Edward clenched his fists tightly. He hated Riko's insolent attitude toward him. Riko not only dared to fight him but also insulted him. "You must die, Bastard!" Edward punched Riko, but the bespectacled youth swiftly caught his hand and twisted it back."Argh! Let me go!" Edward rebelled."Okay!" Riko kicked Edward's buttocks so hard that he hit the wall so hard that he was able to destroy the wall.Edward fainted from the violent impact that crushed his bones.Hysterical screams filled the college building. All the students who witnessed the incident immediately ran.Riko was stunned.'What am I doing?'∆∆∆"Are you crazy?! You almost killed Edward!" A middle-aged man scolds Riko."I just kicked him lightly, so there's no way he'd die. He must've just pretended to faint to amplify my punishment." Riko defended himsel
Riko walked along the path because the small way was the closest route to his apartment. "Hey! Idiot!"Riko suddenly stopped when Edward and his gang blocked the road. Even his enemy brought more friends than before."Why are you guys here? Isn't the way to your house not this?" Riko asked coldly.Edward grinned evilly as he played with his baseball bat. "You think we came to these slum streets to go home?"Riko's furrowed.Edward chuckled evilly. "Too bad. You're mistaken. Because I'm not as poor as you." Riko's fists clenched tightly.Edward is happy that Riko is provoked. "Why? Are you offended? You intend to kick me like at campus earlier?"Riko glared at Edward. "I don't know what I did wrong all this time. But if you guys go back to acting out of bounds, then I—""What?!" Edward demanded, defiant. "Do you intend to kill us all? Are you sure?"Laughter instantly resounded in the hallway.Riko gets even more emotional. He seemed to be burning with surging anger.'Calm down, Riko