Chapter 10

Artificial Happiness (Part 2)

The silence deafened them.

Georgies was leaning on the wall, trying to catch his breath and eyed the greatsword that fell close.

Keith and Royce exchanged a quick look, realizing this was their chance.

Royce lunged forward, kicking the greatsword further away from Georgies' reach, while Keith was alert of his advances and struck with his axe. Georgies faltered and dodge out of the axe's reach, he was further from the greatsword now.

With Georgies disarmed and temporarily stunned, the children regrouped.

Keith raised his voice, steady and resolute, "Loyd, we might not have broken the gem, but you stopped him. That's what counts."

Loyd took a shuddering breath, glancing back at the crimson gem. It was still intact, still humming with dark energy—but the spell it held over them seemed to weaken, if only for a moment.

Georgies snarled, scrambling back to his feet, his rage darker than ever. "This isn't over! You're nothing without me!"

But the children didn't flinch. The three of them figured that focusing on Georgies at the same time was a win-win move now that Loyd and Keith aren't enchanted by the gem.

Royce felt some pride after seeing the three of them look courageous.

He took a step forward to lead the group's first attack together... but his eyes found something behind Georgies and hesitated out of reflex.

Georgies staggered back, eyes blazing with rage as he clutched his injured wrist. "You think this'll stop me?! You'll all—"

Thwack!

The rich man stumbled, eyes going wide then slumped forward, out cold.

Behind him stood a blue haired girl with tearful eyes, shivering as she stared at the body who fell.

It was Ynez, gripping a shovel with both hands, her face a mix of terror. "Please tell me I didn't kill him... No, right?"

The three boys blinked in stunned silence.

Loyd was the first one to break it, his voice barely containing his disbelief. "Ynez?! What… what are you doing here?"

They stepped over Georgies and huddled around her, glancing down at the fallen figure and back to Ynez, who looked as if she were bracing herself for a scolding.

She gave an awkward shrug, glancing between them and the unconscious Georgies. "I… um, couldn't sleep. But you guys moved suspiciously so I acted like I was... and then… I saw you guys sneaking out and I followed."

"Followed us?!" Keith looked incredulous, torn between annoyance and gratitude. "And… when exactly did you decide to knock him out?"

Ynez's cheeks turned red as she shifted the shovel to her other hand. "I… uh… well, I saw Georgies. And he looked terrifying, so I might have… kind of… hid behind that stack of crates for a while."

Royce let out a snort, trying not to laugh, and Loyd covered his mouth, stifling his own chuckles.

Ynez huffed, defensive. "Hey! I didn't know you'd all just keep poking at the relic until Georgies showed up with that sword of his! But when I saw him attacking, I knew I had to do something, so… here I am." She brandished the shovel, her expression growing more sheepish as they looked at her.

Despite the tension, the moment had a surreal humor to it. Royce grinned, clapping her on the shoulder. "Well, next time, maybe don't wait until someone's about to be skewered?"

Ynez sighs and nodded, knowing full well that someone could've died if she didn't step out fast.

Keith shook his head, unable to hide a smile and patted her head. "Alright, team. Now that we have our… surprise backup, let's focus. We need to destroy this relic, or we'll be back to square one."

The four children took their places, standing shoulder to shoulder before the crimson gem. Its sickly glow pulsed, casting sinister shadows across their faces. They steadied themselves, gripping their makeshift weapons with renewed determination—armed now with a bit more courage, and an unexpected ally.

But then, their hearts sank.

At the top of the staircase, a thin beam of light slipped through the crack under the door. Dawn was breaking, and with it, the gem's hold over the tranced people would soon return.

"Sunrise…" Keith's voice wavered, barely a whisper.

Then, faint but unmistakable, they heard footsteps—heavy and deliberate—echoing down the stairway.

They exchanged nervous glances, backing closer together. Ynez's hands tightened around her shovel, and Loyd swallowed hard, his gaze flickering between the gem and the stairs. Their breath held, waiting for the sight of the enemy who would surely overpower them.

The footsteps grew closer.

A shadow appeared on the stairwell wall, tall and imposing.

Stolen story; please report.

Keith's pulse hammered as the figure turned the corner. He took a deep breath, bracing for a final stand.

But as the figure stepped into the dim light, they were met not by Georgies or another guard—but by Eliron.

The relief was overwhelming, though his sudden presence puzzled them.

Eliron, despite the modest figure of a child, held himself with calm authority. He glanced over them, taking in their wide eyes and trembling grips, before his gaze settled on the crimson gem, its red light reflecting in his dark eyes.

"Good," he said, his voice low and soothing. "You're all safe."

Loyd let out a shaky breath, loosening his grip on his weapon. "Mister dragon… we tried. But the gem—it's too strong."

Eliron's gaze softened for a moment before he stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the pulsating relic. "Stay back."

As he approached, the crimson gem seemed to sense him, its hum growing louder, the red light intensifying as though in warning. The whispers swirled faster, more desperate, filling the air with promises of happiness, fulfillment—anything to keep him away.

But Eliron's expression remained impassive, his calmness unbroken. With a single fluid motion, he reached out, his hands bare, and took hold of the crimson gem.

A deep rumble echoed through the room as the children watched in awe.

Eliron's grip tightened, and beneath his human form, his strength as a dragon surfaced. The gem pulsed violently, its light flickering as it strained against him.

Then, with a final crack, the crimson gem shattered in his grasp. Pieces of it fell to the ground like fragments of glass, each shard dull and lifeless.

Silence filled the room.

The children stared, wide-eyed, as Eliron dusted his hands, his gaze steady and serene. He turned to them, offering a small, reassuring smile. "Sometimes, it's easier to face things together."

For a moment, they just stood there, processing what they'd witnessed. Then, one by one, they each exhaled, feeling the weight of fear and tension lift.

Royce managed a nod of gratitude. "Thanks… we really thought we were done for."

Eliron's smile deepened just a fraction. "You did well. But next time, let's make sure everyone hears about your plans, alright?"

The four children exchanged tired but determined smiles. They'd conquered one of their greatest fears, and with Eliron's help, they now felt ready to face whatever lay ahead.

The dragon, in the form of a child, led them back to the camp.

Royce followed behind, but before leaving he crouched down and took hold of a fragment of the crimson gem. He packed it in a small cloth and put it on his pocket.

"You're here."

Nameless was seated by the entrance of the mansion, she was wiping her hands.

The five who just came felt a sense of déjà vu.

Upon closer look, they were right. She was wiping blood off again from her hands, casually scrutinizing them with her pink eyes that only demons had.

From the side of the castle there was a large fire and the smaller children kept throwing twigs and sticks on it, "What are you burning?" Eliron asked.

"Bodies..." Nameless answered in a low voice.

She was hesitant at first but gave them the truth. Nameless was happy that they all came out unscathed.

Just before eating, a few hours ago, Nameless who had just reprimanded Georgies talked to the three boys and gave them instructions about the [Artificial Happiness]. She was worried at first but it wasn't that dangerous of a job after all.

"I couldn't find Georgies anywhere, did you deal with him?"

Ynez gulped after remembering what she did and nodded before walking towards the other children to help, leaving the four boys.

Nameless followed Ynez with her eyes and asked again, "Ynez is soft... Royce, did you deal with him?"

At her question Royce shook his head, "We wrapped a rope around him but he's still unconscious at the basement... Oh by the way," He handed her the crimson gem fragment wrapped in a cloth. "Here's the fragment."

It was the size of a palm.

"What are you gon'na use it for, saintess?" Loyd pondered as he walked closer.

The earlier terrifying entity was just like any other gem now.

Nameless took the gem and scanned it towards the sun, with a serious gaze. "The relic is activated two times, making the relic's structure and doing a ritual. Depending on the size of the crimson gem, the ability gets stronger but it also means that they need more power to activate it through ritual. We've broken the structure and now we just need to deactivate the ritual."

"Does that mean that even if we destroy it, it will become active again if they fix it?" Keith asked.

"No. I'm saying that the structure is just a vessel but the brain, which is the ritual, is active. When a body is injured, doesn't the body heal? It's the same thing. The relic is an entity when it is activated. One with a size of a palm like this probably needs about ten buckets of blood... The number of beings doesn't matter but the blood has to come from a fresh body to be strong."

"How do we know if it's deactivated?"

"Crimson gems are made with blood as I've mentioned. When it's deactivated it turns back into a pool of blood." Her eyes were downcast, gazing at Ynez from afar who wiped the off the children's who brought wood.

"Then what about the ones in the capital?" Keith progressively asked, concerned.

Royce stepped up, "The fragments are with us."

Hearing that the group sighed in relief.

Nameless smiled after seeing their reactions and stood up, she went towards the children and asked them to stop fueling the fire.

There was a pungent smell in the air.

Eliron walked up to her who was rummaging something in the knapsacks they had, "Did you send those children while knowing it was dangerous?"

His question came from a hushed tone but he was serious. If he wasn't there, who knew what would happen to the children or what if it was already too late when he reached them?

They weren't people he had spent a lot of time to the point of calling them friends or family, but they are comrades.

"It's not that dangerous. Believe me. If Four wasn't around, we wouldn't have had to stall for time and just attacked Georgies. Four is really dangerous even more so with a crimson gem, Georgies didn't have one."

"So where's that kid?"

"He's with me." Nameless said casually and pulled a dagger from the knapsack. She turned away, "I'm leaving for a bit. Please stay here and watch the others."

Without even waiting, Nameless walked away with a serious face with Royce and three smaller kids following.

Eliron sighed. He could never get a read on her but it seems that she only shows her true colors with Royce.

According to the kids that Ynez was asking, Nameless came bringing 3 bodies and asked them to burn it. She was a dangerous kid who was calculative but he didn't realize just how thorough she worked.

Frowning, Eliron walked over to the others.

Keith was giving instructions of raiding the castle...