Mort completed the task given by his master then sprinted back to the cabin. His impressive agility allowed him to cross considerable distances in a such period of time. He would either jump over the obstacles like a monkey or run on all-fours, looking no different than a cheetah.
However, as he was close to returning, he came to an abrupt spot.
“...”
The undead scratched his head in confusion as he swept his gaze across the group of people. Like him, they were startled by his unexpected appearance, instinctively unsheathing their blades.
There were three of them, all wearing suspicious black robes with a purple symbol on the right shoulder. The one at the left, who was the only one with his hood down, scrutinized Mort with a bewildered and surprised expression.
He was an old man with little hair left on his scarp, a dirty face, and a pair of squirming eyes that had tattoos around them.
They stared at each other for a couple of breaths before the zombie let out a chilling cackle,
“Pardon me, but… you’re in my way.”
Hearing an undead talk shocked the black-robed people. Even the old man was rendered speechless, but before they could respond, Mort kicked the ground and performed an impressive leap.
He passed them with a single jump and started running away, uncaring about their intentions or reactions.
“Sicard?”
One of the three, a woman, looked at her superior and questioned with a confused voice.
“After it!” Shouted the old man, Sicard, who had yet to process what he had just witnessed.
It was rare to see an undead in such a place, however, what was more shocking was its human-like behavior and its ability to speak so coherently.
Although it wasn’t part of the plan, Sicard didn’t want to miss this opportunity. If he were to bring back a mutated undead, the rewards he would receive would surpass that dangerous mission.
The three black-robed cultists chased after Mort for about an hour, but they saw no signs of him.
The excitement that filled Sicard had quickly died down, replaced by disappointment and regret. If he had acted fast and attacked the undead the second he laid eyes on it, things would have developed differently, perhaps.
“We still have a couple of days until the meet-up. We’ll look for it.”
The woman agreed on the spot, but the third cultist was hesitant. He lowered his hood and sniffed the air while frowning,
“We’re diverging from the main path, Sicard.”
“So what? It’s not like there’s anyone left in the forest.”
“But the Holy Knights-”
Sicard cut off his companion and grunted in annoyance, “The Holy Knights will not disturb us. Tartan made sure of that.”
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The sky had turned dark and the massive forest south of Blackcrest was dominated by an eerie silence.
Arthur and Evelyn were welcomed by William and Nayri had welcomed the two unexpected guests and were gracious enough to let them spend the night with them.
However, the cabin was small, to begin with, so the parasite and maid had to sleep in the living room, which was just the empty space between the kitchen and Anna and her parents’ rooms.
The two guests were given light blankets, which they slept on to avoid the hard wooden ground.
Unlike previous nights, Evelyn didn’t converse with Arthur, she quickly fell asleep while sleeping on one side.
As for Arthur, he kept looking at the roof while in deep thought. He was feeling rather sleepy, but for the past couple of days, he had been re-experiencing the same vivid nightmare; a fragment of his past and something he wished to forget already.
Unfortunately, he suspected that Fate itself was forcing it on him, wanting him to dig deeper and figure out the truth instead of turning a blind eye and acting as if nothing happened.
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‘I wanted to turn a new leaf and enjoy life the way I see fit. Damnit! Was it really a coincidence that I saw ‘it’? Or was it the orchestration of some Godly entity? Sooner or later, I’ll have to come to a decision.’
He turned his head to the side and looked at the soundly sleeping Evelyn. She had been with him through thick and thin, and he had come to trust her after all that happened. Without a doubt, she was dependable and worthy of having around. However, Arthur knew that she lacked personal ambition, willing to blindly follow him around either to satisfy her curiosity or to, for want of a better word, give spice to her previously monotonous life.
Still, knowing what he knew, Arthur wanted to keep her away from the truth. It wasn’t going to be a murder investigation but something more sinister.
‘Shall I ask her directly? After calling her my friend, It would be hypocritical of me to decide for her, no matter how dangerous it’s going to be.’
Soon, he closed his eyes and entered a nightmarish slumber.
The vivid scenes, which were the fabrication of his mind, were unbelievably realistic. Arthur felt as if was a young boy again, innocent and ignorant.
The sole solace found in that nightmare was the presence of Christopher, his best friend, and only family.
Back on Earth, he was the only person Arthur would blindly trust without asking anything. The two of them grew together and experienced many hardships.
The cries of the villagers and the sound of breaking bones and crushed bodies were suddenly cut-off by an a loud panicking cry that woke up both Evelyn and Arthur.
The maid jumped to her feet, two glistening silver blades in her hands as she looked at the source of the shout.
Arthur followed suit, green mist oozing from his hands and swirling around him.
When they looked at Anna’s room, they saw Nayro on the ground, shaking uncontrollably as she pointed at a tall black silhouette standing under the moonlight piercing through the open window.
Even someone as strong-willed as Evelyn was filled with dread and shock. She forgot to breath as she laid eyes on the frightening figure with a pair of shining red eyes and folded wings.
It was definitely a monster, and a frighteningly strong one, at that. Its massive hand was holding an unconscious Anna as it turned its head ever-so-slightly and gazed down at the fear-stricken Nayri.
The mother, albeit wanting to save her child, couldn’t move. Her cries ceased and she soon fell unconscious from the shock and dread.
“Evelyn!”
Arthur tapped her back, snapping her out of her daze; A burst of mist came forth, enveloping him as he shot toward the obscured monster.
Alas, just as he was about to reach it, it vanished into thin air, leaving the parasite confused.
“Stay here!”
He motioned for Evelyn to take care of the unconscious Nayri. Then, he whistled, which made Furball jump out of the darkness and screech.
The parasite and the rabbit jumped out of the window, planning to chase after the monster even though no traces were left.
Meanwhile, the startled Evelyn composed herself and tended to Nayri. When she made sure the mother was physically unscathed, she finally noticed a body lying next to Anna’s bed.
It was that of William, but the head was missing and the skin was unusually pale as if all the blood had been drained.
“Master…”
Although she resisted the urge to follow Arthur, Evelyn’s couldn’t help but worry. The feeling she got from that entity had completely paralyzed her. It was the first time in her life she experienced such dread and helplessness. She felt like a powerless ant at the mercy of a God, unable to let out any sound, much less flee for her life.
Only Arthur was able to keep himself sane and charge forth, but, ultimately, his attempt to intercept the creature was an abject failure.
…
Using the agent’s nimble body, Arthur dashed between the trees with Furball in front of him.
The vampiric rabbit seemed to be able to locate the monster, its snow-white hair fully erect as it kept screeching in discomfort.
Despite its fear, it followed its master’s orders and did its best to chase after the target.
‘It’s the same! The same one! I must not let it get away!’
Arthur wanted to save Anna, but his main objective wasn’t just that. It was personal reasons that pushed him to recklessly charge ahead, his mind obsessing over the past, which seemed to be repeating itself.
The fear he was feeling was extinguished but overwhelming relief… relief that he had always been right, that he wasn’t crazy. It was too late to change the past, but that didn’t mean he was going to let it go, not when an opportunity presented itself.
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“What to do…”
Mort looked around but wasn’t able to pinpoint his location. He sat on the ground and threw a tantrum as he complained,
“I’m lost! Looooost! I hate forests.”
He kept grumbling and mumbling to himself for several minutes, stopping only when a towering figure appeared right in front of him.
With a disinterested look and bored expression, the zombie raised his head and looked at the monster.
“You smell bad. Very bad.”
“...”
The monster, which was over 2 meters in height, had scales covering its legs and arms, and a pair of folded bat-like wings, scrutinized Mort for a bit.
“Hey, isn’t that?”
Mort pointed at the unconscious Anna in the creature’s large hands. He remembered that she was William’s daughter.
“You are not welcome here.” Muttered the monster with a cold voice.
Surprisingly, when Mort tried to wrestle the girl away, the monster flinched and backed away, clearly unwilling to come into contact with him.
“Give her back, you piss-smelling…emm… I forgot the insult.”
Mort scratched his head in embarrassment, lowering his head and trying to remember a provocative word.
“Piss-smelling shit! That’s it!”
Alas, the monster was already gone, leaving the zombie confused and alone.