Numbers x Casket-Chapter 15: Strange Markings

Dead bodies scattered on the concrete pavement, debris of castle walls fell one after the other. The sound of explosions could be heard while screams and cries of people reverberated in the open place.

Efraim was startled by the scene right before him. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of this; it felt like a war or might be an invasion.

Fiends hovered up in the air while warriors died one after the other.

"Move! Faster!" a man covered with blood yelled.

Several people, mostly children, were following him behind.

He secured their path and killed every fiend that blocked their route. With just a single large sword, he sliced and cut the enemy in half.

Efraim ran towards them; despite not knowing where he was and what the heck was going on, he chose to give them a hand. He pulled out his blade and struck the monster on his way.

However, his eyes widened in surprise as his sword passed through the creature.

"What? Did I turn into a ghost or something?" he exclaimed.

Bewildered by this, he tried one more time; he extended his arm to touch the creature, but his hand just went through its body.

"No way," he whispered, shaking his head.

Given this fact, he went towards the group of people.

"Hey! Do you guys hear me?" he shouted at the side of them, calling their attention.

But they continued on their steps as if not hearing a thing. They didn't look at him, even a glance.

Dumbfounded and curious at the same time, Efraim went up in the air to have a grasp of what was really happening.

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But the moment he did, he covered his mouth, and he felt his body shivering from the view. It was not just a simple invasion; it was a one-sided massacre.

Thousands of human heads were suspended in the air. They were placed at the top of the stick struck on the ground while their bodies and flesh were being ravaged by a horde of monsters.

"Vile creatures," Efraim uttered, his voice laced with rage.

The next second, he noticed a fiend quite different from the others. It had a body almost similar to a human; it had slit crimson eyes and fangs protruding from its mouth.

"Is that a vampire?" he asked himself.

Then, he tried to activate his Flair, and the cyan hexagram pattern emerged from his left eye, but there were no numbers, not even a single figure.

While contemplating and staring at the entity at the same time, he saw it smile as if it could see him. This made him gulp and place his hand on the hilt of his blade, but a blinding light came, causing him to shut his eyes.

Afterward, he felt the surroundings turn dark, and upon opening his eyes, the scenery changed.

He now found himself in a dense forest where the only light came from the moon above.

The wind blew, and withered leaves drifted onto the air while trees whispered a soothing melody.

Efraim took a step, his eyes wandering around, but aside from the bushes and beast creatures lurking in the shadow, he found nothing unusual.

Though, his hand was still on the grip of his blade, prepared to unsheathe it any time. He continued to stroll despite not knowing his destination; there was no clear path ahead, nor even a trail on the grass.

A few moments later, he saw something glittering under the moonlight. Attracted by its brilliance, he walked towards its direction.

After a few strides, he reached his destination, and he couldn't help but sigh upon seeing the clear, tranquil lake.

"Not this thing again," he uttered, staring at the body of water.

He decided to move closer, and the beasts drinking on its shore scurried away.

'Did they see me?' he pondered.

Thus, he grabbed a tree branch, but his hand just passed through it like before.

"No, I'm not the reason why they left," he concluded.

And his intuition was correct, as right after he spoke about it, a man with a large frame walked beside him, and black tattoos resembling a massive turtle were carved on his skin.

He went straight into the lake and continued to advance until half of his body was submerged in the water. Afterward, he looked above; his face was blank; not a single trace of emotion could be found. He stayed in that position for several minutes until something materialized a meter away from him.

"That is..." Efraim uttered as soon as he saw the white casket floating above the lake. Then he reached for the thing dangling on his ear and realized that the object was still there. He stared at the scene before him; curiosity was present in his eyes.

The next second, the casket's lid opened, and a white chain was hurled towards the man. Despite not having any pointed edge, it pierced his chest with ease, shattering his heart.

Blood splattered on the crystal-colored lake as the chains were retracted back to the casket, but despite the grave injury, the man remained standing still. While the casket started to disintegrate into tiny fragments before vanishing without a single trace.

Efraim felt his head in a daze; his mind was spinning in circles, and questions after questions surged inside his thoughts.

He stepped closer towards the man; the dull expression on his face stayed the same, but upon seeing him up close, he noticed that there was sadness looming in his eyes.

"He's dead," Efraim uttered.

Several seconds later, the man's body lost its balance and sunk into the lake, sending ripples to its calm surface.

. . . . .

The sunlight coming from the window woke Efraim from his slumber. He opened his eyes bit by bit, and the same ceiling from before was the first one to greet him.

'A dream again,' he thought and massaged the temple of his head.

Afterward, he rose up and sat on the side of the bed. Then, he noticed his right arm; it was still black but not as dark as before; the natural color of his skin was slowly returning.

Then, upon inspecting it further, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. There were some sections that remained in a complete shade of black.

"Wait, these patterns," Efraim uttered.

His eyes squinted, trying to recall the man from his dreams.

Bold black lines with intricate design, creating a massive turtle shell on the back of his right hand. It had a long, enormous tail with a serpent's head on its tip, circling around the forearm all the way to his elbow.

Then a series of triangular shapes forming a silhouette of a sun spiraled next to his shoulder.

'It's exactly like what I see on him,' he thought.

However, no matter how long he contemplated, he couldn't think of other possible reasons aside from the white casket.

But a wide smile flashed on his face upon remembering the scene before he lost consciousness. Taking down a powerful monster with a single punch gave him immeasurable excitement.

Thus, he went outside and stood with his right arm on the ground while the other was behind his back.

"This is amazing; it feels great," he declared with delight.

Then, he clenched all of his fingers aside from the one next to his thumb. He bent his elbow and pushed himself upward. Despite repeating it several times, his arm showed no sign of fatigue at all.

'I think I can do this all day long,' he thought, smiling.

Afterward, a sudden thought crossed his mind; he looked at his left hand and placed it on the ground. Then, he switched his balance on it and placed his right arm on his back, but contrary to his expectations, his left hand felt numb after just a minute, and when he tried to stand with only a finger on it, his body collapsed on the ground.

As he tidied and straightened himself up, he saw a familiar silhouette walking in his direction. It was none other than the old man.

On his hands were several bags filled with fruits and vegetables.

"Captain," he greeted him with a delightful expression.

The old man returned his greeting with a smile.

"I see; you're already awake now," Captain Zed stated and tossed a green lemon apple to the appraiser.

Efraim caught it with his left hand and wiped one of its portions on his pants before taking a bite.

"It's sweet," he expressed.

Captain Zed chuckled upon hearing his remark, then he stepped closer to the young man and tapped his right shoulder before making a deep sigh.

Efraim was startled by his sudden action; he tilted his head as if asking. 'What was that for?'

But the next second, he realized that something was amiss.

Those pair of sunset-looking eyes, which always stared at him with excitement, were nowhere to be seen.

He looked straight into the old man and asked. "Where's Lindsay?"

. . . . .