Numbers x Casket-Chapter 38: All Hail Celestia

Flashes of white emerged from Efraim’s body, then a hand so pale tapped on his shoulder, and the silver strands of hair came into her sight as the monarch appeared, hugging him while floating behind his back.

"Your blood is a cheat, a tool designed to kill in silence," she repeated, her lips whispering next to his ear.

The appraiser was startled by her sudden appearance; after all, the moment he accepted her proposal, she displayed no evidence of her existence.

"Is it okay to show yourself here?" Efraim asked while his eyes took a glance at the old man and Lindsay.

However, the Silver Hemlock erased his worry as she replied. "Fret not, you’re the sole person who can see my soul."

Afterward, she went away from Efraim’s back and flew towards the horned gorilla, a smile so wide plastered on her lips.

"Do you want me to teach you something as well?" She asked before turning around and giving the equator an enticing gaze.

Without waiting for Efraim’s reply, she raised her hand and showed her wrist to the appraiser.

"Make a small cut; let your blood flow like a waterfall," she stated.

Curious about her words, Efraim glanced at his wrist and slit it with his blade. Lindsay and Lien, who saw this action of his, squinted their eyes in confusion.

Upon seeing him obey her command, the Silver Hemlock continued giving the instruction.

"Then use your energy to create thin needles out of it," she said.

Even though puzzled with how to do it, the appraiser concentrated; he focused on controlling his energy and letting it wrap the droplets of his blood, but it was easier said than done.

His energy failed to shape his blood, but after a few more attempts, he got the hang of it.

"Great! Now, give this fat, ugly beast a prick and watch him suffer pain worse than death," the Silver Hemlock uttered, her voice sweet and filled with excitement.

Efraim stared at the needles floating above his palm. Then he glanced at Lindsay’s grandfather.

"What would happen if your beast gets killed?" he asked with a worried tone.

"They will return to my body, and I won’t be able to summon them for a certain period of time," Lien replied with a curious expression.

The appraiser smiled after hearing his answer. Then, without further ado, he flicked one of the needles towards the gorilla.

"I’m glad they won’t die for real," Efraim stated.

The object made from his blood pierced the beast’s belly; however, it was so thin that the wound it made couldn’t be seen due to its fur.

"A blood compressed to a needle," Lien uttered while stroking his chin.

He turned around and looked at the giant beast. At first he noticed nothing unusual and even made a comment.

"That won’t hu—" he was in the middle of speaking when the monster roared in pain, causing him to stop and give it a glance.

Afterward, the gorilla lay down on the ground while its hands clutched its chest. Lien and Efraim watched its struggle, its massive size rolling from discomfort.

Then blood started to leak from its eyes and mouth, even on its ears and nose. It began convulsing to the point that the ground shattered due to its continuous movements.

Seconds later, it stopped moving, and it turned into a puddle of ink that soon moved towards the old man’s arm.

Confusion could be seen plastered on Lien’s face; however, his mind was filled with questions about the scene that transpired before his eyes. Then, he looked at the young man standing some distance away from him.

’What in the world are you?’ he asked inside his thoughts.

Though he wanted to blurt it out, he chose to keep his silence as a sign of respect for his granddaughter. But still, he couldn’t help but worry about Lindsay’s safety.

"I think I need to visit Riel for a cup of tea," he uttered in silence.

Meanwhile, the Silver Hemlock stared at the blood scattered on the ground.

"See? Your blood is the most lethal thing you have right now; a single drop could end someone’s petty life," she stated with confidence.

Afterward, she glanced at the appraiser, and the edges of her lips curled into a satisfied smile.

"Remember that," she said before her silhouette disintegrated into flashes of white.

. . . . .

Lindsay, who was watching from the sideline, covered her mouth in shock and amazement. She couldn’t believe that Efraim managed to harm one of her grandfather’s familiars.

’He’s growing at unimaginable speed,’ she thought.

Afterward, she noticed the blood still dripping from his wrist. Thus she ran towards him and grabbed his hand. However, to her surprise, the appraiser retracted his arm away from her and gave her a startled look.

"W-Why?" Lindsay asked, stuttering, confused by his sudden action.

"Careful, my blood... It’s dangerous," Efraim replied as he lowered his gaze.

However, as if the woman didn’t hear his warning, she still held his arm and chanted a healing spell. A small magic circle appeared on the open wound; it lit with a green-colored hue, and the small cut started to close.

"Done!" Lindsay exclaimed and diverted her gaze straight to the appraiser’s eyes.

"Thank you," Efraim expressed.

Lindsay smiled at him and walked around him to check if he had any other wounds. Upon seeing that there was none, she reverted her eyes straight on Efraim’s.

"You really don’t fail to surprise me. You’re a lot stronger than before," she commented with praise.

"Indeed, even I was surprised by what you did," Lien chimed in on the conversation.

Then, he looked at the faded tattoo of a horned gorilla on his arm and spoke again.

"How long has it been since the time when someone managed to kill one of my familiars?" he added, stroking his chin.

Efraim couldn’t help but smile upon hearing their remarks; however, despite their words of affirmation, he still felt lacking; he was dismayed. Even though he defeated the beast through his blood, the fact that he failed to hit or manage to give Lindsay’s grandfather a scratch left a bitter taste on his tongue.

Thus, without any tinge of hesitation, he looked at the old man and bowed his head.

"Please! Teach me how to improve my fighting style!" he pleaded with strong conviction.

Lien widened his eyes for a moment, then he stroked his chin and glanced at his granddaughter.

"Very well, I’ll impart my wisdom on you; I won’t let you leave without learning all of them!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw Lindsay nod.

. . . . .

The time passed in a blink; the sun hid itself from the world while the moon spread its dim brilliance throughout the sky. Despite the night getting deeper, the activities in the capital city of Celestia made the place so alive.

People were still scattered in the middle of the streets where beautiful lanterns hung on the establishments’ walls.

Everyone present was enjoying themselves, from the taste of alcohols, the stunning performance of performers, and the savoring aroma of different delicacies to even the colorful orbs floating above the sky, which added another layer of excitement for the incoming festival.

Then, the clock continued to tick, and the bell chimed twelve times, which signified the start of a brand-new day. Afterward, a plain magic circle appeared above the whole city. The people paused for a moment, wondering while staring at the complex pattern glowing in the sky.

Murmurs followed while others experienced fear when curiosity invaded everyone’s line of thought. They discussed the magic circle, and as soon as it emitted a bright light, a voice so loud reverberated throughout the whole place.

"Greetings, citizen of Celestia!" it said, and upon recognizing the owner of the voice, the people shouted with excitement.

"It’s the Grand Lord!" someone screamed from afar.

Then, when the voice spoke again, the city came into silence. The Grand Lord had all of his people’s attention.

"It’s finally the day we are waiting for! The day of the festival! Though we have a slight change for the main purpose of this celebration, I do believe that the people are still willing to participate and obtain my daughter’s precious hand," Riel declared.

He paused for a second to catch a breath before continuing.

"Aside from this, the Magic Tower prepared a lot of amazing prizes for other events. Our Nine Pillars especially picked up these things. So let us come together, enjoy the ear-deafening rhythm of the music, the delicious food available for all, and watch to our hearts’ content as we search for Celestia’s next ruler!" Riel stated, giving emphasis to his last set of words.

The crowd went wild upon hearing his declaration; the sound of Celestia’s next ruler made them suffer from delusions.

"I, Riel Nightfall, as the ruler of this place, now officially declare the opening of the festival!" he announced, and hundreds of fireworks shot above.

As the outburst of colorful explosions scattered throughout the sky, the people, even the children who were still awake, chanted with exhilaration.

"All hail Celestia!" they said.

. . . . .