Numbers x Casket-Chapter 30: Raging Hatred

Efraim was startled by the sudden statement coming from the casket. Excitement consumed his heart, but he chose to help the other equators first.

He glanced at them, and along with Daniel, he dragged the two individuals back towards the ground surface.

They laid them down, and Daniel checked them once again. Their bodies were still burning in some sort of fever, though they were drenched in sweat.

Thus, Daniel decided to take their clothes off, and he started with Michael. However, to their surprise, the moment he removed his robe, he saw the veins around his chest with an unusual color. Then, he checked Nathan's body as well, and it was the same as Michael's.

The black veins were crawling, expanding on the other parts of their bodies.

"What are these?" he asked and glanced at the appraiser, waiting for an answer.

Efraim shook his head; after all, he had no idea what happened to the both of them, but after a second of contemplation, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

"Maybe... maybe that's the reason," he uttered.

Then he gazed at Daniel and spoke again.

"Guard them out for a while! I'll try saving them!" he said with a determined expression.

Curious about his statement, the warrior gave him a wandering look. However, the appraiser didn't say a single thing and proceeded to head back towards the burrow.

"Hey!" Daniel called out.

However, the only response that he got was Efraim's disappearing silhouette.

. . . . .

Underneath the ground, void of any light, the appraiser wandered. Despite enhancing his eyesight with energy, the extreme darkness still made him blind.

Though, little by little, his eyes became accustomed to the dark space, and after several strides, he arrived at the area with the nauseating smell.

He controlled his breathing to minimize inhaling the substance that caused the foul stench, but as he continued to move forward, the smell turned so bad that even though he breathed with his mouth, he could still smell the unwanted fragrance.

'I'm starting to feel my body getting warmer,' Efraim thought, beads of sweat protruding on his forehead.

The next second, he fell on his knees as he felt unusual pain coming from his chest. Then, he coughed up a mouthful of blood as he tried his best to stand up.

With the use of his black blade, he used it as a cane and proceeded to move forward despite the stench and the pain.

As his suffering continued, he noticed a speck of light coming from a distance.

'A little bit more,' Efraim thought; black veins started to appear all the way to his neck.

The brilliance at the end of the tunnel became his only hope; he believed that the unknown reason for the toxic smell was in there; thus, he endured a little further.

However, his expectations betrayed him; the moment he stepped out of the light, he found a creature glowing with an unusual radiance, and lying around it were carcasses of spider-scorpion monsters.

"I'm doomed," Efraim uttered while looking at the predator staring back at him.

Wings similar to a dragon and white scales covering the entirety of its body built the creature's outside appearance.

Its black eyes glared at the trespasser, and it soon stood up from lying down.

The appraiser froze in place; he had no idea how to defend himself in such a state. He couldn't even stand straight due to the unknown pain.

Though he still tried his luck, his left eye shifted into a magic circle, and figures appeared on top of the drake's head.

The appraiser gulped upon seeing the number sixty-seven gleaming in crystal white color.

'Is there any way out here?' Efraim still managed to chuckle at his situation, but when the monster stood up, its towering presence crept inside his mind, and fear loomed on his face.

However, he still had hope present in his eyes, so he unsheathed his other blade and held it in a reverse grip while the Serpentine Fang was still struck on the ground as his support.

Without averting its eyes from him, the drake took a step forward. Efraim gulped a mouthful of saliva, and his grip on the blade turned even tighter. However, his jaw dropped at what happened next.

"W-What the?" Efraim stuttered while staring at the scene that transpired before his eyes.

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With both of its claws dug deep in the ground and its head bowed to the point that it touched the dirt as well, the outrageous creature kneeled before him.

"You took too long to arrive. I, Cyanide, greet the Harbinger of Destruction," the monster spoke, which caused the appraiser to be more puzzled.

'Harbinger of what?' Efraim thought while trying to digest the creature's strange actions.

While still holding his blade in the reverse grip, he took a step forward. His heart was pumping so loud that he could hear its every beat.

"I-I don't understand," he stuttered as he tried to communicate with the drake.

"W-What exactly are you? And your words... What do they mean?" he added, still stammering from the pain and curiosity.

It took the beast several seconds to answer; it just stared at him with its sharp black eyes.

"So, you're still clueless about it. I'm a remnant of the Silver Hemlock, and I've been waiting for a millennium for you to arrive," the drake replied, which caused another confusion for the appraiser.

Efraim didn't reply; he waited for the beast's next set of words, but before the drake spoke, it first stood up and pointed its claws at the white wooden earring.

"That casket! The moment that thing showed itself to the world signifies the end of an era, and you..." The monster paused and looked straight at the man's eyes before continuing. "Its chosen vessel will be the one to bring chaos and destruction."

However, instead of gaining understanding from what he heard, Efraim became more confused.

He shook his head, trying to reject the monster's words.

"Me? Destruction?" he said in a questioning tone.

Then, in that specific moment, a sudden thought came knocking on his head. The scene on that specific day, the question written with blood.

'If the world's destruction were to be put in the palm of your hands, how would it end?' He remembered without uttering it out loud.

"But why? W-Why me?" He asked as he glanced at the drake.

His vision was starting to get blurry, and the burning pain coming from his chest reminded him of his current state.

However, he remained still, waiting for the drake's answer, but the excruciating pain became more intense and made him fall flat on the ground as his consciousness drifted away from its body.

The beast stepped a little closer and stared at him, its glowing radiance turned even brighter.

"It's not you that the casket chose; it's the raging hatred you have for this world that you keep hidden deep within your soul," it stated, and its body transformed into a speck of light that soon flew towards the wooden white earring.

Afterward, the voice coming from the casket reverberated in the whole place.

"A monarch's relic has been absorbed. A portion of the Silver Hemlock's abilities has been granted access," it notified, and a streak of light wrapped around the appraiser's body.

. . . . .

Two years ago in a city located somewhere in the Oriental Plains, a man with hair darker than black and eyes that looked like small spheres of darkness walked down the street.

Dressed in black leather armor with a touch of crimson linings, he garnered the people's attention. Though, some of them had their focus on the blades strapped on each of his legs.

"Kier!" A sudden yell coming from behind made the man halt his steps.

Then, with a side glance, he looked to where the voice came from, and a smile protruded on his lips upon seeing a woman waving at her.

Green-colored hair braided like a waterfall and eyes with a vibrant orange hue made her the crowd's center of attention. Partnered with a captivating smile, she was like a goddess descended from above.

"Xenen," the man uttered as he reciprocated the warm smile.

Afterward, upon closing the distance between them, she threw her arms around the man and kept him in a tight embrace.

"Are you leaving again without saying goodbye?" the woman asked, pouting. Her eyes had a tinge of sadness.

The man raised his hand and gave her a soft flick on the forehead.

"Ouch, what was that for?" She exclaimed in amusement and let go of the man.

She rubbed the part that the man had touched and gave him a glare.

Then, her emotion shifted once more as a smile flashed on her face.

"Don't forget to bring me something when you return," she stated.

Without waiting for his reply, she stood on the tips of her feet, enough for her lips to graze the man's.

"Take care!" she exclaimed, her cheeks having a flush of embarrassment.

. . . . .