After what seemed like a short day, Zach and Emma returned to the inn at the 14 rose street branch.
Cleaning up, changing clothes and playing cards to wait for the night to come. Zach and Emma play cards without noticing that the sun has disappeared and the moon is starting to shine brightly.
Even so, the atmosphere was still bustling like a normal day in Amethyst City.
Realizing that, Zach sighed and tidied up the cards scattered on the bed. "Are we going back tomorrow?" Emma asked Zach.
Zach fell into deep thought. "There is no additional information regarding the city of Obsidia, does that mean it is now safe? Then what about the casualties that Astral dropped?" Zach muttered for a moment until he said casually "An extra day in town doesn't seem like such a bad idea"
Who knows what would happen if they returned to the city of Obsidia. After all, his time off as a Gate Keeper is one week. That's still plenty of time.
Being tired despite the little activity going on, Zach drifted off into his sleep after a while.
...
Amidst the endless darkness, a pair of red eyes opened as a rain of blood hit Zach who was standing straight.
He looked up only to notice a triangular symbol with three circles at each corner and two unequal lines stretching across the dark sky.
That of course made Zach react strangely, he fell while trying to find out what happened. The blood that had accumulated from the rain slowly rose to knee-deep and continued to grow.
"No, if this continues I'll drown" Zach tried to run even though the thick blood with the fishy smell affected his brain.
But wherever he turned, there was no way to go. It was as if the world had become a sea of blood. Zach stopped moving as a pool of blood reached his neck. His gaze turned upwards, the symbol began to move closer to the bottom.
And to the point where the pool of blood drowned him, Zach felt like he was falling down, as if being pulled by a weaker gravity than usual.
His body fell but also seemed to float. he is like a feather falling from the sky.
The scenery around him became brighter. Below, you can see the silhouette of a city with walls forming a semicircle. "Obsidia?" Zach muttered frantically as he looked down.
"Although the contents of the city are different, but I know the wall!" Zach thought back to the sturdy walls he admired.
Slowly, he stopped falling. He blinked and realized he was in a different place. This time it looks like a church. Two-column and several-row stools filled Zach's vision. There were no people in the chairs, and there was only the priest who seemed to be preaching on the podium.
In a moment a man's figure appeared from the side, opened the red curtain and stepped onto the podium. It was only in the form of a silhouette, unable to tell what kind of face or person it was. He was carrying a small tube in his left hand. He knelt in front of the priest, bent down and raised the palms of both hands which contained a small tube.
After that, the priest grabbed the small vial and ordered the man to stand up. The man stood proudly. Scraping his finger with a sharp object. Blood dripped and confidently painted a symbol on a small tube.
"Clourfuss symbol... That person performs the same ritual as me" Zach realized that, he wanted to speak but his voice didn't come out.
After a while, nothing else happened and Zach was back in a different place in an instant.
It's a jungle in the middle of nowhere. Trees four meters high block the sun with dense leaves and branches. The man from earlier was standing holding a sword that was also only a silhouette.
But the creature in front of him gave rise to a familiar feeling in Zach's mind. A figure of black smoke with glowing red eyes, the figure stood straight like a human, occasionally chuckling with a hoarse voice.
A Clourfuss symbol was etched into the ground just below the shadow creature. The shadowy creature is seen trying to get out but can't. There was a mysterious barrier that the Shadow Creature was trapped inside.
It was only then, the male silhouette said in a deep and gentle voice, "Become part of my hellish denizens"
Those words echoed and seemed to keep repeating in Zach's head. In a moment, the Shadow Being shouted in a hoarse and shrill voice. It was as if asking for help and interspersed with weak cries from a woman.
The shadow creature was absorbed into the small tube that belonged to the male silhouette. Leaving behind the figure of a young woman who fell and lay on the ground. No sign of life.
"Rest in peace, It has already paid for what it did to you" The man's voice was very gentle as if it was soothing.
And just as Zach's heart was touched, the scene stopped and He regained consciousness in a pool of blood, he couldn't see anything. Only the deep red color and the thick sensation drowned him out.
"I can't breathe!"
Time passed, it wasn't even two minutes before the glint in Zach's eyes disappeared. He closed his eyes and resigned himself to what was happening.
At that moment Zach jolted up on his bed. With sweat trickling down his back, the veins in his eyes were showing, and he held his neck to breathe.
As he panted, he looked around and noticed a familiar sight. It was an inn room. He immediately realized that what he was experiencing earlier was a dream.
Zach poured himself a glass of water and drank it to clear the strange feeling in his mind.
It's only one o'clock in the evening. just like when he woke up the night before. Zach wasn't sure if it was just a dream due to his overthinking about the ritual or if it was directly related to the ritual.
Just then he reached for the small suitcase hidden in the big black suitcase. The metal handle felt cold as Zach lifted it slowly. "I wonder what will happen if this is opened" This thought suddenly appeared in Zach's mind.
Because of his curiosity, Zach slowly opened the small suitcase. Shows its contents, it's empty!
Nothing happened after that. "I knew it, the ritual was doomed to failure" Zach leaned back and felt a little relieved.
He closed the small suitcase again and stuffed it into the larger black suitcase, taking another sip of his water before going back to sleep.
In the morning, Zach doesn't wake up until Emma does.
As usual out to enjoy the city. This time it was because they had surrounded almost all destinations in the Rose Street area. They decided to go to Dandelion Street, the biggest entertainment venue in Amethyst.
When they were fully prepared and fully dressed, they would head out until there was a knock before Zach even opened the door.
Zach opened the door without waiting. In front of the door, Leonard was seen wearing a round hat and holding his cane. On his right is a figure that Zach's eyes are familiar with.
He couldn't hide his surprised face, he reflexively said, "Captain?"
The figure of a tall man with withered hair and deep blue eyes. It's Dellon Daxter!