"Why on earth is the staff here?" That was the first thought that flashed through his terrified mind. He spun around, desperately searching for any sign of someone else in the house. This staff was held by the strongest individual in the Human Dome Sect, so the sect leader must be nearby, he reasoned.
Fearfully, he backed out of the living room, keeping his back against the wall and his eyes trained on the menacing staff. He had never heard of a staff casting spells on its own, but he wasn't about to risk his life to find out.
He climbed the stairs as quietly as possible, but the creak of the aging wood betrayed him. Despite the noise, he continued treading upwards until he reached the second floor. He questioned the purpose of his cautious movements. What point was there in sneaking up on the most powerful figure in the world? Wouldn't the leader detect his presence anyway? Surely, the sect leader must have been aware that he had returned home, considering the racket he undoubtedly created when he forcefully opened the door and entered the house, let alone his panicked dash to the television.
With a mix of trepidation and resignation, the cashier approached the closed door to his room. Though he knew there was no point in trying to sneak around silently, he couldn't bring himself to run either. His steps were steady, yet the thought of the sect leader potentially waiting within filled him with foreboding.
The cashier questioned whether he should knock before entering his own room, or just barge in and feign surprise at the leader's presence. After a moment of hesitation, he opted for the latter and gingerly raised his trembling, sweaty hand to the door handle. Despite his best efforts, his weak movements did not budge the door, and he cursed the shaking of his hands under his breath. Fear seemed to have taken over his being, leaving him frozen in front of his own room.
The cashier released a sigh, his gaze fixated on his trembling, sweaty hand on the door handle. Though he couldn't see his own face, he was well aware that his expression must have mirrored his inner turmoil. He exhaled for what seemed like the thousandth time that day and squared his shoulders before bracing himself and turning the handle.
He pushed the door open and stepped into the room — only to find... no one.
The room looked untouched, just as he had left it before leaving for work that morning. His bed was undisturbed, the curtains still in their place, and there was no sign of any intruder. The room was quiet, but that silence only made the pounding of the cashier's heart resonate louder in his own ears. He stood there frozen, his breathing erratic.
The cashier cautiously entered the room, his eyes flicking around in search of any signs of an intruder. He checked behind the door, anticipating that the sect leader might be playing a joke, but the space was empty. He even looked under the bed, but found nothing. His gaze then fell upon the closet, and with a single motion, he opened it, but to no avail.
In the room, it seemed that he was alone, unless the sect leader had used some concealment spell. The cashier took a deep, steadying breath, expecting to catch a whiff of something out of, but he was greeted only by the scent of the familiar room.
so the cashier withdrew from the room, closing the door behind him.
The cashier quietly made his way down the hall, visiting each empty room in turn. His bedroom was just as he'd left it, and there was no sign of another presence in any of the rooms on the second floor either. Back on the first floor, the same scene played out — no one was around.
When he approached the bathroom door, he hesitated, his hand trembling as he knocked thrice on its surface. Long silences stretched between each knock. After receiving no response, he slowly pushed the door open, revealing an empty room.
Having scoured the entire house in search of the sect leader, the cashier returned to the living room. He had anticipated finding the sect leader, seated in the room, staff in hand, but instead, the living room was still just as he had left it. The shattered glass remained scattered across the floor, and the staff continued to rest eerily on the table.
For a moment, the cashier was at a loss, unsure of what to do next. However, a sudden thought struck him like a bolt of lightning — perhaps the sect leader was not in the house at all.
This revelation came when he looked at the broken window. The staff had entered the house through the window by itself, seemingly without the presence of anyone else inside. If the leader had indeed been present, he would have no reason to break the window when the door was perfectly functional. The question that now plagued the cashier became: why had the staff come to his house?
Alongside the terror coursing through his veins, another emotion began to creep into his heart — anxiety. The staff had arrived on his doorstep for a reason, and the cashier couldn't shake the feeling that it was meant for him and him alone. The arrival of the most cherished possession of the Human Dome Sect filled him with dread.
He cautiously approached the glowing staff, its light undimmed, and slowly lifted it, surprised by its lightness despite its heavy appearance.
As a youth, he had often looked at this staff with hope, imagining the day when he would be worthy enough to carry it. However, as he grew older and wiser, that dream faded. The cashier never thought that one day he would find himself holding the staff in his trembling hands, but instead of the expected joy and pride, there was only terror and anxiety.
The staff glowed so brilliantly that the entire room was illuminated, causing the cashier to close his eyes.
In the darkness that enveloped him, he suddenly found himself standing in a vast empty field, surrounded by countless glowing stars of different colors. The staff was still in his hand, its light shining brilliantly in contrast to the darkness around him.
"Greetings, my last clan child," echoed the ancient voice in the vast space.
The cashier turned to see a man with grey hair and a heavy, thick beard, his face adorned with radiant red lines, like the very fires of life's essence. Clad in a grey robe that extended to his feet, the old man's appearance belied his age. Though he looked like an ancient sage in his eighties, his formidable stature indicated otherwise.
Drawing himself erect, the old man stood tall compared to the cashier's own slightly bent form. This was none other than the Sect Leader Lamji Yali Irma, his presence exuding an aura of profound authority.
The cashier gazed at the Sect Leader intently, noting that his appearance had seen little change since their last encounter three years ago, when he had been expelled from the sect. While a few additional wrinkles had appeared on the old man's face, it was expected considering his age.
However, the hologram standing before him was not the real Sect Leader, but rather a recorded message that had activated upon the touch of... the final member of the clan?
"What does he mean by the last person of the clan?" the cashier pondered. "What became of the other members of the Human Dome sect?"
"When this message reaches your hand, it means that the Illuminati staff has indeed found its way to you," the Sect Leader spoke calmly, as if time were of no consequence.
The cashier's eyes widened in surprise when he heard the Sect Leader speak his name, "Darnip Umi Irma."
"All members of the Human Dome Sect were tragically slain during the invasion," the Sect Leader continued, his heavy words hanging in the air. "Now you are the sole individual carrying the blood of the clan within your veins, which signifies that you are the only one in this world with the capacity to wield the Illuminati staff"
The weight of the sect leader's words bore heavily upon Darnip, who felt the staff's weight for the first time. His knees trembled, and a layer of sweat coated his face despite the absence of any heat in the space. Yet, the sect leader seemed undisturbed by the revelation. Darnip couldn't determine the reason for his calm demeanor, whether it was due to the fact that the sect leader was merely a hologram or whether he had accepted the fate of himself and his clan.
"The invader arrived from beyond the seas," the sect leader continued. "The clan fought valiantly to protect humanity, but despite the substantial damage inflicted upon them, the enemy's superior numbers ultimately prevailed. They mercilessly extinguished everyone in the clan, determined to ensure that no one would stand in their way as they claimed human lands for themselves."
"With the collapse of the Human Dome Sect, humanity's hopes for survival have vanished," the sect leader continued, his words hitting Darnip like a tidal wave. "By the time the staff reaches you, the invaders will have already reached the boundaries of human land."
The shocks kept coming, leaving Darnip speechless. The Human Dome Sect was gone, and humanity's chances of survival were non-existent. But why send the staff to him? Did the clan truly believe he could defeat the invaders that had overwhelmed the entire sect?