Chereads / Nexus Bond / Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: A Monster!

Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: A Monster!

"Wow," Mel said as she looked at the vast, gloomy fields. "They are so large; they're spreading to the horizon. Come take a look, Akira."

Akira was standing behind her, his face buried in a map. "I'm trying to make sense of this map," he said. "Cryo Lands, Pyro Lands, Lands Beyond... What are these names?"

Mel approached him, peeking over his shoulder. "See, there are three countries in Nexus. Pyro Lands is the desert country. Cryo Lands is the snowy country. And the Lands Beyond, where we live, is the country of greenery."

"It's so difficult to understand this map," Akira muttered.

"It's not that difficult," Mel said, rolling her eyes.

"He's probably lost some of his brain cells; that's why," Raz muttered under his breath.

"I swear, just let me find a way to separate us, and then you'll see," Akira snapped.

"Okay, stop it, you two," Mel interrupted. "Now, let's get moving."

They resumed their journey. As they walked, Akira pointed at something on the map. "Hey, Mel, what is this fourth land or island?"

"Huh? Show me." Mel squinted at the map. "I don't know. I even asked Grandma, but she didn't have any idea about it."

"Rumors say it's a treasure island containing vast amounts of gold, enough to satisfy humankind's greed," she added with a grin.

"Whoa, a treasure island?" Akira's eyes widened.

"I love gold," Raz chimed in.

"Yeah, me too. But going to that treasure island is hard. What if we get a treasure map for some other loot?" Mel said with a sassy grin.

"Stop blabbering. A treasure map, huh? Do you think we'll just stumble upon one?" Akira scoffed.

Just then, a piece of paper flew directly onto Akira's face.

"What the…?" he exclaimed, detaching the paper. "What is this?"

"No way! It's a treasure map!" Raz declared.

"What? Show me!" Mel snatched the paper from Akira's hands.

"I can't believe it. This is a real one!" she said excitedly. "Wait, the mark on this map… it's somewhere near. Let's go find it, Akira!"

Akira just stared at the map, speechless.

"Looks like his words came back to bite him," Raz said smugly.

"Hey, you, please shut up," Akira snapped, clenching his fists.

"You just keep waiting. I'll bring the treasure myself," Mel said and rushed towards the marked location.

"Hey, wait for us!" Raz shouted. "Akira, let's go!"

"Fine," Akira sighed and started after her.

After chasing Mel for a while, she stopped under a massive oak tree.

"This is it," Mel said with determination.

"Okay, then let's find it," Akira said.

"Wait, haven't you read treasure stories?"

"Read what?" Akira asked, confused.

"In every story I've read, a monster is always guarding the treasure. The monster can be anywhere—on the tree, below the ground, or in the chest."

Akira laughed. "A monster protecting the treasure? Watch this."

He walked toward the tree, touched it, and then sat down on the ground. "See? No monster," he said smugly.

"What if it's in the chest?" Raz suggested.

"Huh?" Akira frowned.

"It's confirmed—the monster is in the chest," Mel declared.

"Did you even hear what I said?" Akira groaned.

Ignoring him, Mel moved closer to the tree. "Now, three steps away." She walked three steps away from the tree and pointed to the ground.

"Here, Akira. Dig here."

"I'm not going to dig," Akira barked.

"Then who will?" Mel pouted.

"You want the treasure, so you do it," Akira said firmly.

"Oh, come on, Akira. I'm just a little girl," Mel said, batting her eyelashes.

"You're not little. You're fifteen and just unlocked your magic. Use it," Akira countered.

"Fine," Mel huffed and began digging with a shovel.

"Where did you even get that shovel?" Akira asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was lying beside the tree," Mel replied, focused on her task. But as she dug, she stumbled and fell.

"Hey, be careful!" Akira said, rushing to steady her. His eyes landed on a scar on her leg. "What's that?"

"Oh, you saw it. It's nothing. I got it in the forest," Mel said nonchalantly.

"How were you able to walk and run?" Akira asked.

"Please don't distract me. Let me work," Mel said, brushing him off.

"Never mind. I'll dig. You sit under the tree," Akira declared.

"Thank you, Akira!" Mel said, running to sit under the tree.

"What?!" Akira exclaimed.

"Now, begin," Raz said, smirking.

Akira sighed and started digging. Hours passed, and he unearthed a massive pit.

"Found the treasure?" Mel called out.

"No, nothing. There's no treasure," Akira grumbled, tossing the shovel aside. But as he moved, his foot hit something.

"What is that? No way… A chest!" Akira exclaimed.

"A chest?!" Mel shouted and jumped into the pit.

Akira pulled the small chest out of the mud, staring at it in disbelief.

"I can't believe it," he murmured.

"Open it!" Mel urged, her excitement palpable.

"Hey, how did you get down here?" Akira asked.

"I jumped," Mel said with a grin.

"Jumped? What about your foot?" Akira asked, suspicious.

"It's fine," Mel replied, sticking her tongue out playfully.

"You fooled me!" Akira barked.

"Oh, come on! Let's open the chest," Raz interrupted.

Akira slowly opened the chest. Inside, instead of treasure, there was a severed human head.

"What is it? Gold? Diamonds?" Mel asked eagerly.

"It's… a human head," Akira said, his voice low.

"What?! It's a monster!" Mel screamed and ran away.

"It's not a monster. It's just a lifeless human head. Look." Akira picked it up and brought it closer to Mel. She hesitantly peered at it.

"Thank goodness it's not a monster," she sighed in relief.

"How come just a head has a beard?" Raz asked.

"Yeah, weird," Akira replied.

"But I thought we'd get treasure," Mel lamented.

"Don't worry. We can sell this thing and at least earn a penny," Akira joked.

"Your ass would be worth a penny," a voice growled.

"Huh? Who said that?" Akira asked, startled.

"Not me," Raz said.

Akira looked at Mel, who shook her head in denial.

"Lift me up, you piece of shit!" the voice growled again.

"Huh?" Akira looked at the head he was holding.

"Yes, it's me speaking," the head said.

"A monster!" Akira cried, throwing the head away.