My breath hitches. In this dark room, with the sacrificial altar, the one I believe is called the Traveler is standing in the middle while all of us are hiding. But his gaze, which is hidden through a dark veil that blocks his features, seems to have locked into the one that no one else can see.
He is staring directly at Karina.
She gasps when she notices he is looking at her. I am hiding behind a beam in the basement, and she is close to me.
How? So far, I have been the only one able to see her, the only one that can interact directly with her. Why is he capable?
Just who is this guy?
He starts to walk towards her.
Okay... what do I do?
I don't get why I am so paralyzed... I cannot move. Something about him creates a heavy aura that fills the room completely.
"A-Amber... he cannot see me, can he?" Karina asks while looking worried.
He shouldn't be able to. I want to answer but I know I cannot.
Each step he takes feels like a reminder of danger, a threat that constantly lurks close to us.
The whispering increases in volume as he closes in. But it is intelligible. I cannot understand a single word from the voices that seem to follow him.
And then he stands right in front of Karina.
I hold my sword, I am ready in case he attempts something.
I won't let him hurt Karina.
He stretches his arm...
"Ah!" She yelps, and I am ready to cast a spell-
And it fazes through her. His arm goes through her ghostly body, and Karina doesn't move. Maybe worried that any movement would tell him she is there.
He grabs something from the wall behind her, while she is paralyzed in terror.
I just observe, he is so close, I keep I stop breathing in case he can hear me.
He grabs something from the wall, I manage to hear something being lifted that was hanging and then he moves to the altar.
He looks at the message and places his hand on the surface.
What is he doing?
He takes the sacrificial knife... and stabs it into the body!
What the fuck is he doing?!
Then he turns around and... leaves.
He slowly goes up the stairs, like he is trying to make his presence known even when he is going out. Then the slam of the door.
I wait for a few seconds before leaving my hideout.
"Ah... what the..." Karina starts to react. "H-how... he didn't see me, right?!"
"I don't know... heck, for a moment I thought he was on to you, Karina."
"Wait... he saw the spirit?" Lisa asks.
"I don't know..." I am still confused with what just happened.
I stare at the body now with the dagger stabbed on the chest, in he heart.
"Who was that?" Lisa asks again.
"I think that is the Traveler we have been hearing so much about." I answer.
"That is the bastard that threw you into the dungeon?" Aurelia asks. I answer with a nod.
"Is the same guy... what is his fucking deal? I did not see what he took."
"It was a keychain." Karina explains.
Then maybe he took something we could use to figure out this whole mess. Why did he appear right now while we were exploring this nun?
"I have the feeling he knew we were here." I answer.
"What? Then why didn't he attack us?" Aurelia asks.
"I don't know..."
"Then we should search around this place. If there are any other clues left, we have to find it before he comes back!" Lisa says with determination.
I agree, we should start searching for anything. Maybe there might be something we could use to find out who the Traveler is and what it wants.
But as we are getting ready to start exploring the rest of the place...
...the System shimmers in.
[You have 10 seconds to leave that place.
Run now]
!!!
"Everybody, out!" I scream without giving it a second thought.
I start running.
"Huh? W-what?!" Aurelia says.
But as everyone notices the urgency in my order, they follow behind me. A countdown starts at that exact moment.
We run up the stairs. The countdown is going down, not waiting for us.
Aurelia throws herself at the main door, breaking it open with her body and launching herself out.
"Come out!" She screams.
I let Lisa go out first, I follow and-
*BOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
A powerful explosion happens when I step outside, the wave pushes Lisa and me into the street. My ears are ringing and I fall on top of her.
I am dazed, the explosion made my whole world shake and start shaking. I cannot think straight.
"Hey! Are you okay!" Aurelia is screaming at me, until I finally can understand her and she helps me up.
I turn around and see the house completely ablaze and destroyed. What the hell just happened?
"Shit... one more second and we would have been caught in the explosion." Aurelia explains while she helps Lisa up.
"H-how did you know?" Lisa asks.
"W-well... I"
But before I could answer, another image caught me off guard.
Aurelia and Lisa follow my gaze.
In a semi circle there are 4 dead chickens with a note attached to their necks.
"What the fuck!"
Aurelia catches one and grunts when she reads the name.
"Amber..." She says. "It says your fucking name!"
I check the others.
Aurelia, Lisa, Karina... What the shit?
"What is going on here?!" A voice speaks loudly, and it gets our attention.
Is the general we met the other day, approaching us while looking angry.
"Oswald." I answer, while still holding the chicken with Karina's name.
"Explain yourselves! Since you all arrived in town, we've had monsters appear, a school taken by criminals and now you blow up a house?!" He says, pointing out at me.
"We are dealing with a situation the Mayor asked us to." What is his problem? Someone literally attempted to kill us. "It's not like we are the ones causing these situations!"
My eyes catch on something behind Oswald. Someone is standing not too far from us, hiding their face with a cloak. He starts to run when I notice him. But I know who it is.
"Shit. Aurelia is the same guy from the other night! The one that left the chickens!"
"What?" Oswald turns around.
"He is not escaping!" Aurelia screams and sets flight, starting a chase.