Golden threads slowly appeared, glowing inside a dark tunnel.
Thump. Thump.
They pulsed gently, as if inviting Eli to follow. It was mesmerizing.
Mr. Chad told him to follow his lead, but there was no sign of him. Only the pulsing threads.
Thump.
'It sounds like a heartbeat…'
Eli wondered if the threads were alive.
He clenched his fists. Should he follow it? He can't keep on standing there, after all. But he is also afraid. He has no idea what he will see at the end of the tunnel.
Eli shook his head.
'No, I decided to trust Mr. Chad. If I don't want anything to happen to grandpa and the people from the village, I have to do it!'
He clasped his hands and exhaled.
'Let's do it.'
His small feet started walking alongside the golden threads on the ground.
The small boy from the village of Oakenford began to follow the threads, ready to unravel the unknown.
Each step he took, the brighter it got.
Step.
Finally, the tunnel ends.
"W, woah…"
There, he saw two trees that were made up of golden threads.
As if someone had tangled and crumpled a bunch of gold strands until they took the shape of trees.
'It's too bright.'
He used his hand to cover his eyes from getting blinded from the sudden light emanating from the golden trees.
Eli gulped.
His nervous hand reached out to a strand sticking out on the left tree.
Memories began to flow the moment he touched it.
"Hmpf–! Mmrm!"
"Don't make this hard for both of us, kid."
"Hurry!"
"Go now!"
It was the scene at the inn when the kidnappers took him from the inn to the oak forest.
"Chad, he's not waking up. Did we screw up the amount of sedative?" The chubby kidnapper asked.
"You fool. It's because he's a kid! He'll wake up soon enough!"
It must be the memory of the tall kidnapper, Eli thought.
He could see the memories from his perspective.
Eli pulled his hand away, and the memories stopped.
"Haa…"
Even though he did not do anything apart from watching, he found himself feeling tired.
He remembered Mr. Chad's words to him.
'Come open the door to Verse 7, and access Memory Lane!'
'Verse 7, Memory Lane… just being here for a few minutes is already taxing.'
To think he really could see people's memories through this mark of his.
If he had not experienced it himself, Eli would not have believed it.
'How awesome are the higher Verses of Solomon's mark?'
Going from 12 to 0, if this is already the power of Verse 7, just how much more amazing are the Verses 6 and above? He was getting curious.
– Hey, stop wandering around. You're not there to sightsee.
Suddenly, Mr. Chad's voice echoed.
It made Eli snap out of his thoughts.
"Mr. Chad? Is that you?"
A scoff echoed.
– Who else could it be, you brat? Hurry up and finish what you came for. Look for the strands sticking out of the tree. They should contain the most recent memories of these sleazebags.
'Strands sticking out? Ah.'
He looked at the thread he just let go of earlier. It must be the one Mr. Chad was talking about.
'Right, Mr. Chad helped me get here so we can erase their memories of everything that happened in the village.'
He was about to touch the tree but pulled out at the last second.
"M, Mr. Chad, how do I erase the memories?"
– How, you ask? Just pull it out.
"Pull it out?"
Eli frowned. Both trees are massive, and the threads feel durable. Is it even something that can be pulled out so easily?
– Just pull it out. Once the thread loses its glow and gets disconnected from the tree, then the job is finished.
He hesitated, then fixed his eyes on the glowing thread again.
'Is it really that easy?'
Nonetheless, he decided to trust Mr. Chad's words. He held the same thread into his hands.
Memories poured into his mind once more.
Eli started pulling it from the tree. He could feel the tree resisting, but he gathered as much strength as he could to pull it out.
"Eh? Ah!"
He fell to the ground while holding the thread that was just pulled out. The golden thread slowly dwindled out its light, until it looked empty.
The thread used to have a pulse earlier, but now, it's gone.
'D, did I do it? Is that it?'
He tried feeling the thread again to see if it still has a pulse, but he really cannot sense it anymore. Instinctively, he knew immediately it had died out.
That piece of that man's memory is now gone forever.
For some reason he did not understand, his hand touched his neck. Is it guilt towards the person who got part of their memory taken away or fear of his power? He was not sure.
Eli got up from the ground and pulled the threads one by one that contained memories of either his village, him, or Mr. Chad in it.
When he pulled out the last strand sticking out from the left tree, he started coughing.
"Cough, cough!"
'W, what is this? It feels like air is being sucked out of my body!'
"Cough!"
– Eli, hurry up and do the other side. You're about to run out of time.
He heard Mr. Chad's voice again.
– I'm gonna have to pull out your consciousness in a few minutes. Move now if you don't want to get stuck there!
"Y, yes, sir!"
Eli jumped up.
'If I don't want to get stuck here? I could get stuck here?!'
Eli's eyebrows furrowed as he ran to the other tree, clenching his chest.
He started pulling out the sticking threads as fast as he could. He felt the air surrounding him getting thinner. He was now aware of what it meant.
If he doesn't finish this as quickly as possible, he will suffocate and get stuck there! That's the last thing he wants to happen. No matter how mesmerizing the view in this place is, it was nothing but a part of Solomon's mark.
The danger he never felt before started creeping up on him.
One, two, three threads…
His mind started panicking. He was not even fully sure anymore if he's picking just the right threads. He took another strand sticking out. His hand froze when he saw the memories from it.
"Boss, we found a kid who has a mark."
He was seeing things now from the chubby kidnapper's perspective. He was holding a transparent crystal ball and speaking to it.
"What mark is it?"
A voice answered from the crystal ball.
"We're not sure yet. But we already got the kid on our hands."
The chubby man replied.
"Hmm… alright, get on the nearest branch as soon as possible. I'm on my way there, anyway. I'll see what you have."
Although he could not make out the man's appearance from the crystal ball, he sounded rather happy. Eli was sure the man was grinning at the very least, when he said that.
"Yes, boss."
The call ended and the chubby man put the crystal ball down.
Eli's hand trembled.
'They really got someone backing them!'
He gritted his teeth and pulled the thread out with so much force, it made him bounce back.
'Nearest branch? Just how many do they have?'
Countless thoughts filled his mind as he pulled out the remaining threads sticking out.
"Mmh–ugh! Haa… haa…"
He fell to the ground.
'I, it's finally done… but, how do I get out of here?'
He looked at his surroundings. The glowing trees were the only thing piercing the void.
– I'm pulling you out!
"Huh?"
His vision slowly became twisted. His head ached and it felt heavy.
The sensation of his body being torn apart came back and he couldn't help but scream.
"Augh–! Ah!"
His eyes teared up. Just having felt it once seemed like torture, but to think he had to feel it twice on the same day.
It really is too much.
"Stop being a crybaby and wake up."
"Ah!"
Eli opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Mr. Chad's face. He had his hand on his chin, as if he got bored waiting for Eli to wake up.
"Mr. Chad… is it done?"
Eli's body suddenly felt lighter. The pain vanished as if it was never there to begin with.
Chad pointed to his sides, where the two kidnappers are unconscious.
"Yeah, I confirmed it."
He grinned at Eli,
"I was worried you would cower out, but you still managed to do the job. Aren't you quite something else, you brat?"
Eli was stunned. His face started heating up.
"I, it's because of your guidance, Mr. Chad."
He started feeling shy.
"Of course, it is. How else could a brat like you pull it off, if not for me?"
Chad scoffed at his comment as if stating the obvious. He moved out of the cart.
"Anyway, I'm taking these guys with me. I have to get them away from the village."
"Mr. Chad, you're going now?"
Chad patted his head.
"I have to go now before they regain consciousness. I can't be bothered to do the same thing again."
Eli bit his lip.
Even though it has only been less than a day, a lot has happened. He didn't want Mr. Chad to go, but he also can't ask him to stay.
"C, can't I go with you, then? You told me earlier that I can't stay here anymore."
Chad sighed.
"Hey, do you understand what you're saying? I did say that, but you're gonna have to leave your grandfather here alone."
'Ah…'
Eli looked down.
He almost forgot. How could he forget his grandpa? He felt ungrateful. It hadn't been long since his grandpa took him in, but he couldn't just leave him that easily behind.
Chad looked at him silently.
12 years. An orphan who was taken in by a kind old man.
The way he sees it, that inn owner has around 3 to 5 years left to live, maybe even less. He was nearing the end of his mortal life.
For Chad, a span of a few years is nothing. Humans have one of the shortest lifespans in the mortal realm. It was nothing new.
But for Eli, who didn't know anything else, that old man must be his everything.
He wasn't lying when he told Eli he can't stay in the village anymore. However, he also wanted Eli to make a decision he would not regret later on.
The surroundings became brighter as the sun rose.
The forest is no longer dark.
Chad turned around, only to see a black-haired boy with bright green eyes looking at him, determined.
"Mr. Chad, please let me come with you!"
Eli bowed his head to the ground.