The clang of a shovel striking something solid rang out like a bell across the night. Every man in the pit froze, spines stiffening at the metallic echo that rolled beneath the floodlights.
"Wait—stop digging!" one of the laborers barked, though his voice trembled with fear.
Rocky glanced at Jack. Their eyes met, wide with the same unspoken question. Had they finally found it?
The men swarmed back to the spot, striking furiously with shovels and picks. Soil flew, hearts pounded. And then, revealed beneath the loosened earth, something gleamed dully.
A coffin.
Not wood. Not stone. It was silver, darkened with corrosion and scarred with faint engravings. Thick chains coiled around it, biting deep into the tarnished surface as if desperate to hold something in.
The instant their fingers brushed against it, the air thickened. Chests tightened. Breath shortened. It was not simple fear—it was the primal terror of prey under a predator's gaze.
"This ain't treasure," one muttered, knuckles bone-white on his shovel. "This thing's cursed."
"Cursed?" another spat, though his voice shook. "Feels worse than cursed… feels alive."
One younger man, missing half an ear, stumbled back. "I'm not touching that coffin. They promised relics, gold, weapons. They didn't say nothing about this."
Jack's voice cut across the murmurs, cold and commanding.
"Do not be afraid. Tie it with ropes. Haul it out. Then your work is finished."
The laborers exchanged uneasy looks. Instinct screamed at them to flee, yet greed and the fear of punishment bound them in place. Reluctantly, they obeyed, wrapping coarse ropes around the chained coffin.
None of them noticed the crooked smile tugging at Jack's lips.
"Enough for tonight," he said, his tone calm, almost gentle. "Rest in your tents. At dawn, the coffin comes up."
The men exhaled as though reprieved from death itself. They climbed out of the pit and scattered toward their tents, shoulders sagging with exhaustion and dread. But not all found sleep. In the shadows, whispers passed like fever through the camp.
"We've been lied to. That's no treasure."
"Something's chained in there. I say we're damned fools for touching it."
"We could run—leave tonight."
"And go where? We're in the middle of Death Island, you idiot."
"…Better than being buried with that coffin."
None of them knew the truth. Their fates had already been decided.
Morning – Jack's Tent
The sun bled across the horizon, painting the island in pale light.
Jack woke early, crisp and sharp as though he had slept soundly. Moments later, Rocky entered, dark circles beneath his eyes, holding a piece of stale bread.
"Bread?" Jack frowned at the meager breakfast.
Rocky gave a nervous chuckle. "What'd you expect, brother? We're not at a five-star—"
"Stop calling me that," Jack snapped. His tone was ice. "On duty, it's Mr. Jack."
Rocky bit back a retort. Always with the lectures… he muttered under his breath and left to monitor the perimeter.
Alone, Jack reached into his pack and pulled out a sleek, black device. Its screen flickered once, catching the light, before he pressed a hidden switch.
Arcanis (East Continent) – Eryndor, G.P.F Headquarters
The vast skyline of Eryndor shimmered beneath a moonless night, the city alive with millions of lights yet silent at this height. On the top floor of the G.P.F Headquarters, Chief Matthew Vega stood alone in his office.
Hands clasped behind his back, he stared through the tall glass window, his reflection faint against the sprawling city. His face was etched with the weariness of a man who carried too many secrets.
Then—
Rrrrng… Rrrrng…
The shrill buzz of his satellite phone shattered the stillness. Matthew blinked, pulled from his reverie. Slowly, he turned, his boots clicking against polished marble. The device rested on his desk, its signal light pulsing red.
He picked it up, pressed it to his ear. His voice was low, controlled.
Matthew: "Yes?"
From the other end came a voice he knew well—measured, but carrying a trace of excitement.
Mr. Jack: "Chief, we have found the coffin."
Matthew froze. For a heartbeat, his chest felt heavy, as though the words themselves were too unreal to process.
Matthew: "Mr. Jack… are you telling me the truth? Did I hear correctly? You have really found that coffin?"
Mr. Jack: "Yes, Chief. You heard right. We have found the coffin we've been searching for, for many years. Eight long years we dug through the island of D.I. Tonight… we finally succeeded."
Matthew inhaled sharply, his pulse quickening. He turned back toward the window, but no longer saw the city—only the enormity of what this meant. That coffin… the very mention of it carried weight enough to alter the world.
Matthew: "Mr. Jack… I am sending a Sky-Ark. It will be waiting for you at the D.I. Exit Point. Meanwhile, I will arrange a meeting with the CEOs of G.P.F, W.N, and certain other leaders. Remember—this is the most confidential matter. Not a word to anyone else."
On the other end, silence lingered. Then a voice, calm yet laced with something darker.
Mr. Jack (with an evil smile in his tone): "Yes, sir. I know very well. It is most confidential. And… thank you."
The line went dead.
Matthew lowered the phone slowly, staring at it as though the weight of Jack's words still lingered in the air. Then, with deliberate calm, he sat at his desk. His fingers flew across the keyboard, drafting an encrypted message.
To: CEOs of W.N, senior leaders of the Council, and his own superior, the CEO of G.P.F.
Subject: Emergency Meeting – Priority Alpha.
He paused before hitting send. His reflection in the dark screen looked older than he remembered.
Matthew (thinking): After all these years… the coffin has finally been unearthed. The world will not remain the same.
With a sharp click, he pressed Send.
The die had been cast.
Death Island – The Betrayal
At the pit, the laborers had already returned, binding ropes to the coffin and straining to heave it upward. Sweat poured down their faces, rope burned their palms raw. Inch by inch, the chained silver coffin rose from the earth.
After a brutal effort, the coffin emerged fully from the pit, its corroded surface glinting faintly in the morning sun.
Jack stepped from his tent, his smile sharp as a blade.
"As I promised. Once you pull it out, your work is finished."
Then his voice hardened, dark as steel.
"And now, it ends."
The laborers froze. The words sank like lead. Their eyes widened as the truth struck them.
"You bastard," one spat. "You're not letting us leave alive."
Jack's gaze flicked toward Rocky. A subtle signal.
The first man lunged, shovel swinging for Jack's skull. Jack slipped aside; the metal scraped his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.
His eyes narrowed. "You dare."
The camp erupted.
Chaos consumed the pit.
Men swarmed with knives, pickaxes, and chains. Shovels cracked bone. Fists tore flesh. Blood sprayed across sand and ash.
Jack struck like a predator among prey. His boot shattered a man's jaw. His hand caught a blade, snapping it—and the man's wrist—before burying steel in his throat.
Rocky fought clumsier, panic driving him. Chains coiled around his arm. "Die, Noblesse dog!" a worker snarled.
"Veythur… kha'rel ignora!" Rocky cried, palm blazing. Fire exploded, engulfing his attacker. The man's screams melted into nothing, but the recoil tore through Rocky, leaving him trembling and weak.
"Idiot!" Jack barked, parrying another strike. "Control it!"
The fight became slaughter. Flesh burned, bones broke, skulls crushed. By the end, only two bloodied men leaned against the chained coffin.
"You'll have to kill us," one rasped. "But this coffin—you'll regret ever touching it."
Jack tilted his head, intrigued. "Why? Do you know what lies inside?"
The man spat blood. "Enough to kill you."
Jack smirked. "We shall see." He turned to Rocky. "End it."
Rocky's hand shook as he summoned another spell.
"Veythur… voren ignara'th."
The pit erupted in fire. When smoke cleared, only ash remained.
Jack seized Rocky's collar. "Fool. They were beaten already. Such waste. Push past your limit again, and you'll be useless before the real fight begins."
He shoved him away. "Burn the camp. Refill the pit. Leave nothing."
By noon, nothing remained but scorched earth and the coffin.
Then they both carry the coffin and stagger towards the Exitpoint ..
Extraction
It takes them a while to get there before the Sky-Ark arrives.
The rhythmic thunder of rotor blades split the sky as a Sky-Ark descended, its downdraft whipping sand and ash into a storm. The rear hatch yawned open. With a final heave, they shoved the coffin inside.
Jack climbed aboard first, face unreadable. Rocky followed, casting one last nervous glance toward the forest. His chest tightened.
"Mr. Jack," he muttered, buckling in. "Didn't you feel it? Someone was watching us."
Jack's gaze never left the coffin. "Of course. The crew was watching."
"No… not them." Rocky shivered. "Something else. Eyes that didn't blink."
At last, Jack looked at him. A shadow of a smile touched his lips.
"Then pray those eyes never open wider."
As the Sky-Ark lifted, Rocky slumped into uneasy sleep. But Jack stayed awake, eyes fixed on the golden cross etched into the coffin's chains.
"This should have stayed buried," he whispered. "But the arrow has left the bow. Nothing can stop it now."
Awakening of the Golden Knight
Far across the island, a golden radiance burst between the mountains. Light condensed into the form of a young man clad in luminous armor, a purple rosary glowing in his hand. His eyes opened—bright with divine clarity, softening into human warmth.
Lei Shan, the Golden Knight, had awakened.
Within his soul, his Master's voice thundered—calm, unyielding.
Master: "Lei Shan. The world has shifted in shadows. Your next command: Follow them. Follow the coffin. Do not be seen. Not by Noblesse, not by mortals. And when the time comes… act."
Lei Shan bowed his head, reverent. "Command accepted, my Lord."
With a burst of golden energy, he soared into the storming skies.
The Sky-Ark cut across the eastern seas, carrying Jack, Rocky, and the chained coffin into the unknown. Hidden from mortal eyes, Lei Shan flew beside it, cloaked in radiance.
The Master's game had begun.
To b continue