Chapter 79~~ What a night ~~Knoxville, Dhemistaria…Ian ran his fingers back across his silver-white hair with a sigh. He was walking down the street when he passed by a local shop at his right arm side. The shop was constructed with long sticks and tarps; it was like a makeshift tent. And since the front side wasn’t covered, Ian could clearly see what the vendor was selling. Mirrors of different sizes were arranged in rows and columns, reflecting the twilight hue of the clear moonlit sky.What caught Ian's attention was the odd fact that he could see his reflection clearly on all the mirrors as though it was daytime. Fancied, he stopped his stroll and turned to look at the mirrors with squinted eyes. He felt it to be such a weird but yet amusing phenomenon.He noticed his new faux hawk hairstyle with side undercuts and he smiled. It took him back to a year ago when he applied for the position of a librarian after graduation. He had to cut his hair so as to look neat before the gru
Chapter 80~~ Whitegrail ~~Ring!!The bells on the analogue alarm clock, rang loudly with a shrill sound.The disturbing ring stung her ears and her head throbbed heavily. Throwing her right arm to the side, she melted the alarm clock with a stream of flames from her palm and the ringing seized.Serenity descended, but only for a short while as she could no longer dive into sleep. She was so sore and languid that she didn’t want to get up. Roughly wrapped in her white duvet with her chest on the bed, she waited for minutes to return to sleep, but it ended in futility.“Ugh…!”With exasperated grunts, she turned over and unfurled the duvet from her body. She sat up but quickly clamped her hands below her forehead. It felt so heavy, it was as though it’d fall off if she didn’t hold it in place. It took a couple of seconds for her forehead to feel a little lighter, then she shifted to the edge of the bed and stood up.A shrill influx of vertigo struck her and she almost collapsed to t
Chapter 81~~ Souls and Spirits ~~“What else would it be?” Ian scoffed as he dusted some stone crumbs off his white shirt.“She tricked us?!” Karen placed a hand on her temple.Ian tilted his head to look at her by his left and shook his head, “More like IT tricked us. That wasn’t Beth, it was the Phantom all along.”He returned his gaze to look at the dark being hovering above the decimated pub. He scoffed, “Tch. Who would have thought anything from Purgatory could be so calm and thoughtful?”From his perspective, he estimated the Phantom to be at least seven feet tall. It had no peculiar characteristics; just a body made of shimmering darkness and bloodshot eyes. It was just there, standing aloft with its arms wide open.Karen sighed depressingly, “She tricked us and I fell for it without hesitation.”Ian had rolled his sleeves up at this point. He lifted his hand and placed it on her shoulder, “You can’t blame yourself. Her words… Or rather, its words were intoxicating. Even I cou
Chapter 82~~ Intervention ~~“Wh-What is the meaning of this!?” the Phantom yelled with a quivering body. Its dark humanoid body was pale blue with various snow flakes matted on its skin.If not for the fact that it had no mouth and used its mind to speak, it'd have been left speechless.Ian was also freezing to death. His teeth gnashed uncontrollably.Karen was kept warm by her blessing's physiology. She pulled the Phantom’s hand from her neck and rescued Ian too. They staggered some feet back due to Ian’s heaviness and unstableness. Not only was he subconscious, he was also shaking from the cold.Her hands glowed a yellow hue and she placed them on his chest. His blue lips turned pink and his pale skin regained their vibrancy. He heaved a long sigh of relief as he held his tipsy head.“You good?” Karen asked while moving to stand by his side.He rubbed his glabella and nodded, “Yeah… Thanks.”The atmosphere was chilly and silent as more snow flakes fell from the heavens an
Chapter 83~~ In Preparation ~~Lumberville, Dhemistaria…It was forty minutes after seven in the evening and the two suns had vanished from the sky. The silver full moon stood in their place, dispelling its illuminated light on the realm.Inside a wooden bungalow, seated around the dining table was Ian and his family enjoying a sumptuous meal for the night. They were having boiled rice and stew for dinner. But that wasn’t all; three wide plates were placed on the dining table, each containing different species of fried meat. Ian ate with all seriousness and joy. It had been a very long while since he came to visit or tasted a meal this good. He and Kurt mostly went out to eat or ate cereals when they were broke and had no option. Even with the meals they had in diners and restaurants, Ian wasn’t satisfied. It just couldn’t be compared to the ones his mother made. This… maternal touch and taste was just one of a kind. The only person that had dared to stalemate his mother’s cook
Chapter 84~~ Hitched ~~The Royal Palace, Prime City, Dhemistaria…Amelia Cassius yawned to the dawn of a new day. She sat up on her bed and looked at the curtained windows with squinted eyes. The curtains were as light as veils, so one could easily see through the two wide windows. The veil curtains allowed just the right amount of sunlight to peer into the well decorated room.She tossed the large pink duvet off her body and got off the bed. The bed was so high, it reached her waist as she stood. It was also wide enough to accommodate almost ten people at once.Her armless silver night gown was very transparent and stopped above her knees. She yawned once again with outstretched arms before sitting on the bed. She felt weak in the knees and couldn’t afford to stand for too long.Her eyelids were half-closed as she stared out the window for a couple of seconds. She rubbed her eyes to clear the blurry vision before laying her back on the bed.‘Ugh… I’m so tired! Sophie won’t l
Chapter 85~~ Karma ~~Lumberville, Dhemistaria…Bang! Bang! Bang!A short spark flickered from the point of contact. Ian withdrew the hammer and wiped the sweat on his forehead.He was squatted in a roofed carriage, clad in an old brown vest and black leather trousers. His black boots were thick and almost touched his knees.He had just attached the first hinge to the upper part of the door, a task that took him longer than expected due to how sweaty his hands had gotten. He had risen up early and felt the urge to fix the carriage that had laid dormant in the stable ever since he came to this realm. If he could fix it properly and train the horse diligently, his mum and sister would no longer have to waste money on public carriages: and their safety while traveling would be more steeled.Oof… With a short exhale, he picked up the second hinge and placed it firmly on the door and the inner carriage wall. He nailed each side with three nails and rose to his feet with a grunt.“Ugh! Tha
Chapter 86~~ Convictions ~~“K-Khelian?” Amelia stuttered, her steel blue eyes sizing him up just to be sure she wasn’t seeing things.Ian had mixed feelings. Was he to be elated to see her after a year had passed? Was he to be mad that she never even bothered to reach out to him? He couldn’t see her due to the large margin in their status. No one would allow someone like him into the royal palace. He felt she knew this and should have at least sent him a letter or whatever means of nonverbal communication that this realm used.Howbeit, his sentimentality got the best of him. He couldn’t be more happy to finally see her after all these while. She was like a second Kira to him.‘She’s even gotten prettier. Heh… What’s Derek doing here though? And why are they standing so close?’ he kept staring at them blankly, lost in his thoughts.“Khelian? Are you okay?” Amelia asked, noticing how weird his gaze was.Ian snapped out of his thoughts with a chuckle, “It’s nice to finally see you agai