chapter 6

Strange Casket

The atmosphere underwent a dramatic shift the moment they stepped through the door of the room because darkness permeated the entire space of the room.

   they could hardly make out anything more than a few meters distant from their eyes. As if it was not unusual enough, the temperature inside the room was also different from the temperature outside the door. That was a very strange occurrence. 

   Even though they were Knights and this temperature was not sufficient to kill them, all of them started to shiver as the room started to radiate a cold chill. This was because the cold was somewhat unbearable.

  Nevertheless, there was something special about this chill; it was as if the iciness reached all the way through to the very core of their existence.

"What in the name of God could this possibly be?"

  One of the knights was simply unable to suppress the need to share his opinion and spoke up.

  He did not get an answer to his inquiry, and nobody else in the group had any idea what was going on or how to explain it.

   They were startled out of their minds as they heard a voice coming from behind them. Mr. Smith addressed the group, saying, "Gentlemen, I believe now is the appropriate moment to turn back."

  After having heard Mr. Smith's voice, they started mumbling, and if you had listened in on their conversation, you would have been able to tell that each of them was beginning to consider the possibility of escaping.

The room was just too cold and ominous that no one in their right minds would feel comfortable inside it.

  Sky did not utter a single word, and it appeared as though he had absolutely no interest in what they were chatting about. Even though he couldn't see what was in the middle of the room very clearly, he had a tremendous need to alleviate whatever it was that he sensed was there. His attention was entirely focused on the middle of the room.

  "What is it exactly that keeps bringing my my attentionthere?" As Sky felt the felt a strange voice calling to him, he wrinkled up his face in annoyance. He never in his life had any interest in going into this room, but he had no choice but to do so because he was ordered to.

  And at this point, the strange call seemed to desire him to be at this particular area.

  He was completely incapable of comprehending anything, despite the fact that, based on his previous excursions his heightened senses had made into this region, he was aware that there was danger in this location, and that most likely a very powerful demon called this place home.

However, he was completely incapable of understanding anything. And at this precise time, each and every aspect of his being urged him to proceed on into the danger that awaited him.

"If I followed the advice given to me by my intuition, wouldn't it lead to my own demise?"

While Sky was deep in thought, he felt someone touch him on the back. This tap appeared to have startled him awake and brought him back to the current moment.

   "Young man, where do you intend to go?" Sam questioned him after noticing that he had gone quite a distance from where he had been standing earlier in the conversation. 

   Sky rubbed his forehead and questioned loudly, "What the heck is wrong with me?" as sweat rolled down his cheeks. He was astounded by the fact that he had come so close to entering the next section of the room before realizing what was going on there.

  Once they had finished listening to what Mr. Smith had to say, the other members of the group all turned around to gaze at Sky once more.

"What in the the world is wrong with that young lad, why did he suddenly advance ahead of us?"

  Someone else commented, "He's gambling with his own mortality; I can't believe that he actually wanted to go any further without us?"

Sky completed her turn around and started walking in the direction of the other individuals.

   They were all looking at him in a strange way as if they were trying to figure out why the weakest member of the group would charge an unknown danger first.

he addressed everyone in the room and suggested that they turn around at that very now.

  After everyone had listened to what Sky had to say for a time, there was a considerable amount of stillness until they all started nodding in agreement with what he had said. After that, there was a transition into the next phase of the conversation.

  Even Aron, who had a strong aversion to Sky, was of the opinion that ever since they had entered this room, he had felt all of the hair on his body stand on end, and a freezing coldness had descended on him as if he were standing in front of the grim reaper. Which is why Aron's ultimate goal was to get away from this place as quickly as possible. Nothing else mattered to him.

  They were all experienced Knights who had slain a great number of demons in a variety of demon grottos, so it wasn't that they were terrified of death; rather, the strength that was flowing from deep within the room was something that they definitely couldn't fight against.

The person in charge of the group scrutinized the appearance of each individual. In spite of the fact that each of them had successfully eliminated a significant number of demons in a variety of demon grottos, they were all frightened.

  The commander stated his assertion with complete self-assurance, "Then it is agreed,  shall we return."

   After everyone had a chance to take in what the leader had to say, they all let out a collective sigh of relief and commented, "yes."

Because the laws governing the Knights Order were so strict, in the event that the group's leader had been against the decision being made, the other members would have been required to cast their votes on the issue first.

At precisely the moment when everybody was getting ready to head in the other direction

"Bang!!"

The reverberation of a loud boom could be heard throughout the entire space, and it seemed to permeate everything.

The door had been entirely closed at this point.

"I fervently wish that what I have been led to believe is not the case.

  Everyone, including Sky, followed the leader as he dashed in the direction of the room as he made the statement while he was rushing there. 

As Sky made his way to the area of the entry, he ran into the leader of the gang, as well as the other individuals who had arrived there before them. They were all huddled together close to the entrance, and each person was making as many tries to unlock it as they could.

Sky also tried to attack the door in the same manner as the other people, but the door did not bulge in response to his attacks.

Aron's voice broke into a frenzy as he yelled, "What are we going to do?" After the door had been shut, he had been absolutely petrified, and he was angry with himself for having chosen to go into the chamber in the first place. "Just what is this freaking place."

The gang continued to pound on the door even though it did not open, and they did so without ceasing. Sky was the only one who had stopped banging on the door; the peculiar calling that had almost dragged him deeper into the room had become stronger after the door had been closed.

   The gang, however, continued to pound on the door even though it did not open, and they did not cease doing so at any point.

In this very instant, he was putting forth all of his strength and extending his senses further into the room in an effort to find answers to the questions that were being raised in his mind as a result of the events that were taking place. He was looking for answers to why only he was affected.

"Scrrrrrrrrr"

When a loud crumbling sound sounded from further into the room, the remaining members of the party immediately stopped what they were doing and glanced in the direction that the grating sound had originated from.

They were unable to see very far into the chamber due to the darkness that encompassed the area; however, based on the sound, they were able to deduce that something was moving around inside the room.

After that, the darkness that had been enveloping the entire room started to recede gradually in the direction opposite of where the sound was coming from.

The darkness, which had previously encompassed the entirety of the room, moved like lukewarm smoke in a zigzag pattern toward a particular location, which seemed to surprise Sky.

The darkness that had been present in the room completely dissipated after about a minute, allowing the people in the group to catch their very first view of what the room actually appeared to be like.

The room was built to resemble an antique Roman hall, complete with colossal, towering pillars that held up the ceiling and provided structural support. On the other hand, because the surrounding area was so vast, the height of the pilasters made them look quite insignificant in contrast to the enormous structure.

Sky noticed a big casket that was completely dark all the way through and it was surrounded by dense, dark smoke that was rising up to the top of the coffin. the casket was at the further end of the corridor.

When Sky looked up and saw the thick, dark smoke, he knew without a doubt that it was the same thing that had earlier filled the room.

He exerted an effort to extend his senses into the coffin, but he was unable to do so since there was some kind of barrier surrounding the coffin. When his senses came into contact with the barrier, they would first sink, and then they would become distinct from him. He made several attempts to transfer his senses into the coffin, but none of them were successful.

  Suddenly, his heart started beating tremendously, as soon as his heart began to beat at a rate it had never done before, he realized instantly that it was the source of the calling he had been experiencing ever since he entered the room. He had been experiencing this calling ever since he entered the room. His heart had suddenly begun to race, racing much more rapidly than it ever had before.

Even if his senses were telling him to get closer, he knew that the casket was the most dangerous thing in this room. Despite this, he followed his instincts and got closer.

At this point, every member of the group had had the opportunity to view the coffin, and they were all aware that it was the location of the demon grotto's leader.

While they were all in a state of panic, the grating sound continued, and as it did, the lid that was covering the coffin began to open more and more gradually.

Sky attempted to peek inside the coffin to get a better idea of what was contained within, but his vision was obscured by a thick and dark substance. The lid of the coffin was eventually removed, but it seemed like an eternity had passed.

 As for the group, since they were all seasoned veterans, and they were all well aware that whatever was inside that coffin was definitely out to get them; therefore, panicking was not an option for them. After putting their armor back on one by one, the knights drew their swords and shields in preparation for battle.

A pitch-black hand with long nails that almost resembled claws was putruded outside of the coffin. The hand was completely covered in soot.

Sky was able to see the pitch-black hand from within the coffin despite the fact that the space around the coffin was filled with gloomy things. As a direct result of this, Sky's need, which he felt deep within his spirit, intensified.

  When he felt a tingling sensation of danger flowing from the casket, he was on the edge of leaping for the casket. This feeling was the only thing that saved him from acting irrationally and stopped him from running up to the casket.

 The group felt a chill running down their spines, they all saw how the hand disappeared without moving back into the coffin, which resulted in the entire group going into an uproar when they realized what had happened. The hand had been there for a moment, but then it suddenly flickered and disappeared from the casket.

In other words, the question "Where did it go?" Entered their heads. Aron, who was one of the members of the group who was the most afraid of the situation, was helpless to prevent himself from experiencing panic once more.

Sky did the same thing, searching the area in the hopes of finding the hand, but he was unsuccessful. howere something happened which attracted all their attentions.

  Instantaneously, everyone felt as though a chilly pressure was pressing down on their very souls. It appeared as though a tiger was intently watching its prey as the sky abruptly turned upward. 

 When he turn his sights towards the direction which the threat was coming from sky's eyes widened in fright.

  Sky felt a significant threat emanating from an unknown entity, which was hovering above the gathering and looking down at all of them. As a result, the hair on his entire body stood on end, and his stomach began to churn. The entity was almost invisible like a shadow due to its pitch-black appearance, and it was hovering over them.

 Sky's shout reached them promptly. He immediately warned the others, and as soon as they looked skyward in the direction of the creature, they all came to the same conclusion, which was that this individual was the leader of this region.