Promise

"Hey… I'm home. How are you doing…?”

Only silence was what the young elf received. The gravestone in front of him would not give an answer to the question. A bunch of gladiolus was then placed on the gravestone. A symbol of bravery and the devotion of a soldier who has fallen on the battlefield. A bottle of the finest wine and a crystal glass he placed beside it. All of that was given as a gift for his friend's 134th birthday.

"I can't save her. Even… I still can't find her. Sorry…! I will try to look for that girl again. The people I asked to send to look for her are now also dead. So… please give me a chance to recruit new ones!"

"Isn't it funny…," he whispered.

"I just realized you all are going to get old so fast. I don't even know about you yet, but you've already left me. Sometimes I get confused. Actually… am I the one who is insensitive, or are you the one who always dies too soon?"

Thick fog slowly covered every inch of the view. Raindrops began to drench the branches and wild cedar leaves that grew around the graveyard. A few minutes later, the drizzle became heavy rain. Lowering the temperature, turning drops of water into crystal beads. A pair of hazel eyes stared straight at the mithril gravestone, which was now changing from green to copper. An indicator that the metal has been oxidized.

"Erel… don't worry! I will definitely find her. I will keep searching for her. Elves have a long lifespan. A hundred years more..., two hundred, or even five hundred years, I will keep searching for her. I'm sure… Luda misses you too. When I find her later.., she must have grown into a beautiful young girl. I will bring her to you. Erel… I will keep trying for it.”

The elf is not actually foolish. He knows that no human will be able to live for 500 years. He is just deceiving himself. Because he wants to fulfill a promise he made to his friend.

…

"That crystal again?"

A young man pulled out a wooden chair. He then sat next to the doctor, who had just finished an autopsy the body of a guy aged 70 to 80 years.

"Yeah…" said the doctor as he took off the gloves. He then threw it in the trash can. The doctors looked so confused. He appeared desperate and weary. It was evident from the dark eye bags. I'm not sure how many days he went without sleep until his condition deteriorated.

"The stab wound he received should not have caused him to lose his life. The stab was not deep and did not strike any vital organs. Because he was covered in layers of winter clothing and a thick jacket. He should have survived. In my opinion, there was another cause for his death. I am quite sure that the wound is not the cause. Most likely, it was the amethyst crystals around the incident location," explained the doctor.

The young man fell silent, then got up from his chair while sighing. Anthonius Mareq is the name of the young man. Anthonius has served as a general in the Crimson Knight for almost 300 years, but this is the first time he has had to face a case that he finds complicated. The case of the murder of the witches involving an amethyst crystal. At first, Anthonius thought that the murderer left the stone at each crime scene as a clue of their existence, but now Anthonius has a different opinion.

"Can you give me one?" asked Anthonius while seeking permission from Dr. Georgy Lantsov, who is the senior forensic doctor of the Crimson Knight main investigation team. Anthonius wants to take one of the crystal shards home to conduct an independent investigation of the case.

"Sorry, but I can't fulfill your request…!" Doctor Georgy firmly stated while raising both his hands. A sign that this time he could do nothing to fulfill the young general's wish.

"That's very dangerous. I will never allow you to do that. Moreover... if Mr. Meuz finds out, he will surely be furious!" Doctor Georgy tried to warn Anthonius not to act recklessly in solving this case.

"Come on…!" Anthonius threw a coin bag full of gold coins in front of Doctor Georgy; he was going to cheat this time. "I know... your salary is no more than a quarter of it," sneered Anthonius.

When Anthonius's hand was about to reach for one of the crystal shards, Dr. Georgy stopped him.

"Yes… and you are right that my salary is not even a quarter of the bag of gold coins you just threw in front of me. To be honest, my salary doesn't even amount to a tenth of that," Dr. Georgy warned Anthonius, pointing out how rude his recent action was towards him. "But I learned that money isn't everything."

Anthonius fell silent. He then realized that what he had just done was a big mistake.

"I say this not because I hate you, but quite the opposite. It's no problem if Terra loses a doctor like me, even though I'm almost 80 years old. Just a few more years until I am retired.” Doctor Georgy then patted Anthonius on the shoulder.

"But... it would be very sad for Terra, especially Crimson Knight, if we were to lose a general like you. Because you are the only elf capable of help us... the humans so that we can blend with the elves. Believe me, I forbid you from conducting independent research on that crystal because I care deeply and fully respect you.” Doctor Georgy then placed the entire amethyst crystal into his bag. He then left the autopsy room, leaving Anthonius in silent.

…

A pair of cold emeralds stared straight at a low-flying eagle. The gray wings of the eagle gently caress the grass that is drying at the end of autumn. Flying dandelion seeds that grow wild among the grass, creating a white storm that gently dusts the sky. Its two claws then landed so gracefully on a fallen pine trunk. Its head bowed low before Anthonius, as if giving a salutation. 

"Who sent you?" whispered Anthonius as he asked the eagle in front of him. 

Anthonius immediately took the paper from a metal tube that was attached to an anklet on one of the eagle's legs. Only a few seconds after reading the message carried by the eagle, Anthonius's expression suddenly changed. He took a deep breath, then exhaled it with annoyance. Sadness was clearly visible on his face. His emerald eyes were misty, but he quickly wiped away the tears before they could fall. Anthonius was crying silently, but he did not want to admit it. 

“Anthonnie…!”

From the shroud of thick fog, snow slowly formed the figure of a middle-aged man. His body was sturdy, with a height of almost two and a half meters. His maroon beard was allowed to grow long and thick. Meanwhile, his curly hair looked wild and unkempt. Some twigs and dry leaves even stuck there. His breath was so cold that white vapor would always appear every time he exhaled. His long strides would create small mounds of dense black snow. A distinctive trail, one that even ordinary fire cannot melt.

"Have you received it yet?" the man asked in a hushed voice.

Anthonius Mareq fell silent, not giving an answer.

"Dima…" said Anthonius. "Take me to that place right now!" commanded Anthonius.

Dmitriy Borisov walked up to Anthonius, then picked up a handful of ice crystals near his shoes. "When you arrive..., wait for me outside!" Dima instructed softly to Anthonius. "Calm yourself down..! Don't make a fuss for nothing. The city of Ein is filled with people I don't even want to deal with at all. The laws of Terra are even completely flawed in that rotten city." Where he warned before sprinkling ice crystal on Anthonius's body.

"I can't promise..," whispered Anthonius as his body slowly disappeared, swallowed by Dima's ice crystal.

The crystal ice that engulfed Anthonius's body was actually teleportation magic. Dmitriy Borisov is a dwarf master of ice magic who is also an S-rank sorcerer specializing in close-range attack magic and is immune to debuffs from all elemental magic. Dima is the strongest master in his field, but also the most hated because of his high ego.

…

"WHERE ARE YOU KEEPING IT?!" asked Anthonius after destroying almost half of the corpse storage shelves at the Crimson Knight headquarters in the City of Ein.

"HE'S NOT HERE!" Anthonius added, raising his voice.

Dust was still swirling, and debris from the morgue storage room was scattered everywhere. Anthonius's sudden appearance at the Crimson Knight headquarters shocked and confused everyone. Moreover, Anthonius had reduced half of the morgue storage area to rubble within seconds of his arrival.

"Are you... looking for Mr. Georgy Lantsov?" asked one of the guards, his body trembling. Anthonius did not answer; he just stared at the guard with a fierce look.

"He's over there!" said the guard. Then he pointed to a black plastic bag on the marble table in the corner of the room with a trembling hand.

The atmosphere suddenly became silent. Anthonius stared at the black plastic bag, and the guard with a confused expression.

"That?" asked Anthonius, who still didn't understand the guard's mean. "What do you mean?" asked Anthonius.

"There is a possibility that the amethyst crystal emits miasma periodically. The impact of the miasma can vary greatly for the surrounding area, but generally, the miasma has effects or debuffs of poisoning, burns, and tissue necrosis. We do not yet have permission to conduct further investigations. My assumption is this crystal also released decay magic that is usually possessed by antimatter magic.” The guard tried to explain to Anthonius the initial observations he had made.

"So?" What do you mean by pointing to that bag as Doctor Georgy?" Anthonius seems to not understand the explanation that the guard has given.

"The various impacts I mean… greatly depend on the individual's ability to neutralize the effects of the miasma emitted by the crystal. There are some people who will only experience dizziness and nausea. There are also those who might experience nosebleeds and bleeding.” The guard remained silent for quite a while. He then turned around. Steady the black plastic bag on the marble table in the corner of the room.

“I do not fully know what happened to Dr. Georgy before. Just a few minutes after he arrived in his office, he complained of extreme thirst. I gave him a few glasses of water, but he kept asking for more. Smoke billowed from his mouth, and slowly his body turned to ash right before my eyes. What remained of Doctor Georgy at that place was only a small pouch containing crystals. When I picked it up, my hand immediately blistered," the guard said softly while showing his bandaged hand.

Anthonius was taken aback upon hearing the guard's explanation. "Take me to the person in charge of this place!" ordered Anthonius.