East Road Quest

Chapter 31

Jade descended the seemingly endless staircase, relying on a single candle for light.

No apparent dangers presented themselves.

There were no rotten smells, no menacing structures bearing down, nor any traps lurking in the shadows.

At the end of the staircase, the man-made structures gave way to a natural cave. It was as clean and filled with fresh air as the limestone caves in Parens that Jade had visited with his parents in his youth.

Melted wax dripped onto the back of his hand. Jade allowed the wax to encase his hand, the heat quickly dissipating.

A small stream gurgled pleasantly along the cave floor. Following the underground watercourse, Jade walked slowly through the straight tunnel.

There were no forks in the path, so getting lost seemed unlikely. Still, he stayed close to the stream, thinking it would guide him back if necessary.

Occasionally, a faint warmth mingled with the cool air, reminiscent of someone’s breath, which was unsettling.

The candle was nearly spent.

It felt like just over an hour had passed, and already it was time to light a second candle. Jade realized that when the second candle burned out, he might have to return the way he came to fetch more.

In the worst case, if the candle went out, he could follow the stream back.

“No, I must find another way out. They will surely be waiting at the temple entrance.”

He couldn’t expect the assailants who had shot arrows at him to simply give up and go home.

Jade scooped water from the stream, took a sip, and continued downward. The slope was gentle, not particularly dangerous or strenuous. Nevertheless, he did not hurry, taking each step with care.

As the second candle neared its end, the cave suddenly widened. Until now, the walls had been close enough to touch with outstretched arms, and the ceiling low enough to hit his head if he jumped. But in this new chamber, the candlelight could not reach the walls or ceiling.

Despair at the thought of how much further he had to go mixed with anticipation that his destination might be near.

“What lies at the end of this cave? A place where an angel is trapped, or the entrance to hell?”

With the second candle almost gone, Jade secured it to the floor and lit the last candle from its flame. For a moment, two candles illuminated the surroundings, casting light on the walls and ceiling corners.

Ahead, something scurried with a rustling sound, and a small shadow flickered into view.

Startled, Jade moved the candle toward the sound.

Nothing was there.

He didn’t comfort himself with the thought that it was a trick of the light. The shadow might have been an illusion, but the sound was real. It echoed through the cave, now too diffuse to pinpoint its source.

Soon, the sound of running was replaced by the distinct but soft rustling of footsteps on dirt.

“Perhaps it’s time to turn back…

Only one candle remains.

“To retrace the distance covered by two candles, I must hurry. It’s better to return to the entrance first and then decide what to do next.”

Jade picked up the last candle and turned around.

Then, a more distinct sound of running came from behind him.

He had encountered two demons in the bright light of the red desert. In the depths of this cave, anything was possible.

“Do I really believe there’s an angel in a place like this? I must have been brainwashed by all the stories.”

Jade had wanted to deny what Daniel had first told him since he was a child.

He stopped and slipped a finger into the book he was carrying, ready to open it at any moment. Meanwhile, the source of the noise approached with a tap-tap.

It wasn’t alone.

“Who are you?” Jade asked.

He didn’t expect an answer, but one of them responded.

“We are the loyal servants of Byphel.”

Their pronunciation was difficult to understand.

Then, like a round song, the others echoed.

“Loyal servants we are.”

“Loyal servants we are.”

“Loyal servants we are.”

Jade extended the candle forward, and the creatures stepped back a few paces.

They didn’t flee entirely, just moved out of the light’s reach. Their forms were barely visible.

Jade squinted to get a better look.

They were smaller than he expected. Even considering their hunched posture, they were no taller than Jade’s waist. Instead of eyes, horns protruded from their heads. Long, lizard-like tails slapped the ground, and their hind legs, firmly planted, bore black claws. A faint, smoky haze seemed to rise around their bodies.

“My name is Jade. What are yours?” he ventured.

“We have no names,” one spoke for the group, and the others chanted in response.

“No names. No names. No names.”

“I thought as much,” Jade said, opening the book. But whether they would give him time to read was uncertain.

“They seem to be of the dark realm, but could also be of the hellfire breed. I’ve never seen the real thing… I must prepare for both possibilities.”

To buy time, Jade asked something he wasn’t truly curious about.

“Where is Byphel, and why are you greeting me instead?”

After a pause, one spoke in a thread-thin voice.

“We will capture you and present you to Byphel.”

The others joined in chorus.

“Present you. Present you. Present you.”

Jade was taken aback.

“Byphel is here now?”

“He is here, among us.”

“Here! Here! Here!”

Jade said tensely.

“Byphel was killed by the angels. I know this, so don’t lie.”

“Not dead. He is here!”

“Here! Here! Here!”

With his right hand still holding the candle forward, Jade used his left to turn to the page that would obliterate dark realm demons.

They did not stop him. A creature unfamiliar with a bow would not be wary of an arrow being drawn.

“I have come to meet the true master of this temple underground. Lead me to him.”

“We cannot! Byphel is our master! We consume humans.”

“Consume! Consume! Consume!”

Jade spoke threateningly.

“Shouldn’t you get his permission before consuming me?”

The small demons murmured among themselves in their own language.

Jade silently read the passage he had found. At that moment, a resonant voice came from the direction he had walked.

“Prevent him from reading the book!” The voice, filled with a power unlike the small demons, stirred a deep fear.

Both Jade and the small demons flinched.

“Yes, master. We shall stop him.”

“Be gone! Be gone! Be gone!”

As if lashed by whips, they charged at Jade.

Jade, having prepared a passage in advance, extended his hand while reading it aloud. He then bellowed a seemingly futile threat at them.

“You fiends! Receive the celestial flames!”

The demons, startled by the light Jade displayed, fled in terror.

“Argh, the celestial flames!”

“It’s serious. The lad must possess the power of an angel.”

“Aaargh!”

Some lost their balance in their haste and tumbled forward, while others leaped backward, only to fall head over heels.

Jade hesitated in his escape.

‘Wait, that’s the direction I came from. Why are there sounds coming from there?’

Confusion seized Jade.

The path to this point had been a straight corridor without forks, and he had encountered nothing on his way. Yet, something was approaching from that direction.

Jade wanted to flee the way he had come, but he couldn’t bring himself to move toward the source of the noise.

He ran in the opposite direction of the sound.

‘Could this be a trick, leading me away from the exit?’

Turning back, a strange humming filled the corridor, and indeed, something was approaching. The sound grew closer, but no shape was visible. It wasn’t just darkness; it felt as if the darkness itself was advancing.

“Capture him!”

A commanding voice ordered.

The smaller demons, momentarily deterred by the light, charged at Jade again. Eyeless, they followed without stumbling. Some ran on two legs, others on four.

Even as Jade ran with all his might, the distance between him and the creatures did not widen. The candle had long since extinguished, and nothing was visible except the light emanating from his hand.

He continued to run into the pitch-black darkness, quickly becoming breathless. His stamina was never great, and running in the dark quickly depleted it.

Jade slipped on something and fell. Cold water flowing on the ground covered his face. Seizing the moment, one creature climbed onto his back and scratched his nape with its claws.

Without panic, Jade grasped the creature’s hindquarters. The remaining white light in his hand touched the small demon, and it burst as if a ripe tomato was squeezed too tightly. Sticky, warm flesh covered his face.

‘Darkness affinity confirmed.’

Using the remaining light, Jade read the same passage again. The demon that had approached hastily was repelled by the light as if flung away.

The creatures retreated much further than when they first saw the light.

“It hurts.”

“It does hurt.”

“Can’t you extinguish that fire?”

The small demons chattered indiscriminately.

The large demon with the commanding voice also stopped. However, it seemed not out of fear or pain from Jade’s light, but rather a reluctance to expose itself to the light.

Still, Jade had not even seen the creature’s toes, so he could not truly know its thoughts.

‘Is the one in the darkness really the great demon Baifel? Could it be? It’s a lie. An impersonation.’

Jade found it hard to believe, yet he couldn’t dismiss the memory of Emperor Benclauss he met in the underground tombs of Rome.

Who would believe he had a private audience with the Emperor of Rome in an underground chamber?

If the creature was Baifel, it was like a child taking his first step into adventure with only a stick, meeting an armored knight.

The demon in the darkness asked with a booming voice.

“Who are you to possess the power to annihilate demons? Reveal your name.”

Jade, hoping it was not Baifel, shouted back.

“Reveal your name first.”

The demon replied.

“I cannot tell you.”

“So, you are a demon with a name.”

The light in his palm faded. It felt like watching the last flicker of a dying lantern.

His shoulder stung and ached. It seemed he had been wounded when the small creature clung to his nape. In his frantic escape, he hadn’t noticed, but blood had already soaked his back and stained his clothes.

‘Father Daniel never mentioned such creatures here…’

Jade belatedly realized he was standing in a stream that reached his ankles. Even in his frantic run, he had subconsciously tried not to stray from the stream.

He shone the light along the stream. It ended about ten paces ahead, not out of sight, but at a cliff. The stream became a small waterfall, cascading down with a gushing sound.

Jade turned the light forward again. The ‘named demon’ from the darkness slowly approached and stood before the light.

Only then did Jade understand why he couldn’t see the creature clearly. It was darkness incarnate. Within the dense smoke, yellow eyes flickered.

The smoky darkness formed the demon’s hands, feet, and tail.

As it approached, it placed its palm over the body of a small dead demon. The palm dispersed into smoke, absorbed into the small demon, then reformed into a hand. The creature that was thought dead stirred and shook its head.

‘A spirit of darkness… But knowing that alone won’t kill it.’

If it was a named demon, the passages used against the spirits that possessed Autis and Mitchel wouldn’t annihilate it. Knowing a bear’s weakness is its heart doesn’t help if all you have is a needle.

The light from his palm weakened, and the small demons cautiously moved closer.

“Are you a wizard?” the dark demon inquired.

“I am a priest,” he declared.

“A clergyman? That’s very fortunate,” the demon murmured with a soft chuckle.

“What do you mean by fortunate?”

Jade, holding a book in his opposite hand, subtly slid his thumb between the pages to find his place. Noticing this, the demon extended a large hand forward.

“Don’t even think about reading that book. I know all your tricks,” the demon warned.

Jade was inwardly startled.

“Why, did you think I wouldn’t know? No matter how quickly you open that book, my attack will be faster. It would be wise to answer my questions quietly. What is your purpose here?”

Striving to conceal his trembling heart, Jade retorted.

“If we’re talking about asking questions, I should be first. What’s so fortunate about me being a clergyman?”

“One must possess a body to leave this place. The form of a demon cannot be maintained in the sunlight. If my first body is that of a clergyman, it would be perfect! Now it’s my turn to ask. What brings you here?”

Jade had no intention of engaging in a sincere and honest dialogue with the demon, but no fitting words came to mind.

“I’ve come to search for something in this underground. Certainly not you.”

“Are you referring to that noisy mass underground?” the demon asked.

Jade was startled once again, nearly exclaiming in surprise, “Ah, so there is something!”

“You know then.”

“I do. For the past few years, it’s been nothing but deafening noise. How could I not know…?”

For some reason, the demon paused briefly before changing the subject.

“Now, I will take your body. Stay still, and there will be no pain. But resist, and you will experience suffering beyond human imagination.”

With the light in his palm nearly extinguished and nothing more to say, Jade continued to back away.

“I’d rather be dead than surrender my body to you.”

With that, Jade hurled himself towards the cliff where the brook ended.