Secrets of the Universe

Silence ensued after all the netherans had left.

"Ar-Are they dead?" River whispered a question.

The low tone of her voice wasn't due to wanting to be quiet, but the seriousness of the implication of her words.

If Heath's group had died, then what chance did her group have?

Meanwhile, on Jake's side, he wasn't faring well.

Since Jake had entered the manor. He had been feeling strange again.

Now that he was stagnant, his vision became covered with the one that he had previously seen. The same world, but everything was grey and filled with a deathly sing.

Scratching his fingers into the floor, Jake tried to control himself from spasming. Blood dripped from his eyes and he continued staring at the grey world.

'This can't be happening,' he thought.

It was not the right time for his vision to be overlapping!

*Ahh*

The death song reached a high peak and blood furiously poured from his eye. It dripped on the floor and the other could hear it.

Jake couldn't see them, but he tried his best to keep mum. He tried his best to not betray his pain.

"Jake, what is happening to you?" worried Eden.

He couldn't afford his teammates jeopardizing the mission.

Eden patted his arm on an unresponsive Jake and life came back to the latter's eye.

He asked again, "Are you okay?"

This time, Jake nodded in reply. 

"Good..." said Eden as he examined Jake.

He later voiced out his doubts, "Can you go on?"

Jake nodded back in reply.

After a few more questions, he managed to slightly erase their doubts. Despite them being curious on Jake's condition, they didn't ask further, all they wanted to know was whether Jake would be an obstacle.

'Hmm...' sighed Jake.

He rubbed his blood from the floor. Luckily, the others had focused back on the door or they would see Jake's red blood changing its color to silver-blue.

He wasn't worried about them knowing he was from a different race, but he didn't want to tell them. The only races in this continent were humans, beasts, and netherans. He didn't want to announce himself as the special fourth.

'I guess I have to de-activate it,' decided Jake.

His [Akashic Eye] had been acting weird since the moment he entered the town. While he knew that there had to be a reason, he didn't have time to cater to that.

Controlling his special body part, Jake forced it to shut down.

'What?' thought Jake.

Even after commanding it, his right eye still gleamed with purple light beneath the blue lens.

It was refusing to be shut down!

Sighing, Jake fully erased all the bloodstains from his body and went to join the group.

Since it was refusing to de-activate, there was no use battling with it.

He joined the group's conversation.

Renee posed a question, "What do you think?" 

"How many minutes had it been since the netherans left?" Eden answered with another question.

"Ten minutes," replied River, the only one who had been counting.

"Let's wait five more minutes. The netherans should be far away from the manor at that time," explained Eden.

Afterward, the group waited for exactly five minutes.

When it was time, Eden briefed them for the final last time, "We will improvise based on what the situation in the room is. Jake, if this goes successfully, you are to think of a way to leave the barrier. We will run for it. Whoever is slow will be left behind?"

It was barely a plan, but that was because they didn't have sufficient information.

Making up their mind, the group finally opened the door they were hiding behind.

They tiptoed to the large door and took a peek, while Renee watched their back as decided.

The room was an immensely cold room, despite the fire burning in the fireplace. Seated on a single chair was a banshee with a ragged white gown. Just like they had expected, her face held resemblance to that of the lively woman they had seen in the portrait.

As she dangled her legs with a noble air, she asked the two men that were kneeling in front of her, "Why do you want me to ask again? It won't do good for you just like the bird that seeks the sun."

Her voice wasn't as coarse as the other banshees. Instead, it was beautiful, especially when she spoke in [Universal language].

Behind the two men was a wraith, much bigger than the one Jake had fought with.

As soon as it heard its queen's sigh, it pushed the two men closer to the queen and let her feet touch their faces.

The cold skin of her bare toes caressed the lips of one of the men, and her sharp nails cut through the tender skin.

The queen chanted one of the favorite verses of the book she had just read, "Water doesn't mix with fire. Light doesn't mingle with darkness. The sky doesn't contact the earth." 

As she said that, a grey light shimmered on her toes. It agitated a blue light from the man's face, but it was to no avail.

Gently, the blue light got consumed by the grey light. It entered the queen's toes as she sucked in more of the blue light.

Following the loss of its lifeforce, the face of the man began to fry up. It turned the man into a body without blood and not long after, the man fell!

Watching this, the group couldn't help but shiver. The man that had just died was Heath, the strongest man on the island.

However, it didn't stop them from wanting the bounty.

Looking at one another, the group planned.

"I will use my remaining [Lesalt Bombs] to surprise them. Jake, you are to rush at the queen under the cover of the bombs. River, take these [Holy Dusts], sprinkle them around the perimeter of the room. It would buy us the time we need. Renee, be on standby," instructed Eden.

If there was anything, the group was best at. It was being efficient. They claimed that title, even among the other bounty team.

Eden, the leader, had showcased his knack for sufficient preparation. It could even be called over-the-top as he had emptied all his pockets to buy the items.

Now, they were coming into handy.

After passing the [Holy Dusts] to River, Eden brought out the [Lesalt Bombs], while Jake firmly held his sword.

'1….2….3!' counted Eden.

This was the final episode of their mission. It was either life or death!

Eden rapidly shot the bombs around the room and they immediately exploded.

*Boom*