"So... who is the strongest?" Dahlia asked suddenly
All the children's eyes including Fenry, Jeon and Xinhua's eyes to go towards Hunji
Even Dahlia was staring at Hunji
Hunji rubbed the back of his neck as he felt the intense stares
"I guess I will break it... then" Hunji let's out a sigh
Everyone nods in response
"Ok... but first we need to first make a hammer..." Dahlia remarked
"Then give me what is essential, I will make it" Hunji said
"Wait... are you sure?" Dahlia asked as she was hesitant
"Yeah, your strength might drain away... why not we all do it together?" Jeon added
"You all are weak and barely have strength... especially" Hunji poked Dahlia's forehead, making her startled
"Your looking you might faint any second and we can't have it. So, I will be doing this. And this goes to all of you here" Hunji said firmly
Dahlia blinked with everyone as they all were baffled
"But~ I can definitely help, cause I am staying here anyways~" Fenry chuckled as he chimed in
"Right, only he can help" Hunji agreed bluntly
Fenry smiled smugly as he ruffled Hunji's hair playfully and Hunji lets him with a blank look
"They have suddenly gotten friendly again..." Xinhua mumbled to himself as he got the chills
Xinhua hid behind on both Jeon and Dahlia
"They are at it again" Jeon huffed
"Hahaha... let them be" Dahlia chuckled awkwardly as the many children were awkward too
{ { Moments later } }
Hunji sits down on floor along with everyone
Dahlia soon handed Hunji a worn out clothe
He takes it and grabs a wood that seemed strong
Cut the wood with small shards of glass as knife
"It has to be even" Fenry said to Hunji
Hunji nods in response as sweat drips down his forehead as he cuts the wood carefully and evenly
His hand trembled slightly in doing so
"Why is the wood so hard!!" Hunji hissed
"Woods are supposed to be hard. What did you expect them to be? Soft?" Xinhua retorted sarcastically as he sighed deeply
"Shut up kid" Hunji grunted as he hissed, when he cut his finger as a wood piece pierced through his skin
But Hunji kept on cutting the wood as blood trickled down from the cut
"Oi kid, be quiet!" Jeon smacked Xinhua's head lightly
Xinhua groaned as he rubbed his head
"We will need a stone... a heavy and strong one at that..." Fenry commeneted
"Then let's go and look around to get it" Jeon added
Fenry nods at Jeon as the two left in search for the stone
While Hunji cut the wood, some shards of the glass broke as it pierced through his skin as well. Blood kept trickling down
Dahlia's eyes narrowed in concern
"I think you should stop for now... your hurt... badly..." she said to Hunji
"Don't worry your little head over my injury... since we still have so many lives to save..." Hunji huffed
"Your as stubborn as boar" Xinhua commented
Hunji only chuckled at Xinhua's comment, "I am kid"
Xinhua groaned as he just watched Hunji's work with everyone. Xinhua's eyes had narrowed but he refuses to admit that he is concerned for Hunji
Dahlia let's out a sigh, she just looks at the wood. It was tainted with Hunji's blood... and his hand wasn't really a pretty sight to look at
"He is strong..." Dahlia thought as she can't help but admire his strength
Soon Hunji was done with cutting the wood
He let out a long exhale of relief
Suddenly someone takes his hand and pulled out the wood pieces and shards from his skin
"Owch! Be careful- and who-" Hunji froze as he saw that Dahlia was tending to him
She had pulled away the shards before his blood makes it unable for her to see
Her hand was covered in his blood, but she didn't cared
She soon takes one of the worn out clothe she prepared to make a hammer... to wrap it around Hunji's injury
"What- we need that for the hammer-" "And we need you to be in good condition to make that!!!" Dahlia cut Hunji off in the middle as she glared at him
Hunji only stares at Dahlia as he huffed
"You worry too much... missy..." He grunted as he takes his hand away from her grip
Before he suddenly started to pat her head softly
Dahlia only looked down on the ground as she bit her lower lip, while Hunji only stayed silent
"We are back!" Fenry announced as both he and Jeon were carrying a big and heavy stone so that Hunji can tie it on the wood
Hunji's eyes widened
"Oi... you idiots... how can I tie that big stone on a thin piece of wood!!! What if it breaks!!!" Hunji groaned as he stood up from the floor
"Then add more woods to it" Fenry said bluntly as he chuckled
Both Fenry and Jeon put the stone down
Jeon groaned as he stretched his arms, feeling sore cause from carrying such a heavy stone
Hunji grabbed Fenry by the collar, "Are you planning to kill me, my dear "friend"?"
"Oh no, how can I kill you? When I already am a dead man" Fenry hummed playfully as he was unfazed by Hunji grabbing him by his collar
Fenry soon hugged Hunji, "Please, Hunji don't be mad at me~"
Hunji huffed as he let Fenry hug him
"Urgh... I might die from a headache" Xinhua commented as he watched the two again
"Hah... I wonder if we have enough wood for that stone..." Dahlia mumbled as she checked how many woods they have in possession
"Probably... 5..." Xinhua added
"5 won't be enough... as all the woods are all-"
{ { { CRACK } } }
Dahlia was suddenly cut in the middle by the sound
Xinhua almost jumped in surprise like the children as they all looked over quickly
Everyone's eyes widened
Fenry clapped his hand, "Wow, you did it with the chains" he chuckled
Hunji panted heavily
The stone that Fenry and Jeon had brought in
It was... broken in half
By the chains from the book
"Wait- what were you thinking!!! What if the chains broke!!!" Xinhua groaned
"Oh, it wouldn't break since it is magical" Fenry brushed it off
"Yeah... surprisingly the chain is still intact" Hunji added on as he showed both Dahlia and Xinhua that the chains truly remained intact
It was barely scratched
Xinhua blinked in disbelief
"Why am I not surprised?" Jeon let out a long sigh as he facepalmed
He has gotten used to seeing the unordinary and unlogical things in this realm
"Yeah... and anyways... let's resume back to making the hammer..." Dahlia tried to diffuse the awkwardness in the air
"As you order, my lady" Fenry chuckled
Hunji soon picked up the woods as he started to tie them together tightly with makeshift rope and began to tie it to the stone
Fenry watched as he helped Hunji tie the stone on the top of the wood where Hunji cut evenly at
"Don't tie it too tightly, it might rip" Dahlia commented
"Right... but we need to bend the clothe more so the stone's weight doesn't make the clothe to rip..." Fenry said
"Yeah..." Hunji panted as he wrapped the worn clothe more around the stone
.
.
.
"Done" Hunji let out a relieved sigh
Everyone also let out a long exhale, they didn't know they were holding
"Take a quick rest.... we can't have you do everything at one go-" "No... just bring on that artifact of yours..." Hunji cut Dahlia off gently as he was panting softly
"I can handle it... don't worry" Hunji reassured her with a smile
Dahlia only stares at Hunji
"But-" "You should let him work, cause he can handle it" Fenry added on as he patted Dahlia on her head
She looked up as her eyes widened slightly
Fenry gives her a smile too
Dahlia closed her eyes for a brief moment before she soon stood up from the floor
"Fine... I will bring it..." She said as she goes to where her bag is
She rummages through the things before she finally finds it
She looks down at the headpiece artifact her brother gave her
Her hand trembled slightly
"I... don't wanna give it... up... since it was a birthday gift from my brother..." She thought internally as her grip on her headpiece tightened
But she soon closed her eyes tightly, "No no no no... get a grip of yourself... if it's gonna help them... then so be it... but..."
She opened her eyes as she stares at her headpiece
Before she gives a small kiss to it
"I hope it works out... and that the mana gem meets the entity's satisfaction..." she mumbles before she left towards where everyone is waiting
"I am back..." She announced as she put the headpiece on the floor, in front of where Hunji is
After putting it there, she backed a safe distance away from Hunji
Even all the children, including Fenry, Jeon and Xinhua backed away from Hunji
Out of the corner of both Xinhua and Jeon's eyes
They noticed that Dahlia's shoulders were trembling slightly
The two looked at one another before Xinhua held Dahlia's hand, while Jeon patted her on her back
Dahlia's eyes widened as she looked at the two
The two offered her smiles
"It was worth it... don't worry over it... I am sure, young master Jhony will understand" Xinhua reassured Dahlia
Dahlia's eyes glisten slightly as she smiled only
Before looking back, at where Hunji got prepared to break the artifact
"Put all your strength in it-" Fenry paused briefly
"No, nevermind! Be gentle, I don't want the fragile gem to break" Fenry commented with a deadpanned smile
"Will you quit it!" Hunji hissed at Fenry
He let out a long exhale as he looks down at the headpiece
"Pretty thing for sure... but..." He raised the handmade hammer, ready to break it
"Everything comes to an end anyways" He huffed
He lowered the hammer towards the headpiece with full strength he had left in his body
Before finally...
{ { { THUD } } }
Hunji's hammer met the artifact as it shattered to many pieces
Suddenly a glowing blue light come from it, blinding everyone
Many groaned as they couldn't see
The light clearly lit up the whole castle
When the light slowly faded
Everyone looked over
Their eyes widened including Fenry, Hunji, Jeon, Xinhua and Dahlia's
Inside the shattered artifact had the most gorgeous sapphire colored gem in it
"Woah... it's pretty..." One of the children mumbled to herself
"Yeah... definitely the only gorgeous gems I used to see in those gem stores" Another remarked
"It's definitely one of the kind..." Another chimed in
"You know, I heard that the girl named Dahlia got it as a birthday present from her brother" One of the children said another
"She is so lucky..." Another said, but it held jealousy in her tone
"Definitely... wish I was in her place" Another murmured
Hunji ignoring the whisperings, he picked up the gem
"So... this is it? We have to rub it against those chains, right?" Hunji asked as after he asked, all the children quieted down
Dahlia nods only as she quickly wiped her eyes out
"Right..." She quickly took out the chains on the ground, which she left
Hunji goes towards her, he gives her the gem
Dahlia takes it
She gulped faintly as the many children mimicked the same action
Her hands trembled slightly as she felt her body temperature rising cause of her nervousness
Jeon noticed as he held her hands in his
Dahlia almost jumped, "What-" "Calm down..." Jeon assured her as he soon started to help her rub the gem in the chains
Dahlia closed her eyes tightly, afraid to see the results
{ { { Minutes passed by } } }
"Uhm... Lady Dahlia..." Jeon began
Dahlia gulped again as sweat formed on her forehead, "Pease be good... please be good..." she chanted internally
"Nothing is happening..." Hunji said as he narrowed his eyes
Dahlia's eyes snapped open, she looked down at the chains
It was true
The chains didn't even changed the color in the slightest
"What- why is it not working- or is the gem doesn't has any powers?" Dahlia mumbled as she examined the gem carefully
She was sweating a lot as her hands seemed to have gone cold... especially her fingers...
All the children's eyes were on her... making her more nervous
"What should we do?" Hunji asked Fenry as he shifted slightly
"I have no clue... maybe we have to look at the book again..." Fenry sighed deeply as he facepalmed
"We are back where we begun... again..." One of the children commented
"I can't do this any longer!!! Can we really trust her!!!" Another hissed
"I don't know... but even if we say anything... it's gonna be our faults anyways..." One of them sighed in resignation and tiredness
"It's not fair..." Another stomped her feet
Dahlia's body trembled slightly as she heard the whisperings
"What should I do... why is everything going wrong, when I think we all are in a right track..." Dahlia thought internally as her breathing quickened
Her eyes are wide as she just looked down at the gem
Her grip tightened around it as tears formed on her purple eyes
Xinhua noticed as his expression softened, "Lady Dahlia... don't lose hope-"
Suddenly Xinhua paused as he looks back at the chain Dahlia is holding
He noticed that the chains... that glowed faintly red... was looking flat...
Like of normal chains in their world
"Wait... why does the chains look different now...?" He thought internally as he narrowed his eyes
He looked at the book
"Lady Dahlia... maybe you have missed something..." Xinhua remarked
Dahlia looks at Xinhua with her teary eyes
"What...?" Dahlia asked as her voice grew shaky
"Just what I said... I had noticed previously, that those chains had a slight reddish tint of glow in them... but now... they look... just flat... like normal chains..." Xinhua replied as he touched the chain
Jeon's eyes narrowed before he took the book, "In which page is the chain was recorded again?" he asked
Dahlia hiccupped, "Page... 50..." she replied
Jeon blinked only as he stares at Dahlia, "Page... 50?" he mumbled
Xinhua facepalmed
Fenry takes the book from Jeon as he flips through it, "I will teach you the numbers kid... your too far behind" he chuckled softly
Jeon scratched the back of his neck as he blushed faintly
"Ah... sheesh... shut up... at least I was trying..." Jeon mumbled in defense
Hunji patted Jeon's head, "Well done, kiddo. Well done" he teased
Jeon hissed as he was embarrassed
"How does it feel in being called a "kid" back?" Xinhua commented smugly as he was taking revenge on Jeon for calling him "kiddo" every time he got a chance at
Dahlia stares at them only
"... They look so carefree... they aren't even blaming me for messing up..." She thought as her eyes flickered with something
"Everyone makes mistakes..." Fenry added as he found the page 50 on the book
He soon handed it to her, "But instead of pondering over it... if we just learn from it and reflect on ourselves... then we can achieve anything..." he smiled at her as he wiped her tears softly with his thumb
Dahlia was surprised as she blushed faintly
"Of course... I learned it from someone..." Fenry shrugged his shoulders, as he gestured at Hunji
Dahlia's eyes flickered with something
Her grip on her book tightened as she looked at the others
She let out a long exhale as she calmed down
"Fenry brother..." Dahlia looked up at Fenry, she soon smiled at him slightly
"Thank you... I needed that..."
Fenry looks down at Dahlia and nods, "Now, look at what you might've missed" he reminded her
Dahlia nods before she started to read the texts, properly now
With the slight faint glow from the mana gem she has now
.
.
.
"Ah!" Dahlia finally found the main reason why the chains didn't worked
"Did you find it?" Hunji asked as he leaned over
"Yeah! Just-" Dahlia quickly handed Hunji with the chain and Fenry with the mana gem
Both Hunji and Fenry blinked, dumbfounded
"Wait- what are you doing?" Jeon asked as he tilted his head
Xinhua peeked over at the book
"Just watch..." Dahlia takes the end of the chains
"Keep rubbing the gem on the chain together!" Dahlia instructed Fenry
Fenry quickly snapped out and nodded, "Alright..."
He began to rub the gem gently against the chain
"I wonder what is going on now... didn't we already tried this?" Hunji sighed deeply, exasperated
"Stop being impatient and let the lady command" Fenry chuckled
Hunji just groaned in response but stayed quiet
Dahlia puts the book down on floor, keeping it open to the specific page she pulled the chains from
"Xinhua, Jeon brother and everyone back away now!!!" She ordered
"Wait- why-" "You heard her!!! Just back away without questions!!!" Jeon cut off one of the children that tried asking
Everyone backed away from Fenry, Hunji and Dahlia
"Brace yourself you two!!!" Dahlia warned both Fenry and Hunji before she finally dropped the chains to the book
Dahlia also backed away, quickly
As the chain fell on the book, especially on the page it belonged to
It started to react
The chains glowed bright red
Fenry and Hunji were taken aback
But Fenry didn't stopped rubbing the gem to the chains
Before finally
The chains changed color...
The red color darkened in the chains
"It's... the strongest level-" Before Fenry can exclaim
{ { { BOOM } } }
The chain blasted, creating a big impact making many to fall on ground as the whole castle they were at... started to tremble slightly cause of it
Fenry and Hunji coughed as they looked at one another
They looked like a mess
They're hair ruffled
And black dust covering their entire body
Making them look like a statue
All the children including Jeon and Xinhua stared at the two in surprise
"Urgh... now I know why you told us to back away..." Xinhua groaned as he was glad he wasn't covered in dust like the two here
Hunji scoffed before he goes towards Xinhua and started to rub the dust on Xinhua playfully
"Huh- HEY!!! I AM GETTING DIRTY!!!!" Xinhua hissed as he squirmed in Hunji's hold
Fenry, Jeon and Dahlia chuckled along with some children
{ { { CRASH } } }
Everyone flinched from inside, from hearing the sudden door breaking
Fenry's heart started to beat faster... almost painfully
He hissed quietly as he doubled over
Jeon and Dahlia immediately caught Fenry
They're eyes wide
Fenry groaned in pain as his usual amber eyes darkened a lot
Almost black, as he coughed out black blood
"We... need... to... leave... quickly... they... found us..." Fenry said in between pants
His body trembled as he knew why he was reacting like this
It's cause of being part of this world...
Especially... since the ghoul he was taken under in... held an power over him
If he was close... then his body would slowly transform... resembling the ghouls slaves itself
Dahlia's breath hitched from hearing him
"Maybe this is cause of the impact... they noticed us" Dahlia mumbled
Jeon gritted his teeth, "Let's not waste time... we got what we needed... so..."
Jeon looked over at Hunji
The both nodded to one another... a silent agreement passing between them both
"Let's flee... before they can trap us again..." Hunji whisper yelled at everyone
Hunji quickly goes towards Jeon and Dahlia, he gently takes Fenry's hand around his shoulder. Clearly taking half of the weight of Fenry
Dahlia quickly took her bag and the book
"Quickly... this way..." Fenry groaned as he guided everyone away with the help of Hunji
All the children including Xinhua followed Hunji while he is carrying Fenry
While Dahlia and Jeon stayed behind, keeping watch to make sure that everyone escapes with them
.
.
.
They all had finally escaped the castle
"We all have to go to straight to where we all were at, last time" Dahlia instructed
"Ok... let's go, do you know the way there?" Hunji asked Dahlia
Dahlia nods in response as she took the lead
"Follow me and make sure none of you are falling behind!!!" She instructed
All of the children followed Dahlia including Fenry, Hunji, Jeon and Xinhua
{ { { After a few moments } } }
{ They all had arrived to their designated place }
"Ok... we have arrived..." Dahlia lets out a long sigh
"You all, hold hands of one another and-" "Not so fast, my dear~" suddenly a voice cut Dahlia from mid in her sentence, from behind
Her eyes widened
And not just her, even everyone had wide eyes from hearing the voice
They all didn't expect they all would be in this situation
All of them started to cling to one another, cowering over the unexpected presence