After Ray looked at the scenery in front of him, he found the majestic castle more mesmerizing than he could remember.
He could see some tents from his vantage point, but he couldn't tell how many there were. He walked slowly and stealthily, each step feeling increasingly dangerous. Kneeling down, he noticed people walking toward one of the tents. Ray controlled his breathing as he moved behind the tents; he felt safer there, but it seemed like he would be spotted if he didn't move faster.
He waited until the people entered the tents and then began walking a bit quicker. As he reached the door of the castle, he saw two guards standing nearby, both dressed in full-blue uniforms and wearing caps.
They stood a little distance away from the main entrance, which was adorned with the same dragon design as the chest embedded in it. The door appeared to be locked with a large chain wrapped around it.
Before he could find a way to enter the castle, he heard something he had never encountered before. In an instant, all the doors and windows of the castle swung open forcefully, and the chains that had bound them shattered into small pieces of metal.
Seizing the opportunity, he sprinted toward the open door as fast as he could. The two guards called out for reinforcements to bring new chains. As Ray passed between them, both guards turned to see him racing toward the entrance. One of the guards shouted, "What are you doing, kid? Don't enter that castle!"
Ray couldn't hear their words. He only focused on getting the fragment. He knew that if he continued at this speed, he would be caught.
He jumped forward using his hand as a balance, pushing himself to roll. As he landed on a wooden ground he stood and looked at the inside interior, but he didn't have time to memorise Ray tried to walk but intense killing intent filled the castle he turned around to see the two guards standing outside the door in horror in their eyes they were near him but felt far away loud walking steps were echoing inside the castle.
Ray heard loud footsteps echoing inside the castle as the monster slowly descended from the upper stairs. With each step made more and more intense. Ray had never experienced something like this before. He was not able to move. He couldn't explain this feeling.
Before he could fully comprehend the situation, the chain wrapped around his body and pulled him swiftly. It didn't matter, though, because the monster stood in front of Ray. He could see the mask obscuring its eyes, and it felt forbidden to look directly at that creature. The monster swung a sealed sword, narrowly missing the chain around Ray's neck by just an inch. The force of the swing was enough to break the chain and send Ray crashing to the ground near the door. He was airborne for a moment before tumbling down, and the impact left his body feeling numb.
Ray tried to stand up, but movement felt impossible. As he gazed at the figure that had nearly killed him, he recognized a middle-aged man with black hair. The monster turned away and slowly walked towards the castle stairs. Just as Ray began to lose consciousness, one of the guards rushed in and kicked him in the stomach. He spat out saliva as he rolled on the ground. Ray's body was paralysed for a moment as the man aimed his gun at Ray he spoke with an agitated tone
"Tell me the reason you entered that castle... answer me, you bastard?"
Ray (pov)
I looked at the guard's face, where anger was evident. The gun pointed at me didn't feel as threatening; instead, it felt like a toy near my face. I didn't see a good expression on him, and it did scare me. I glanced at his posture—his hands and legs were shaking like a child who had just seen a monster. But I was different; he wasn't scared of the monster; he was scared of me as I looked at him with empty eyes. Now I understand he had never killed a human before, but neither had I. As I contemplated whether I could kill someone, the other guards stepped in and restrained Alex.
One of the guards shouted at Alex, "Are you out of your mind? Are you going to kill a kid? He must have been horrified after seeing that monster; let's give him some rest."
Some of the guards nodded in agreement, but Alex was not happy with the suggestion.
He responded angrily, "So you're telling me to let this kid go after what he has done? You know better than I do what that monster can do, Felix."
Felix looked at Alex and sighed.
"All right, let's put him in the forest house for now, and we will discuss what to do with him later."
Alex slowly put his gun away and looked at the boy lying on the ground. He called to the guards, Bob and Job, to take me. Bob poked my arm coldly and said.
"Hey, stand up."
I quickly rose from the ground. Job put handcuffs on me, and Bob forcefully grabbed my arm as he led me to the east side of the castle, holding a flashlight. We entered the forest together. I glanced back to see Alex's angry expression directed at me before turning my head forward as we slowly vanished into the trees.
After a while, all the guards returned to their posts. Felix stood in front of the castle, wearing a puzzled expression. He turned around and saw Alex running toward him. When Alex reached Felix, he stopped, bent forward, rested his hands on his knees, and breathed heavily. He said, "Hey, I think we should check on Bob and Job. They're running pretty late."
Felix smiled gently as he walked past Alex and replied, "Fine, let's go check on them, but remember, it's Bob and Job." Alex repeated Felix's last word calmly.
Both men then began walking to meet their companions who had gone to the forest house, As they approached the house door, Alex and Felix were horrified to discover two bodies lying on the ground. Alex shone his flashlight on the scene, revealing the grim details.
Job's head was twisted at an unnatural angle, with both eyes grotesquely removed and placed in his arm. Bob lay nearby, his body marked by two gunshot wounds—one in his chest and the other in his head—while his arm was handcuffed. The sight left both Alex and Felix trembling. At that instant, a gunshot was heard.
Felix turned around to see crimson liquid pouring from Alex's head as his body collapsed to the ground. Terror filled Felix's face as he glanced toward the spot where the gunshot had been fired. There, he saw a boy in an unzipped brown jacket and black jeans. Beneath the jacket, he wore a white shirt with some words printed on it.
The man was holding the gun with both hands. Felix struggled to process what was happening when the shooter spoke in a cold but gentle
" Thank you, sir."