From a Talentless nobody to An SSS Class Dragon

Chapter 256: Time To Leave Here

The scratching continues overhead.

It moves from one rooftop to another before suddenly stopping.

Silence follows for a few moments but nothing about it feels good.

It is the sort of silence where every instinct tells me something is watching from the darkness.

I tighten my fists while keeping pace beside Orun.

Alice walks a few steps behind us with her sword already drawn, and Akina scans the rooftops with one pistol raised while keeping the other at her side.

None of us speak.

Even the wind seems unwilling to disturb Xaer now.

The lanterns lining the streets sway gently despite there being no breeze.

Their orange flames burn brighter than they did earlier, stretching strange shadows across the empty road.

Every home remains sealed shut while windows have been covered from the inside.

Not a single villager appears to be looking outside in the slightest. It is safe to assume that this is a common occurrence in Xaer.

"They’re afraid," I mutter.

"They’re experienced," Orun corrects without slowing down.

I glance toward him.

"You’ve gone through this before?" I ask.

"Every night," Orun answers.

Going through this every night sounds pretty insane if I’m being honest. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through this pain all the time.

Especially when children are about.

Another scrape echoes across the rooftops.

This one is closer.

Akina immediately raises one of her pistols toward the sound.

"I still can’t see anything," Akina says.

"You aren’t supposed to," Orun replies.

Alice narrows her eyes.

"What does that mean?" she asks.

"It means they prefer it that way," Orun responds.

I scan the rooftops surrounding us.

Broken chimneys, weathered shingles, and dark silhouettes... Nothing is moving at all.

If I didn’t go through everything I did, I’d say this would be quite the terrifying experience.

The towers really did teach me that the world can’t be that scary if everything inside the tower is worse. Then again, I still managed to get through it all without a problem.

"You still haven’t explained what they are," I speak up.

Orun lets out a slow breath.

"The people of Xaer feared death," Orun starts to explain.

His voice remains calm.

"They searched for ways to preserve themselves," He continues.

"They succeeded?" Alice asks.

"They survived in a way that they never should have," Orun answers.

Akina lowers her pistol slightly.

"So they’re undead?" Akina questions with some confusion.

Orun shakes his head.

"No," He answers.

"Spirits?" Alice asks.

"No," He answers again.

I sigh.

"Would it kill everyone in this village to give a straight answer?" I say with a bit of frustration.

A faint smile appears on Orun’s face.

"Straight answers only exist in straight worlds... Xaer stopped being one a very long time ago," Orun explains.

That doesn’t really explain anything to me at all... It just means that nothing makes sense regardless here.

I’m going to have the biggest headache after we get out of this damn village.

We continue walking.

The large stone building grows closer with every step.

Up close it feels far older than every other structure in the village.

Massive pillars support the entrance while countless cracks spread across the ancient stone.

The same circular symbol we saw near the entrance to Xaer has been carved into nearly every surface.

Alice notices it immediately.

"The symbol again," Alice says quietly.

Orun nods.

"You’ll find it throughout the entire building," Orun replies.

"What is it?" Alice asks.

"A promise," He answers almost instantly.

"A promise to who?" Alice questions with curiosity in her voice.

Orun doesn’t answer.

I don’t know why she expects him to give answers to everything. No one in this place seems to be into telling us what we want to know about the ruins.

It is just the same old stuff that we already know... "Don’t travel at night." Blah blah blah.

Alice and I already did that with just a lantern.

We killed some of the monsters in the ruins as well.

Another scratching sound echoes above us.

This time it is followed by something else.

Click. Click. Click.

The sound resembles sharp nails tapping against stone.

My eyes immediately shoot toward one of the rooftops.

Something darts across it.

Way faster than whatever the creatures were outside the village.

I only catch a glimpse.

Long limbs, an unnaturally thin body, and it moves almost like a giant spider.

Akina exhales slowly.

"I saw it," Akina speaks up.

Alice immediately looks toward her.

"What did it look like?" Alice questions.

"I..."

Akina hesitates.

"I’m honestly not sure," Akina responds.

I didn’t say anything but it was something I saw as well. I’d rather not add any unnecessary fear to the others though.

Not that Alice or Akina would have any, but I don’t want to take the chance.

We’re almost to the safe place anyway.

Orun finally comes to a stop.

"We’re almost there," Orun says with a calm tone.

The ancient stone building now stands directly before us.

Unlike every other structure in Xaer, its doors remain open.

Warm light spills from inside, almost like it is inviting us to come into the building already.

"You live here?" I ask.

"No," He answers.

"Then who does?" I question.

"The one protecting Xaer," He answers without any hesitation.

So he isn’t the one that protects this place? How interesting.

I’m learning stuff without him telling me anything crazy. I originally thought he was the one who could be protecting anything with this place.

Seems I was wrong.

"So somebody controls this place?" I ask with a curious tone.

Orun chuckles quietly.

"No," Orun answers after chuckling.

Nobody controls this place and he isn’t the one that protects it. I’m starting to wonder why this place really is in these ruins in the first place.

Why did the ruins let it get to this point?

There’s a lot of questions that I wish I had answers to right about now. Maybe I’ll ask another one.

Before I can ask another—

THUD!

Something lands behind us.

The impact echoes throughout the empty street.

Alice immediately turns around.

Akina raises both pistols.

I instinctively lower my center of gravity and raise my fists.

Nothing, just like when we fought the monsters before.

The road behind us remains empty.

Then another impact follows.

THUD!

This one comes from above.

Roof tiles crack beneath the weight of whatever landed there.

Another.

THUD!

Then another.

THUD!

"They’re following us now," Orun says calmly.

His expression never changes.

"Keep moving," Orun instructs.

"We should fight," Alice suggests.

"They haven’t attacked," Orun replies.

"They’re surrounding us," Alice says with a serious tone.

"Exactly," Orun replies with a calm tone still.

Alice slowly backs away without lowering her sword.

I remain beside her.

The strange pressure I felt when entering Xaer suddenly returns.

Except now...

It’s much heavier... It almost feels like the air itself has become thicker. Suffocating even.

"Do either of you feel that?" I ask quietly.

Akina nods.

"It feels like something’s pressing down on me," Akina answers first.

Alice frowns.

"I don’t feel anything," Alice answers next.

Orun glances toward me.

"You noticed," He says with a bit of a surprised tone.

"What is it?" I ask curiously.

"The village," Orun answers almost instantly.

He answers as though that should explain everything.

My fists tighten.

Before I can ask what that means—

A child’s laughter echoes somewhere above us.

High-pitched, playful, and not something you expect to hear.

The laughter slowly travels across the rooftops before stopping directly above us.

I raise my guard toward the darkness.

Nothing but shadows.

"That isn’t a child," Alice whispers.

"No. It only remembers being one," Orun replies.

Orun immediately begins climbing the stone steps.

"We’re out of time," Orun speaks once more with a bit of urgency in it.

For the first time since meeting him...

His calm voice carries actual urgency.

The massive wooden doors slowly begin opening wider.

Ancient gears grind somewhere deep within the walls.

A low rumble spreads throughout the building.

Warm light pours into the empty street.

"Inside," Orun says.

I don’t hesitate.

If whatever is following us has Orun acting like this, then standing outside would be beyond stupid.

I rush through the entrance.

Alice follows directly behind me and Akina is the last to enter.

Just before stepping inside, she glances back toward the rooftops.

I turn around to see dozens of pale hands that slowly grip the edges of nearby rooftops.

One after another. Grey fingers and long black nails.

Then another hand appears.

Soon every rooftop surrounding the square is covered with silent figures pulling themselves into view.

I still can’t make out their faces.

Only pairs of glowing eyes staring toward the ancient building.

SLAM!

The doors slam shut behind us.

The echo rolls throughout the enormous hall.

Silence follows.

Orun slowly exhales.

"They won’t enter," Orun says with certainty.

I look back toward the sealed entrance.

"What exactly are they?" I question.

Orun’s golden eye settles on the ancient symbol carved into the center of the stone floor.

His expression grows heavier than before.

"They... are everyone who believed they could leave Xaer," Orun answers.

The room falls completely silent.