Chapter 157: Ch157: Sneak Night
The white bedsheets turned crimson, and the room filled with the fresh metallic scent of blood.
Blood droplets speckled Daniel’s face.
He turned his gaze to Clara, still sleeping in peace.
Should I... also? No, she’s innocent.
Daniel set the sword down beside the bed, wiped the blood from his face with a tunic from the wardrobe, then slipped out of the house and disappeared into the night.
Clueless, he wandered along the path. The moon emerged from the clouds, revealing the dirt trail beneath his feet. It wasn’t Arcana Town, nor Arcane Village.
This place was different, with tall spruce trees lining the path.
A moment later, he stumbled upon a well, with a rope tied to a bucket and a signboard that read "Public Well".
Crickets chirped in the surroundings, and the air carried an earthy scent, as though the ground had been freshly dug.
Is that light?
A short distance ahead, a burning street lamp came into view. Beyond it stood rows of houses and makeshift stalls, the kind commonly found in a marketplace.
Daniel stepped forward and scanned the area. No people, no cats, dogs. Complete silence.
Then he spotted a signboard pointing east.
[MOSS SCHOOL OF MAGIC]
"Moss School of...? Did I somehow end up in Moss Village?" Daniel murmured.
He looked around and spotted a few waggoners curled asleep in their wagons — likely vagrants with nowhere else to go.
Instead of approaching, Daniel left them undisturbed and slipped into the nearby bushes. He sat on the ground, concealed behind a tree.
Just a few more hours.
...
Hours of small fitful naps later, the sun had finally risen from the eastern horizon. Daniel rubbed his eyes and waited until a few villagers began to stir.
Only then did he move, blending into the crowd.
*Yawn~*
"Sir, how much for Arcane Village?"
*Slurp*
"Five coppers, young man," the waggoner replied, slurping from a chipped glass of tea.
Daniel pulled out five coins from Veil’s pouch and pressed them into the man’s calloused palm. He climbed aboard the wagon and settled onto the rough wooden bench as it creaked under his weight.
Twenty minutes later, the wagon rolled into Arcane Village.
Instead of heading straight home, Daniel made his way to the bustling morning market and dropped onto a rickety stool at a makeshift fast food stall.
He ordered flatbreads with chickpea curry — not once, but ten times.
*Burp~*
With his hunger finally sated, Daniel wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and headed home.
From the gate, he saw Marnie sweeping the front yard with a broom.
"Oh, son. What a surprise," she said, dropping the broom.
Marnie stepped forward and swung the gate open for him. She reached up, cupping his cheek, and studied his face for a long moment.
"You look tired," she said, concern threading through her voice. "Is everything going well, son?"
Daniel gave a weary nod. "Yes, Mom. I’m fine. I just... need some rest."
Saying that, he slipped inside, grabbed a towel from his room, took a quick bracing bath at the well, returned dripping wet, collapsed onto his bed, and let darkness claim him in seconds.
...
*Blink-Blink*
Daniel opened his eyes and found his body half-submerged in cool, shallow water. Above him stretched an endless dark sky glittering with countless stars.
A soft light glowed in the distance ahead, veiled by thick curtains of drifting mist that swallowed the horizon.
This place, again?
Beside him, Esmeralda stepped forward, vanishing into the swirling fog. Tressa, Belinda, and Tina followed close behind, their forms gradually dissolving into the pale mist until only silence remained.
"Wait."
Daniel rose from the shallow water and hurried after them, only to stumble upon a grisly mound of bleached skeletal bones.
Two identical figures stood before him — one sprawled atop the pile, the other clutching a tome that looked just like his own grimbook.
"Who are you?!" Daniel demanded.
The figure said nothing. He dropped lightly from the mound of bones, turned, and walked forward. A shimmering gate rose from the scattered remains.
Without hesitation, the lookalike stepped through.
Daniel sprinted after him.
*Bwhoosh~*
His vision flashed blinding white.
When it cleared, the scene had shifted completely.
He now stood in a vast, empty plain where a solitary brown tent stood a short distance away.
Daniel looked around, his body half-translucent, as though he had become a ghost no one could see. ’What is this place?’ he wondered.
"Veilintina! Can you take care of Mother Nestine? She needs a companion," a lady in a white robe said.
A woman stepped out of the brown tent, her voluptuous figure straining against the fitted black nun’s habit. Massive breasts and a thick, rounded ass filled out the modest garment.
Long blonde hair spilled from beneath her white coif, framed by a long black veil that swayed with her movements.
"Where are you going, Sister Reinine?" she asked, her tone gentle.
Reinine turned around. "Mother Morgana gave me a task. I need to hurry. Take care, Veilly. Bye..."
"Hmh... she always does this to me. I guess I have no choice," Veilintina sighed, then turned and passed through Daniel.
Daniel spun and followed her into the tent.
She hummed a soft, motherly melody as she packed clothes into a leather satchel. Her generous curves shifted with each movement.
Veilintina finished, slung the satchel over her shoulder, and stepped back outside.
She started down the winding dirt path without another glance.
Where is she going?
Daniel narrowed his eyes and strode after her, then crashed into an invisible wall that blocked his way.
"What the fuck?"
He tried sidestepping, circling around, jumping, and even ramming his shoulder into the invisible wall, but nothing worked — It felt as though he were trapped inside an invisible rectangular box.
Just as he was about to lose hope, the ground trembled.
Earthquake?
Suddenly, the earth beneath his feet split open.
*Crack*
Daniel lost his balance and fell.
[A/N: A quick reminder to throw some power stones:) Thank q ]
