章 23: 26
The officers approached Nero and the child clumsily. Nero observed them closely, his intuition alert to any inconsistencies in their actions and words. Something didn't feel right.
"Kids, what are you two doing in this village?" The taller policeman with a name tag as Wong questions Nero while his partner with a name tag Cheng has his eyes fixed on Leonardo.
"My little brother and I came on the trip with our parents and we heard an urban legend about this village so we came to see for ourselves." Nero lies without changing the expression on his face.
"You don't look like each other." The policeman watching Leonardo comments.
"We have different mothers..." Nero quickly comes up with a coherent explanation based on his own family.
"Well, you shouldn't have come to this village, the rumors of disappearances are not urban legends, they are real cases." The officer lectures on the importance of not going into abandoned towns involved in disappearances.
"Seriously. I heard only rumors, how many people disappeared could you tell us? If we know the age range of the missing and the number, my brother and I can feel safer." Nero outlines an innocent and naive expression as he speaks.
"At least 12 children and 18 adults disappeared, I think even a stupid priest came and disappeared with them." The policeman has a mocking tone as he mentions the priest.
"Was there only one priest among the missing?" Nero asks with a twinkle in his eye.
"Yes, but that's not important, we should talk about you two. I'm going to need your names, your ages and your parents' locations to get you back." The officer Wong asks immediatly.
"My name is Nero Luc... Morningstar and I have 16 years old, and this is my brother Leonardo he has..." While he hesitates Leonardo complete saying 11 years, with that Nero becomes confident again and returns to communicate with the guard. "Our parents are visiting an old man named Xiang You in his dojo situated in the nearby town."
"Nero Luc Morningstar, what a peculiar name." Officer Wong smirks giving Nero chills. "You were named after the human who made one of the greatest fires in the history and the angel who caused the first rebellion."
"Yeah. My parents like the troublesome figures." Nero puts his hand on his neck awkwardly. "Officer Wong and Officer Cheng which division are you from?"
"Unusual Crimes Division, from the city of Qualtzo." Officer Wong responds.
"I see." Nero's expression turns cold upon hearing the answer. Officer Wong signals his partner to go ahead with something.
"Wong, let's take these boys back to the town. Brat you come with me." The other policeman named Cheng calls Leonardo to accompany him, being ignored by the expressionless child.
Then, the officer extended a hand toward the child, his fingers twisted in an unnatural manner. Nero's suspicions deepened, and he swiftly positioned himself between the officers and the child, his voice laced with a mix of authority and caution.
"Officer, there's no need for that," Nero stated firmly, his gaze unwavering. "The kid doesn't mean any harm. Let him go, and we can resolve this peacefully."
The policeman ignores Nero keeping his vision completely focused on Leonardo, even after Nero interrupts him he again tries to grab the young human. As he extended his hand this time, it was possible to notice a drop of shadow emanating from under the policeman's fingernails.
Nero waited for a moment, his senses on high alert, before continuing when he saw the actions of the officer. "But if you want to make this a fight, be prepared for the worst."
Without hesitation, Nero delivered a devastating punch, directed at the officer who had extended his twisted hand. The impact seemed to shatter the officer's face, but to Nero's astonishment, the shattered fragments transformed into a mass of shadow.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Nero swiftly kicked the second officer, using the opportunity to snatch up Leonardo and make their escape. As they fled the scene, the shadow creatures continued their pursuit, their hissing and growling echoing through the desolate streets.
Throughout their harrowing escape, Nero couldn't shake the nagging feeling that there was more to Leonardo than met the eye. The pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place, linking the child's presence in the village with his own diary's enigmatic entries.
It was then that he remembered his own diary, filled with cryptic entries. He openned the diary and saw among them was a mention of a certain Leonardo described as the wielder of the Sacred Gear Annihilation Maker.
"No fucking way," Nero muttered under his breath, his eyes widening with a mix of astonishment and realization. "I am with a Longinus user."
After the brief surprise he continues to read what was written in the diary and has an epiphany. 'Shit, these creatures are the result of his sacred gear, these monsters are different from the exploding cyclops or the giants described in the diary... maybe he's not yet developed enough to create them.'
"Leonardo, why are you creating these monsters with your sacred gear?"
"I'm not. I already told you, I don't remember how I appeared here and I have no idea of what those monsters or sacred thing are. Wait... I remember a man saying something about that sacred thing... aaaaaa" Leonardo falls to his knees and starts screaming in pain at the thought of this 'guy'.
'Damn, looks like he doesn't know about sacred gears.' Nero observes the young human's inconsistent reaction and decides to knock him out with a clean blow to the back of the head. 'This is going to be troublesome at least he will not create more monsters. Because I have to work so much.' He looks up at the sky as he complains. 'Being a cloud would be cool, nothing to do but wander. But then I would just be condensed water... wait why I'm thinking about it, am I going crazy because of the pressure?' Nero holds his head in his hands exaggeratedly and then resumes his more serious posture.
Nero, realizing the seriousness of the situation, decides to hide Leonardo's unconscious body in one of the houses while he returns to his investigation to get rid of the village's problem. He was ok with the plan as it was Leonardo's sacred gear that created more of these monsters and if he is unconscious then he cannot create new ones and therefore will be safe alone if only for a short time.
Nero cautiously ventured back into the heart of the problem – the grand hall where he had encountered the first creature. The atmosphere was heavy with an oppressive silence, broken only by the faint echoes of his own footsteps.
The dim light filtered through the cracked windows, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance and flicker along the decaying walls. Every creaking floorboard and gust of wind sent shivers down Nero's spine, as if unseen eyes were watching his every move. He explored the desolate hall, his heart pounding in his chest with each step.
As he passed by the remnants of old furniture and discarded artifacts, sudden movements caught his attention – a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye, a rustle from behind a tattered curtain. His breath hitched in his throat as he turned, only to find empty spaces and remnants of a forgotten past. The hall played tricks on his mind, toying with his fears, but still, he pressed forward.
Amidst the eerie ambiance, Nero's searching gaze fell upon a door that stood slightly ajar.
As Nero pushed open the door to the room, a wave of cold air enveloped him, sending a chill down his spine. The room was dimly lit by the faint rays of sunlight that struggled to penetrate the heavy curtains. The atmosphere within was heavy, tinged with an eerie silence that seemed to suffocate the air.
The walls bore the scars of violence, deep claw marks etched into the weathered wood. Dried bloodstains marred the surface, their dark hues standing out starkly against the faded wallpaper. The room exuded a sense of malevolence, as if it had witnessed unspeakable horrors.
In the center of the room, upon a makeshift altar, stood an ominous statue. It was a grotesque figurine of a devil similar to the stray ones, its twisted features contorted in a menacing grimace. The craftsmanship was meticulous, capturing the essence of fear and malevolence in every detail. The statue's eyes seemed to follow Nero's every move, filling him with an unsettling unease.
Nero's gaze shifted to the surrounding area, taking in the remnants of various rituals and offerings scattered around the room. Burnt-out candles lay haphazardly, their wax dripping like frozen tears. Unidentifiable symbols were etched onto the floor, forming a mysterious and foreboding pattern.
The air seemed thick with an otherworldly presence, as if the room itself pulsed with a dark energy. It was a place tainted by evil, where the line between the spiritual and the demonic had been irreversibly blurred.
A feeble beam of light slipped through a cracked window, illuminating the figure of a man bound and gagged in the corner.
Nero's heart sank as he recognized the familiar face similar to the owner of that pub and the type of ceremonial robes dressed by this bound man – he is the buddhist priest who had dissapeared doing his investigation. The priest's eyes widened in relief and fear as he met Nero's gaze, muffled pleas for help escaping from behind the cloth gag. With a sense of urgency, Nero rushed forward, carefully removing the bindings that held the priest captive.
The priest's frail form trembled as he regained his freedom, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Child, thank heavens you've come. This place... it is cursed, haunted by shadows and malevolence."
Nero's brow furrowed with concern as he listened to the priest's words, his mind racing to make sense of the horrors that had unfolded. The puzzle pieces were slowly coming together, but the true nature of the darkness that plagued the village still eluded him.
"Nero, we need to leave this place why are you not moving?" The priest tries to make him move.
"Hello sir? What is your name we should introduce ourselves?" Nero
"My name is Xiang Hua, I am a orphan without family and a loyal follower of Buddha." The priest speaks while bowing as a greeting.
"Oh really, this is geting even more interesting." Nero smirks and start to look around the room for any clue.
"What do you mean?" The priest follows him confused.
"How long have you been missing? Do you know where the other missing people are?" Nero questions the man without losing the focus of the investigation.
"I've been captured for at least a month now. I didn't see anyone else with me. I was alone in this room the whole time." The Buddhist speaks sincerely.
Nero walks over to the wall marked by claws and blood, runs his finger across it and tastes the blood on his mouth. "Strange, after all these walls taste like blood and it's relatively fresh even if it's starting to dry out." Nero smiles to the buddhist who shakes a little bit.
"I don't understand what you're getting at, Mr. Morningstar." The priest gives a weak smile which is answered by an eyebrow raise from Nero.
As the priest spoke, he discreetly placed himself between Nero's field of vision and the figure of the devil on the altar. However, such action was futile as even investigating the elements of the room, the priest was still Nero's main concern and his sudden movements aroused suspicion.
"Mr. Hua get out of the way." Nero decides to look at what he hides.
"There's nothing here, you should investigate the rest of the room." He gives the devil a warm smile.
"But I want to look at the altar behind you." Nero keep walking.
The priest immediately attacks Nero with a very basic spell whose strength would be similar to that of a low class being.
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