บท 51: Statue
Chapter 26: Statue
A startled expression appeared on Abium's face. He got puzzled as he noticed that Hemarc's head was sliced in half and placed on the wall's top.
As he blinked his eyes, the head blurred for a moment and disappeared from there!
There was nothing on the wall!
'Did I just start imagining things?'
He was ashamed of being subjected to such vain paranoia. Alas, an uneasy emotion crept into his heart.
After the dancing party, a grand feast was held for the guests, but Abium didn't fancy those foods. He was tired and exhausted due to the journey. So, Abium thought of taking a nap to calm his mind, but Nicolaus didn't leave him alone.
He stood by his side and started bragging about who those guests were. He informed Abium about their achievements in the wars and how great their household was.
For a moment, Abium thought that if Nicolaus became a merchant, he would have a great future ahead.
Except for Margrave Eliot and Baron Tibbott, Abium also recognized Viscount Raoul, Count Arthur, Baron Wariner, and several other special guests who arrived there.
'These folks are not some random peoples!' The suspicion in his heart grew.
He knew how hard it would be to meet a single heroic figure here in this remote town.
Seemingly, everyone who appeared at this Banquet was ruling most of the Peral Kingdom's western part.
He knew that they belonged to the Western Faction of the Peral and called themselves 'Western Lords.' But after the death of Margrave, some members moved to different factions, while others died in Noble's gathering.
Abium should be pleased about meeting all of those esteemed guests. But there was no comfort in his heart!
'Why are there so many of them rallied here?' The same thought often appeared in his mind several times. Suspicions about this Banquet arose in his heart.
With those confusions running inside his mind, Abium thought of moving to the room where Nicolaus had allotted him for the night's stay. Since many of the guests had arrived, he barely qualified to receive a place near the spacious corner of that great hall.
"Brother, you seemed so exhausted! You can go and rest in that allotted room. I will come and pick you up in the morning,"
Nicolaus responded and fled hurriedly, leaving him alone in that banquet hall.
Meanwhile, Abium quietly moved to the great hall and finally arrived at the allocated small room near the entryway.
After opening the door, he walked inside with an exhausted face and glanced around.
It was a 10x10 feet room with an old bed at the center, a table near the window, and a wooden chair next to it.
'Not bad.' He nodded thoughtfully, moved near the cotton bed, and sat on it.
Drowsiness appeared out of nowhere as he lazed on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Still, he couldn't sleep peacefully for some odd reasons.
Even in the rest, he felt uncomfortable due to the thoughts of what he observed at that Banquet.
Once again, he overheard the sound of a wolf howling from somewhere. But he couldn't be able to move his eyes or his body.
Soon, he heard multiple wolves howling repeatedly, and those sounds seemed to be moving in his direction.
'What is this?'
He suddenly discovered himself inside a dark jungle and noticed that many black wolves ran toward him while growing wildly.
He hurriedly moved backward and soon stiffened as he watched those wolves' eyes glow in gleaming fire. At that moment, there was no memory of him being an apprentice mage appeared in his mind!
No, his memories appeared to have blocked like a fog of clouds.
Because of such strangeness, he didn't even think of fighting and decided to escape to the opposite side. Like a scared kid, he turned around and started running in the opposite direction.
But within a few moments, he found himself encircled by the packs of wolves!
He quivered at the thought of being ripped by these countless wolves.
Just as he thought that everything was over, he saw a deserted temple appear around three hundred meters away from him.
His eyes lit up.
He suddenly got some courage and ran in that direction while evading those wolves' claw attacks.
Abium soon arrived in front of the temple's entrance and breathed a sigh of relief.
Panting heavily, he unlocked the door with a click and went inside.
But as he stepped onto the broken concrete floor, a statue of a lone girl that appeared at the end of the room caught his attention.
The young girl in the statue appeared to be around 12 years old, had an ordinary human appearance, a lean face, and long hair, and she showed a sad look on her face.
Even reddish tear droplets appeared around the corner of the statue's eyes and fell slowly.
As he was about to shift his gaze, he suddenly saw a human shadow appear behind the lone statue and squinted his eyes.
He hastily moved towards the side, took a deep look, and soon realized that it was a priest. He wore a white robe decorated with small skull symbols, a crown made of finger bones on his head, and even held a wooden staff. He appeared to be around 60 to 70 years old with a pale, wrinkled face, dark eyes, and long white hair.
At that moment, he let out a strange hum from time to time and seemed to be chanting in a weird language.
But to his shock, Abium understood every word he was muttering!
"In the groves of fierce mountains, Ananku wear
Bright flowers and appears in whatever form desired.
Male Owl, along with its female hoots in the
Huge, dark town square at this confusing
midnight time, when she rises and roams in many forms.
Like an Angel who descends from heaven,
She wanders mostly with ghouls and spirits.
She was called a Queen of Ghouls.
...
.
...
Let her descend to this world."
Abium stared at the priest in wariness, hurriedly moved his gaze towards the lone girl statue, and furrowed.
He had never seen a statue like this before!
'Whose statue is this? Who is this young girl? A Goddess?' Questions whirled in his head.
But as he stared at the statue for two more seconds, his expression stiffened suddenly.
At that moment, Abium noticed that the statue of the young girl suddenly blinked its eyes!
A strange chill went up to his spine as he stared at the statue in shock and took a few steps back, and turned around to leave in fear.
But to his surprise, the opened door seemed to have shut long ago and sealed him from leaving the temple!
Before he could even touch the door, a creaking noise came from behind and gave him a huge fright!
He slowly turned around and soon quivered as he noticed that the statue turned its head in his direction and looked at him.
What's more shocking was that even a wicked smile appeared on its face, and it held a beheaded body in its hand.
'What the hell? Where am I?' Fear gripped his heart.
Meanwhile, the priest in his white robe suddenly stepped forward and walked towards him while clutching an eerie reddish knife in his hand.
"Come closer, my dear child! Come and sacrifice your life to please our beloved Queen of Ghouls." That priest muttered with a chilling tone.
But the next instant, a bright light emerged from that headless body and blinded his vision.
As he opened his eyes, Abium discovered that the statue of that strange girl had vanished from his sight.
Instead, he found that the Mother Nature Goddess's statue replaced its position.
He also saw two elven girls appearing out of nowhere, dancing in front of the statue and humming a strange melodic song.
While he was baffled by this sudden display, another humming voice resounded from the Mother Goddess statue's left side, followed by strange verses.
"She of the beaming eyes,
To my rash look, her glance replies.
As if the matchless goddess' hand,
Led forth an armed band."
Abium abruptly moved his head, looked at the left side, and soon saw a strange creepy scene.
It was Hemarc!
No, the one who vocalized those earlier verses was the head of Hemarc!
A look of horror appeared on Abium's face.
Abium stared at the severed head and got scared shitless for a moment.
Abium backed away and slammed his head onto the temple's entrance door the next moment.
Simultaneously, he also fell from the bed in the physical world and woke up from a strange dream.
That dream dissolved, and he gradually opened his eyes.
But the next instant, Abium's face froze as he witnessed a scene where his dream and reality intertwined.
At that moment, he saw a face noticeably above that fortress's wall through the window gap and widened his eyes.
It was the same Hemarc's head.
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