CHAPTER 207: SEPHRINA [7]

In one of the rooms adjacent to his own, he felt signs of life.

Not one but multiple.

Akamir quickly opened the door as he rushed into the room adjacent.

’.....’

His stomach twisted as he looked at the gruesome sight.

Six young boys lay on the bed... Naked.

Akamir let out a tired sigh as he walked inside the room.

’I really don’t like this.’

All six of the boys were unconscious and they were tied up.

Most of them were just about twelve and a few even younger.

’....’

Akamir pressed his eyes hard as he tried to control his anger.

Even though it was a fake World Akamir still felt like killing someone.

’Alright, let’s focus for now.’

He thought, forcing himself to get his mind on the task at hand.

Akamir closed his eyes once again as he used the spirit eyes.

The world once again turned into a glow of green and red.

The red strings attached to the bodies of the children going up in the sky as well.

’...I really want to know what will happen if I just cut them.’

Will the one whose string is cut off die?

Or will they return back to the real World?

Akamir wanted to know but he didn’t want to risk as well.

’huff...’

Akamir exhaled a soft breath as he looked at the photo frame hanging on the wall.

It was the picture of Lewin, standing straight with a sword in hand.

’...So, you really are into kids?’

Akamir thought, feeling a deep sense of disgust creeping in his mind.

He forcefully suppressed the feeling as he began to search the room.

Akamir searched the shelves, the drawers, and even under the bed.

Papers... scrolls... nothing that caught his attention.

Most of them were written in the same strange script he’d been seeing in this world.

Some looked like church records, some like ritual notes.

He frowned as he pulled out a small locked box from under the table.

When Akamir reached out for it, the box vanished into thin air.

’What the hell?’

His jaw tightened as his gaze wandered back to the boys on the bed.

Their breathing was shallow but they were still alive.

Akamir clicked his tongue. ’I really want to help them but...I don’t want to have liability now.’

He clenched his fist and forced himself to turn away.

His jaw tightened as he looked once more at the unconscious boys.

He dragged a hand down his face, exhaling slowly to keep himself calm.

With another glance at the photo frame on the wall, Akamir murmured, "I will fucking kill you, Lewin."

Akamir walked out of the room as he began to go further into the hallway.

’There should be something, anything that should connect the dream World with the real one.’

Akamir kept on walking down the hallway as he used the spirit eyes to find anything of importance.

The World around him glowed in a beautiful colour but nothing stood out for him.

’Hm?’

Just when he was about to move through a party intersection, Akamir heard the sound of footsteps.

Thinking quickly, he hid himself behind a pillar.

With his physical no more than thirteen, he could fit anywhere.

After a few moments, two soldiers walked past him talking to themselves.

"Captain said the priest is getting restless," one muttered, his helmet tucked under his arm. "Too many delays with the offering."

"Offering?" the other scoffed.

"You mean the kids, right?" He snorted. "Disgusting bastard. Don’t know how the king still calls himself holy."

"Keep your voice down," the first soldier hissed. "You want to end up like Bren? One wrong word, and you’ll vanish too."

They disappeared down the corridor, leaving only silence behind.

Akamir stepped out from behind the pillar, "offerings, huh?"

Akamir quickly found something out of place.

Since this is a dream world then why is there a need of a priest?

Why would a dream world have a god and why would Lewin acknowledge one?

In a complete sense, this world partially belongs to him.

Then....

Why would he submit to someone else?

’...This doesn’t make much sense.’

Akamir let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples to alleviate the headache.

’Someone who can make Lewin submit, huh?’

Akamir lowered his hand as a thought crossed his mind.

’...Kros?’

Maybe....just maybe Lewin is worshiping the Greater One for giving him this life.

’No, that won’t make sense.’

Akamir quickly pushed the thought aside.

’Lewin is not someone who will do something like this.’

Even though Akamir had met him only a few times, he could tell what type of man he is.

Akamir leaned his back against the cold stone pillar, lost in thought.

Lewin was proud, arrogant, selfish to the core.

The kind of man who would spit in the face of anyone above him rather than kneel.

So why the hell would he bow his head to a priest?

’No... he wouldn’t. Not willingly.’

Akamir pushed himself off the pillar and walked deeper into the corridor.

Finally, he reached the end of the hallway.

A heavy iron door stood before him, its surface etched with jagged symbols that burned faintly red.

Akamir was about to open the door when he thought not to.

Instead, he focused more on the place with his spirit eyes.

’...Hmm.’

Sure enough, he found thousands of red strings on the other side of the door.

’...This doesn’t make sense?’

How can a room within a castle be big enough to hold thousands of things?

Akamir let out a sigh as he took a left from there.

He kept on walking as he remained lost in thought.

’...Wait, come to think of it.....’

Akamir stopped in his place as a thought crossed his mind.

’...Why have I not tried to summon my Crown?’

He wondered to himself as he felt like an idiot to not think about it.

"Huff..."

Akamir exhaled to get his mind in place as he willed his Crown to come to him.

For a few minutes nothing happened as he just stood there, until....

A buzz echoed over his head and a crown flickered to life.

The place began to illuminate in a dark crimson colour.

As soon as Akamir felt the crown almost immediately he felt an unexplainable gaze on him.

’Huh, what?’

He looked around but he couldn’t find anyone or anything.

’What was that—.’

"Akamir!"

A sudden voice jolted him out of his confusion.

"Nayomi!"

"Yeah, it’s me." She replied. "Are you alright?"

Akamir looked around but he couldn’t find her, she wasn’t physically present but he could hear her voice.

"What is happening on your side?" Akamir asked, looking around.

"Your body is getting wrapped in a cocoon-like thing." She replied, her voice unusually panicked. "I think the Kros is trying to make her new body by taking around all your lives."

"What!?"

"What do you mean taking all my lives!?" he hissed, his voice sharp.

"I mean exactly that!" Nayomi’s voice snapped back. "That thing is pulling every ounce of mana from everyone’s body and making something new."

Akamir clenched his fists.

’So that’s what that gaze was...Kros?’

Nayomi’s voice cut through the hum. "Listen to me, idiot! You can’t let the cocoon close completely. If it does, she’ll hatch through you."

Akamir dragged a hand down his face, his pulse quick. "What should I do?"

"There should be something or someone who is keeping Kros attached." Nayomi replied. "You need to kill or destroy whatever that is."

"What do you mean?" Akamir asked, even though he got the gist of it. "There are a lot of things—."

"You don’t have time for all this." She snapped back at him. "You only have one minute before you die!"

"Wait, what?" Akamir asked as he frowned. "No, wait....how much time has already passed?"

"Around five minutes." She replied, her voice sharp. "You need to do something fast."

Akamir drew in a deep breath as he began to think it through.

’If what she is saying is truth then that means one minute in real world is around thirty days here.’

Akamir bit his lips as reality dawned upon him.

’I only have three days before I die.’

Akamir grit his teeth and snapped his spirit eyes open again.

’Fuck, fuck.’

"Akamir." Nayomi called him again. "I will buy you as much time as possible, so don’t fucking die."

Her voice vanished as she was cut off from him.

Akamir drew in a deep breath as he looked at the iron door once again.

’...Huff.’

Akamir exhaled as he raised his hand.

"Come forth."

The shadow behind him twisted and in an instant a mimicker appeared beside him.

Akamir felt a sudden sense of weakness creeping within him.

’Is it the penalty for using my power in this world?’

He couldn’t be sure but Akamir was in no mood for theories.

He summoned three more mimickers before he grabbed the door handle.