Chapter 33- The Unworthy and the Champion(VIII)

Chapter 33

"Here goes nothing!"

Immediately after reaching the lake, the trio took a deep breath and dived in, not wasting even a tiny second. 

The black lake was surprisingly not murky. Swimming in it was a rare delight. The cool water wrapped around nicely, encasing him in a smooth sensation.

A smile reached the corner of Raven's lips as he continued diving. 'I don't see anything out of the blue… heh, no pun intended.'

'Weird, why is ❰Seventh Sense❱ silent? I expected it to be blaring like there was no tomorrow. We are in a monster's lair for god's sake. Do something.'

Raven channeled in his body, boating his swimming speed and negating the water pressure on his body. He continued diving, looking for more clues. There was no time to waste. He couldn't stay underwater for long.

'Hmm…?'

Trix signalled to him and Kai. She pointed in a particular direction near the bed of the lake.

 The trio hurriedly rushed to the region. Their eyes widened almost instantly as they spotted something a few feet away from them.

 'Let's get a closer look.' They looked at each other and nodded, all of them having the same idea.

As they got within inches of the item, their minds buzzed with numerous questions.

Raven was bedazzled. 'A chained skeleton, most likely a woman from the pieces of clothes around it… but why?'

'What is that behind the skeleton? Wait…wow!''

The trio to the lair in search of answers. At this moment, one of their questions was very much answered!

The female corpses!!

They had somehow magically appeared in a weirdly ritualistic formation behind the skeleton. 

Raven examined the skeleton. He still couldn't sense anything from it, but he had learnt to be resourceful and not be overly reliant on ❰Seventh Sense❱. He looked around and discovered a name on the metal plate of the chains— Mary Anne. 

'Mary Anne? That confirms my theory that the skeleton is a female. But what role does it play in all of this…? No, I'm rushing deep into this, getting ahead of myself. I should start from the beginning. How did the skeleton get here?'

'It was chained… it was chained? Haha!!!'

This was an execution!!! 

Death by drowning!!

Raven pieced everything together, finally seeing the big picture. He wanted to laugh wildly, but sadly, he was surrounded by water and he didn't want to die just like Mary Anne, no disrespect intended.

The trio had each reached a certain understanding of the situation. They quickly left the lake; they weren't about to test their luck just yet.

Immediately they emerged from the lake, Raeven turned to the others and said, "The monster is the least of our problems."

Trix and Kai asked , "What do you mean?"

"I believe you think the monster—"

"Hey friends, what did you find?" A boy and his friend approached them.

Kai frowned and said, "Fuck off!"

"Don't be like that. Let's work together. We don't have to be hostile."

"Like I said, fuck off! Talking about teamwork… where was that energy when Sereya Voss and her company asked for help. And don't act like they didn't, because there's no way they wouldn't want to expand their number advantage. Perhaps if you had not chickened out, they would have finished the preliminary."

The boy snorted, "I could say the same for you, Serpent!"

More and more people gathered around the spot. Some didn't waste time and jumped in, wanting to see for themselves what the group of Serpent saw in the lake while the others turned to Kai expectantly.

Kai laughed, "Unlike you toddlers, We arrived at the grove last so we were not aware of Sereya Voss' intentions. Whatever, I 'm done with this."

Kai signalled to Raven and Trix and the three of them ignored everyone. They began to move, but the group blocked their path.

"Where are you going? We are not done here. You have something to tell us."

Kai clenched his fist. "Are you dumb? What a plight for your noble parents? You probably get locked up at family parties. They can't show their stupid little sons in public."

"Say that again!"

It seemed a fight was ready to break out. Raven and Trix prepared their minds as the group approached them with raging expressions.

"Because if you weren't dumb, you would realize that our time to gather information in the lake is rather limited. Meaning the main priority is to be as fast as possible before the monster returns. Yet, here you are, wasting your time with someone that has already achieved his objective."

The group's faces shifted from anger to panic. They realized Kai was right. They were just about the only ones left that had not been to the lake.

"Braston, we have to go!" the group urged the boy they looked to as their leader.

Braston smiled, "You can go ahead. I will be right behind."

The group rushed into the lake, leaving Braston with Kai, Raven, and Trix. 

Braston chuckled as he looked at Kai. 

"What is it? DOo you want something? A lollipop?" Kai hissed.

Braston's face was that of perfect composure. He calmly walked up to Kai and whispered in his ears with the voice of a thoroughly bred noble, "I know who you are, Malachai. I know what you are. We all do, despite the Serpents' effort to hide that. I know where you came from. You and every serpent. Foul stains on our society. The nobles have plans for you."

Kai was caught off-guard by Braston's words. He stood deep rooted in the ground, not being able to react even as Branston walked off smugly.

"Kai."

"Kai."

"Kai!"

Kai turned to Raven and Trix, "What?"

Trix said, "What do you mean 'what'? What the fuck was that? What did he say? Wow, he really got to you."

"Serpent business. It's nothing to worry about. Let's go. The others are waiting for us," Kai said, changing the question.

Throughout the way back, his eyes seemed distant as though he was pandering on some serious matter.

As soon as they returned, Malyk and Leve shouted , "You are back!! Did you find it? All the examinees left shortly after you. I was worried something bad was going to happen to you."

Trix smiled, "It's all good. In fact, we might have struck gold."

"Really! That's awesome," Leve smiled.

Malyk looked at the silent Kai and asked, " What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. Ask him later, though. We need to get our head around this. I think I might miss my bed." 

"Sure… Oh by the way, we have a guest. Some weird guy that refuses to leave."

Trix whistled, "Sounds like a fun dude. Where is he?"

"I'm right here!" A voice sounded from atop the tree.

Raven spotted a mysterious looking figure clothed in a thick cloak resting on a higher tree branch. There was something peculiar about him. ❰Seventh Sense❱ reacted in his presence. It fed him tons of sensations.

Danger.

Massive danger.

Raven kept his composure but inside, he was prepared for just about anything at this very moment. 

The trio climbed onto the tre and discussed.

"So, who are you?" Kai shot a deadpan look.

"Just a fun dude." the mysterious individual joked.

"...."

"Alright. Alright. I came here because you guys seem to be doing well. I mean, you are very close to finding out the truth of the monster. I believe I can be of help."

"Help? What do you gain out of it?"

"Fun. And I get to pass time while helping my best buddies. Believe me, some of us are not really interested in solving this preliminary exam."

Raven asked suddenly, "What's your name? You never told us. Shouldn't you lead with that."

"Oh, my bad. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Peter Parker, your friendly neighbourhood examinee."

Everyone rolled their eyes. The dude obviously didn't want to say his name. They had a lot of questions for him but for now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Now that the introductions are done. Spill the tea. What exactly did you see in the lake?"

Raven shrugged, "The monster is the least of our problems."

"The monster is not the core of the supernatural presence, is it? I expected that," smiled the mysterious individual named Peter Parker.

"No. The skeleton is the origin. It belonged to a woman who was most likely executed by men. She was chained to an iron ball and thrown into a lake. I suppose that can cause a person to go mad, and when they go mad, their emotions are left unchecked. Unchecked emotions in the world of supernatural could sometimes lead to—"

Trix finished his words, "Curses."

Peter Parker nodded in agreement, "A very nasty curse."