CHAPTER FOUR***MORTAL REALM***OUTSIDE WORLD

“That’s the last of them”

It was the masculine voice that first spoke to his partner after seeing the dead corpse of the man that was struck with three arrows at his lower abdomen.

“I guess Tomaru was right all along”

“Yes, he was. I thought attacking this trade group will be hard for us this time”

“He really

“Ashtaroth, look—”

Ashtaroth turned around in response to what her companion said. Remarkably, they both saw one of the dead corpse returned back to life after a brief moment of transformation. Apart from Ashtaroth who apparently was a woman in her early twenties, the man was somewhat mystified about the dead body moving a muscle as soon as its wounds were miraculously healed by a faint red aura hovering around the dead body.

“Stand back, Todu, I got this.” Ashtaroth replied, full of pride and magnanimously walked over to where the corpse without being afraid of the unknown as soon as the red aura vanished completely without a trace. I tried opening my eyes but all I could see around me was a blurred vision that obscure me from seeing her surprised face and I did not realize it as soon as I went slowly lost consciousness. For a second time, my soul went back to relapsed to where Arguis had resurrected me back to the land of the living but the power he had used was temporarily incomplete though so I thought when my soul returned back to him. It was only his confused face I saw when I returned back to realm of the Dominos.

“Why the long face?”

“I thought I will be restored back to Elvanian body once you bring me back to life” I replied in sheer frustration.

“Shortly after your death, Zenyou had your body charred to ash along with those that died in battle at Diani desert”

“Zenyou, you devil! How could you have done something to our brothers that fought?”

I yelled in anger and tearfully fell down my knees completely exhausted of strength.

“You shouldn’t be upset about this”

“Why won’t be angry? What Zenyou did was an insult to our sect not to add that it was forbidden to burn anyone that died”

“What if I told you that there’s a way you can get your body back?”

“What do you mean?”

I inquired wanting to know what Arguis had in mind.

“Feldspar, One of the seven stones, mixed with red Kraylite can restore your Elvanian from the ash if you so desire”

“Then....”

“But that will only happen if you agree to retrieve all seven stones for us”

Arguis replied and the apparition fizzled out into disappearing particles of fiery dust like the two other visions.

“I....accept your offer”

I said without much thought. The thought of what Zenyou had done to my body after his betrayal had infuriated me and left a deeper wound in my heart. Right there, I felt the desperate desire to avenge his betrayal not just for me but for the corpses of those warriors that died in battle without a proper befitting burial and without having their souls sent to eternal rest in heaven.

To deepen the hatred I now had for Zenyou, it was a tradition for us, Elvanians to have the corpse of anyone who perish be taken to the Mountain of Red Willows where their souls will be tested in a ritual before deciding the dwelling place of their immortal souls. I had no idea what Zenyou did that I was sent to the underworld domain of the Dominos instead of heaven or what power he used bypassed the ritual but I was determined to find out how he did it and end his life if only to pacify the souls calling out for vengeance against his cruelty.

“Very well. There’s no going back now but know this. Humans are extremely fragile and weak so it would be of great difficult to achieve this without any help”

“By help....you mean?”

“According to Lord Hadon’s order, I will fortify you with a thousand red Kraylite and because of this, you will have superior powers to protect yourself and defend yourself out there in the human world”

“Okay but like you said earlier....the red Kraylite isn’t long-lasting and only temporal. What will happen to me once the Kraylite finishes?”

“I was just about to tell you. The red Kraylite draws its powers from any kind of blood that is spilled out of the host and we, the Dominos, possesses the ability to convert it as an energy source to fuel our hidden powers. Some of us use this to strengthen and sustain our immortality....”

“Sustain immortality? That explains the thick red fog that is everywhere”

“Exactly...you can replenish the core of the red kraylite with the blood of anything that has life...”

Arguis explained further and saw the grimacing look on my face.

“No.....I can’t kill anyone”

“You don’t have a choice, do you? Animals that belong to the earthlings also have blood so you needn’t kill any of those humans recklessly”

Arguis said and without prior warning, he gaped his mouth open and what came out of his mouth was a tiny red orb with flashes of lightening enveloping it one after the other. The red orb left his mouth hovering in air and fell on his hand after Arguis closed his mouth.

“This is a Kraylite orb which many of us use to assimilate the energy from the blood which in turn enrich our immortal souls. Those watching us along with Lord Hadon, have plenty of this orb embodied inside our colossal bodies...”

Arguis explained further and beckoned on me to come closer. Spellbound by the Kraylite orb, I obeyed willingly and came closer to him.

“Here....Take and swallow it”

“Swallow it? But I’m...”

“It doesn’t matter if you are a spirit. Kraylite affects not just a mortal body but their souls. It will do the attach to you regardless that you are still a spirit and once it comes in contact with your soul.....it becomes a part of you and will follow you anywhere you go until you decide not to fuel it though there will be side effects...”

Arguis sighed and gripped his abdomen in pain but he seemed to show less pain than what he actually felt. He must have felt something because of the missing presence of the orb he held on his right hand”

“Like you see, that’s a feeling an orb have left me.