Ascension: Cursed Blood-Chapter 37: Greedy Merchant

A dead silence hung over the room. It had long ago become something routine for Kserx, but not for Kain.

It was hard for him to imagine that a Contender like him, who went with him to the Astral Dimension, was dead.

"Shit, yet that bitch Sylvia is alive." Kain gritted his teeth.

Kserx lit a cigar. "Yeah. After only two days, Neil's runes shuddered and crumbled, turning to dust. That meant he died. I don't know how, but he's no longer in either of the two worlds."

"What happened to mine and Sylvia's runes?"

"Well, the usual. As soon as you left the Astral Dimension, your runes shook and flashed brightly. That means that a Tainted found the Ascension Rune and will soon return. However, things were a little different with you.

"Sylvia was only a few hundred meters outside of the Orlion Tower, while you ended up quite far away and most likely not in the safest place, right?"

A nervous smile played across Kain's face.

"You could put it that way. All because of my Rune Brand."

After a few moments, Kain shook his head, dismissing the past.

"Alright, there's no point in remembering the past. Why did you bring me here, and what's next for me? I'm a Keeper now, right?"

Lurra shook her head. "Not exactly. That's why Mr. Kreyn handed you over to me. Tomorrow, on Monday, we'll leave for the fortress."

"What? Fortress?"

"Yes. The Keepers from the towers watching over the territories, such as Kserx, host the Contenders. If they survive, they go to a special Fortress. In our dome, it's the Stellar Fortress. Once a week, all the new Keepers that just returned from the Astral Dimension are sent there."

Kserx grinned widely.

"Apparently, you're one of them. So is Sylvia. She's burning with anticipation and wants to get there badly, but she has to stay in the tower grounds for now."

"W-Wait! Is she here?"

"Sure." Kserx nodded deeply. "The ceremony starts tomorrow night, you'll depart in the morning. So get ready. You're running out of time again."

Kain turned to Lurra, but she just confirmed Kserx's words with a slight nod.

"Khm. If possible, I'd like to go somewhere. I promise I'll be back at the Orlion Tower this evening."

Kserx and Lurra looked at each other. Their opinions differed.

"Hah, sure kid." Kserx nonchalantly waved his hand, causing Lurra to give him a fiery look. "You deserve it, but if you're late... You'll be in big trouble."

"Yes." Lurra crossed her arms over her chest. "You may have received the Codex, but to the Rune Society, you're still a Contender! You still haven't become an official Keeper!"

Saying nothing, Kain stood up and headed for the exit.

Lurra blinked a few times, baffled.

"Hahahahahahaha!" Kserx laughed loudly. "You should have seen your face! Damn, Lurra, I wouldn't advise you to mess with this guy."

"Pffft, you think I'm afraid of some young Keeper?"

"Khm... I've seen this guy, I saw what his eyes looked like a week ago. Now, it's two different people. I'm sure he'll accept the call of the Arcane Scripture. Men like him don't stay here long."

He exhaled a puff of smoke.

"They run into battle, keep running until they fall into the abyss. Some get lost in the depths, and some rise to the next stage."

...

At the third dome, Kain had only one place to go.

He didn't know what would happen next, or how long he would stay at the Stellar Fortress, but he had one thing to do.

At a leisurely pace, Kain approached the sawmill - it had been lucky to survive, unlike most of the village.

Kain stepped inside, puzzled.

There was no one behind the counter - that didn't usually happen.

He turned around to see an obese man sitting at a table. He was actively scratching the back of his head, writing something down in a book.

Only then did the man realize that someone had come in. He turned around and froze in place.

"K-Kain!?!?" Vorg exclaimed in disbelief.

Before Kain could answer, Vorg ran up to him and hugged him tightly like an uncle hugging his nephew.

"Damn! Boy, you're alive! When the military said you were infected by the Rune Brand, I thought it was over!"

'The military?' Kain thought, stumped. 'Right... People in blue outfits. They're not Keepers, but they work for the government. It all fits.'

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Then, Kain tried to get out of Vorg'x's tight-as-a-vice embrace.

"That's enough! You're going to strangle me now!"

He managed it with difficulty.

"Gha... Gha... Gha..." under his heavy breath, Kain smiled happily. "It's good to see you, too, you greedy merchant! Lucky you survived then!"

"Hahaha! It's all thanks to you! If you hadn't distracted that monster, I wouldn't be here! And..." his gaze darkened sharply. "I don't know about greedy, but I'm definitely not a merchant anymore. It takes too much money to rebuild the village and pay people to work. There just aren't enough resources."

Kain nodded weakly but said nothing.

After a few short sentences, Kain looked directly into Vorg's eyes.

"Agh, we both know what I want. Go ahead and guide me."

Vorg sighed heavily, he couldn't refuse Kain.

In a remote part of the Glistmor Village, lies a small cemetery. There rested only old men who lived long lives, but a week ago, the cemetery had grown considerably, becoming the last path for all people, even youths.

Streams of wind blew across Kain's face as he stood in front of two graves, only two wooden signs indicating who was buried there.

"Max and Daniel... This is not the reunion I expected, it wasn't supposed to happen..."

Vorg approached, placing a hand on his shoulder approvingly. "I know it's hard, but you can't bring them back. I did my best and watched over their graves. Well... that was as much as was possible in this whole mess."

"Thank you..." Kain wheezed through clenched teeth. "What about the Keeper girl? Do you know what's happened to her?"

"No idea, but her grave isn't here. Most likely, she was taken away to be buried in a more suitable place for a Keeper."

After a few moments of silence, Kain looked up at the gray sky.

The corners of his lips went up as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Here."

Vorg's eyes went wide, staring at the handful of crystals in his large palms.

"T-This! No! I can't accept this! Where did you get this in the first place?!"

Kain chuckled briefly, grimness filling his voice.

"I'm a Keeper now. Consider this my request to you." Kain turned to Vorg. "Keep an eye on the village. Use this money to rebuild everything, I'm sure you can do it because if the village is forgotten, there will be no one to look after Max and Daniel's graves."

After a few moments, Vorg nodded deeply.

"What do you plan to do next?"

"Hah..."

Kain shrugged.

"Officially become a Keeper, listen to the crap they tell us in the fortress, and then wait. The Arcane Scripture won't let me live quietly for too long, I'm sure of it."