“Um……”
Elijah, who had been looking at the passage buried in darkness with no end in sight, hesitated.
“I’ll just wait here……”
Would that be okay? Before he could finish the rest of his words, Bailey’s gaze stung sharply. How can we trust you and leave you alone? Even without saying it out loud, it felt like he could hear such criticism.
“……Never mind.”
For Elijah, who feared narrow and dark places, these were truly unwelcome steps. Fortunately, Kalian lit a small portable lamp. Inside the lamp was something like a transparent jewel instead of oil or gas, and when he infused it with magical power, it emitted light on its own.
Now that Elijah knew well how precious the clothes and tools they wore and used so casually were, he kept his distance and was extremely careful not to let his magical power leak out unknowingly and cause harm again.
“Be careful, Elijah-ssi. Some of the sacred relics buried in the magic tower are powerful enough to inflict fatal harm on those who merely touch them. Many grave robbers who coveted the relics here lost their lives because of that.”
Adam’s father was one of those grave robbers too. Kalian leaned toward him and whispered quietly. Elijah stepped one pace away from him and opened his mouth.
“If it’s that dangerous……”
He desperately wanted to ask if he could go out and wait.
“Why haven’t you collected such dangerous relics yet?”
“There was fierce debate for a long time about whether to rebuild the magic tower or not. Some said the magic tower should be rebuilt, while others said the already destroyed magic tower should be removed and all those relics stored in the Royal Palace Holy Hall.”
Looking at the situation, it was obvious the latter had won. Elijah passed through the narrow, dark passage surrounded by damp stone walls, recalling his comfortable cabin.
And even Rose, who had lived in that cabin with him.
‘What is Rose doing now?’
Is he treating his wounds alone at home…… If he hadn’t run away, around this time they would have been mingling bodies. Or they’d already rolled around once and he’d be entrusting his body to Rose.
“Elijah-ssi?”
Kalian turned his head and shone the lamp toward Elijah. Only then realizing he’d been standing still in one spot, Elijah quickly stepped toward him.
“What are you thinking about?”
He couldn’t honestly say he was thinking about rolling around this way and that with Rose……
“……I was thinking about why this magic tower collapsed.”
Elijah answered calmly while crossing his fingers hidden inside his sleeve.
“Ah, that was because of Jade Ilisian…… It might be an uncomfortable story for Elijah-ssi to hear, but in any case, that’s how it’s recorded in history. Whether it’s true, no one knows……”
“Kalian-gyeong, this way. You really need to be careful from here.”
Then Adam, who had gone ahead, waved his hand holding a map and shouted. Kalian handed the lamp to Elijah and took out gloves from his pocket.
“The relics seem to be getting close.”
He said while putting black leather gloves on both hands. Elijah, who had been watching carefully, asked.
“Is that also a type of magical tool?”
“Yes, clothing like cloaks and gloves usually serve as protective gear. These gloves block the dangerous energy flowing from the relics.”
If it’s that dangerous, couldn’t I just wait outside…… It was a question that came up tirelessly. His mind was elsewhere while his body was bound here, which was truly inconvenient.
It was a foolish thought for someone who had run away on their own feet, but Elijah’s mind couldn’t escape from his comfortable cabin right now. Though he’d undone the restraints that bound his ankles, his heart seemed still tied to that place.
“Elijah-ssi, from here, stay close behind me.”
Elijah stood behind him reluctantly. After going down the narrow passage for quite a while, a slightly wider cavity appeared.
“Don’t carelessly touch any objects.”
There were antiques lined up as if on display. Old brass jars, insect taxidermy specimens, a staff covered with someone’s hand grime, etc…… They weren’t curious enough to want to touch, nor did they look particularly impressive.
Elijah’s gaze, which had passed by them indifferently, stopped somewhere. It was a necklace hanging on a stone piece that seemed modeled after a human neck.
It was on a different level from the other old, rusty antiques. The teardrop-shaped pendant that sparkled as if just refined held a subtle light even in the darkness.
Elijah approached it as if entranced. The light rippling inside the blue jewel caught Elijah like a magnet.
From now on, you’ll be studying with me……, we will become the world’s greatest in the future, ……creepy, that kid’s a monster. ……at least as bad as a cannibal? That kid……, Hello.
His hand, drawn as if pulled, touched the jewel.
“Elijah-ssi!”
Startled by someone suddenly calling him from behind, Elijah quickly withdrew his hand. His fingertips tingled as if caught in frostbite.
“What are you doing there? You didn’t touch the relic, did you?”
“No.”
He touched it. He definitely touched it.
“……I didn’t touch it.”
Now lies flowed out smoothly even without crossing his fingers.
“That’s a relief. You were too close just now. Be careful next time.”
But he needed to know.
“……What exactly happens if you touch it?”
“In the worst case, you could lose your life. Among relics that haven’t been in contact with magical power for a long time, there are some that are terribly starved. Some instantly absorb the life force of whatever they touch.”
“……”
Elijah unnecessarily rubbed and wiped his fingertips inside his sleeve. Fortunately, that necklace didn’t seem to be such a starved thing……
His gaze turned to the necklace again. The blue light slowly rippled. Though it couldn’t be, Elijah felt as if the necklace was calling to him.
Come here, Elijah. Come here and touch me.
“Elijah-ssi, let’s leave now.”
The hand that had been drawn as if by an irresistible force went back down.
“……Aren’t you taking this?”
Elijah asked, pointing to the necklace.
“Of course……”
Kalian took out a long box from his sleeve and opened it.
“We have to take it.”
A hand wearing leather gloves very carefully picked up the necklace. The pendant hanging down swung slowly left and right. It seemed like strange sounds were coming from inside the jewel where the blue light rippled.
You should only look at me.
Elijah approached the necklace closer to hear that sound more clearly.
Only look at me and only…… It would be nice if there were a bell…… I need to hear the sound to know where you are…… Am I pretty? ……lijah is prettier. I’m yours and…… You’re mine.
Thud. The dark-colored wooden box shut tight. The incomprehensible noise disappeared all at once.
“Elijah-ssi……?”
“……”
Elijah, who forcibly took his eyes off the box, looked at Kalian with a puzzled expression.
“You don’t look well. Are you alright?”
“The sound……”
“Yes?”
“……Never mind.”
“It must be because the air is stale. Let’s go up quickly. It’s not a good place to stay long anyway.”
Elijah quickly followed behind Kalian. A sharp ringing sound circled around his ears, causing a sharp pain in his head.
* * *
Squeak, squeak-squeak, the snowfield with coarse grains made a clear crumbling sound with each step.
The child left alone in the snowfield had nothing to do and wandered around. His dark brown hair was disheveled this way and that in the wind, and his round cheeks were frozen red from the cold. Each time he exhaled, white breath scattered into the air.
Finding it amusing, the child turned his head this way and that, going “hah, hah,” puffing out his breath, then jumped trying to catch it with his hands.
“What’s this?”
Then he heard a presence from behind. The startled child shrank and looked at the other person with surprised eyes. Bright red hair like the pomegranate he’d seen at the fruit store swayed in the winter wind. Below eyes reddishly tanned as if heated by midsummer sunlight were full of freckles.
“Ah, you’re the kid Master brought?”
“……”
The two children of similar height faced each other. The one who spoke first cleared his throat with an adult-like ahem and held out his hand.
“I am Igrit, Avatar of Fire. You?”
The child who introduced himself as Igrit with great pride had pride written all over his face. The child who had been staring at him opened his mouth.
“I’m Elijah.”
Thus, the exchange of names between the two children meeting for the first time in their lives ended. Igrit tilted his head with a bewildered face.
“That’s it? Nothing else?”
“……Just Elijah.”
Elijah didn’t know what else there should be besides that. People usually called him little one, or Elijah, and there was no other name.
“What can you do?”
“……”
At the question that came in succession, Elijah shook his head again this time.
“What, boring. Can’t you do something like this?”
Igrit spread two fingers. Whoosh, fire instantly blazed from his fingertips spread straight in an 11 shape. Startled, Elijah quietly inhaled.
“Surprised? Cool, right? That’s why I’m the Avatar of Fire.”
Igrit, who blew “ho” on his breath as if showing off and casually extinguished the fire burning on his fingertips, crossed his arms and looked at Elijah.
