Dahlia was stunned as she kept staring the blank pages
Her eyes were wide open
Sweat formed on her forehead
Jhony kept on observing the book, "It is really strange for the words to disappear..."
"Brother... what should we do?! That- book was the only source of information about this..." Dahlia's voice trembled
Jhony looked at his sister
{ "She is panicking..." } He thought internally as he let out a sigh
"We will just have to find other ways" Jhony takes the book from her hand and closes it
"And- how are we gonna?! We don't know anything-" "Dahlia, you can't always rely on this book. Then later solve it" Jhony interrupted her as he soon pat her head
"We have to use our brains. Since books are where information are stored for it to be unforgotten. But, our brains are the main weapon" He smiled at her
"The words may be gone, but let's try to find out in our own ways. If we try hard, we can solve it" Jhony put the book back on her bag
"And for now, sleep. You didn't get any wink of sleep cause of Jeon" He pokes her forehead
"Your brain won't work if you don't get any sleep"
Dahlia groaned, "I am fine-"
"No your not" Jhony cut Dahlia off in the middle
Before he suddenly carried her
Dahlia gasped as she tried to squirm away from his hold
"No escaping now" Jhony chuckled as he walked toward Dahlia's bed
He gently set her down
"Now, sleep" He said
"No-" Before Dahlia can retort Jhony pulled the balnket on top of her head
Dahlia groaned, "Brother!!!!"
"Be a good girl and sleep" He huffed as he left her room
Dahlia bit her lower lip, { "I don't wanna sleep... I want to find out how the words disappeared..." } she thought internally
She tried to get up
But her head felt heavy
She had trouble opening her eyes
{ "No... I can't sleep..." }
She gripped her blanket as she tried to force herself off the bed
But failed as her body refused to move
{ "No..." }
Her eye lids soon finally closed
.
.
.
Meanwhile Jhony was at the closed door of Dahlia's room
{ "Maybe she fell asleep now..." } He thought as he couldn't hear any sounds from the door
{ "That is good" } He smiled as he left off to his room
He entered his room as he sat down on his study table
He took a pen and a paper
"I guess I have to ask the others working under sir Trev" He sighed deeply
.
.
.
He was soon done with writing a letter
He then rang the bell on his table
{ { { Ring } } }
{ { { Ring } } }
{ { { Ring } } }
After the bell rang
A maid came immediately
"Young master?" She knocked on the door
"You may enter" Jhony replied
The maid soon entered
"You called?" She asked as she tilted her head
Jhony nods in response as he holds out a letter to her, "Take this to Sir Zin"
The maid nods before she gently takes the letter
"Understood" She said as she soon leaves the room to deliver the letter
While Jhony took out another page
{ "Now, to send it to three other people..." } He thought internally as he began to write
- { After 2 days } -
Dahlia was anxious as she couldn't go anywhere as both her parents and Jhony refused to let her leave the house without a escort
She kept on trying to do everything on the book to make the letters appear back again
She tried to use magnifying glass to take a look closer
Later, she tried to used black powder only slightly to see the the letters that might leave engravings on pages
But unfortunately, the power being from her realm. It refused to be met in contact with it
A book from different realm
Failure after failure
She kept trying to contact with her guardian for help
But there was always silence in return
Her eyes began to hurt from crying every night
She didn't attended to her classes either
Her parents let that happen from seeing the state their daughter is at
- { Third day, around 4 o'clock } -
Dahlia was sitting in her room
She stared at the book in her hand blankly, while she sat on her bed
Her nanny was absent for these 3 days, cause of her injury and for Jeon
{ "What should I do...?" } she thought internally
While her maids, who were just outside Dahlia's room
"The lady looks really tired..." Scarlet said to Nathalie
Nathalie lets out a sigh, "That is true... I hope her lady returns full back to health"
"Yes-" "Excuse me" Suddenly a maid comes out
Both Scarlet and Nathalie jumps at the sudden appearance of another maid
"Ah- Brooklyn! You scared us two!" Scarlet groaned
Nathalie patted her chest to calm herself down
"Oh my, I apologies" Brooklyn smiled slightly
"It is no problem, but why are you here? Did the young master send you?" Scarlet asked
"Ah, yes. I have come here to fetch the lady. The young master wanted her presence" Brooklyn replied
"I see..." Nathalie nods
"Then, go in" Scarlet smiled
Brooklyn nods as she knocked on the door
"My lady, I am Brooklyn. I was send by young master. He wants your presence" Brooklyn said
- { In the room } -
Dahlia heard it as she looked towards her room's door
{ "He wants to see me?... For what?" } Dahlia thought internally
{ "Did... he perhaps found something-" } Dahlia's eyes widened
She quickly got off her bed as she hurried to the door
She opened it abruptly as the maids were startled
"Yes- take me there!" Dahlia replied
The maids stared down at Dahlia for a while
Brooklyn soon composed herself, "Ah- right. Please follow me, my lady"
Brooklyn soon guided Dahlia away
Leaving the two maids there
"Is it just me or... was the lady... enthusiastic?" Scarlet blinked multiple times
"Well, perhaps it is a good thing. Compared to how she stopped being energetic" Nathalie nods
Scarlet only hums as she smiled, "Seems so"
Both Brooklyn and Dahlia finally arrived at Jhony's room
Brooklyn knocked on the door
"Young master, I have brought the lady" Brooklyn said
"Alright, let her enter" Jhony replied from the room
Brooklyn nods as she opens the door for Dahlia
Dahlia soon entered the room
But froze on spot as her eyes widened
"What-" She was rendered speechless as the door is closed behind her after, by Brooklyn
Jhony was standing with Fenry and James
Hunji, Xinhua and lastly Lily was there too
"Why are everyone here?" Dahlia narrowed her eyes
"I only called Fenry, Lord James, Hunji and Xinhua. Your best friend came here by herself" Jhony defended himself
"I also didn't wanted to bring her either. But she threw a tantrum to coming here" James stated
Lily groaned as she glared at her brother
James blinked innocently
"No... I wasn't talking about Lily... I was talking about everyone else! Why call them all here?" Dahlia sighed deeply
Jhony only hummed, "I found a few things"
"What things?" Dahlia asked as she stepped closer to Jhony
But she froze on a specific paper on his desk
There were a list with a title of "The missing children that returned"
Then there were many red crosses on the names
"What is this...?!" Dahlia bit her lower lip
"It is what you see. I have had someone that worked under Sir Trev to take out the lists of the children and who had become possessed like Jeon" Jhony began
"Then called for Fenry as I presumed that he might know why and how they got posessed"
"So, you found anything?" Dahlia asked she looked up at her brother
"Well, I just simply provided him the symptoms of how every children that got taken away after three days..." Fenry began
"Like the sick game of those creatures..." He clenched his hands to fists
"This all wasn't good enough information. So, I called in Lord James to help me with this" Jhony looked at James
Dahlia narrowed her eyes at her brother, "You told him about all this?"
"Well, Lord James is good. He can help me a lot in this from his smartness" Jhony replied
James felt flattered as he cleared his throat
"I will try to be useful. And- Yeah, and we three kept on searching and searching on why this is happening..." James said
"Then we later learned that Fenry had become part of the "Yang Realm". And that made me very curious. If eating anything from there makes you be part of that realm" James looked at Fenry
"So, doesn't that also adds to... air?" James pointed out
"He means breathing there" Jhony explained
Dahlia, Xinhua and Hunji froze at that
"But- wait- I have stayed in that realm for many days... so- am I part of them too?! But- I returned safely like everyone else!" Hunji asked
"You stayed there for about a few months... or so..." Fenry replied
"As for returning safely, it is not something visible and a rather weak point to be connected with them. It won't make a boundary between that and this realm to not be able to cross " He explained
{ "Wait... then... breathing there... means we are connected?" } Xinhua thought internally
"But this doesn't adds up..." Lily began
Everyone's attention turns to her
"From what I heard from Dahlia, Jeon didn't stayed there for long. So, how did he... get possessed?" Lily asked as she tilted her head
James almost felt warmth well up in his chest
"Ah... my sister is so smart..." He mumbled as he couldn't help but ruffle her hair
Lily groaned as she tried to pull away but James soon hold her tightly
Jhony snickered, "Well, that is a good point. He didn't stayed in the realm for long, yet he still got possessed"
"Then, what is it now? Your making my head hurt..." Hunji groaned
Fenry let out a laugh as he pats Hunji, "Calm down, calm down"
Hunji only huffed
{ "Can it be fear...?" } Dahlia thought internally
But she soon glanced at Xinhua
Xinhua noticed her gaze as he froze completely
"Lady... Dahlia?" Xinhua blinked
{ "He seems... normal... yet..." } Dahlia soon looked towards the paper
She looked at it more thoughtfully
Before she narrowed her eyes
{ "Wait... dates...?" } She stared at them for a long while
Then she froze as her eyes widened
{ "Wait wait wait... the dates and the crossed out are..." }
{ "Only the ones that were new there... got crossed out..." } She bit her lower lip
"It is what you think it is, Dahlia" Jhony said suddenly
Snapping Dahlia out from her thought
She looked up at her brother
Jhony only hummed as he tapped on the paper
"I learned that the creatures loves feeding on to negative feelings. Especially fear" He began
"They didn't possess those who stayed for a long time. Not cause they're fears are gone. But cause they are old now" He continued
"The creatures craves those who are fresh victims, or rather new. That causes the victims to have fear far too strong, resulting in them being targets" He finally said it
Hunji, Dahlia, Lily and Xinhua's eyes widened
"Wait-... so... Jeon was possessed... not cause he didn't stayed there for long... but cause... he was new...?!" Hunji asked
"Not just that, there is also adjusting" Fenry began
"When we feel fear or any kinds of strong emotions. Like, for a example take it for running a far distance"
"After a long run, we get tired. Our energy is lost. Making our body to react, like heavy breathing and so on"
"That can apply to fear" Fenry soon gestured with his hand
"The more fear a human body feels, the more their breathing becomes faster. And inhale that realm's air"
"You stayed there for many days, making you be able to adjust to air immediately that you didn't need much air to stay alive. Only a few" Fenry looked towards Hunji
"On another hand since Jeon was adjusting, he inhaled too much" He nods
"And... the adjusting point isn't satisfactory to them... rather those still trying to adjust are satisfactory..." Xinhua mumbled out
Fenry looked over as he smiled only faintly
"That is correct, so... since before Jeon had come to realm before Lord Xinhua. And since he is possessed, that leaves..." He didn't finished the sentence
Xinhua froze completely as he backed away
He soon fell on floor as his breathing became abnormal
"Wait-... wait-... you... can't be serious...?!" He hiccupped
Tears welled up in his eyes
"Please... say it is only a lie...." His voice cracked a lot
Meanwhile, Lily was tensed up
Her entire body had gone cold
{ "Wait... what does he mean? Is he saying that-...." } Lily thought internally
"Brother! Can't we do anything to stop it!!" Lily grabbed her brother's hand
James only looked down at his sister before he pats her, "We are still looking for a way..." he said
While Dahlia was staring at the paper on the desk
{ "... Those who inhaled too much air there... and fear... fresh fear..." } Dahlia's shoulders shook faintly
"Don't worry, I will find a way in order for you two to not become targets-" "Don't worry about me brother" Dahlia interrupted Jhony in the middle
Jhony, Fenry and James froze briefly
"What do you mean to not worry about you? Aren't you concerned that you will be possessed?" Fenry asked as he tilted his head
"I won't be cause I have been resisting to let them feed from my fears" Dahlia finally said it
Silence
.
.
.
"Resisting... does it... include pain...?" Fenry asked as he hesitated in saying them
Jhony immediately looked towards Fenry, { "Wait- pain- she was hurt?!" } he thought internally
"Yes, including pain..." Dahlia replied
Lily bit her lower lip as she heard that
Both James, Fenry, Hunji and even Xinhua were tensed up
"That is why, I didn't inhale much air. Didn't needed to adjust, plus... they had long lost interest in me when I didn't fed them what they desire" Dahlia soon turned towards everyone
"So, no need to include me" She stated
Jhony stayed silent for a long while
Before he pinched the bridge of his nose
"Right... but still, as precaution. I still have to find a way out with the others. So, till then. Both you and Xinhua will have to stay inside your rooms. If any symptoms like hearing whispers or seeing "them" comes..." Jhony looked between Dahlia and Xinhua
"Don't let them know you can see or hear them" Jhony closed his eyes briefly
"Why exactly?" Lily asked as she narrowed her eyes
Jhony looked towards Lily before he simply shrugged
"From a guess, as Jeon didn't immediately got possessed "after" he started having those symptoms" Jhony nodded towards Lily
"When he mentioned them, I presume they got closer to catch him"
Both Hunji, Dahlia, Lily and Xinhua flinched at hearing that
"That is right. And you mentioned that your healer put Lord Jeon to sleep. Then later when he woke up, he was possessed" James nodded
"Right, that means that he was caught. And..."
Both Hunji, Xinhua and Dahlia began to get a image
Through Jeon's viewpoint
They're whole body started to go cold
"When Jeon opened his eyes. I presume he saw that "Ghoul" very close" Jhony said
As the image of the ghoul being face to face with Jeon
"Then later, he was caught" Jhony finshed
As Jeon's eyes going completely dark came in to both Hunji and Dahlia
And lastly the smlie
They quickly snapped out from imagining it
"Will it stop them?" Lily tilted her head
"They are targeting them, so shouldn't they be aware of their targets knowing their presence being there?" She pointed out
"From my observations, I can guess it is a no. From how Jeon's condition worsened a lot more... after he revealed" Jhony replied
"That is rather questioning..." Lily added
"Yeah, but we don't have much information. For now, I guess not roaming around too much and so on... might prevent this..." Jhony replied
"Since I have high suspects it is something from outside that makes many to become targets" He added
"Ok, then it is decided. We will still try to find out how to stop them. So, till then. You two be careful" James said as he looked at Dahlia and Xinhua
"Right, and Hunji. You keep an eye on Jeon. Make sure he doesn't escapes, no matter what" Jhony said as he looked at Hunji
"I still wouldn't let that happen without you needing to say that" Hunji huffed
Though he clenched his hands to fists
Jhony only smirked, "Oh my, I was trying to remind for being a good friend as good as I am"
Hunji felt ticked off
"I don't need a reminder from a snake" He retorted
"Snake? That is rather old" Jhony huffed
"Then noble crab" Hunji glared at Jhony
Fenry and James looked away quickly as their shoulders shook
Dahlia, Lily and Xinhua started between Jhony and Hunji
{ "He doesn't leave any chances to tick off Hunji brother..." } Dahlia thought internally
But she couldn't help a smile forming on her lips
{ "Well... I guess it is better this... since we all have been tensed up... especially... Hunji brother..." } She shook her head faintly