He opened the casket, his heart pounding in his ears but nothing jumped out. A man lay inside the gold-lined casket; he wore a black robe as if he were a lord going to a party; his long hair was unbound and covered the sides of his head like thick darkness.
It was his face that captivated Jael; it was covered in scars, and it made it look harsh. "What are you doing here in my inner space?" Jael muttered.
They leaned closer. "Is it me, or are the eyelids trembling?" Like someone having a bad dream. Jael moved back, isn't the man dead?
He moved to close the casket and it was then that it happened. The man opened his eyes! Several things happened as one, immeasurable. The man opened his eyes, and the darkness around flickered, trembled, and swallowed Jael whole as he opened his mouth to scream.
Secondly, the man's eyes were burned into his mind. The vivid green color of the man's eyes. So much like his own.
"Jael? Jael? Are you..." the voice sounded as if it was coming from a very far place. From deep underwater perhaps. "Jael! Jael!
Wake up!"
Litha shook him furiously and he woke up startled. "Litha?" He blinked at the blue eyes. "What are you doing in my room? Is it morning already?"
She looked confused then she scowled. "We are in the black castle zone, trying to play a stupid game. Ring any bells? Are you awake now?"
"Oh." The previous events all rushed back to his head with what happened in the inner space where he subdued the Onus. But a frown still lingered on his forehead. He muttered. "I'm still forgetting something. My head felt heavy. Green eyes maybe?
I can't remember."
He had forgotten everything that happened after the event with the Onus. That reminds him! "Litha! Are you okay now? The Onus.....?"
Litha stood and did a little twist for him. "As you can see. I'm alright; when you attacked that monster that last time, you and it stared frozen at each other for a long time before it vanished, but then you collapsed, and everyone was worried."
"So the Codex considered the Onus a unique monster eh? Maybe because it's rare, whereas the goblins are common." Litha said. She stood beside Jael, but her eyes still darted around as if monsters could still jump her.
"Don't worry Litha. I don't think there's anything here more Onus to jump you," Temur smiled. "The Gamemaster spirit said there's only one after all."
"Just as you said, shouldn't the sixth stage be over now? We've defeated the monster and cleared thstagnatehe can't be cleared. Cele spoke the last part loudly.
But only the rustling forest answered her.
They looked at each other. "We have cleared the stage that shouldn't be cleared! We've cleared the sixth stage! Take us to the top of the Tower! The last stage!" Temur shouted.
There was silence then a small flash of light and the spirit appeared. It looked at them sullenly. "Stop shouting, all right? You cleared it, so what? Is it a big deal?"
It floated closer to them, but then it suddenly began to flip around, zipping here and there. "Oh shit! They cleared it! How! I don't know if it's possible like that! This is not good!
Not good! What am I going to do....!!"
"Hey! Relax. Just send us to the last stage; that's not an issue, right? No need to get worked up over that." Tim called.
"No big deal? There's a big deal! This stage shouldn't be cleared! I've never seen anyone cleared it, in my alternative anyway but still!"
Litha gestured, and a small shield surrounded the small spirit; she brought it closer and looked at it with a glare. "Send us forward! Now!"
"Okay, okay." The small spirit cleared its throat. "To the hallway it is."
A yellow portal opened in front of them, gleaming like wet glass but before they entered, Litha raised her hand. "Wait... where's the reward for clearing this stage? We get something for clearing the impossible right? Eh spirit?"