Chapter 152 [Blood Of Fallen] [8]

Chapter 152 [Blood Of Fallen] [8]

"...That's your past, present, and future... Your lovers were, are, and will always... kill you."

Thump! Thump!

Azariah's heart pounded fiercely in his chest as the man's words struck deep.

His breath became ragged, and he glared at the man, whose expression was filled with pity.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Azariah let out a forced chuckle.

"The fuck are you rambling about, liar?" he asked, a smile lingering on his face as he stepped back.

"Az," Oliver tried to intervene, but Azariah quickly pushed him away.

"Did you not hear this fucker?!" Azariah roared, slamming his fist down on the table with such force that it shattered into pieces.

The man gulped as Azariah lunged at him, but Oliver barely managed to hold him back.

Just as the man was about to respond, a woman passing by on the street stopped, looking at them with concern.

"Sam!!" she yelled, making the man's head snap toward her.

"Find a real job! How long are you going to impersonate and fool people?" she snarled.

"What?" Azariah asked, his anger giving way to confusion, finding solace in her words, "He's a fraud?"

"Yes, sir," the woman replied sweetly, her gaze softening as she took in Azariah's handsome face, a smile forming on her lips. "He does this to all the tourists—"

"Aye, old hag!" the man named Sam snapped, abruptly standing up and throwing down his woolen cap.

"Do your fucking job and stop bothering me!"

"Shut up, fraudster!" the woman shot back, before turning to Azariah.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. He scares people with lies and then extorts money by offering fake solutions."

"We're leaving," Azariah muttered, rubbing his temples as he turned to walk away.

He pulled out some gold coins, handing them to the woman, who beamed at the unexpected earning.

Oliver and Chubby followed suit, but as they tried to move, Sam stepped forward, blocking their path, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"Are you new here, sire?" Sam asked, a fake smile plastered on his ordinary face. "Do you want a guide—"

"Fine, fine," Sam relented, nodding vigorously. "One gold coin."

"Are you sure, Az?" Oliver whispered, standing beside him. "He's still a fraud."

"One gold doesn't matter," Azariah replied, shaking his head. "I'm more interested in that name," he whispered.

"This way," Sam said, his mood lifting as he led them deeper into the alley.

The pathway, already narrow, became even tighter as they slowly moved out of the city.

The walls of the alley seemed to close in on them with every step.

"But there is one famous story about him," Sam quickly added. "Something about his wife."

".....What is it?" Azariah asked, forcing himself to calm down as the light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter.

"During the time of the Akasha Holy War, a man named Qais lived," Sam began with a smile. "Some say he was a noble, others say he was just a commoner."

The light at the end of the alley brightened as they emerged, finding themselves along the riverbank.

"One day, the emperor heard about Qais's wife, whom Qais always boasted about as one of the most beautiful women to ever live," Sam continued, leading them toward a broken-down house with nothing but walls.

"The emperor became curious to see her face and used every trick he knew to catch a glimpse of her."

They reached the dilapidated house, and Azariah looked around curiously, touching the hard walls.

"At one party, the emperor finally met her, though she wore a veil over her face," Sam narrated, stopping before a wall covered with a dusty old sheet.

"He asked her to remove the veil, and when he saw her face, he was thoroughly disappointed. She wasn't old or ugly, but neither was she the enchantress Qais had claimed."

"That's when the emperor asked why Qais boasted so much about an ordinary woman," Sam said, his gaze locking onto Azariah's.

"And Qais answered, 'Look at her with my eyes, and you will find her the most beautiful.'"

With that, Sam yanked the sheet off the wall, revealing a single portrait.

It was broken at the edges, and most of the colors had faded.

But the face was still clear—an ordinary face with bright golden hair and eyes.

There was nothing remarkable about the portrait; it was simply ordinary.

"Is this the most beautiful thing you were talking about?" Oliver asked, glancing at Sam.

But to his surprise, the spot where Sam had been standing was now empty.

He had vanished without a trace.

"Where did he go?" Seth mumbled, looking around but finding nothing.

"Az?" Oliver called out, touching Azariah's shoulder.

Azariah had a dazed look on his face, staring blankly at the portrait, a single tear falling down his cheek.

"Hey, are you alright?" Oliver's concern grew as Azariah didn't respond, even when he gently shook him.

Suddenly, Azariah fell to his knees, his hands gripping his hair.

A whisper escaped his lips, "Lumi... Inna... Where are they?"

"Hey, what happened!?" Oliver sat beside him, shaking his body in alarm.

Seth moved closer, his worry evident as he looked at Azariah.

"...Delilah," Azariah mumbled softly, his eyes filled with confusion, "Where is Delilah?"

"Who?" Oliver asked, frowning in confusion.

"....Where is she?" Azariah whispered, grabbing Oliver's collar.

"WHERE IS SHE!?"