Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 128: Elire Family Mystery, The Game's True Nature

Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 128: Elire Family Mystery, The Game's True Nature

"Mister!" Abe shouted. "The Keeper knows you are playing the game. He'll be coming for you!"

This warning made Oscar's face twist in frustration. He almost yelled at Abe but held back, saying, "Why couldn't you tell me that before?"

"Hurry and jump to the next glowing thing!" Abe yelled.

Loud footsteps echoed through the halls.

The Keeper was on the move. Oscar did not know where the Keeper was coming from, but he had to move. Oscar leaped off the stool and landed on a nearby table, which began to send a ripple of light that coursed through the floor of darkness.

"KREEEEEEE!"

The shrieks of the Keeper were loud and agitated, unlike its feral screams before. It sensed the ripples of light and began stomping louder and faster.

"Mister! Hurry!" Abe dug his head into Oscar's shoulder, not wanting to look.

Oscar continued this trek, jumping from one object to the next; each time sent forth more ripples of light that further agitated the Keeper. Oscar managed to make it to a stair handle when the Keeper appeared.

It shrieked louder and charged across the floor of darkness, swiping at Oscar.

Oscar managed to dodge by a hair and land on the other stair handle, the ripples of light coursed through the darkness, reaching the Keeper, who began scratching itself, flaying more flesh off of its bones.

The Keeper leaped and landed on the bottom of the stairs to block Oscar.

Oscar cursed the Keeper's incredible abilities and jumped forward to combat the Keeper. He raised his buckler high and slammed it down with all his strength on the Keeper's head.

But a similar scene occurred; Oscar was flung back up the stairs. He held and cradled Abe in his arms to prevent the boy from getting hurt by the collisions. The floor returned to normal, and the objects stopped growing the moment Oscar touched the floor.

"KUH!" Oscar felt immense pain in his arm. It was broken and bleeding badly. "What the hell is this thing?"

"We need to run, Mister! We failed the game, so we need to go." Abe got out of Oscar's arms and started to tug him toward a door.

The Keeper shrieked louder and ran up the stairs to catch them, but Abe was quick enough to lock the door.

"Hah hah. I'm sorry." Oscar bound his arm together to set the fractured bone. His face was grim as he apologized for failing the game. "Is there no other way to clear this game?"

"Nope." Abe spoke from within his huddled arms. His back was quivering crazily from the fear of the Keeper. "It's the only way. I'm sure of that."

Oscar groaned as his arm was finally bound by the bandages he had. The power of the Keeper was unreal. Somehow, someway, he was still alive, and he felt grateful for that.

"I need to move fast as possible." Oscar talked to Abe. "Is there anything I can do to stop the Keeper? Is there anything he doesn't like?"

Even something like this Keeper should have a weakness because even the mighty Exalts possessed their own weaknesses. It was against all common sense that something like the Keeper could exist.

"It doesn't like the light from the objects, but that only makes it angrier, not weaker." Abe recovered and stood up to help Oscar.

"No weaknesses...." Oscar got back up and carried Abe on his back because of his arm's condition. He still had one Heal Elixir but didn't want to use it on just a fracture. "I need to keep trying."

Oscar memorized his general course and was faster in getting across those obstacles. He made significant progress before the Keeper made its way to him.

"Hello, you monstrosity. I'll come back here for the chance to destroy you when I'm stronger." Oscar goaded the monster, not sure if it could understand. But the Keeper shrieked and continued its assault.

Oscar noticed that, no matter how fierce the attack, the house, and objects remained unmoving and undamaged. This manor was far too strange. The only reason that made sense was if these objects were high-grade armaments, but he felt no hint of Ein from them.

Oscar was quick on his feet and managed to make it to a long wide hallway with few objects on the floor. But across it was a large door that had the sign written 'Exit' over it. The back entrance!

"We're almost there, Abe!" Oscar told the boy, who was getting excited.

"Oscar...."

Oscar heard this voice and turned to the side with shock. There was Frederick, bleeding profusely from his stomach, with a large hole through his gut.

"Help me...."

"Fred!" Oscar stared at his friend, who was dying on the floor, with great fear. His body moved out of pure instinct. He had to save him!

"Don't!" Abe screamed out his lungs, but Oscar had already thrown himself onto the floor to save Frederick.

However, the moment he did, Fred vanished into thin air as the darkness cleared. Oscar could not process what had happened when the crushing blow of the Keeper slammed into his stomach, crushing the bones.

"Mister!" Abe screamed by clinging onto Oscar, who was thrown straight to the back entrance. The backdoor was unmoving to Abe's efforts to open it, and there were no side doors to escape to.

The Keeper began a slow trek toward Oscar and Abe, who grew pale at the incoming monstrosity.

"Illusion?" Oscar struggled to keep his eyes open. "That was an illusion? Abe, did you see anyone?"

"No, I didn't. You just jumped off on your own!" Abe was angry and screamed at Oscar with tears in his eyes.

"Oh....I'm sorry." Oscar apologized through his throat, full of blood.

"Mister...."

Oscar looked down at his wound but was bewildered. The Keeper's power was so great that he was flung back despite using 'Shattered Wave'. By all means, this blow to his defenseless gut should have killed him instantly.

Thinking back, the entire thing was strange. Why did the objects and house react weirdly when the game started? What caused the floor to turn into darkness? How was this Keeper alive?

"Abe. Brother. Game. Grandfather. Delusion. Is it?!" Oscar processed all the key points in his mind and came to one conclusion. He stood up despite the tear in his gut and told Abe to stand back.

"Play a game. Loser on the floor. Stop with the delusions." Oscar walked slowly to the Keeper, who was about to strike down.

But Oscar closed his eyes and calmed his heart. "This isn't real."

The Keeper struck down, but instead of Oscar, it slammed on the floor. It shrieked with its horrible half-face, but Oscar was undisturbed.

"This is all an illusion."T/his chapter is updat/ed by nov(ê(l)biin.c/o/m