LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 556: Heart Dropping
JJ stood up and walked to the window. The town outside was quiet now, the streets empty under the moonlight. She could hear the distant rustling of leaves and the occasional clatter of a cart rolling down a distant road. It should have been peaceful. It wasn't.
The Black Bulls. General Osalf. Their offer hung over her like a cloud, impossible to shake. She was no stranger to danger, but this was different. She wasn't just risking herself anymore. Every move she made put Ty in greater danger.
The thought of him standing alone, defenseless in the burning landscape from her dream, haunted her.
Her fingers grazed the windowsill as she thought. The Black Bulls had made it clear: help them infiltrate the kingdom, and they would help ensure Ty survived the Arena of Life. But at what cost? She couldn't fully trust them. Not with everything she knew about their operations, their ruthlessness.
But what other options did she have? The kingdom wouldn't let Ty win. Not if they knew what he truly was. The image of his blackened bones flashed through her mind again, the chains of that dark, liquid figure wrapping around him, pulling him into the abyss.
JJ clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. I won't let that happen.
She turned away from the window, her gaze falling once more on Blue. The fairy's breathing was steady, though her glow remained faint. JJ picked up the item crystal from the bed and held it up to the moonlight streaming through the window. The crystal shimmered slightly, casting faint reflections across the room. There had to be more to this, more to what had happened.
But before she could even begin to investigate, the weight of exhaustion bore down on her again. Her body felt heavy, her limbs like stone. JJ let out a slow breath, lowering the crystal back to the bed. Sleep. You need to sleep. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and with it, a thousand more questions.
She lay back down on the bed, her eyes lingering on the glowing form of Blue beside her. At least she's safe, JJ thought, her eyelids growing heavy.
But sleep didn't bring peace. It never did.
JJ's dreams came back with a vengeance. She was standing in that burning landscape again, the sky ablaze with fire, the air thick with ash. Her lungs burned, and the heat pressed against her skin like a thousand tiny knives. Discover more stories at My Virtual Library Empire
And there, in the distance, was Ty's skeleton. Still unmoving, still wrapped in those dark, liquid tendrils.
The black figure stood over him, its formless body rippling in the firelight. It watched her again, its gaze piercing through the flames, locking onto her soul.
JJ's heart raced. She tried to move, to run toward Ty, but the ground beneath her cracked and crumbled, sending her stumbling. The flames rose higher, consuming everything around her. She screamed his name, but the sound was swallowed by the inferno.
The figure shifted, its tendrils tightening around Ty's bones. It was pulling him deeper, dragging him into the abyss.
JJ fought to move, her legs heavy, her body trembling. She couldn't reach him. She couldn't save him. The fire roared around her, louder and louder, until it was all she could hear, all she could feel. And then the darkness came, consuming everything.
When she woke, her heart was pounding, her hands clutching the blanket so tightly her knuckles were white. The room was dark, but the faint blue glow of Blue beside her was enough to remind her where she was.
She exhaled, the remnants of the dream still clinging to her like smoke. I can't let this happen. Ty wasn't just a dream. He was real. The threat was real.
Morning had broken over the town, its golden light filtering through the worn curtains of her room. JJ sat up, running a hand through her hair. The inn was quiet, save for the distant clatter of pots and pans from downstairs. Blue's glow, still faint, cast soft shadows across the room, and beside her on the bed, the small metal spider lay unmoving.
Its presence gnawed at her mind—a constant reminder that the Black Bulls were watching.
She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, her muscles stiff from the previous day. The bandage on her shoulder tugged uncomfortably as she reached for her cloak, pulling it tightly around herself. I need to get back to the Arena grounds. Ty's there. I have to be ready. But the spider in her pocket made it clear that her path wasn't straightforward anymore.
Downstairs, the innkeeper's voice hummed through the narrow hall as JJ descended the creaky staircase. The old woman stood behind the counter, her hands as nimble as ever as she prepared breakfast for the few guests still lingering.
"You're up early, dear," the innkeeper said, her voice warm, though her eyes flickered with curiosity. "Off to more adventures, I suppose?"
JJ forced a smile, though her mind was elsewhere. "You could say that."
The old woman chuckled, her wrist flicking as she poured a cup of tea. The strange mark JJ had noticed the night before still glimmered faintly on her skin. JJ thought about asking, but now wasn't the time. Not with the Black Bulls looming over her.
"You be careful now," the innkeeper continued. "Lot of strange things happening these days." She handed JJ a small package wrapped in cloth. "For the road. I know you're in a hurry."
JJ took the package, feeling the warmth of the freshly baked bread through the fabric. "Thank you," she muttered, nodding her head and making her way toward the door.
But as she reached for the handle, the door swung open, and a familiar man stepped inside—the same one who had handed the device screen to the innkeeper the night before. His face was pale, and he clutched a flyer tightly in his hands.
"Oh no," the innkeeper whispered behind JJ, her voice filled with genuine concern. "The poor man."
Looking at the Flyer, Lt Daemon has died.