Chapter 9: Crimson Castle

3PM

*Unknown Division* of Branch, Crimson Castle

*Gawk!* *Gawk!* *Gawk!*

Black large gate, black large castle standing right in a red lake. As a crow welcomed our visit here on this weird castle, you'd probably ask something, How the fuck did we got here? It all happened after I woke up not on Earth, but to Chime.

8AM

Western Division of Branch, the Hospital

"Marco, it sucks to say but... Because of the Curse, your World Transferring Ability dissapeared and what's worse... You're now trapped here on planet Chime."

"What? What the fuck do you mean?"

—

*Toot* *Toot* *Toot*

"Let's get this straight. First, you gave me the wrong medicine..."

"Yup, and when you ate the Boar's meat..."

"Is how I get the Curse?"

"Yes, if it weren't for my fault to give you the wrong medicine this shouldn't be happening..."

After hearing the news right from Kallen herself, Vlera seem to be having a guilt, I also cannot believe what just happened, but because it already happened, I have nothing to do but to accept the fact.

"Don't worry Vlera, it's just a Curse doesn't? It probably has a cure or something?"

"Yeah, it has, but I doubt it would be easy to find it."

"Don't worry! Just think of it as a part of our adventure!"

"Are you sure? I just ironically took your life on Earth."

"Well, sure it wasn't that great since today on Earth was supposed to be my graduation..."

"Ah... This is what I'm talking about..."

"He-hey, hey! Don't cry! It would probably just be paused!"

"Paused?"

"Uhh yeah? Based on my investigation, if I was spending my life on the other planet, my life where I was sleeping will get paused until I get back!"

"Oh... So as long as you're here..."

"My life on Earth wouldn't continue forward!"

"Oh. That's... Weird."

"Though I have one question."

"?"

"Why is Kallen here?"

During our conversation, I got my attention nothing else than this Weirdly... Seriously looking Kallen that has been staring me for a while.

"Oh, her? Well, we might say this is Kallen, but in truth she wasn't Kallen."

"Huh?"

"Do you remember the keychain that she gave me before we left?"

"Yeah."

"The truth is... It's one of her invention that will summon a clone of her whenever we stare at it. I discovered it when I accidentally stared at it."

"Oh... So that's a clone?"

"Yup, she helped me with the Doctors to diagnose your Curse."

After our conversation ended, it gave us a moment of silence until one of us broke it.

"Tell me, are you good to move now?"

"Uhh, actually, yeah. I just lost consciousness yesterday right?"

"Uhh... (Shit. How should I respond to this?) Uhh, you see, if you place your hand into your head..."

Upon placing my hand into my head, it's not my hair that i felt, but a bandage.

"Don't tell me..."

"I'M VERY SORRY! I'M ALSO OCCUPIED AT THE MOMENT SO WHEN I FINALLY GOT THE MOMENT TO PROTECT YOU, YOU ALREADY HAD YOUR HEAD CUT!"

"Oi, oi, oi, calm down, don't you like it that I didn't even noticed it? I could move freely without feeling anything!"

"Huh? Really? If so... Do you think we could call the Doctors for your leave this afternoon?"

"Yeah, sure."

—

1PM

Western Division, outside the Hospital

"What an eventful yesterday. So, where should we go now?"

"Good thing you asked. There was a book I read during our stay at Teacher's house, it is about your curse, and from what I remember...

I think I'd have to meet that Bat once again."

3PM

*Unknown Division* of Branch, Crimson Castle

And there you have it, that's how we got there.

"There was a vampire here called Cecilio and I think he knows a thing or two about your Curse."

"Are you sure it's safe to be here? This castle is literally standing in the middle of a red lake."

"He was once a student of Teacher like us so don't worry."

As we stand at the main gate of the castle, a terror surrounded my surroundings before the gate opened by itself. The way this castle was built is terrifying; dark and old gate, dark red lake, dark colored castle, it almost feels like we're walking to the castle of Death itself, hence, we reached the door of the castle.

*Knock* *Knock*

Anonymously, the door opened by itself as well, the sound it made gave a mark on my brain the way it creaks every centimeter it move.

"Hey! Cecilio! Show yourself! I know you can't stand the sun so feel free to close the door before you show up!"

After Vlera said those lines, the door quickly shuts down that made a slam that almost made me piss in terror.

"Night by night, I've waited for this moment."

Suddenly, a voice whispered in my ear.

!!!

"Y-you! Where are you?!"

"Look up, dear Visitor."

Upon looking up, I saw the 2nd floor, no, the 3rd! After I realized it, this was a castle with over 50 floors!

"V-Vlera, t-there's a demon staring at me at the very top of this castle!!!"

Suddenly, two red eyes glared at me from the very top of the castle, seconds later, I can feel it's presence getting closer, every meter it moves, every meter it gets closer to me, it feels as if it was counting my remaining seconds here on Chime, hence, here he is, right infront of me.

"FOR THE NAME OF LURTHRED, HERE I SHALL PRESENT MY CRIMSON PRESENCE!"

As he landed in front of me, he spreads his wings around me and welcomed me with such a line and tone, because of it, he gave me a trauma in dark places in just seconds.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Cecilio!"

I stumbled in fear and I saw Vlera as she suddenly gets concerned about me.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Why? It's not like I see a visitor here nowadays."

"I know, and THAT's the reason why you don't get visitors!"

—

*Slurps in fear*

"B-b-b-bats..."

"I suppose I went too far with my welcome..."

After I woke up 10 minutes later, I saw myself in a room not-so-terrifying-than-I-expected, Cecilio gave me a coffee that I gladly accepted.

"Uhm... Vlera had introduced you to me already so it's my turn introduce myself, I'm Cecilio Lurthred, the Crimson Night."

"Uh... Yes, I'm Marco Clompus, nice to meet you..."

"Haha, good, good. (Didn't I told this human already that I know his name already?)"

As we shaked hand, I felt his cold hand that suddenly made me terrified for seconds.

"Make yourself at home here Marco, Cecilio may act like this castle was his property, but in reality, we shared our budgets along with Teacher just to build this castle, so as Kallen's student, you have the permission to stay here anytime you want."

"Uh... I'm not sure if I can last a day here or two..."

And then suddenly, here goes his sudden talking... Again.

"HAHAHA! WORRY NOT FELLOW MARCO! THIS CASTLE MAY BE SO TERRIFYING OUTSIDE, BUT ONCE YOU GO INSID-"

*CLANG!!!*

"Looks like this pan is gonna get a good time clanking your head once again."

"Ow, ow, ow, oww... How did that pan got to be still alive?!"

"Shut your mouth for a moment Cecilio, we're getting out of topic everytime you speak! Hey, Marco, are you good?"

*Marco.exe has stopped working.*

Another 10 minutes later...

"A unique ability to switch life everytime you sleep, huh... This is an ability even the books in this castle and to Kallen's house combined don't have an information about."

To explain the situation easier, I agreed for Vlera to share this Ability of mine. By the way he sounds, I knew this guy had no clue about this.

"And with that ability, it has been removed because of a certain curse?"

"Yup."

"Now that's hard, Fellow Marco. If we don't know an information or two about that ability, then how could we cure the curse that affected you? How did you got the curse though?"

"By eating a boar that has some strange tattoos on it."

"Hm... Boar with tattoos huh..."

Upon whistling, his whistle travelled around the whole castle and seconds later, a bat lend him a book.

"... THERE WE GO! Witch Boar, owned by Witch Doctors! Witch Doctors can be an annoying mage to fight with, but once you got to counter them, they will sent their pet named Witch Boars to defend themselves. By your case, it seems like the boar that you killed was a lost one."

"Lost?"

"Yup, because there won't be a Witch Boar if the Witch Doctor wasn't provoked over something. Also, it wasn't only the curse that lured them into that hotel, it probably is their act of Revenge towards the boar that got killed by Vlera."

"Hey, it's not my fault that their pet got killed because of their dumbness!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know Vlera. And for the curse...

Why not trying this recipe that I made just now?"

As he lends us a paper that contains recipes on how to craft a cure for my curse, I looked at Vlera and she said a sentence.

"This smells the first chapter of my adventures."

With a smirk on her face, she hid the paper and told me to follow her.

"Marco, pack your things, you're gonna have your 2nd class for your cure."

— End of Chapter 9