Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 36

Sauntering into the house, Asher found a spot on the sofa that wasn’t covered with Mia’s clothing scattered all around.

Settling into the relatively clear spot, he waited.

Not long after, he saw the woman drag a chair forward and position it directly in front of him before sitting down.

Her cigarette swirled lazily between her fingers as smoke drifted through the air.

"Speak. What do you want?"

Asher looked at the woman with a stoic expression on his face.

But inwardly, he was frowning.

’This woman is so strange, damn it. But anyway...’

He straightened himself slightly before speaking.

"Thank you for granting me an audience, Miss Mia."

The woman simply nodded before taking another puff of her cigarette.

Asher inhaled sharply, gathering his thoughts before continuing.

"I’m here because I realised that you know a lot. Too much for a normal human. Even though your knowledge is basic, like the people in this city, I still feel like you know more than you are letting on."

Mia lifted a brow as she puffed out a thin stream of smoke from her mouth.

".... I don’t understand. What are you talking about?"

Asher hesitated.

His eyes darted across her face, lingering briefly on her eyes as if he were searching for even the smallest sign that could expose her.

Then he replied,

"I’m talking about the whole Nightmare stuff. I feel like you know more than you are letting on. Please, I need to know everything you know."

Mia cocked a brow in confusion again.

"Huh? Why? Besides... what gives you the idea that I know more than I told you yesterday—?"

"Your eyes...." Asher blurted out.

Mia’s gaze sharpened instantly.

Realising his mistake, Asher immediately began shaking his head vigorously, his hands waving frantically in front of his face.

"No. I don’t mean to flirt. I was saying that your eyes are different from the other people in this part of the city. You don’t have deep bags under your eyes."

He paused.

His gaze remained fixed on Mia as she subtly touched the skin beneath her eyes.

Then he continued,

"I think you definitely had prominent bags under your eyes, but it seems like they got cleared out after some time, and it seems like they’re slowly clearing too. Which means you are getting solid sleep or you have the opportunity to."

Asher’s expression became more serious.

"Is there a way you escaped the Nightmare or something?"

Mia froze.

Her eyes blinked once.

Then again.

For the first time since Asher had entered her house, genuine surprise flickered across her face.

But she didn’t let it linger.

A soft smile soon appeared on her lips as she took another puff of her cigarette.

She looked at the boy for a moment before slowly exhaling the smoke.

She then shook her head.

"I don’t know what you’re speaking about. I’m also going through the same mess that the others are going through. The only difference is that I’m relatively new in this city."

She paused, seemingly thinking about her next set of words.

Then she added,

"And about my knowledge? Well, I read a lot and also research a lot. I already noticed the strangeness in this city when I first came, and I decided to research it.

"So nope; I didn’t beat the Nightmare at all."

Asher stared at her for several moments.

His jaws tightened with each passing second.

’Why don’t I believe her?’

"Please...."

The word escaped his lips almost as a breath.

Then, without another word, Asher suddenly dropped to his knees in front of the woman.

Tears began welling up in his eyes.

Mia was taken aback.

Her eyes widened as she sharply rose to her feet, staring down at the kneeling boy in shock.

"Wha—?"

"... Please, this is a matter of life and death. I’m really desperate for a way to save my family. We have less than twenty-four hours before the curse activates in our family."

The woman’s eyes widened in horror.

"Less than twenty-four hours? How is that possible? You have three weeks before the Nightmare activates. What are you saying?!"

Asher’s head hung low as he squeezed his hands tightly at his sides.

Droplets of tears fell to the ground as he gritted his teeth, desperately trying to hold himself together.

"I-I... After I left here yesterday, I encountered some Shadow creatures on my way back. They attacked me."

The woman didn’t look too shocked by that information.

The only thing that seemed to surprise her was how he had managed to survive.

Shades were basically invisible at night, meaning no one could even see their attacks coming.

Yet somehow, this boy had managed to come out alive.

’Is he someone special? How?’

"The moment I returned home to inform my family about everything, He arrived."

"He?!" Mia asked, a raised brow accompanying the question.

Asher nodded immediately, his jaws tightening.

"The Shadow God."

"...."

An unprecedented silence suddenly crashed into the middle of the room.

Mia staggered backward in shock.

Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as the name replayed itself over and over again inside her mind.

The cigarette slipped from between her fingers and fell to the ground, rolling a short distance across the floor.

She barely noticed it.

Mia fell backward into her chair, her mouth hanging agape as she stared at the kneeling boy before her with a completely stupefied expression.

"The-The-The Shadow God? Do you know what you are saying right now?"

Asher nodded firmly.

"Yes. That was what he introduced himself as. He decided to hasten our curse, hence the reason we have less than twenty-four hours before the curse activates for our family. Which is why I seek your help."

He lifted his head slightly, tears still lingering in his eyes.

"Please, help me."

"....."

Another round of deep silence filled the room.

Mia’s throat was beginning to run dry.

Beads of sweat formed across her temples as she stared at the kneeling boy.

’The Shadow God made an appearance and I wasn’t alerted? Wait. Why would He make an appearance to his family? There’s been no record of anybody seeing Him ever.’

She paused.

Her curious eyes slowly scanned the boy from head to toe.

’... Was I right? Is he special?’

After several seconds, the woman heaved a tired sigh before shaking her head in pity.

"Like I said yesterday; there’s no way to escape the Nightmare. As long as you are under the barrier that covers the city, you are stuck."

Asher’s shoulders fell immediately.

"Unless..."

His head snapped upward.

"Un-Unless what?"

The woman shook her head.

"You can escape if you can defeat the Shadow God, that is."

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