Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 42

"....."

Asher remained quiet as the paper slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground.

Jayden’s eyes traced the letter, tears now falling freely from his eyes.

As the eldest sibling, he had been trying desperately to remain strong.

But after seeing that letter, he couldn’t hold himself together anymore.

The tears flowed freely.

The sacrifice their father had just made was too great for the family.

Looking back, he saw Jesse hugging Clara, who was in turn hugging Jack’s body. Jayden quickly moved.

He snatched the letter from the ground and folded it neatly before sliding it into his pocket.

’I can’t let them both see this. If they do, guilt would overwhelm them even more.’

Asher’s lips quivered as he stared blankly at the ground.

’I-I-I killed Dad? I’m the reason he’s dead?’

His hands trembled with fear and guilt as he recalled the contents of the letter.

’...Damn it! Damn it! I killed Dad! Who fucking asked me to reveal the fact that only one family can enter the Nightmare at a time?! Curses!’

His hands balled into fists.

Before he knew what he was doing, he began slamming his fists into the ground with all his might.

’Aaaaaah! Damn it! You didn’t have to do that. You absolutely didn’t!’

Asher screamed inwardly.

His fist continued crashing into the ground with such force that his knuckles were becoming redder with each passing second.

Jayden turned to face his brother, whose face was soaked with an immense amount of tears and snot.

"As-Asher? What are you doing?" Jayden called out.

He immediately shot toward his brother, stopping his hand mid-air before it could strike the ground again.

"LET ME GO!" Asher shouted as he shot Jayden a glare.

"What are you doing? Now is not the time for this."

"Then when, huh? I’m the sole cause of all this! If I had just let everything take its natural course, the curse wouldn’t have been accelerated for the family.

"If I hadn’t also told everybody about the one-per-family thing, he wouldn’t have done this!"

"...."

"Wh-What are you ta-talking about?" Clara questioned from where she sat.

The boys paused for a moment.

The woman gently pushed Jesse aside, then slowly lifted herself from the sofa while carefully placing Jack’s head against the seat.

Jayden glanced at Asher before letting go of the boy’s hand.

He leaned closer and whispered:

"Don’t let her know about the letter. If she does, she’ll be all the more broken."

By that time, Clara was already hovering above them.

"What is going on here? Asher, why are you hurting yourself?"

Asher clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes flashing with tears as he refused to give an answer.

Jayden, on the other hand, quickly wiped his face clean before standing up and holding his mother by the shoulders.

"It’s nothing, Mum. Asher is just sad about Dad’s death."

Clara glanced at Jayden, then at Asher, whose back was turned as he remained unmoving.

Then she looked back at Jayden with more tears filling her eyes.

"Jay-Jayden, what do I do now? Ho-How do I live without your father with me? How do I live without my husband with me? What should I live for?"

Asher’s teeth clenched tightly as he abruptly stood upright, his back as straight as bamboo.

"You want to know what you should live for?" Asher asked as he turned toward his mother, his face drenched in tears.

Clara nodded while still sobbing, her shoulders trembling from the weight of her grief.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

Asher stopped moving as he stood directly in front of the woman.

His hands were squeezed so tightly that his knuckles immediately turned white.

"...Live for your children! You have three healthy children, so live for them. Don’t you dare give up on us, even when we haven’t given up yet! Together, we can do this!"

"....."

’Yes. With how grieved she is, she could end up doing something rash. I need her to re-anchor herself. I can’t afford to lose another member of my family.’

Clara looked into Asher’s eyes, more tears gathering in hers.

Then she slowly closed her eyes and nodded at the boy’s words.

But at the same time, water began dropping from her closed eyes.

Asher scanned the house once, his teeth grinding together.

"Dad’s sacrifice shouldn’t go to waste. As long as he is still inside the Nightmare fighting for us, we would be safe. So let’s all go get some rest."

Clara choked up and fell to her knees.

She didn’t scream like before.

She only silently sobbed like a toddler, her body trembling beneath the weight of everything that had happened.

Jayden knelt down in front of her, putting on a brave face as he hugged her and gently patted the woman’s hair.

Jesse wiped her face, forcing a brave smile as she got up, ready to come and join the family hug.

Asher’s head remained hung low for a moment.

Then, the next second, he snapped it upward so fast that a loud crack echoed through the room.

His eyes bulged wide as a tingling sensation crawled down his spine.

Every hair on his body began rising.

His heart pounded loudly with each passing second.

’No. No. No. No. Th-this can’t be—’

Then it happened.

The sofa where Jack’s body lay began trembling violently, causing everybody’s heads to naturally turn toward it.

Then it began.

From the tips of his fingers to his entire arms, and then slowly reaching the remaining parts of his body, Jack was turning invisible.

The only thing was that he wasn’t really going invisible.

Asher’s eyes were now beginning to blur as he sensed an intensely familiar aura coming from his father’s body.

’Da-Dad... He lost? He fucking lost so soon?!’

"Wh-What is happening? Where’s da-dad’s body?"

Hearing Jesse’s question, Asher shot her a look before screaming.

"Get out of there now!"

Jesse was confused, the urgency in his scream not yet registering in her mind.

She watched as Asher bolted forward from where he stood.

The speed he exerted could only come from someone running on pure adrenaline, driven by the desperate need to keep from losing another member of his family.

In a few seconds, he yanked Jesse away and pushed her aside just in time.

Because the very next moment, right before everybody’s eyes, Asher began rising off the ground and into the air, hovering a few inches above the floor.

His eyes bulged wide as he struggled against the force holding him, his limbs fighting desperately against what seemed like ordinary air.

The only thing was that it wasn’t ordinary air.

’Fuck! He’s a Shadow now? Dad fucking lost to the Nightmare!’

"....?!"

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