Continued from last chapter...
The traveler reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out the sealed black envelope. Keeping his eyes locked on the old man, he smoothly tore off the top edge with a sharp, clean rip.
He turned the envelope upside down.
Nothing fell out. He flared the opening wide, holding it directly into the faint, ghostly glow of the phosphorescent fog so the creature could see all the way to the bottom.
"Nothing is here," the traveler said, his voice completely flat, stripped of both the threat and the humor from before.
The old man stared into the empty paper void, his jaw tightening as the terrifying realization sank in. The prize he had waited a century for, the contract he thought was his to reap, was entirely blank.
From the separate room, the faint, muffled sound of a latch clicking open echoed through the wall. The guide who had locked himself away was moving.
The traveler tossed the useless paper onto the table. "Which means," he murmured, his dark smile slowly returning, "the real game hasn't even started yet."
"It's with the other man," the traveler said, tilting his head toward the concealed door in the corner. "The one in the room."
The old man's face contorted into a mask of pure, frantic rage. The slow, calculated mimicry of humanity dissolved entirely. With a guttural, screeching howl that sounded like metal scraping against stone, the creature spun around.
It didn't walk—it lunged.
Its form stretched, shifting back into the jagged, towering nightmare silhouette as it threw its entire, massive weight against the narrow wooden door where the guide had hidden.
***SLAM.***
The walls of the cabin shuddered, dust and dried moss raining down from the ceiling joists. But the door didn't break.
The creature snarled, raising a heavy, clawed arm and bringing it down with monstrous force right against the center of the wood.
***CRACK.***
Blue sparks of static electricity exploded from the keyhole, illuminating the dark room in sharp, blinding flashes. The door didn't budge. Instead, a low, resonant hum vibrated through the wood, pushing the creature backward.
Desperate, the beast threw itself at the wood again and again, clawing, tearing, and howling. But the door held fast, wrapped in an invisible, unbreakable barrier that refused to yield. The creature's claws slid off the surface as if it were made of solid, polished iron.
The traveler didn't move an inch. He just leaned back against the table, watching the creature's futile, frantic assault with a look of quiet amusement.
"I did warn you," the traveler murmured over the din. "Januany has its rules. And that door is one of them."
The traveler decided he was done waiting.
He stepped away from the table, his movements blurring with an impossible, sudden speed. The quiet amusement vanished from his face, replaced by a terrifying, absolute dominance.
As he stepped toward the frantic monster, the air in the room didn't just freeze—it shattered. The faint phosphorescent fog died instantly, crushed by a suffocating pressure that radiated from the traveler's skin. Every corner of the room vibrated with a raw, overwhelming aura of pure, unchecked rage.
The creature sensed the shift and spun around, its embers of eyes widening in pure terror. But it was already too late.
The traveler raised his right hand. As he did, blinding, searing cracks of white light burst from beneath his skin, tearing through the fabric of his coat. The veins in his arms glowed like molten gold. When he looked down at the beast, his eyes had turned a deep, burning, apocalyptic red.
With a single, fluid motion, the traveler delivered a devastating strike blow.
He didn't need a weapon. The sheer concussive force of the strike exploded outwards, carrying the weight of a collapsing mountain. The light erupting from his body flared into a blinding flash that illuminated every hidden corner of the ledger-lined room.
The blow connected.
There was no blood, no scream. The creature simply disintegrated upon impact. The jagged, shifting nightmare form shattered like brittle glass, dissolving into a cloud of black ash that was instantly incinerated by the light radiating from the traveler.
Then, the blinding glow slowly faded, retreating back beneath the traveler's skin. His eyes cooled from a burning crimson back to their natural shade. The suffocating rage in the atmosphere lifted, leaving behind only the smell of ozone and the absolute, echoing silence of the room.
The traveler stood alone amidst the ash, exhaling a quiet breath as the concealed door behind him slowly began to click open.
The narrow concealed door clicked one final time and swung inward.
The masked guide stepped out from the darkness of the hidden room. He didn't look at the shattered remains of the front door, nor did he look at the black ash coating the floorboards. His eyes were fixed entirely on the traveler, who stood perfectly calm, the last traces of that blinding, apocalyptic red fading from his gaze.
In the guide's hand was a new envelope—identical to the first, but this one vibrated with a faint, rhythmic pulse of energy, heavy with the weight of whatever was sealed inside.
He walked forward and extended his arm, presenting it.
The transfer was successful.
You managed to send it to me in that through that specially sealed door without letting that beast know. I have to say iam impressed . I will need more of you.
The man laughs " I am just a traveller and I love to travel ."
"Well but" he continues
He said,"I am impressed"
The traveller reveals " They call me The hands of fatality for a reason."
"I am Ron"
The masked man opens his mask and reveals to him " Hey Ron nice to meet you I am CARDCROW ".
Cardcrow: I don't think you are a traveller. I mean I can say that . By looking at you I think some of what you said is not true at all.
Ron : Well you are smart cardcrow that's not completely false but half truth . I love to travel but for a purpose.
Cardcrow: I hope over the course of time our purpose and method aligns .
Ron : Isn't that already ??
Cardcrow in a peaceful mood : I don't know
(Smiles)
Ron : Huh what was that ??
Cardcrow (Smiles)
Ron (Smiles)