2 Daffodil Street. Klein entered his house and bade his sister farewell.
He got into the rented carriage that Azik had hired and traveled to Lamud Town.
It was almost nine at that point. The sky was dark, and they could only rely on the crimson moonlight.
After he instructed the driver to wait in town, Klein led Azik towards the castle.
The castle, which was almost a wreck, extended itself in all four directions while its spire looked desolate.
Azik looked at the castle and slowed down his footsteps.
Suddenly, he groaned in pain, lifting his hand to pinch his forehead.
"Mr. Azik, are you okay?" Klein asked as he activated his Spirit Vision.
Azik took another two steps forward with a pained expression and pointed forward. "I've seen this ancient castle before in my dream.
Back then, it was still complete with a robust outer wall and a high spire.
I remember that there was a stable there, a water well there, and a barracks there. Over there was a garden that was used to plant potatoes.
I remember there was a training field. My child, he was a boy. He was only about seven or eight years old, but he enjoyed running around while dragging a broadsword that was taller than him. He said that he wanted to become a knight when he grew up, while my wife always complained about it being too gloomy in the castle. She liked the sunlight, the warmth..."
Just then, Azik stopped muttering and strode through the main gate and all the way into the castle without Klein's guidance. He found the hidden gear and opened the secret door to enter the basement.
Klein followed behind Azik down along the stairs and returned to the place where there was a coffin.
Unlike the previous time, the coffin was closed. Azik walked in front of the coffin and extended his hands to push its lid until there was a gap.
He gazed at the skeleton without a skull and lurched backward with heavy footsteps.
Just then, Klein's spiritual perception warned him, and he slowly moved closer to the stairs. He trusted Mr. Azik's character, but he was afraid that the man would lose control.
After some time, Azik lowered his hands and stood up.
In Klein's spiritual perception, Azik seemed to be gloomier and more imposing.
"I recalled something, but it's very minor." Azik spoke. "I sense the power that made your fate disharmonious."
Klein asked, "Can you trace the source?"
"It's been too long, but I'd like to try."
Azik walked before the coffin and said, "He took my child's skull. I want to find him through a blood connection."
Azik extended his right hand and suddenly cut his index finger.
A drop of fresh red blood dripped onto the skeleton and seeped into it, causing it to turn blood-red.
Klein heard the sound of a baby crying.
Inside the coffin there were many shapeless and distorted faces rising amidst billowing black fog. Then, they manifested a strange door.
Creak!
The illusory door opened, and pale, white arms extended out, one after another, but they vanished into the black fog before Azik.
Through the crack that the door opened, Klein saw a white skull. It was thrown underneath a brown tree and reduced to powder as a result of the elements.
Countless pale, white arms were sliced off by the door that abruptly slammed shut as they fell onto the ground.
Azik sighed. The black fog dispersed, and the sound of a baby crying ceased. Everything returned to its original state, except for the accentuated chill.
Klein looked into the coffin and saw that the red skeleton had returned to its original state.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't find him..." Azik said. At the same time, he closed the coffin.
"It's not surprising that we couldn't find him." Klein said.
Azik turned around and said, "I'll continue investigating, and I hope that I can have your assistance."
"No problem." Klein said and held back his urge to tell Azik about the red chimney. He could only rely on himself to confirm his target.
Azik walked towards the stairway quietly. After leaving the basement and closing the secret door, the two of them walked along the road.
In the dark night, Azik said, "Until this matter is resolved, I will quit my job and leave Tingen to look for my lost past."