NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 524: Steel Front
She crouched beside the stone slab, her fingers tracing the runes etched into the bones. There was something ominous about the way they glowed faintly in the dim light, something that made JJ feel as though she was disturbing something far older and more dangerous than she realized.
As she studied the markings, the air around her grew colder, the light from her lantern flickering. JJ froze, her heart leaping into her throat. Something was wrong. The crypt had been silent before, but now… now there was a presence. She could feel it, like a shadow creeping along the walls, watching her.
"Admiring the dead, are we?"
The voice sent a chill down JJ's spine. She spun around, her eyes widening in fear as a figure emerged from the shadows—.
He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he slowly circled the room. "You've been busy," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Poking around where you don't belong."
JJ's heart raced, but she stood her ground, even as her mind screamed at her to run. "What do you want, Who are you... wait. You look exactly like the guy Ty had mentioned.. Erebos?"
Erebos chuckled, his gaze flicking toward the skeleton on the slab. "Oh, I'm just curious about your little find here," he said smoothly. "Ty's original body… quite the relic, wouldn't you say?"
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JJ's breath caught in her throat, her mind racing. Why was Erebos here? Was he here to take the skeleton? To stop her from telling Ty?
"I won't let you take it," JJ said, her voice shaking slightly but filled with determination. "This belongs to Ty."
Erebos smiled, stepping closer until he was inches from her. "And what makes you think I want it?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Do you really think this body matters to me?"
JJ didn't flinch, though fear was clawing at the edges of her mind. "Then why are you here?"
Erebos's smile faded, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her. "Because I can't have you meddling in things you don't understand," he said coldly.
JJ swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she clenched them into fists. "What are you talking about?"
Erebos leaned in closer, his breath cold against her ear. "There are forces at play here that you can't begin to comprehend," he whispered, his voice like poison. "Ty's past, his future—they're tied to things far beyond your understanding. And if you keep digging, you'll find yourself on the wrong side of those forces."
JJ's heart pounded in her chest, but she didn't back down. "TI'm doing what I can to help him! Even if it kills me it's the least I can do, I owe him my life," she said firmly.
Erebos stared at her for a long moment, his eyes cold and unreadable. Then, slowly, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I see," he said softly. "Death might be in your future."
JJ didn't know what to say. She stood frozen, her mind whirling as she tried to make sense of his cryptic words. But before she could respond, Erebos stepped back, his gaze flicking once more to the skeleton.
"I'll let you take it," he said finally, his voice calm and unsettling. "But remember—whatever comes next, you asked for it."
With that, Erebos turned and melted back into the shadows, his presence fading as quickly as it had appeared. JJ stood there, her heart racing, her mind spinning with a thousand questions.
But one thing was clear—whatever secrets Ty's skeleton held, they were far more dangerous than she had realized.
- meanwhile -
The cool wind tugged at the edges of his coat as Lt. Daemon walked slowly down the familiar trail. It was quiet, save for the gentle swish of leaves brushing against one another and the soft crunch of his boots on the dirt. This wasn't a place for rushed steps; no, this was a path he had walked countless times before, each time with a different purpose.
His hand found the pocket inside his coat, his fingers brushing over the smooth, weathered leather of the picture book he always carried. He paused, a long breath slipping through his lips as he stood there, bathed in the dying light of the two suns hanging low in the sky.
The world around him was bathed in a deep, golden glow that spilled across the trees, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch endlessly before him.
The air felt different here—heavier. Daemon could feel the weight of everything pressing down on him with each step he took further into the woods, further into his past. A trail that had once been a sanctuary for quiet nights with friends now felt like the road to a reckoning. He hadn't come here for peace this time.
No, this time, he had come for something else entirely.
He reached inside his coat and pulled out the picture book. It was small, the edges worn and fraying, but it was the only thing he had left of her. Her face stared back at him from the first photograph—so alive, so full of energy that even the image couldn't capture the essence of who she had been.
His fingers traced the outline of her smile, her eyes that always seemed to see straight through him, cutting through his defenses with ease.
Daemon swallowed hard, closing his eyes as the memories threatened to overwhelm him. The years hadn't dulled the pain. It still hurt—like a knife buried deep in his chest, twisting every time he thought about her. Every time he thought about what they could have had if things had been different.
He pressed the book tightly against his chest, holding it there as if the weight of the memories might anchor him, keep him from falling apart. His breaths came slower now, the tightness in his throat refusing to ease. How long had it been since he last thought about her? Really thought about her?
His mind raced back to the first time they'd met—a chance encounter that had turned into something more, something he hadn't been prepared for. She had been brilliant, full of light and laughter, always pushing him to be better, to strive for more. And he had loved her for it. Loved her in a way that had scared him because he had never known someone could matter that much.