12 Chapter 12
After coming to terms with his newly awakened element, which protected his life, he tried to observe his surroundings to know where he actually was.
He was only sure of one thing. He wasn't with the Enemies. They never would've left him alone without taking the Forbidden Book of Necromancy. That could only mean the book had somehow helped him escape when he was unconscious.
Gabriel observed his surroundings, noticing that he appeared to be in some dark room. There was no source of light here except the torches that were burning on the wall.
The room didn't appear to be properly made. The walls were rough as if it was a chamber in a cave which was dug with hands.
There was only one way out from here, and it was a pathway straight which was like a tunnel. For some reason, Gabriel could also hear the sound of water coming from that tunnel as if he was near a water source.
He picked up a flaming torch from the wall and entered the tunnel, trying to find a way out of this dark place.
Gabriel walked through the dark tunnel for a really long time, looking for an exit. The sound of water appeared to be getting close, yet he couldn't see any light source.
Gabriel hadn't eaten since last night. Let alone eat anything; he didn't even get to drink anything. Moreover, he had been walking since the morning. He had hoped to rest in the house for a little while, but that plan turned out to be an even bigger mistake.
Fortunately, it seemed as if a water source was nearby to quench his thirst. Or at least that's what he thought.
After walking for twenty minutes straight, Gabriel finally managed to reach the end of the tunnel and stepped out of it, only to end up in an even more absurd place.
He had expected to find an exit through the tunnel, but something was wrong. He ended up in another dark chamber, but this one was even more absurd.
There was a river passing through this chamber. Other than that river, there was nothing. There was no exit or door.
"Do I need to swim out of here?"
Since the river was going out of here, the only path he could see to get out of here was through swimming. However, he was slightly hesitant in this as well.
The River, it wasn't any ordinary river. The river's water was pitch black, unlike the crystal clear water of the rivers outside. He had never heard of a river like this. Moreover, he could also hear some strange sounds coming from the depths of the river, as if there were some spirits that were cackling at the depths of the river.
"Come inside..."
"Come fast..."
"We are waiting..."
"Kekeke, jump in."
As if Gabriel wasn't stupefied already, he also started hearing strange whispers as if there were people who were inviting him to jump inside.
Gabriel hastily took a step back. This river! There was no way it wasn't a cursed river!
"I can't get inside. This doesn't look safe at all. But is there another exit?"
Gabriel walked back and forth in frustration. There appeared to be no other exit except through the river. However, the river didn't look to be safe either. He didn't feel safe jumping into the river of cursed spirits.
"I don't even have materials here, or I could've made a boat. Do I have no other choice except to jump into the river if I want to leave?"
He had a tough choice before him. Either he could jump inside the strange water and risk his life, or he could stay behind and wait for his death here?
Both the options had a high chance of death, but only the second option had a slight chance of survival.
After thinking about it for a long time, Gabriel knew that he only had a choice in name. In reality, this wasn't a choice at all. Only one option had a chance of survival, while both had a high chance of death.
If he had another way out of here, he never would've jumped in the river of the damned. Unfortunately, this was his only way.
He took a deep breath as he stepped closer to the river. He was ready to jump in the river.
The voices that were coming from the river intensified.
"He is coming in..."
"Kekeke, after a long time!"
"Finally..."
"Jump, human! Jump!'
"Come inside..."
"Shut up!" Gabriel yelled in frustration. He was already stressed about getting in the water, and these Spirits were making it more difficult for him.
"D-did he just... scold us?"
"I think he did..."
"Ah..."
The Spirits at the depth of water appeared to be gobsmacked to find a human scolding them. For a moment, they seemed to be in disbelief.
Finally, the river had turned silent.
"That's much better." Gabriel took a step forward to jump inside the water, only to stop at the last second.
He gazed at his right hand. Unable to believe his eyes, he took a few steps back.
A black boat appeared to be coming toward him from the right. The wooden boat appeared to be made of the most rotten wood in existence. It was surprising that something like this was still in use, but what was even more shocking was the person who was rowing the boat.
"Okay, this can't be real. I'm really dreaming." Gabriel pinched his hand in disbelief.
The person who was rowing the boat wasn't a person at all. Instead, he was the same dark Spector that Gabriel had seen when he was in his Spirit Form. It was the Spector that had disappeared right before he was about to kill him.
At least that's what he looked like. Since the Spector didn't have a face or a body, Gabriel could only assume. He didn't know how many Spectors like that were there.
The boat stopped at the edge of the River as if waiting for Gabriel to climb. The Spector didn't even gaze at him. It just sat calmly in the boat. This time, he didn't have the scythe in his hand.
Even though Gabriel thought that it was a dream, as he pinched him, he felt the pain. He could feel it wasn't a dream at all. He was actually here! It was unclear what this place actually was, but if he wanted to leave this place, there was now a third option.
Either he could stay here for eternity, or he could jump in the strange river and try to swim for an unknown amount of time. And now, the third option was available, which was to get in the boat and let the Spector take him.
Unfortunately, he wasn't sure where the Spector was going to take him or why he was even here? Just what was this place? As soon as he awakened the Element of Darkness, his life had turned into a collection of strange events!
After a long time, Gabriel finally came to a decision. He decided to get into the boat with the Spector and hope for the best even though he didn't have enough answers.
He advanced toward the boat with the Spector.