After a while of struggling, Alex finally finished assembling all the bones. The complete skeleton lay straight on the ground, looking like a deadly work of art.
"No reaction at all." Alex waited for a while but saw no strange phenomenon. He was a bit disappointed and let out a long sigh.
*Bang bang bang...*
A violent and somewhat urgent knocking sound suddenly rang out, cutting through Alex's train of thought in the silent space. The teenager's pupils contracted in shock; he quickly wrapped the scarf back to cover his neck and picked up the oil lamp with trembling hands.
This place was a wilderness near the graveyard; absolutely no normal person would come here at night!
"Who is it?!" He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible.
"We are people from the Luminous Church." The person outside replied, the voice deep and slightly rude, carrying an authority that allowed no refusal.
People from the Luminous Church? Alex frowned, his heart beating faster. Perhaps the people outside were the terrifying "Arbiters" of the Luminous Church; the shocking strange event just now had attracted their attention all the way here.
He only now realized the seriousness of the problem. He turned his head to look at the completely restored skeleton lying conspicuously on the ground and swallowed his saliva. Alex carefully walked close to the door, not unlocking it, but probing loudly:
"It's so late, do you Sirs have any business?"
The Arbiters were the most special and also the most terrifying existence in the church. Once involved with them, it meant endless trouble, and usually troubles related to dangerous extraordinary events or evil cults.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and open the door so we can check." The voice became impatient, accompanied by the sound of armor clashing.
Alex frowned deeper, cold sweat seeping out on his forehead. If he didn't open the door, perhaps he would be suspected and face even bigger trouble. He turned his head to glance at the white skeleton on the ground; it still lay motionless with no reaction.
The Arbiters frequently came into contact with all kinds of extraordinary things; perhaps they could see some evil clue on this white skeleton, and then he would be convicted of harboring dark items.
Alex clenched his hands, his fingernails digging painfully into his palms.
"Apologies, young man." Suddenly, another voice, gentle and polite, rang out, interrupting the tension: "My teammate is a bit rude due to being impatient to carry out the mission. I apologize to you on his behalf. If it is convenient, could you open the door so we can ask a few questions?"
Perhaps sensing Alex's hesitation and fear through the thin wooden door, that voice continued gently: "If it is not convenient..."
"I'm sorry." Alex dared not gamble his life on whether the Arbiter would discover the peculiarity of the skeleton. Right now, he could only count on the leniency of the man outside.
A polite gentleman would not make things difficult for an orphan, and a polite Arbiter certainly would not either.
Using the man's gentle voice as an excuse, Alex refused the request to open the door: "It is very late now, I am just a child, and I am all alone here..."
His voice got smaller and smaller, deliberately creating the appearance of insecurity and timidity of a cowardly child. Pausing for a moment to take a breath, Alex continued: "I cannot open the door for strangers at this time. If it is convenient, could you come back tomorrow morning when it is light?"
The person outside the door seemed to understand the anxiety and apprehension of a child living alone in a desolate place like Alex.
"Tomorrow morning, is that okay?" He turned to ask his teammate.
"Why are you talking nonsense with him? Just break the door down and be done with it." The other person's voice was grumpy.
"Hughes! Watch your attitude. It's just a teenager, don't frighten the citizens." The gentle voice sternly reminded Hughes, then turned back towards the door, repeating the previous sentence with enough volume to be heard: "Is tomorrow morning okay? Young man, we will return when the sun rises."
"No problem, I will open the door then." A morning was more than enough time for him to move the skeleton and destroy the evidence. Alex hurriedly agreed.
The two people at the door exchanged a few more small words that were unclear, and heavy footsteps rang out on the gravel ground. Alex pressed his ear against the door, holding his breath and listening until their footsteps went far away and faded into the wind. Only then did he dare to relax his shoulders and breathe a sigh of relief.
The teenager leaned his back against the door, exhaling a long breath as if unloading a burden of a thousand pounds.
Too many things had happened tonight, from the mist monster to the encounter with the Arbiters.
He turned around, taking off the suffocating scarf while dragging his tired steps toward the old wooden bed in the corner of the room: "I have to snatch some sleep; there is so much to do tomorrow."
Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw something white moving on the floor. Alex's heart skipped a beat, and the blood in his body seemed to freeze. He slowly turned his head, his neck stiff as if rusted. In his line of sight, the white skeleton that had been lying stiff on the ground had moved on its own and stood up straight at some point.
Alex widened his eyes in horror, his mouth gaping, unable to utter a word.
He suddenly realized that the reason it had lain motionless without reaction before was just camouflage. A perfect camouflage to deceive the keen senses of the Arbiters outside.
The white skeleton moved, its bone joints rubbing against each other with cracking sounds, the dry noise echoing in the silent room.
Alex was both astonished by its intelligence and cunning, and careful to back away, observing the strange and somewhat creepy scene before him until the skeleton stood completely upright.
He was truly very tall; the top of the skull almost touched the low ceiling of the wooden house, and the shadow of the skeleton cast a long shape over Alex.
Alex crept off the bed, grabbed the dull fruit knife on the table, and stared warily at this white skeleton: "You..."
He took a deep breath to regain his composure, his voice trembling as he asked: "What exactly are you, Sir? A monster or an undead?"
The upright skeleton moved its neck slightly as if to relax. Following the trembling sound, its two empty black eye sockets slowly lowered, falling upon Alex's small body.
The teenager couldn't help but shudder at the invisible cold aura, barely maintaining a façade of calm on his face.
Elias recovered his consciousness from the chaotic void. His mind had not yet fully recovered, and his memories were still fragmented, but he heard the timid voice of a human ringing in his ear:
"What exactly are you, Sir?"
"Elias." He answered unconsciously out of instinct, the voice ringing directly inside Alex's head rather than through the air: "God's Angel."