Alex suddenly took a step forward, gathering all his courage, using the madness of the moment to commemorate the most miraculous encounter of his life.
"Thank you for saving me!" He shouted loudly, drowning out the sound of the wind.
Alex would never forget that desperate moment; Elias's appearance had caused the white mist to vanish, saving him from certain death.
"Also, thank you for your wish!"
He would all the more never forget this noble servant of the gods, the powerful Angel beyond the imagination of mortals who had lowered himself to make a promise to a lowly person like him.
"I will try my best to survive well; I hope our next meeting doesn't come too soon!"
The brilliant red light flickered out, disappearing completely.
*Clatter...*
A rain of bones fell to the ground, a dry sound resonating.
In Alex's utterly astonished gaze, Elias once again turned into a pile of lifeless white bones lying scattered on the cold ground.
*Thud thud*, the skull rolled to Alex's feet and stopped.
The teenager was stunned, then slowly bent down, his two hands respectfully lifting that skull up.
They met again, but in this manner.
Alex could not understand what had just happened, why Elias shattered into a pile of bones again instead of flying back to heaven. Harsh reality also did not give him time to ponder and investigate.
The moment the powerful Angel shattered and disappeared, the divine pressure vanished; the filthy things hiding in the darkness began to raise their heads again, and ghostly whispers started to resound.
Alex did not hesitate; as soon as he felt those malicious gazes returning, he hugged the skull tightly to his chest, turned around and ran straight home, slammed the door shut, and latched it. He hid inside the safe room covered by the light of the oil lamp, still clutching Elias's skull in his arms, his heart beating like a drum.
Separated by a flimsy wooden door, Alex leaned his back against the door and slid down to the ground, bowing his head to observe this seemingly ordinary skull, taking a deep breath to calm down.
The remaining bones left outside for a night probably wouldn't matter; after all, they were just dry bones. He consoled himself, standing up to place the skull on the wooden table, right next to the [Karamor's Tear] lamp that was shining warmly.
Alex took off his scarf and hung it on the hook. Busy and stressed all day, the evening having undergone a terror followed by a surprise joy and then disappointment, he was already exhausted in both body and mind.
Crawling into the warm blanket, Alex turned his back to the table, closing his eyes to try and coax sleep.
The room returned to silence, with only the sound of the wind whistling outside.
Not knowing how much time had passed, Alex suddenly sat up from the wooden bed; the antique bed could not withstand his torment, emitting a creaking sound in protest.
He couldn't sleep! Just by closing his eyes, his mind was filled with the scene of the tall, majestic skeleton rumbling and collapsing just now, followed by the image of the small pile of white bones lying forlorn and lonely on the cold ground out there.
Alex turned around, staring at the skull beside the oil lamp. The weak flame flickered, elongating the skeleton's shadow on the wall; the massive pitch-black shadow and the stark white skeleton formed a distinct contrast. It was originally a horror image in ghost movies, but because he remembered the serious and warm voice of Elias answering the question before, this scene did not seem that scary, even possessing a bit of endearment.
"Fine then, I give up." Alex grunted in annoyance, climbing down from the bed. He hurriedly threw a thick coat over his body to fight the cold, walked to the table, and carefully picked up the burning oil lamp.
"Leaving them outside isn't safe; what if wild dogs drag them away?" The brain quickly made up a logical reason, and Alex convinced himself. He was once again having to overcome his fear of darkness because of some matters of conscience; perhaps in his marrow, he inherently had genes for adventure and meddling like this?
Alex could not figure it out, but that did not affect him smoothly carrying out the decision he had made. The teenager held the oil lamp in one hand, while the other hand undid the thick, heavy iron chain bought from the smithy in the city.
The chain made of pure iron was ice-cold and heavy in his hand; back then, it had cost Alex a lot of savings to buy it to reinforce the doors.
Thinking of savings, Alex sighed woefully again; the desperate escape earlier had caused him to drop a money pouch, losing a large sum accumulated over such a long time. He did not know if he would be lucky enough to pick up the money again when entering the city tomorrow, or if someone had already picked it up.
"A gold coin takes a very long time to save; it's heartbreaking." Alex muttered a sorrowful sentence, his hand pulling the door latch.
The moment the door opened, the suffocating feeling and oppression of the pitch-black darkness rushed into his face; Alex dared not delay, hurriedly raising the oil lamp high in his hand like a shield.
The originally weak flame, upon contact with that thick, evil darkness, was like dry firewood meeting a great fire; in the blink of an eye, it exploded with an intense, blinding light that could not be underestimated.
Where the darkness gathered more densely, Karamor's Tear reacted more strongly and exerted greater cleansing efficacy.
Alex carefully placed the oil lamp on the wooden threshold. The brilliant golden light was just enough to illuminate the house and spread to the small clearing in front of the house where the pile of bones was lying. Thus, those things hiding in the darkness that were stirring would not dare to take the opportunity while Alex left the room to crawl into the house and occupy it.
After all, Karamor's Tear could only drive the filthy things away, not destroy or completely cleanse them.
Alex truly did not understand why he had to risk his life like this, but the feeling of guilt tormented him, making him unable to sleep peacefully if he let his benefactor lie out in the wind and dew.
Blame him for being too soft-hearted and sentimental; if his nerves were a bit coarser, a bit more heartless, he certainly could have slept straight through to morning, ignoring the world.
That was certainly correct.
Alex nodded in agreement with his thoughts. Although his mind thought of all sorts of nonsense to distract from the fear, the movements of his hands were not slow at all. He quickly picked up each part of Elias's body; from ribs, arm bones to leg bones, they were gradually collected by Alex. Until the very last tiny finger bone was neatly put into the cloth bag, only then did Alex straighten up, panting.
Squatting for a bit too long and mental stress caused the teenager's calves to feel slightly numb and trembling. Alex slightly furrowed his brows to massage his legs, then carried the bag containing Elias's heavy body on his shoulder, quickly ducking into the house and slamming the door shut.
Of course, he did not forget to bend down and retrieve the precious oil lamp placed on the threshold.