WURRR WURRR
A black mass that resembled clay and smoke revolved above Oliver's fingertips.
At first, he could only make it into a round mass of light, but in less than half a day, he could transform it into triangles, squares, stars, donuts, and even human shapes.
Above all, Oliver didn’t get tired of it.
He began to make the mass of black light change into more complex and sophisticated forms.
The black smoke transformed into cones, Mobius strips, and spider webs.
Oliver was like a child who received a toy for the first time.
“Is it fun?”
Joseph, who was walking ahead of Oliver, suddenly asked.
“Yes, it can change into something like this… It’s amazing.”
Oliver replied with pure admiration.
Oliver looked gloomy because of his ugly impression and subdued voice, but the happiness on his face was sincere.
Oliver didn't expect that the black light could be used like this.
It was an amazing finding for Oliver.
“Is this black light called.. black magic?”
“It’s not a black light, it’s called emotions.”
"Emotions?"
"Yeah, anger, sadness, hatred… Dealing with these kinds of emotions is the fundamentals of black magic. It might not seem like a big deal, but it's a very powerful force. Emotions are a kind of energy that comes from the soul. It can be said that it is the same principle as the magic that comes out of magic stones. By the way, you are good at handling these emotions, but your emotions are not that strong.”
"What?"
"Just as you heard. Your feelings are very small and humble. But….. this kind of thing doesn't matter. Since you can use other people's emotions. That's the norm."
At those words, Oliver's dynamic eyes lit up – like a corpse that had come back to life.
"It's not difficult. It's similar to how you can see others’ emotions and deal with them now. Anyone can do it if they have enough talent. Think of it as similar to using your sixth sense, and invisible muscles that go beyond the ordinary senses.”
Oliver frowned at the complex words, but he instinctively realized one thing: that he had enough talent.
Although there was no basis for it, he could be sure.
At that moment, Oliver's hard brain creaked.
He started to fall into his own imagination.
Imagining himself handling a huge light rather than a small light like this.
His cold heart started to warm up little by little when he thought of it.
Oliver asked quietly, with eyes filled with desire,
"Can you teach me more? Black magic."
Seeing his quiet but greedy eyes, Joseph pondered for a moment before answering:
"That's… I'll tell you more after we get home."
The words ‘Teach me now’ came up to the end of Oliver’s throat.
It was a natural reaction because it was something that interested him for the first time in his life.
However, as soon as he saw Joseph, he swallowed his words and decided to be patient.
The reason for doing that was – the light emanating from Joseph’s body.
Oliver has always been able to see light around other people’s body
A light that flickers when someone is angry, a light that waves when someone is sad and a light that trembles when someone is afraid.
Oliver used the light to understand people’s moods and used it to avoid getting caught in situations.
Similarly, right now with the help of the light, he realized that if he doesn't listen to Joseph now, he won't get what he wants.
He understood that Joseph wanted him to obey his orders.
Noticing this, Oliver decided to use the tricks that had helped him to survive, to help him get what he wants.
He pretended to be an obedient livestock – like the one Joseph wanted.
Joseph smiled a little and walked along the road as if he liked the attitude of Oliver.
Oliver became a good boy and followed Joseph quietly.
However, even at that moment, Oliver did not shake away his thoughts about black magic…..No, he carved for it more.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
A considerable amount of time has passed since the last conversation.
Joseph and Oliver did not speak a word.
They just walked silently.
For young people, walking on the road for a long time without getting in a car or train was an arduous task, but Oliver didn't really care.
He wasn't bored since he was playing with the light from his emotions while walking.
All he did was use his emotions to make more complex shapes at a much faster time while moving them from left to right.
Oliver thought of things that could be done with his newfound toy.
He thought of the possibility of changing it to adapt for a specific use, rather than simply making a shape.
He thought of mine's pickaxe, the kitchen's cleaver.
But Oliver didn’t limit his imaginations to just that, he thought, perhaps it could be recreated into something newer through processing rather than some known shapes.
Oliver didn't learn it from anyone, but his instincts told him that it was possible.
Thus Oliver unwittingly developed his own understanding and imagination of black magic – like a flower bud that was about to unfold.
At that moment Joseph's voice was heard.
“Good. How about the inn over there?”
Oliver, who had buried himself in his imaginary laboratory, suddenly regained his consciousness and returned to reality.
He looked up at the sky and found that night had already come, and the sky was covered with dark curtains, while the streets and surrounding forests were filled with darkness.
The only light that could be seen was from a lonely inn in the distance.
Joseph turned to Oliver and said.
“Well, we are lucky. To stumble upon an inn in such a remote place.”
Without hesitation, Joseph approached the inn.
The distant yellow light calmed their hearts as they approached it.
As they opened the door and entered, they were greeted with a warm welcome along with the fragrant smell of food.
“Oh Welcome, sir.”
The innkeeper greeted Oliver and Joseph as if he was waiting for them.
A large middle-aged man rubbed his hands with a flattering smile typical of a merchant.
“Thank you for coming, sir. Accommodation for how many?”
“It’s me and this little boy. Do you have a room for the night?”
"Yes Yes. Of course, we have sir. Come, come with me.”
The owner politely bowed his head and led them to the room.
On the way, they saw a dining hall, where there were about three to four other customers besides Joseph and Oliver.
“Doesn’t the food look delicious?”
Looking at the food on the guests' tables, Joseph said.
In fact, the meals the guests were eating looked quite delicious – Freshly baked bread, stew, cheese, and steamed meat.
It was rare for such a secluded inn to have delicious meals like steamed meat.
The owner smiled and replied.
"Thank you for the compliment, sir. It's kind of a sales strategy. As you can see, it is a remote inn, so it is difficult to receive guests. We can only deal with the occasional passer-by or truck drivers… So we are increasing the number of customers by making the food delicious.”
"Right. It sure looks delicious. It looks like a work of a master chef.”
“Thank you, sir. It's all my wife's work. Including the staff, this inn is run by a total of five people. Of course, you will eat, right sir?”
“Of course, we should eat… But can we eat in the room? I want to eat quietly. I will give you more money.”
At that moment, the inn owner's facial muscles twitched slightly.
“Ah… yes, yes, of course, it is possible. Here, this is the room, sir. Please wait a moment and I will bring you the meal. Is there anything else you need?”
“No.”
“Okay sir, then have a nice stay…”
The owner hurriedly went down to the first floor, while Joseph entered the room with Oliver.
Joseph asked Oliver as he took off his coat.
“What do you think of the owner? Isn't he kind?"
“Uh… I don’t know, but he was strange.”
“Hahaha. Isn’t he?”
Joseph laughed.
The owner did seem like a good innkeeper, but somehow his main job seemed a little different.
About 20 minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
A tall man who appears to be an employee brought food on a tray.
“I brought the food, sir.”
“Oh…”
Joseph exclaimed at the delicious food such as stews and steamed meat along with freshly baked bread.
Joseph handed the clerk a generous tip, and the clerk grinned.
“I would appreciate it if you could just put the empty bowl outside the door after you finish eating. If you need anything, please let me know sir.”
As the employee went outside, Oliver and Joseph looked into each other's eyes.
An hour later, an empty bowl and plate were placed outside the door, and the owner, who saw it, put an evil smile on his face.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
At Midnight.
THUD!
THUD!
A dull sound rang out.
It was the sound of hitting meat with a hammer – a human meat.
“Huh…”
The inn owner sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
No, it wasn’t sweat, it was blood.
At his feet lay an inn guest.
It couldn't be seen properly because of the darkness, but the guest had been hit in the head with a hammer several times.
“Ahhh. I’m too old for this sh*t.”
“Ah, what do you mean, Master? You can continue this for 20 more years.”
“Arthur… Arthur. How old do you think I will be in 20 years? At that age, I want to live a more dignified life. By the way, is this the end?”
“Uh… no. There's the last thing in the room at the end of the hallway. The man and a child.”
“Oh, right. Those who ate in the room. Phew…… We’re in luck today, shall I try harder?"
“Won’t they be awake?”
“No, don’t worry. The food has been eaten thoroughly. It was like they cleaned the plates by licking with their tongues.”
“Ah, that’s good. The atmosphere was weird, so I was worried about it……”
“Yeah, the kid, in particular, he looked like a walking corpse.”
“What are those two? He doesn’t look like a rich man, did he?"
"Well? Looking at the soot on the boy’s body, he must have been a boy from a nearby coal mine. Slave traders, perverts who like children, and people who need lab rats occasionally visit those kinds of places.”
“Wow, that’s a bad thing.”
The innkeeper and his subordinate stood in front of the room where Joseph and Oliver were staying.
The two waited for a while at the door, as usual.
They made eye contact with each other and spoke softly.
“One……”
The subordinate nodded his head.
“Two……”
Once again he nodded
“Three..”
As they were about to open the door and go inside,
BANG BANG BANG
The door suddenly broke and something poured out.
It was like a marble, and it was so fast that the subordinate got startled and sat down.
When he belatedly opened his eyes, all he could see were the shards of the broken door and the owner lying down covered in shards.
The owner was lying bleeding through his torso as if he had been shot.
‘What nonsense is this….’
The subordinate’s heart was pounding like a drum, while he felt suffocating.
TAK TAK TAK
Soon, with the sound of loud footsteps, someone walked out of the room.
It was the guest who came to the inn along with a child.
He looked down at the subordinate and said,
"one."
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