The God of Jesters
Chapter 320 - 5.13.4 The Bone of Judgement.

Chapter 320: 5.13.4 The Bone of Judgement.

"We have to open it... save him at least." Henry said, striking the door, but the door didn’t budge at all.

Something was holding it from the other side, and it was definitely not magic.

So what was it? Sheva had no answer, neither did Henry. Both of them wished to move past it. But then the question was, what can they even do after entering that place beside dying under the attack of those bizarre monsters?

And as they were having such thoughts, Sheva’s mind fell back to the potion bottle that had fallen out of Crow’s bag. A drug that Jara once drank, which ruined his life forever. It was not in her hands and she wondered if she should give it a try as well.

’I came here to die anyway.’ She knew the dangers and how she had thought that Jara died that day. And if she didn’t think wrong, something the same might happen to her. No, in her case, she doesn’t even know if she possesses a bloodline to begin with.

Wouldn’t this turn her whole effort redundant? A life given away for nothing. A death with no meaning.

’I need to send this boy away.’ She thought, looking toward Henry. "Henry, you have to go back." Sheva ordered, his voice low and filled with authority that Henry hasn’t noticed till now. So he was startled at first, he instinctively looked toward her with a bewildered expression, before asking. "What about Crow."

"He will be saved, not by me, but others at least." Sheva planned to stay and wait for the winners as well as losers of this competition to come back and when they do, she is going to request them to save Crow.

And there is a high chance of success considering the complicated relationship she had with both parities.

At least, Jara won’t refuse her request.

"Then I will wait here with you."

"Henry, you are a commoner, a normal person who shouldn’t be here since the start. So leave for now."

"You and Crow keep saying that I am a normal person, but after learning so much..."

"Because you are, Henry. Unlike us, you have family to go back to, a life to look forward to. You are blessed, whereas people like me and Crow, are not."

"Many like us would give their everything to have your life, so don’t be so blind to it and lose it all in your pursuit of passion and adventure."

There were no buts necessary, Sheva’s words made Henry shut up. They were an eyeopening moment for him, as he understood that he really hadn’t thought things through.

Why was he so adamant on giving up everything? Isn’t he in a way mocking people like Sheva who had nothing?

"I... I am sorry." he said these words before giving Sheva one last look and leaving.

No words were necessary, not even a goodbye. He just departed with his head down, running out of the tunnel leaving only Sheva alone to her own devices.

"He really did left." With a small smile on her face, she was glad that Henry was here no more, and then with a last look toward the gate, she took a swig of the bloodline potion.

She needed Henry to leave, because she couldn’t let him see what would become of her in case she fails. For she recalls the horror of Jara’s body.

And as she expected, she felt it as well.

It started with a high bout of coughs where blood sprayed out of her mouth. And before she could process what happened in front of her, a groaning sound escaped her throat before a pain out of this world filled her body.

"Thi..., this is ... how he... felt?" She said coughing her entrails out, while her body started to sweat blood all of a sudden.

"So you really did possess a unique blood." A voice came from Sheva’s side who couldn’t hear a thing as she felt her body was melting.

No, she was melting, an explosive cellular death which generally happens under high levels of radiation or exposure to high level of energy. If nothing done in time, she would turn into nothing more than a meat paste.

But then the voice said with a kind voice. "But considering you sent him away, I can do you one favor." The woman made a slit on her finger, letting a drop of blood fall into Sheva’s mouth. "Also, I hope you don’t tell that I was here, it’s better if he doesn’t know."

She said, hunching to Sheva’s level as she said those words, before she faded away and disappeared from the world.

It appeared as if she was never there, nor was Sheva was conscious enough to notice her arrival.

The pain was too much.

It was so much, that Sheva lost consciousness.

*****

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the middle of a huge field of charred corpses, as long as the eyes can see.

The smell of burning flesh, the battlefield, and the cries of the death that she had been familiar with was everywhere.

It almost felt like she had come home.

"Who are you, child?" A genderless voice came from the corpse burning right next to her. A voice that sounded masculine and feminine, old and young, angered and kind, all at the same time. Giving Sheva a creepy feeling as if ants were crawling in her ear.

But at this point, her mind was still very clear. She might not know what this place was, but she did know what kind of place this could be. "I... I think I possess your blood." She said.

"I had considered all of you dead, nor did I have time to take care of you lot." The voice said, emotionless and emotional all at once. "But this is not normal awakening, you used the blood of a deity to awaken the blood in your body. Why?"

"I don’t know about a deity’s blood. But I did purposefully awaken myself. I want strength, I want to save someone."

"You wish for strength? I can see the amount of lives you have taken while being without strength, wouldn’t it be tragic for the world if I were to hand you such a strength?"

"I am not the kind to abuse strength."

"How can you claim such words? Even the kindest men have turned cruel the moment they have tasted strength. They use their strength to escape from my judgement so many times. Why do you think you will be different?"

"Then take it away after I save the boy." At such a retort, the voice seemed intrigued, before it asked. "Do you know why there are none of my bloodline that exist in this world anymore?" It asked a question that Sheva never understood, to begin with.

She didn’t even know what kind of blood she held or what sort of totem or deity was in front of her.

Was a good or a malefic being who just wished for harm on the world. She just answered all the questions true to her heart, including the one where she said she wished to die right after.

"I don’t even know what kind of bloodline I have, so my answer is no."

"You are bold, child." The burning skeleton cackled like a witch, finding Sheva’s answer amusing. "I am Bone of Judgement, the Servant of Red Sun, who judges the dead." The Skeleton introduced itself while standing up from the pile and walking down the mound of corpses.

"As for my descendants, all of them went extinct in a decade or so after their creation due to falling to their vices and hence were burned by the gift I had given them."

"And you will be the same, for you have brought this curse on yourself."

******

"Another one Jester? You really are foolish." A man said, looking in the direction of the ruins. "A cursed blood like that is brought back into this world. What are you planning?" Thought the figure, feeling how his blood was being burned by a chaotic power that was much higher than his own.

"A remnant of Red Sun, that Skeleton would have eyes in the mortal world now."

Jester created another horrible chess piece. An annoying one that put Lord Emotion at an impasse. Killing the girl when she was still young was the most appropriate choice, because if she got the time to develop, something dangerous might happen in the future.

"You owe me one, once again." But he didn’t. He chose to use this opportunity to earn leverage against the little insect that had been using him till now.

*****

"A dangerous one, should I have let her die?" Blue Rose remained at Kaarath’s home, drinking a honey mead while enjoying the show from the side.

"Who are you speaking of your excellency?" And Kairut couldn’t help but question what she meant by those words. As someone who an existence like Blue rose would consider killing is probably not simple.

"No one you should be concerning yourself with." And one sentence of hers shut his mouth.