Fire Breath
Golden Grail
Sabina gasped at the raucous voice that was warning her. One leg was about to touch the water, but the owner of the voice hurriedly pulled him away. Sabina quickly broke free from the person's grip and immediately turned wary.
"Who are you?" sergeant Sabina who found a middle-aged man with a wrinkled face and gray hair.
"Don't be afraid, son. I am the guardian of this place. My name is Akheron" said the old man in a raucous voice.
Sabina still looked wary of the person she had just met. Somehow the girl felt the strange power of the old man.
"The eyes of this water are very dangerous, son. I have seen many people who are captivated by its charm, and finally meet their death. You must have also seen how many poor creatures died from these springs" Akheron said later, trying to melt the atmosphere.
"Die... Because of the spring?" sabina asked a little doubtfully.
"really. I don't know what brought you here. But indeed this spring has the power to make anyone eternal life. But if that person did not have enough power in his soul, this spring turned into a deadly poison."
Sabina tried to look at Akheron's explanation. At one point later he realized that it seemed like this spring was exactly what they were looking for.
"Are these the Springs of Life and Death?" sabina asked trying to be sure.
"People out there call it that. But this spring actually has a name of its own" replied Akheron.
Sabina did not ask again. He was not too interested in knowing the original name of the spring.What is important for him at this time is that it turns out he has found the original spring below. Sabina tries to weigh in to get out of the cave and calls Aiden and Nora. But he felt he might not have to. He was able to complete the mission Miangase mentioned the other day alone.
"What do you really need here, son?" Akheron asked again.
"I had to cross the Living and Dead Springs, then take the poisonous goldfish to carry with me a container of sparkling water" Sabina said frankly.
"What are you using it for?"
"I must take him to go to the Death Mountain Range, and take the Silver Bullet."
The old man laughed out loud at Sabina's explanation.
"Are you planning to use it against dragons?" akheron asked still with a patter of laughter.
"Dragon?" sabina asked not understanding.
Akheron raised next to his eyebrows with an amused expression.
"Didn't you even know what to face there? The silver bullet was once made by Zomace who lived at the end of a mermaid island in the south. But after a long time, he was now dead and the legendary bullet had repeatedly changed hands. It is true that the bullet is now in the mountains of death and has become a treasure of dragons" Akheron explained.
Sabina's heart melos. At first he thought he was going to meet the bullet maker, Zomace. His father must have been too old to remember the age of ordinary humans. It could be that the man named Zomace had met his father about a hundred years ago. Or it could be more.
"So my journey to the Death Mountain is not the direction to Mermaid Island?" asked Sabina plain.
Akheron chuckles at Sabina's attitude which to him looks like a child asking where the lollipop seller is.
"Of course it's different. But you're on the right route, young man. Lucky you got the right information before your trip to the mermaid island is too far away," commented Akheron amused.
"Young man, what's your name?" ask Akheron later.
"Sabina."
"I'll help you. If you want to get a poisonous goldfish and a sparkling container, answer this puzzle. If your answer is correct, you can cross safely. But if your answer is wrong, this water of life will be toxic to you" Akheron said, swinging his hand lightly into the air.
The activity had an amazing magic effect. A golden cup suddenly appeared before Sabina, complete with water that shimmered like a rainbow. Sabina was stunned for a moment, thinking that Akheron might just be a witch.
"Tell me, what is the most coveted suffering, which if it is taken away, will cause great loss?" ask Akheron later.
Sabina seemed to think for a moment. Who is the fool who craves suffering? He has had many painful things throughout his life. But none of those feelings of suffering that he wanted to have continuously. Sabina looked at Akheron who was still smiling waiting for his answer. This puzzle is not easy at all. Somehow Sabina felt the answer must have been a trap.
The girl tried to think again. He walked back and forth on the edge of the spring. He tried to deal with the various sufferings he might have experienced throughout his life. But as long as she tried to guess, Sabina still could not find any kind of suffering that a normal person could want.
And above all that suffering, the most repugnant is the fact that he has eternal life. Vampires have a long life, and that certainly makes them feel more suffering than humans or other nations. Sabina shuddered to imagine that Aiden, her loved ones, would gradually age and leave her. It was probably the most painful suffering.
"Wait a minute." Sabina murmured suddenly.
His thoughts just now suddenly gave him an idea. The most desired suffering. It was life. The living creatures of this world are trained to fight for survival. They want to live longer than others. Life is actually full of suffering. And when that life is taken away, there will be a great sense of loss.
"The answer is life" Sabina joked with a smile full of satisfaction.
Akheron seemed to widen his smile. His narrowed eyes increasingly look like a thin line on his face.
"alright. So you answer life. Now drink the water in the cup, and go and attack the middle of the spring. If you manage to cross it, you can pick up a poisonous goldfish in a sparkling container on the steps" Akheron said, pointing at the stone steps in the middle of the spring.
Sabina seemed to hesitate for a moment. The golden cup was still hovering before him, revealing sparkling water with rainbow luminescence. Sabina was a little wary of Akheron. He wasn't really sure about the man's offer. What if the man trapped her, and the water in the cup was actually poison?
It certainly makes sense to see hundreds of bones scattered there. But how do you explain the animal's bones? It would be impossible if Akheron gave the animals a drink from a cup. It makes more sense that the animals accidentally drank the water from the spring directly, then died of poisoning.
"The cup has sacred power to anyone who answers the puzzle of me. The water in the cup makes you acceptable to the spring. If you don't believe me, you can just try to cross the spring, and see what happens to your body when you touch a drop of water" Akheron said at Sabina's hesitation.
Sabina followed Akheron's advice, then approached the edge of the spring and dipped her fingers. Sure enough, as soon as his lentic fingers touched the water, suddenly a burning sensation felt piercing the skin of his fingers. Sabina hurriedly withdrew her hand and found that one of her index fingers had melted, signalling a monstrous-looking white bone.
Sabina squealed in shock. Luckily he is a vampire, who despite running out of energy, can still regenerate quickly. The flesh on his index finger immediately reappeared and in a split second, his finger had already returned to its original state.
"I thought you weren't an ordinary creature. That's why I advise you to try touching the spring directly. Imagine if a human or an ordinary animal held it. They will be crushed to the point that only the bones remain" commented Akheron.
Sabina glanced at the old man sharply. "Would the water from the cup also melt the body?" asked Sabina later.
"I told you, it depends on your answer. If that's true, he'll recognize you as part of this spring, and you won't get hurt when you touch it. But if it's wrong, your whole body will melt like that" Akheron replied still smiling.
It seemed that Sabina indeed had no other choice. He recalled Miangase's words about not being exposed to the tears of the Living and Dead Springs. But Miangase did not mention Akheron at all. A while weighing, Sabina finally decided to reach for the golden cup that had been hovering. In one breath the girl straightened up.