CHAPTER 110: THE GRAVEYARD: PART I

"Your E-rank mission today, the last one, I think," Marcus spoke. "Is lighting up protective lanterns in the old graveyard by the church before nightfall."

Nova was confused as to why such an easy mission was considered E-rank. "Why do we have to do this. Give us something harder. Even an F-rank can do this."

Adam and Elesch nodded in favor of Nova, considering their relationship with Marcus, as they thought this mission was supposed to be just about lighting up some lanterns.

"You light up the lanterns and protect them from E-rank skeleton rats, who have somehow managed to travel from Beastaria and camp on Earth. You will also be protecting them from mischievous spirits that may be horrific or playful."

"Right..." Adam didn’t look very happy at the last sentence that was uttered from Marcus’s mouth. "So, there is a chance that I, who doesn’t like ghosts or anything like that, may get a heart attack because we have to protect a haunted graveyard."

"Exactly!" Marcus said with a playful enthusiasm, smirking as Adam’s face dropped. "Take this as a learning opportunity to improve your relationship with ghosts."

Adam shook his head as Elesch told him her wishes for him, just in case something were to happen to him, which only scared him further. Nova wasn’t with them, since he had drifted into the dream world, barely able to stand, as he nearly fell over.

He had been practicing his badminton skills nonstop for a couple of days, while also not missing any meditation or training that he had to accomplish, and he was so reluctant to improve so drastically in such a short time that his body, which wasn’t accustomed to badminton, started to feel weaker and heavier.

"Nova," Marcus said with caution. "Are you okay?"

Nova instantly woke up, cracking his bones, then replied, "Yeah, yeah," and waved his hand, dismissing Marcus and reassuring him that he was fine. "I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me."

"Ok, then. Here is the location of the graveyard. It’s by the church, and I’m pretty sure none of you will know where this church is, so follow your GPS, and start lighting up those protective lanterns. You need to light up at least a hundred-ish, and maintain all hundred throughout the night, so that those spirits are sealed in their chambers for another month, before the next E-rank Adventurers come."

The trio left, walking towards the graveyard, seeing the streets light up with decorations for Christmas. Houses were decorated with an immense amount of Christmas decorations. Strings of lights dangled across rooftops and lamp posts.

Children laughed somewhere down the street, their muffled voices ringing behind the sound of boots crunching snow. The trio almost forgot about their mission in the graveyard, since the atmosphere around them was so blissful and cheerful.

The iron gates of the graveyard creaked when Elesch pulled, then creaked again, realizing she had to push. The blissful atmosphere of the town remained in the town, not reciprocating inside the graveyard.

The air was cold, thick, as if stitched together with a hundred blankets. It was so silent, the silence wasn’t just deafening, it felt exaggerated. Rows of crooked gravestones were lined perfectly, as if assembled by a perfectionist.

"Charming," Adam muttered, tightening his scarf. "Really cozy spot for a night out."

Elesch ignored his sarcasm and lifted the box Marcus had given them. Inside, wrapped in protective cloth, were the lanterns. They weren’t ordinary; each one was carved with faintly glowing runes that were sealed with crystal shards at its core.

"All right," Nova said, rubbing his eyes and trying to fight off the exhaustion weighing on him. "One hundred lanterns. Spread them evenly."

It was grueling, repetitive work. Elesch handled the placements with a sharp eye, making sure the lanterns formed a protective perimeter around the graves. Adam followed behind, igniting them one by one with a matchbox. The lanterns light up with blue hues of flames, like a candlelight delight.

Nova carried the heavier bundles, even though his body begged him to stop. His shoulders ached, and every step felt heavier than the last. Still, his pride wouldn’t let him slow down.

Hours passed. The sun dipped below the horizon, and the moonlight shone in the graveyard. Lantern by lantern, the space was terraformed. The lanterns gave the cold, wrinkled graveyard a cold and silent beauty.

They had just finished the last stretch, near the church itself, when Elesch pointed out movement by the wall. "Company."

Dozens of shapes came into view, skeleton rats, their bones clattering faintly as they crawled along the frost-covered ground. Their empty eye sockets glowed with a dim red hue, and though they looked fragile.

"Finally," Nova said, cracking his neck with a grim smile. "Something to hit."

The fight wasn’t difficult. The trio dispatched the horde with ease. Adam slashed through the front line with his claws, sending brittle bones scattering. Elesch’s rapier cut through them cleanly, one swing severing half a dozen at once.

Nova, despite his fatigue, smashed them apart with sharp, precise strikes, refusing to let his exhaustion show. Within minutes, the ground was littered with fragments of bone.

Adam brushed his hands together. "Well, that was anticlimactic."

"Better this than worse," Elesch replied, resetting a lantern that had been knocked sideways in the scuffle.

The night deepened. Hours crawled by as the group patrolled the grounds, checking lanterns and keeping watch. The lantern light held steady, casting an unbroken barrier of glow around the graves. Nothing stirred except the occasional winter wind.

By the time it was close to midnight, even Adam’s nerves had begun to settle. He leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded. "Maybe Marcus exaggerated about the spirit part. Looks like the rats were the only real problem."

A sudden chill ran across his neck, sharper than the winter air. Every hair on his arms rose, his chest tightening. Slowly, almost unwillingly, he turned his head.

Hovering just beyond the lantern light, pale and translucent, was a figure. Its form flickered like mist, barely holding shape, but the outline of a face, half-hidden, half-twisted, stared directly at him.

Adam’s breath caught in his throat. His body refused to move. For the first time all night, he wished Marcus had been lying.