He was looking at it, dazzled. The golden light compressed in front of him, forming a sphere. That golden color was gradually turning into a reddish hue.
—Wha...?— Cain was shocked. His companions even more. That sphere began to expel a lot of energy, causing everyone except Cain to move away. His hair was waving. Cain, astonished, touched the sphere.
The sphere cracked, releasing red light, and exploded, without harming him. A white and highly decorated mask appeared, with rubies and colored stones, as well as gold patterns. It fell into his hands, causing the entire process to stop.
[You have obtained "The Mask of the Lying Assassin"! See information?] appeared by his side. Noah approached him, just like the others. Cain pressed the message. No one could see it, except him.
[The Mask of the Lying Assassin: A mask that belonged to a famous assassin in the First Cycle, who managed to deceive everyone around him even after his death. / Upon putting on the mask, skills +10 in all statistics, +300 in mana. It doesn't matter if it exceeds the established limit, it will keep adding up. / Pros: Mind Reader (lvl 1), Ruthless Assassin (lvl 1), White Lies (lvl 1), Seer (lvl 1). These will only activate when wearing the mask. / Cons (given the situation of the new bearer): Corrupt Exchange (lvl 2)]
—Wow! Put it on, let's see!— said Enma, excited, leaving her disappointment behind. Everyone was happy for Cain. But Noah... He had seen that mask before. In that dream he had before waking up in that place. That mask gave him a bad feeling. He looked at Cain, who had finished reading what was on his System. He was also the same.
—Corrupt Exchange...? —he whispered. He swallowed hard. All of that seemed tempting to him. Very tempting. But there was nothing to lose by trying, to see what would happen, right? Little by little, he put it on, bringing it closer to his face. This stuck in a way to his skin, adhering to his face.
—It looks good on you!— said Clover, raising his fists in the air. Cain looked at him. A text appeared above the child's head.
[I have envy... But I'm happy for him! Moreover, he looks good!] Was he reading his mind? He looked at Ava.
[If only I... But Clover is right! The mask suits him well!] she thought. Cain was very surprised. He looked at Enma.
[That mask is very beautiful... Like... Wait, Enma! NO, NO, NOT NOW!] Cain turned a little red and directed his gaze at Aike.
[That mask is very manly!] Cain was expecting it... But he looked at Noah. He was the one who interested him the most. An image appeared to him. There he was, in a green suit with the mask in his hand. He was... different. He had reddish eyes. There was a black space, and there were bodies around him.
—What is this...? —he said to himself
—What?— Aike replied. Cain kept looking at Noah. He got a little nervous, with sweat on his face.
[What's happening? It's the same dream mask... Does that mean that...?! No, it's not possible!] Another image appeared in Cain's mind, with Clover dead. He quickly took off the mask, throwing it to the ground, while breathing rapidly. Everyone looked at him in surprise.
Cain approached Noah. He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
—What was that?! Tell me! —he shouted in his face.
—What are you talking about?! —said Noah, resisting, trying to break free from the grip. Aike separated them with his grip, and Ava pulled Noah away, along with Enma pulling Cain. He was trying to get closer to him, but Enma was preventing it, holding onto his sweatshirt. Aike helped her, positioning himself on the other side of Cain, grabbing him by the arm. He kept resisting.
—What do you mean "what are you talking about"?! You know perfectly well!
—Cain, calm down! —Ava shouted at him —What's wrong with you?!
[Warning: Sanity 35/100. If it reaches 30, you will start loosing control on yourself.] appeared next to Cain. He calmed down and broke free from the grip abruptly. He saw the mask on the ground and kicked it.
—I need some time alone. Don't even think about following me. —he said, and walked away, disappearing among the trees. Noah went and picked up the mask. Had he seen his dream? No, it's not possible... He wanted to put on the mask for a moment, but there was nothing. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He held it with his hand, because otherwise, it would fall.
—What happened to him? Have you done something to him? —asked Ava, approaching him. Noah smiled at her for a few moments, but then returned to a serious expression.
—I don't know.— said Noah, looking at the mask. Ava's face tensed.
—Hey... Could it have been... that?—she said to him. Noah looked up and stared at her. He knew perfectly well what she was talking about.
—Impossible. That only happened once, and a long time ago. Moreover, the state he was in was very different from now. —he said, recalling that moment. It happened when they were 10 years old... He was just a kid.
—...Alright. —she looked up. It was starting to get dark. She felt it strange. It hadn't been much time, had it?
—It's getting dark...— said Ruby, looking at the sky. Azrail had gone out hunting earlier, and now she was sitting in front of a campfire, also made by him. They were roasting meat. She looked back. Azrail was wearing the skin of one of the hunted animals. —What are you supposed to be doing?
—Clothes. —he replied —I can't stay dressed like this. It was hard for me to hunt because of the flip-flops.
—You know there's clothes in the store, right?
—We don't know how to get the money to pay. Besides, it's not the first time I've done it. I won't waste coins on something I already know how to do. —he said, cutting a hide with the sword.
—And how are you going to do it, genius?
—The tendons of the animals will be useful to me for use as sewing thread. They are very strong, so there won't be any problems. I don't know what animal this is, but its skin looks tough. I can make myself a coat and pants since it's very big. For the shoes, you could help me cut some bark from a tree for the sole, and cover it with skin. —he said. Ruby looked at him with a poker face.
—And you tell me you've done this before? Where did you live, Tarzan? Did you have a family of monkeys taking care of you?
—...I'm not going to answer that. —he said, still working. —But rest assured, monkeys weren't taking care of me.
—Whatever... You still haven't opened your free box, by the way. Are you going to waste it? —Azrail stopped working and looked at her. He opened his System and went to the store, claiming the box. He still hasn't opened it. —Can you imagine if something legendary comes out? Can you imagine if something legendary comes out? It would be epic.
—Impossible. —he opened the box. A green light came out of it.
[You have obtained a rare item!] A what it seemed to be a magic wand fell. He examined it. It was made of wood, a bit old. He threw it to Ruby, and she caught it.
—I don't need this. You were a healer, or something like that. It will be useful to you. By the way, I'll keep the sword, and something else.
—Thanks, Tarzan. But what do you want? I only had the sword. — Azrail approached her and sat down beside her, bringing his face a little closer to hers, slightly unsettling the girl.
—Tell me... How did you end up in prison? You... You were prisoner number 407, weren't you?