Strings Of Domination

"A jade door?" Nash showed a confused frown and straightened his body once the tremor quietened down.

Erys and Revio looked the same, but as they noticed Nash approach the white entrance with wide strides they had no choice but to follow him closely from behind.

Once he arrived before the jade door, Nash raised his gaze to get a better look for the second time. The jade door looked completely white, as white as the purest form of snow during winter while its whole fabric felt ancient even without the touch!

However, the most eye-catching and breathtaking aspect of it was not those things, but instead, the serpent-like concaves throughout its surface, which vibrated and pulsated with a deep green light from time to time almost akin to veins on the human body!

'This feeling again...' Nash put a hand over his chest, feeling as his heart began to beat faster and harder once again, just like previously.

'There is another Ancient Treasure on the other side. I am sure about it.' Nash felt as his whole body began to surge with excitement when he realized why his heart was beating like war drums, and without a second thought placed a palm atop the gate's surface.

But to his great surprise, when he used his strength to open the gate, revealing what resided inside, he found out with shock that the entrance didn't budge a single inch, much less open!

It literally felt like he was trying to push away an eternal mountain with his physical strength alone, obviously to no avail.

"Why... does this... not move... at all?" Nash clenched his teeth together with great force and mustered all of his strength he possibly could just to make the door move.

He even placed his weapon down to the side just to be able to use his other hand, but alas, even after that he was unable to make the jade door move much less open!

"Come! Help me with this here." Nash growled while he struggled, his request naturally directed toward the ones behind him.

And in the next second, five black souls, Erys and Revio pushed both of their hands against the jade door together with Nash, hoping to see the entrance open.

"Haiii... This won't do it at all. It's completely stuck." Nash sighed deeply after a minute of struggle and took a step backward.

The rest followed suit when they realized it was meaningless to struggle any longer and looked at Nash, waiting to see what his next move will be.

Nash clearly noticed the stares on his skin and quickly shook his head before walking back onto the platform in the middle.

"Let's forget about it for the time being. Let's explore this palace first and once we bring everyone here safely, we will look for a way to open it." Nash said, but soon halted his steps and glanced at the sword in his grasp.

Although he was holding it now for quite a time, he must have to admit that it weighed quite an amount, even with his improved physical strength. If it were in the last, Nash knew for sure that he would fail to lift this blade much less carry it around like he was at the moment.

"Unfortunately, I can't store it away like I can with my soul neither do I wish to give it to Erys. I need to find a scabbard for it as soon as possible."

And just as he muttered those words, like understanding his wish, the emerald blade in his hand suddenly moved on its own, startling Nash deeply.

"Woah! It can move?" Nash blurted out as he watched his weapon tremble and pull his arm in a specific direction.

"All Ancient Treasures have their own consciousness, so it's only natural for them to behave like this sometimes." Erys explained to Nash once she was also on the platform and added, "But as I can see it, it wants you to follow it."

"Yeah, kind of figured that out..." Nash rolled his eyes and let himself be pulled toward the center of the platform by his weapon.

Once he was standing in the very middle, next to the gap from where he just pulled his sword out Nash watched with surprise as the blade in his grasp moved to go back inside the hole.

'What is it trying to do?' as Nash pondered over the possible reasons why his sword was acting like that, he watched as its entire core vanished into the gap once again, leaving only its hilt visible on the surface.

However, just as Nash believed this was all and the weapon just wished to pull a joke on him, it moved again and turned itself counter-clockwise, causing a thin layer around it to split from the rest of the platform and emerge!

"This... a scabbard?" Nash immediately recognized the shape and appearance of the layer around the sword, and looked amazed to see that it was indeed a scabbard, one that perfectly swathed the blade in its entirety!

Pulling it out completely to get a better look, Nash watched with starry eyes as his Soul Breaker now rested in a little bit over 51-inch jade scabbard which even had a long, snow-white hanging cord on its side!

"To think its scabbard was there all along... Unbelievable!" Nash exclaimed with awe and without hesitation attached it onto his back diagonally as on his waist it would have looked ridiculous, especially because of its tip that would have been touching the ground all the time whenever he was walking.

'Yeah, much better.' Nash nodded with an acknowledged smile, feeling a level more comfortable that he didn't have to carry the huge sword around in his bare hand without a scabbard.

After making sure the scabbard together with the second was perfectly on his back, Nash glanced back at Erys and the rest and gestured.

"Come! Let's see what this place holds for us."

Thus, the group began to explore the place separately, looking for any hidden places or danger that could lurk around and pose a threat if the rest of the people was brought here.

But luckily, there was none, as the whole palace was literally empty with only elegant and costly decorations all around the emerald palace!

"Hm? And what should this be?" while walking through a long and wide hallway with huge and arched windows with many gorgeous flowers in porcelain vases on the left, Nash suddenly halted his steps and glanced at the wall on his right.

Right on the perfectly polished white jade wall, what his eyes caught was a large and well-detailed monument carved deep into the wall's surface, showing different things.

As he was walking around in this huge palace for quite a while now, he already saw and examined many pictures, portraits, and statues that looked breathtakingly grand and ancient, but for some bizarre reason, Nash found this specific monument... different.

It somewhat made him feel like he was looking at something special, something that was put there for a specific reason instead of just being there as a mean of decoration.

"What exactly are you?" Nash narrowed his eyes as he took a step forward, examining the monument carving in great detail.