The Smiling Death-Chapter 331: A Clue

The rain had slowed to a thin drizzle by the time Amon steadied himself.

He stared at the spot where the spiral tower had appeared. There was nothing. Only trees everywhere.

A dark forest stretched endlessly under a bruised gray sky.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward a few paces, as if changing his angle might reveal it again. His gaze scanned the horizon carefully.

He looked into the far distance. There was no tower. Nothing at all. No unnatural silhouette cutting through the forest.

Just mist, rain, and swaying branches.

With a faint frown, he muttered, "...Did I imagine it?"

Another flash of lightning tore across the sky. For a split second, the forest turned white. At this point, Amon had become used to the thunderous sound.

There was still nothing, even after watching for a while.

Amon stood there for several long moments, letting the rain soak into his clothes. His heart had calmed, but unease lingered inside him.

The underground nest. Hundreds of winged monsters sleeping. And now a black spiral tower appearing for less than a second.

His jaw tightened.

Shaking his head slightly, he murmured, "No. That wasn’t imagination."

After thinking for a while, he exhaled slowly and made his decision. With a serious expression, he said under his breath, "I need to talk to Vetaal."

This was something more weird and suspicious. He needed to talk with Vetaal.

He turned back toward the village and began walking. The forest felt quieter now. Not peaceful, just watchful. Every step squished lightly against wet soil.

By the time he reached the village, the rain had become lighter.

He entered his wooden house without speaking to anyone. The familiar creak of the door echoed faintly.

Inside, the air was dim and cool.

Amon walked into the living room and sat down heavily on the wooden chair.

Above him, hanging from the thick wooden log supporting the ceiling, was Vetaal.

His long, dirty black hair hung loosely downward. His corpse-like body swayed slightly in the faint draft. Pale gray skin. Sunken eyes. A figure that looked more dead than alive.

Vetaal had been watching him the entire time. His hollow gaze followed Amon carefully.

He observed Amon’s expression for a while. With a calm but sharp look, Vetaal said, "You saw something."

It wasn’t a question. Amon looked up at him. Rubbing his temples with a tired expression, he replied, "I did."

Vetaal’s body remained hanging upside down, but his eyes sharpened slightly.

With quiet curiosity, he asked, "What did you see?"

Amon leaned back in the chair and ran a hand through his damp hair.

With a thoughtful expression, he began, "Firstly, I was going in the direction you told me. There’s a cave in that direction. I got curious. Since you told me to check what’s there, I decided to go and see inside. Maybe I might find something."

Vetaal listened silently.

Recalling the scene, Amon continued, "It goes deep underground. At the end, there’s a massive chamber-like area. The entire ceiling..." He paused briefly. "It was covered with monsters."

Vetaal did not interrupt.

"They were humanoid. Twice my size. Black skin, big wings, long sharp claws. Hundreds of them. All hanging upside down. Sleeping there quietly."

The room felt colder as he described it.

With a tense expression, Amon added, "I barely made it out without waking them. But I think... they are the same monsters Roland had told us about before. How they are all sleeping for many years without waking up."

Vetaal’s long fingers twitched slightly against the wooden beam. He nodded subtly. He was there when Roland had told it to Amon.

With steady eyes, he asked, "And after that?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Amon’s brows furrowed.

"I left the cave and kept walking. Then lightning flashed." He glanced toward the window, replaying the moment in his head. "For just a second, I saw something in the distance."

He swallowed.

With uncertainty in his voice, he said, "A black tower. Tall. Spiral-shaped. It disappeared immediately."

Silence filled the room.

With confusion on his face, Amon continued, "I don’t know if what I saw was real or not. It was only for a second. When I looked again, there was nothing there."

Vetaal did not answer immediately.

He simply stared at Amon, his corpse-like face unreadable.

The wooden beam creaked faintly as he shifted slightly.

With narrowed eyes, Vetaal said slowly, "You are certain that it was not imagination?"

Amon met his gaze firmly.

With confidence, he replied, "I’m certain of the monsters."

After a brief pause, he added more quietly, "The tower... I don’t know."

Vetaal closed his eyes for a moment, as if thinking deeply.

The room remained quiet except for the distant rumble of fading thunder.

Amon waited. Now he was hating to wait. Finally, Vetaal opened his eyes again.

With a serious expression, he said quietly, "That is not a coincidence."

His voice no longer sounded casual.

With a thoughtful but grave look, he continued, "Actually, that tower... it’s something that will lead us to the outside. I sent you there at that particular time so you could see it. But... if such creatures are gathered in one place... those monsters then..." He paused for a while.

Amon’s expression darkened slightly.

Before Vetaal could continue, Amon leaned forward and asked sharply, "You think the tower is connected to the monsters?"

Vetaal’s lips curved faintly. Not a smile, but something close to it.

With a knowing look, he replied, "I think... also... there should be four towers. Not one."

Amon leaned forward in his chair, eyes narrowing with interest. With surprise, he said, "Four? Interesting. I only saw one."

Vetaal’s hollow gaze seemed to deepen.

With a calm but heavy tone, he explained, "As much as I remember, the way to go outside consists of four towers. They work as anchors to create a barrier around this area, making this place like a loop. I always thought it might be barrier with an end. But it was a loop."

Finally, Vetaal told him the way to go outside. He didn’t tell everything, but it was better than nothing.

Amon frowned slightly.

With curiosity, he asked, "So... you think the other towers are in three different directions?"

Vetaal gave a small nod.

With a thoughtful expression, he replied, "Yeah, I think so. Also... those towers can be seen only at a specific time. What you saw today was a hint this place gives to people stuck here. I sensed that this would happen today, so I sent you there."

Amon nodded slowly, understanding why it had vanished instantly.

After a moment, he asked, "When will be the next time we can see it?"

Vetaal sighed softly.

With uncertainty in his voice, he answered, "I don’t know. I need to wait and see. Just like today, I can sense it when the time comes. I will inform you at that time."

Amon nodded and leaned his back against the chair. With a tired expression, he closed his eyes shut.