Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 88 The Remaining Wedding Ring

The threads of fate have tightened another link.

Whose voice is that?!

Just then, Clarice's weak voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Green..."

Green snapped back to reality and noticed Clarice's horrific condition. Several gruesome penetrating wounds were visible on her limbs and shoulder blades, blood still seeping out. Her face was pale, and she was barely breathing.

"Miss Clarisse!" Green rushed over, wanting to help her up, but he didn't dare to touch her wounds, feeling helpless.

"Don't... worry about me..." Clarisse gasped for breath, her gaze sweeping across the room. "First... confirm the environment... is safe... and... there are survivors..."

Green forced himself to calm down. He quickly scanned the room.

The stench of blood and lust had dissipated. The men who had been entangled by vines and whose lives were being drained were now lying on the ground, most of them devoid of vital signs and their bodies shriveled. Only a very few still had a faint breath.

Henry and several other survivors hiding in the corner lay slumped on the ground, their eyes vacant, seemingly suffering from a severe mental shock, but at least they were still alive.

No new vines appeared; the evil tree itself had turned to ashes, and Marianna had vanished completely.

It seems... we're safe for now.

Green breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his heart sank. Clarice's injuries were too severe.

"How...how can I help you?" Green's voice trembled as he looked at Clarice's bleeding wound.

Last time, Clarice fell into a coma because of him, and he couldn't let anything happen to her again this time.

Clarisse forced a smile. "The bag... my leg... the emergency kit... it has... styptic powder and... bandages... let's treat it with some basic first aid..."

"Um......"

Green quickly and carefully lifted the tattered hem of her dress and found a small dark brown leather bag secured with a belt on the outside of her right thigh.

He frantically followed Clarice's instructions, sprinkling a pale yellow powder with a cool scent onto her wound. The powder quickly coagulated upon contact with the blood, significantly slowing the bleeding.

Then he bandaged it as carefully as possible.

His movements were clumsy, but earnest enough. Clarisse gritted her teeth, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

"Outside... Elwin and Rex..." Clarice asked weakly between bandaging sessions.

Green paused, his face turning even uglier.

"Emily...she's gone down the path of the 'witch,' now she's an 'assassin,' she's out of control...the situation isn't good, I don't know how they are now—"

Before he could finish speaking, the door was pushed open, and Erwin rushed in first. His face was solemn, and apart from the scratches on his arms, he was otherwise unharmed.

He immediately spotted the heavily injured Clarice on the ground and the helpless Green on the ground. His pupils contracted, and he quickly stepped forward.

"Let me do it." His voice was steady as he quickly took over from Green and examined Clarice's wound.

His movements were far more professional and swift than Green's, as he retrieved a more advanced hemostatic gel and disinfectant from his medical kit at his waist.

Immediately afterward, Rick's tall figure appeared in the doorway. On his shoulder, he carried a figure tightly wrapped in thick curtains, with only messy blond hair showing—it was Emily.

She appeared to be unconscious, bound tightly, and motionless.

Anaïs followed at the back. Seeing the terrible state of the room and Green's disheveled state, she immediately stepped forward, tore off the lining of her dress petticoat, and began to treat Green's wounds.

"Where's the captain?" Rick carefully placed Emily in the corner, his gaze sweeping across the room. Not seeing Olivier, he asked in a deep voice.

His question made everyone realize something.

Captain Olivier... has disappeared.

After they split up, the captain went off alone to destroy the painting and never appeared again, nor did he make any contact.

An ominous premonition enveloped everyone.

Clarisse endured the excruciating pain and struggled to sit up, instantly guessing, "The third floor,"

She said weakly, "He must be on the third floor... Veronica isn't here; she must be on the third floor presiding over another part of the ceremony!"

"This woman... is so cunning."

"The ritual is divided into two parts, which are carried out simultaneously. This is the 'gestation' centered on Marianna, absorbing life force and desire to accumulate power for 'ascension' or 'descent'. The third floor... is probably the real 'core altar' or 'connecting passage'. Under normal circumstances, no matter which side we deal with first, we cannot completely stop the ritual; the other side will quickly complete itself or even backfire."

Clarisse, pale-faced, nodded slightly. "Right now, I just hope Olivier is alright... and that he can hold on a little longer..."

"Go!" Rick growled. "Anna, you take care of them."

After putting Emily down, Rick picked up Clarice and the group quickly got to work.

Green looked at them, then at the survivors slumped on the floor in the room, especially Henry, who was huddled in the corner, still trembling.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the physical pain and mental exhaustion, and walked up to Henry.

Henry looked up, his face smeared with tears and dirt, his eyes unfocused. When he saw Green, he grasped at him like a lifeline, his lips trembling.

"Grin... I knew it... I knew you could save my life... I knew it..."

Green didn't waste any words, raised his hand, and slapped him hard!

The crisp sound stunned Henry completely. His face stung with pain, but it also cleared his mind and made him more alert.

“Listen, Henry,” Green said, staring into his eyes and speaking rapidly, “this isn’t over yet. This house is still dangerous. Take the others who are still alive and get out of here immediately! Once you’re out, call the police and tell them everything that happened!”

He paused, then emphasized, "Remember to take good care of my aunt and Emily, get them out of here safely, immediately! Can you do that?"

Henry nodded repeatedly, "Yes! Yes! Absolutely! I swear! I'll take them away right now!"

"Quick!" Green shouted.

Henry scrambled to his feet and pulled at the other survivors who were still able to move. He said a few words to another familiar person, and the two of them hoisted Emily up and shakily walked out of the basement.

Watching their figures disappear at the end of the corridor, Green's tense nerves finally eased slightly. A surge of intense fatigue and pain from his wounds overwhelmed him, and he staggered, grabbing for support against the wall.

His gaze swept across the center of the room, to the place where Mariana had completely vanished.

"It feels so good to be alive..."

There was only a thick layer of gray and white ash left there, like the embers after a great fire, deathly still.

Just as he was about to turn around and chase after Elwin and Rek, something seemed to flash in the ashes.

It comes from the heart of the ashes.

Green's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the brooch, and the mysterious sigh.

Could it be that... something can remain after that level of 'erasure'?

He walked over as if possessed, squatted down, held his breath, and gently brushed away the surface ash with his hand.

My fingertips touched something hard and cold.

He picked it up.

It was a ring.

A classic men's signet ring, made of dark silver-white metal with fine gray cracks on the surface.

The ring face features the Fairfax family crest, but a crack runs through the center of the crest, and the inside of the ring is engraved with almost worn-down cursive letters "M & L".

"Marianna and...Lenas?"

Greene speculated that the ring was likely their wedding ring and also a symbol of the Linus family heir.

It carries the Viscount's sorrow and obsession, as well as Marianne's remaining humanity and love for her husband after her death.

Green didn't know what the ring was for, but he knew this shouldn't be its end.

He took a deep breath and walked out of the room. The corridor was empty. His steps were slow and heavy.

Standing at the door of the killing room, he tried to push it open, but his hand seemed to defy his will, as if advising him not to.

Gradually, the trembling hands finally calmed down.

The door was slowly pushed open.

The room was splattered with blood... He could hardly imagine what his uncle and the others had gone through in the end, but it was clearly different from when he came down to investigate.

His gaze swept across the entire room, hoping to find some of his uncle's belongings, at least to give his Aunt Sylvia some explanation.

Nothing was left behind.

Green walked out of the room and headed straight for the ground. He didn't need to look at the other room anymore; it was pointless.

Upon reaching the ground and passing the banquet hall, he suddenly saw a figure rushing towards him.

He was startled, thinking there were still enemies remaining, but after seeing clearly, he breathed a sigh of relief and frowned. "Didn't I tell you to go with Henry and the others? Why aren't you leaving?"

The figure was none other than Anaïs, who had returned.

She rushed to Green's side and took his arm. "I... I helped Mrs. Hayes and Miss Emily into the carriage. Supervisor Henry said there should be no danger. He... he said he could... and suggested I stay."

Just then, footsteps came from the stairs, and Rick was seen carrying another figure down quickly. It was Olivier, but he was already unconscious.

Alvin helped Clarice follow behind.

"What's wrong with him?" Green asked.

Rex didn't speak, but paused, a serious look flashing in his eyes, before walking towards the front hall door.

"Don't worry, he's still alive. But... Veronica must have escaped," Clarice said, frowning.

"I think this is the best possible outcome. I still can't believe we actually survived," Alvin suddenly laughed.

Clarisse nodded. "Well, at least we're still alive. Headquarters will probably reassess Oberhafen's danger level."

She looked at Green and Anaïs, "Let's go too, someone will handle the rest."

Green nodded, and the group left the banquet hall corridor, passed through the foyer, and arrived at the door.

The snow in the sky had stopped sometime ago, and the blood-red full moon had disappeared, leaving only the howling cold wind.

Before Green boarded the carriage, Clarice grabbed his arm. "Green... I'll come see you in a few days. Tell your cousin not to try using her 'ability' recently... In her current state, she hasn't even touched the door of 'acting techniques,' forcing it will only accelerate her slide into the abyss."

Green looked at her, nodded after a moment, and smiled, "I hope you can keep your promise this time."

Clarisse paused for a moment, then returned a smile. Both understood what the other meant, but neither said anything more.