Chapter 23: Arc 1: Chapter 22: Reunion of Origin

"Pa"

Under the afternoon sun, a bill is pressed onto the table and wakes the snoozing store owner. 

In a street shop in Florida, the slightly bald store owner lifts his head and sees a young man wearing a beach shirt and shorts, wearing oversized sunglasses covering almost half his face while carrying a backpack.

"5 water bottles!"

The young man looks at the watch on his wrist and says:

"Please hurry; I'm gonna miss the train at this rate."

"5 bottles?"

The store owner was a little surprised; he kept the cash and looked at the young man, asking:

"For yourself?"

The question makes the young man wearing sunglasses let out a weak smile; he pushes his sunglasses inwards and replies:

"Yes, I like drinking water. I love it."

Moments later, Merlin, with a backpack full of water bottles, places the sunhat hanging behind him onto his head.

He opens a bottle of water and drinks it all under the sun.

As the cool water enters his body, the small shell pendant on his neck flashes a light similar to a water wave. Merlin could sense that as the cool water enters his stomach, a cool feeling, with the help of the magic accessory Vulko gave him, quickly fills his insides.

Through Merlin's second sight, he could see the black fog 'leaking' out of his body being washed away by water magic.

Merlin shakes his head and throws the empty bottle into the trash can, and like a typical backpacker, he enters the train station.

This is the 1990s when the network system that sniffs out criminals had just been established and has yet to replace traditional ticketing. Merlin, who had his Shadow Cloak, doesn't even need a ticket or passport, as this train station is wholly unguarded to him.

A few minutes later, Merlin carries his backpack and waits at the platform for the train coming from Florida to the West. He slightly touches the shell pendant, which looked like a cheap souvenir from the beaches of Florida.

But as his fingers touched it, it was as if he placed his hand in cool water.

This is the 'solution' Vulko had given him.

It was great, except for having an odd activation method. Merlin could still remember Vulko's warnings before they separated:

"This shell pendant can purify dark mana, but it's limited to 1 use per hour; it won't take effect if you don't drink water. If you don't drink water for over 6 hours, it will temporarily lose effect. And the dark mana accumulated over the past 6 hours will cause a terrible disaster."

"So, drink water punctually! It doesn't matter if it's warm or cold; the effects are better if you soak in it."

"Alright."

Merlin takes another bottle of water from his backpack and finishes it.

Merin had already finished four bottles just this morning, and he could feel the water in his stomach.

So the first thing Merlin does after getting onto the train...

Is go to the restroom.

---

The North American railroads were built in earlier years; the more westward you went, the more historical the railroads feel like.

Many of these rail lines were built in the West, and as technology advanced, many different forms of transportation were used by the people. The railroads, recognized as a symbol of civilizational progress, lost to their competitors.

Since there are the more convenient and faster aviation system and more and more cars, fewer people are choosing to use train stations to move about.

"Kang Dang Kang Dang"

As the train moves, Merlin looks out the window and enjoys the view outside. After entering Texas, the view outside has become rougher, telling the passengers that they are entering the wildest land in this country.

Merlin was relaxed; he had never been so relaxed.

The Atlantean Vulko helped him with a significant problem; although the dark powers inside him were still restless, the misfortune surrounding him could be eliminated through purification.

This made Merlin feel like an actual tourist without worrying about destroying everything around him subconsciously.

People, once relaxed, can't help but think of more stuff; while Merlin was immersed in the view of Texas, a friendly voice resounds beside him.

"Hello, can I sit here?"

Merlin looks back and sees a pretty blonde girl carrying a backpack who looks like a traveler.

"Of course, take a seat."

Merlin takes his backpack from the seat beside him and places it by his feet. The blonde beauty sits beside him, and the scent of her perfume rushed into Merlin's nostrils, making him feel a bit attracted.

He's 19 this year and is a healthy young man, and hormonal agitation still flows through his veins. It wasn't that there weren't any pretty female companions on his travels, but the Merlin at that time was busy dealing with his misfortune and didn't have the time.

Maybe...

It's time to make some friends.

"Is this your first time in the West?"

Merlin turns his head and asks the girl, who puts down the book she just opened and looks at him. Talking with a handsome man with a mysterious aura is not a bad idea, so she replies:

"No, I was born in Texas."

"Is it? Well, it's my first time here."

Merlin talks casually:

"I've traveled all around the Northeast, from Madison to Chicago, from Maine to Florida, never once have I seen a view like this."

"So you're traveling around the world? Cool."

The girl speaks out of admiration; she then looks at Merlin's necklace and says: 

"Nice necklace. Is it a souvenir?"

"This? This is my lucky charm."

Merlin laughs a bit and continues:

"Let me think, yes, I got this from a beach in Florida...right after spending about 6 hours getting to Florida from Maine."

"6 hours? You're a funny man."

The girl was amused, she laughed:

"Did you fly on a plane?"

"No, even cooler!"

Merlin squints his eyes behind his sunglasses, he lowers his tone, as if sharing a secret, and says:

You are reading story The Path of Shadow in American Comics at novel35.com

"I came here riding a dolphin."

"Hahaha, you're so humorous."

In the joking and sharing between two young people, any dull journey will become delightful. In other words, time flies when you're having fun.

"Have you heard of the Chicago Explosion? I've experienced it firsthand."

At St. Augustine Station, Merlin, with his backpack, holds the girls' hand and says softly:

"Why don't we find a place to rest. In the meantime, I'll tell you all about my secrets."

"Are you asking me for a date? Merlin."

The girl looks back at Merlin with a meaningful smile and says:

"Do you think I'm that kind of stray girl?"

"Of course, you're not."

Merlin holds her hand and walks naturally towards the motel outside the station:

"Neither am I...but that doesn't stop us from sharing each other's secrets. See, we're just going to have a simple talk."

"Then if it's just for a simple talk, then maybe next time, if we ever meet again. Not to mention..."

The girl gently throws off Merlin's hand, looks at her wristwatch, and says:

"I have some things to do."

She then flicks her blonde hair, stuffs something into Merlin's hand, and gives him a flying kiss before turning and leaving with her slightly heavy luggage.

"Alright."

Merlin was not disappointed; he looked at the item in his hand. It was a note, on it was a name and a string of numbers, as well as a message:

"Merlin, the eyes you hide should be beautiful...do remember to call me. --- Inez Temple, your friend from the West."

"Oh, beautiful people, beautiful times."

Merlin holds the note and walks outside the station. He looks at the city covered by sunlight and shakes his head:

"But let's stop here, cute Temple...I wish not to harm you."

He then tears the note and throws it into the trash can; he carries his backpack, turns around, and leaves.

Sharing stories with others can make one relaxed, but it's time for work after relaxing.

He didn't come to the West to have fun after all.

---

The deserts of Texas are located in the Northwestern area of this wild land. It would take hours to get there from St. Augustine Station.

That's where Merlin is heading to.

He also heard from Bruce that during the decline of the Western Era, there once were plenty of supernatural occurrences here. Even till now, there are many stories of those supernatural events passed down to the locals.

Crop Circles, Desert Wizards, Cemetery Ghosts, and the most famous legend here...Ghost Riders.

It is said that in the most remote area in the desert are the ruins of a town famous for being haunted; some say the town had experienced a terrible curse and has trapped the souls of the deceased eternally. That place is called San Venganza, it took Merlin 2 days to reach there, yet Merlin dares not to enter it.

He could see what ordinary people couldn't; as he gazed upon the ruins, Merlin could see countless resentful spirits trapped in those ruins, their faces distorted, screaming frantically, yet are unable to break free from the ruins.

Just from getting close to it, Merlin could feel the spooky cold wind and the howls of the resentful spirits, which made the ruins look like actual hell.

That is a place Merlin cannot enter yet.

The current him was still incapable of finding the secrets hiding within.

But the existence of these ruins proves that the supernatural stories are traceable. This gave Merlin hope; he feared that he might end up as he used to after spending time and hard work looking through the traces, only to come at a dead end.

Merlin records the dangerous San Venganza into his notebook; this was a supernatural area he might come back to when he gets stronger.

He drives his rented taxi along the desert road and heads towards the nearest city.

If San Venganza is real, then so should the rumors about Ghost Riders, he's going to head for the library in the nearest city, and maybe he can find some clues there.

But as Merlin drives past a town, he senses familiar dark energy.

Gloomy and somber, like a snake slithering on the ground.

It was dark power from black magic, not entirely similar to the dark powers inside him, but they should be from the exact origins.

Hell.

Merlin stopped his car, opened the window, and looked towards where the black magic was emitting from; it was a circus under the night sky. The light from the lights and campfire irradiated the circus, so it was still very crowded even though it was nighttime.

The performers in this circus must be talented, or they had excellent gimmicks.

Merlin follows the crowd into the circus; on the grass fields outside this town were multiple temporary tents, where the performers performed. Exclamations could be heard from the tents now and then, but that didn't interrupt Merlin's search; he followed the trail emitted by the dark power to a place that looked like the personnel resting place deep into the circus.

Compared to the lively outside, this place was relatively quiet.

He takes off his sunglasses, and his pupils change in the darkness, he can see clearly in the dark, and the mana appears in the form of footprints that leads to a nearby tent.

Merlin enshrouds himself with Shadow Cloak and creeps forward; as he makes his way to the entrance, he sees...a very familiar scene.

A white-haired old man wearing a suit while holding his cane was handing something over to the ignorant young man in front of him; it made him feel a sense of Deja Vu, as this was similar to what had happened last year when he was forced to make that bloody contract.

Most importantly, the young man could not recognize the old man's true identity, but Merlin could.

Under his second sight, he sees a phantom, one burning with hellfire, with a pair of wings behind it; it had sharp horns, recurved hooves, as well as a tail waggling behind it.

It was...a real devil.

The devil is seducing a mortal into signing a damn contract; a young man's life was being destroyed, a cursed soul just like him was about to be born.

This should NOT be happening!

Seeing as the young man was about to take the golden scroll handed by the devil, Merlin could not contain the anger inside him, so he steps out of the shadow and shouts:

"NO! DON'T TOUCH IT!"

 

 

 

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