(editting) Minecraft's 7 Deadly Sins

5: Ashes

Jason had taken a short nap, waking up to find that everyone had left. Thankfully, his head doesn't hurt as much as before.

He got up from his bed and headed over to the mirror in his room. Jason lifts up his hair and sure enough, there was a bruise on his forehead. He gingerly touches it with a slight frown. "Did... did it grow...?"

Jason hears a chuckle behind him. He jumps before turning around. There wasn't anyone in his room. He walks over to the door and opens it up to look down the halls.

There wasn't anyone.

"Maybe I should rest more..." Jason mumbled.

~

The sun was setting and Ian still couldn't find who the mystery writer was or what the note was even for.

Sky seems worried but Ian doesn't think much of it. Still, it was strange there was no indication as to where the note came from. Ian looks down at the note again, frowning as he sees something on the edge.

It looked to be a stamp. A black skull.

"Was that always there before...?"

He flips to note over, alarmed to see the paper turning black. Ian let the paper out, startled at the sudden charge. Before the note could reach the floor, it had crumbled away into what seemed to be a small pile of ash.

Ian stared at it, dumbfounded. "W-what just happened...?"

Seto was in his library, searching for a specific book. He pulls one off of the bookshelf, skimming through it. He sighed before putting it back in place. It wasn't what he was looking for.

As he walks deeper into the library, something catches his eye. Seto raises his hand and a purple aura surrounds the book from the shelf, bringing it down toward him.

Now that he takes a closer look, it seems more like a journal or diary. The cover seems to be made out of leather, with a latch on it. It looks worn and in some spots, the leather was peeling off. Seto was curious as to what something was doing in the library. Judging by its conditions, it must be very old, perhaps even older than him.

He tries to open the latch but it wouldn't budge. Seto frowned as it tried again but to no avail. It was as if an invisible force was holding it together. He looks at it again, trying to see if he had missed something.

While he was examining, he noticed something glow. His eyes narrowed as he realized the whole journal was covered in a white seal.

"What kind of journal is this!?" Seto was surprised at what he was holding. A seal is essentially part of the caster's aura which is placed on an object or item. The seal serves as a lock, only opening up to the caster themself or the people the caster gave permission to.

Obviously, this wasn't an ordinary diary...

Seto hears the library's door open and a few seconds later, a voice called out. "Seto, are you in here?"

His aura quickly shoves the journal back into place.

"I'm here," Seto answered. Ian only took a few moments to find him, with a troubled look on his face. His hands were in front of him, cupping something black and gray.

"Seto... something... just happened." Ian looks down at his hands, unsure of how to explain. "I had a note but... it turned into this. Out of nowhere."

"Huh?" Seto looks at what Ian was holding, seeing what seems to be ashes. "What was on the note?"

"It was someone sending wishes to Jason." Ian sighs. "Don't tell anyone outside okay? Sky thinks it's suspicious."

Seto nodded as he reaches out to touch the remains of the note. It was dry.

"Looks like it burned..."

"But I was just holding it and it crumbled apart!"

"Did you do anything?"

"No, I was just looking at it... There was some stamp that wasn't there before."

"Stamp?" Seto frowns. "What do you mean?"

"It was a black skull..." Ian looks at the remains of the note. "I swear, it wasn't there before."

Black skull... ashes... crumbled apart... Something clicked in Seto's head.

Seto quickly heads for another section of the library and Ian follows closely behind. He grabs a book off the shelf and flipped through the pages.

He stops at a page where it deceit a black skull.

The Wither Skeleton and Wither.

These two are undead monsters with black skulls and this book stated that they're in the Nether. They're capable of causing things they touch to wither and crumble.

"Ian... I think this is related to the note somehow," Seto said.

"I don't understand..." Ian frowned.

"I'll figure this out," Seto told him. "Leave the stuff at the table over there."

Ian just nodded, walking over to the table and letting the ashes onto it.

"Make sure you wash your hands," Seto reminded him with a grin.

"Alright, I'll come back tomorrow then," Ian said. "Thanks for the help, Seto." He held up a hand for goodbye as he headed towards the exit.

Seto watches as Ian leaves, his grin spreading wider. He couldn't hide his excitement anymore. There was a sealed diary and a withered paper, two things that need investigating.

"It's time to get to work then."