"This place is so beautiful," said Daniel as he looked around the camping site. The grassy land was located at the bank of a stream and tall trees were standing on the other side. The high peaks of the mountains were visible over the treetops and the most beautiful sight out of them all was the flower beds that were planted around the clearing.
"I never knew that the Warner Group was hiding such a beautiful place," Leo commented as he also surveyed the area. His eyes sparkled after seeing the mesmerizing scenery in front of him.
"What do you mean by hiding? This is one of the official campsites on their website. You did not know about this because you guys are just too boring to enjoy your lives," Emily immediately taunted her brother as she brushed past him with a box of snacks in her hands.
"This little brat..."
"I'm twenty-two already. Stop calling me little!" Emily shouted over her shoulder, silencing Leo who just rolled his eyes in response.
Daniel chuckled beside him before he returned to help Mark and Simon who were collecting the boxes of food and other items from the van.
"Who's going to set up the tent?" Emily asked as she placed her box on the chair that Leo had pulled out from the van.
Her brother glared at her in response before he spoke through gritted teeth, "This chair was for me to sit and relax."
Emily arched one of her eyebrows in question as she asked, "Why? Haven't you just spent over an hour sitting inside the van? Don't be so lazy, alright? Go and help others."
Leo looked at his sister with a skeptical expression on his face as he watched her pick up a candy from her box of snacks before she gave him a fake and mocking smile and walked away.
His hands automatically moved towards the candy jar that was left open in the box. He also needed a candy to soothe himself down. But before his fingers could make contact with the candies, Shadow suddenly appeared in front of him and stopped his hand from touching the jar.
"Don't touch her snacks without her permission. She will make you suffer like you are her enemy from the previous life."
He sounded so calm but serious that his words caused a shiver to erupt all over Leo's body. "She... has become that... scary?" He asked with a whispered tone only to find Shadow nodding his head in affirmative before the man walked away.
"Geez...!"
Leo felt like he was suddenly surrounded by the dark energy which made him stare at the box of snacks with a resentful look in his eyes.
He no longer craved the taste of a candy!
***
City N,
Death Valley
-
"Master, another group of our men has gone missing while searching for the item. If we kept going there are high chances that..."
The poor soul did not get the chance to complete his sentence as the said master silenced him with a single flick of his sleeve.
The other five men present in the darkroom started shivering as they watched the body of one of their own dropping on the with a loud thud. As they all kept kneeling on the cold wet ground with their heads bowed, none of them dared to look up at the man covered in the crimson cloak.
"Keep searching."
His voice came out low but full of darkness that reminded them that other than obeying his orders they did not have any other choice.
Just in the span of a few months, they all had become pitiful. If they continued to search for that cursed item then just like the other three groups, they would also end disappearing all of a sudden but if they refused to search for that item then the evil man in the crimson cloak would kill them one by one with his bare hands.
A humorless smirk appeared on the lips of the man in the crimson cloak as he looked at the pathetic humans who were kneeling in front of him. The scent of fear and desperation that lingered in the air made him feel energetic.
He gave a last look in their direction before his silhouette disappeared from the cave and appeared in a completely different place.
He took off the hood of his cloak, letting his face become visible to the woman who was arranging his study table.
"Master."
She greeted him and then left the room to give him the peace that he was searching for.
He did not give her a second glance and walked closer towards the display board that was hanging behind his study table. In the center of the board was a photo of a girl who was smiling like a fairy.
He remembered the day a year ago when he took a picture of her photo frame that was sitting on his boss' study table in the Greenwood Manor.
Ever since he started working for his boss thirty years ago, he had known that his boss was desperately searching for someone, a girl with a special and unique identity.
It was not until six years ago when his boss finally called him and assigned him with the task of bringing the girl safely to him.
Unfortunately, all his attempts of capturing her were futile as it turned out that her identity as the Alessandro Princess was keeping her safe and sound.
His boss asked him to stop when they found out that she was going to attend the Nightfall Academy. The magical academy was the only place in the world that was out of their radar. Even if they wanted they could not have succeeded in their mission.
In the past five years, he tried his best to find out exactly why his boss was after the Alessandro Princess but he found nothing except for the secret that she was not what she appeared to be.
So many years had passed and she had finally returned. It was time for him to finish the mission that his boss gave him back then...!