Meanwhile, Sophie and Hyun-Jae have already infiltrated the resort as they moved secretly through the shadows, knocking the guards that came in their way. Each one of them took a building to search for their own.
They didn't know how the man looked or what his name was. So, even if they find him, they have to make sure he is the right person when they find him.
'But, how can I know for sure?' They all thought to themselves and the answer to that question was way harder than it should be. There were some details they were looking for. 'Accent, mannerisms, and the context of any conversation he might have.'
These were the clear ones, what was left relied heavily on their senses and cleverness.
With that in mind, the two girls snuck into the resort at the same time as they started moving through the buildings, searching every room while keeping themselves hidden. With how many people were there, it was hard to stay out of their eyes but they were able to pull it off using their fast reactions and strong senses.
One by one, they checked every room and every corner. They followed every man they could find and made sure they were all just guards. That took almost 30 minutes of constant moving in the shadows with no actual results.
They heard some talks about the man himself but they couldn't find a single clue as to where he was yet which made them even more frustrated. It was as if they were searching for a needle in a haystack.
***
'Nothing in this building... I can't find a single clue.' After knocking down one of the guards, Hyun-Jae stopped and looked around her with a frown. This was the second building she entered and there was no good information found yet.
She wanted to catch one of the guards and ask him for the location but it would be risky if anyone else knew about it.
'Damn it, I need to move to the main building now.' Approaching the window, Hyun-Jae was about to jump out and start moving again only to notice something weird in the distance. A strong gush of wind hit her face.
'It's a very cold night.' Frowning, she closed her jacket and then jumped out.
***
"Mmmmm!! Mmmmm!!!"
In a dark, closed room, a man's muffled cries could be heard echoing everywhere. The man was lying on the ground, wrapped in white string from head to toe as he struggled to move or do anything. His eyes were wet with tears.
Standing next to him, Sophie stared down with a cold expression. "Now, listen carefully. I'm going to unwrap your mouth and you're going to tell me where that man is. You know who I'm talking about. Unless you want to slowly suffocate and die a painful death."
As she said those words, the strings started slowly wrapping around his nose, making it even harder for him to breathe. The claustrophobic feeling of being wrapped like a mummy was the worst feeling a human could go through so it instantly kicked his panic mode.
With no other choice, he started nodding his head vigorously.
"Good. I'm going to unwrap the strings of your mouth. No funny business." Saying that, Sophie pulled the strings away and the man immediately started hyperventilating as if he didn't breathe in years.
"Where?"
"T-The main building... His residence is there!" The man said in a panic.
"Hmm, the main building, huh. Which room?"
'Hmm, ok, it's like that... Let's see, which one is the closest.' He thought to himself as he went through the keys again and decided on one. Then, he put it in the keyhole, only for it not to fit.
But, that didn't stop him as he exerted some force into his hand, shoving the key right into the keyhole. It didn't make much of a sound as it was instantly muffled by the rain and wind outside.
Then, with even more force, he twisted and the door was unlocked. The keyhole was also completely broken along with it since Talon forced a key that didn't fit it.
Slowly pushing the door, he snuck into the dark room. 'That actually worked, somehow.'
As he turned around to scan the room, he noticed that the man was still asleep. 'How the hell is he still asleep? I can't even feel his heart rate increasing. He is very much deep asleep.' Talon thought to himself as he slowly approached the man with quiet steps.
When he reached him, he stopped for a second as he squinted his eyes. Then, he extended his hand to grab him. However, at that moment, an extremely loud noise shook the entire world. The windows in the room burst open in one fell sweep.
The building almost tilted from the sheer shock of the hit.
It was so loud that it shook the entire building and made Talon look up. 'What the fuck?! Was that a lightning strike?'
At the same time, the man named Katashi woke up in fear as he looked around him. His eyes then fell on Talon and without a moment to spare, he opened his mouth and screeched loudly as he channeled his Aetheris. He sounded like an eagle crying out loudly.
The screech launched Talon back as he felt a strong, invisible wave crash against his body.
"What is this?!" The man then stood up and rushed to the window, then he jumped outside with no hesitation.
"Fuck..." Cursing loudly, Talon followed after him. "What was that and why did it happen the moment I was gonna get him?!"
At this point, Talon wanted to believe that some kind of invisible force was mocking him. It happened before with Terrence when he was about to kill her and earth literally spread open and pushed them away from each other and now with this man Katashi.
Cursing his horrible luck, Talon reached the window and stared outside. He saw a silhouette with two eagle-like wings fly through the air at top speed as it moved into the distance.
"I won't let you." Clenching his teeth, Talon jumped outside as he rushed after his enemy, jumping from one building to another. He used all his speed in the process.
Meanwhile, Katashi looked behind him. 'Who is that man? Is this some kind of trap? I need to send a message right now! Goddamit! But, I left my communicator back there...'
With someone chasing him, he knew that he couldn't go back yet. He had to take a detour.
Meanwhile, Acrypha stopped for a second as she looked up with a shocked look on her face. Her eyes fell on the Core Gate and it immediately flashed with a weird glint.
"What is happening?"
What she was seeing at that moment was awfully familiar and yet at the same time so foreign. Something that she thought wouldn't happen, not in such an abrupt manner.
'No, there is no way... It can't be happening this quickly with no signs beforehand... A second expansion in less than two months?!'
A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!