Chapter 557: Arayn
As the two black-colored carriages drove away from 88 Rocky Street, the smile on Ezra's face disappeared slowly and was replaced with one of coldness and seriousness.
He then turned around, walked into the two-story house, and locked the door from inside.
After that, he stepped into the reception hall, moved towards his right side where the velvet chesterfield sofa was and sat on it with a gloomy look.
He then raised his head, looked at the front, and saw a strange blackish owl that stood on the glass table.
After staring at the owl for a few seconds, Ezra opened his mouth and asked.
"How did you know that the Security Department's Director would come here, Arayn? Also, why did you tell me to transform myself into this guy?"
Instead of a male voice, a female voice came out of his mouth and echoed in the reception hall.
Simultaneously, his wavy blonde hair turned darker and soon became a brownish one. His hair then started to grow longer, while the waves of his hair became straighter.
Following that, multiple changes occurred all over his body. His olive skin turned fair, his amber eyes turned green, and even his body became leaner.
If Charles were here now, he would've been shocked by his transformation!
It was the Trickster class's shapeshifting ability!
Within seconds, Ezra had transformed into a beautiful young woman in her twenties.
She was none other than the Secret Witch!
Meanwhile, the dark owl tilted its head and opened its beak before speaking in a girl's voice.
"Contact your teacher now."
Although Secret Witch got confused by the owl named Arayn's words, she didn't say anything and moved her hand to touch her silver bracelet.
But all of a sudden, her hands trembled, followed by her legs.
Simultaneously, tears started to roll down her cheeks like a broken dam.
"Something bad has happened, isn't it?" She asked while subconsciously glancing at the dark owl.
"As expected of someone born from wisdom, you are indeed an exceptional one," Arayn said.
At that moment, the bracelet in Secret Witch's hand vibrated and notified her that someone was calling her.
Wiping the tears, Secret Witch shook her head, hurriedly tapped three times on the bracelet's top area, and attended the call.
A second later, a man's voice came from the other side.
"Something bad happened, Sylvia-"
Before the person from the other side could finish his words, Secret Witch named Sylvia sighed heavily and asked.
"Is it about my teacher, is it? Lord Rafael?"
A silence answered.
A few seconds later, Rafael fake coughed to break the silence and began to speak.
"I'm sorry, my dear child. I failed to protect your teacher- No, I failed to protect my best friend. But I will find the culprit and give him an endless pain-"
At that moment, Sylvia took a deep breath and interrupted him.
"I need some time to think, Lord- Father. If you are not in Miracle City, please come here as soon as possible. Something big is looming here."
Meanwhile, Rafael was stunned by her words and finally agreed.
"I'll return from the Abyss within a few hours. Until then, stay safe. I'll also ask Emerson to take a look at the problem."
Then, he cut off the connection from the other side.
On the other hand, Sylvia clenched her fist, turned her gaze towards the dark owl, and asked.
"What do you know? Who killed my teacher, Arayn?"
Meanwhile, the dark owl let out a strange hooting noise and responded.
"Even if you know the enemy, what can you do about it with your current strength? Sylvia, you are the wisest person I have ever known. But you aren't strong enough to handle them."
Slyvia glared at the owl as she heard those words and asked sarcastically.
"What about you? What can you do with a small body like this? Unlike me, you don't even have a human body. You may have the memory of some ancient being, but you are still an owl."
"Hoo-hoo-hoo!" The dark owl got angry at her remark, flapped its tiny wings, leaped towards her, and landed on her head.
Then, it pecked at her center head and spoke in an angry girl's voice.
"I can still peck you."
After a few pecks, the owl stopped its work and finally spoke.
"It's the Destiny Conquerors."
Meanwhile, Sylvia widened her eyes in shock before blurting out.
"Why? Why did they kill my teacher?"
"How would I know?" The owl retorted while standing proudly on her head.
On the other hand, Sylvia got angry at herself for being too weak and felt frustrated.
Her teacher was the one who raised her from childhood and stood by her side all the time. So, his death indeed caused her to break down inside.
Although her father, Rafael, was a mighty Demigod and the president of this city, he always hid her origin from others. He feared that the Lawful Gods might find her true history, so he raised her in the shadows.
Although he did that to protect her from his enemies, he became a stranger in Sylvia's mind.
'I wouldn't be crying like this if that damned father died instead of my teacher. He still hasn't told me anything about my mother.' She cursed at Rafael in anger and shook her head.
Although she had the power to see through anyone's soul, her eyes weren't powerful enough to peer into a Demigod's soul.
'He is hiding something and is wary of the Gods all the time.'
Casting those useless thoughts away from her mind, Sylvia raised her hands, grabbed the owl, moved it closer to her face, and asked.
"What did my teacher tell you before he went out? I'm sure he must have sensed this danger, right?"
Meanwhile, the owl shook its head and responded.
"No, this danger came so abruptly. If not for a mortal's interference, even I wouldn't have noticed it and might remain in a clueless state like you."
Sylvia furrowed her eyebrows as she heard Arayn's words and instantly realized that this owl was planning something big.
"What are you scheming, Arayn? You already thought of a plan, don't you?" In truth, Sylvia knew that this owl was also saddened by her teacher's death but wasn't showing it openly.
"You are as sharp as always." The dark owl muttered calmly and then added.
"But if you want me to help you avenge your teacher, you've got to promise me something."
"What do you want?" Sylvia asked, showing a trace of annoyance.
Although she had no clue about this owl's origin, she knew very well that it was a trustworthy friend of her teacher and decided to trust its words.
"I want to visit a place called 'Wish Island,' Sylvia. But it is located at the farthest end of the Endless Sea, so I need your help to get there." The owl replied calmly.
On the other hand, Sylvia didn't find anything odd and agreed.
"It's just about visiting a place; I'll accompany you."
"All right." The owl nodded its head and continued.
"For now, we should stay here and wait. The help is on its way."
...
Langton Street, Underground District, Miracle City.
As Charles drove the carriage into Langton Street, he noticed many abandoned and old houses appeared on the roadsides.
Some buildings were beyond restoration, while a few appeared to be occupied by monkeys and birds.
Weeds, trees, and vines covered all the surrounding buildings and lands, and the whole area appeared more like a ruin than an ordinary street.
'I wonder why did they abandon this street?' A thought appeared in his mind.
At that moment, Charles also thought of Professor and chuckled inwardly.
In truth, 88 Rocky Street was their final destination.
Elder Seer had informed Charles that only the person named 'Arayn' could stop the city's destruction and help him achieve his goal.
But he knew that such a person could not be an ordinary individual. That's why he decided to test Arayn first.
If that person failed even to fool Professor, how could he/she save this city from its doom?
Although it would be difficult to stop the city's destruction, Charles had another option to ruin the enemy's plan.
Rolling the Dice was his next option!
'After the system upgrade, I hadn't rolled the 'Dice' yet. No, I always kept that as a last option.' After all, who in the right mind would want to obliterate a floating city by summoning a bunch of asteroids?
'If Arayn could evade the Professor's inquiry, my plan would go smoother.'
Moreover, what was the cheapest way to hide the truth? Create a fake that conceals the real 'truth' and makes it seem fake.
'Even if I openly reveal to everyone that we are heading to 88 Rocky Street next, Professor wouldn't believe it and dismiss it without even checking. In truth, he might stop relying on the fate power and start using his wits to search me.' That's what he wanted.
He wanted Professor to understand that divination won't help him in this chase.
Shaking his head, he looked at the far-away dome-shaped old building and drove there.
A minute later, he drove the carriage into the yard of an old church building and parked it at the building's entrance.
Meanwhile, Jessie and Oliver stepped out of the carriage and looked around.
Charles also jumped down from the driver's seat and adjusted his hat.
He tied the horses to a nearby tree and shifted his attention towards the church building's entrance door.
Although it was a little damaged, Charles felt it would still stand firm for a decade or two.
"Did we come to the wrong place?" Jessie asked as she looked at the damaged door and furrowed her brow.
She soon sensed a few presences from inside and hurriedly signaled Oliver to get back into the carriage.