"Darryl" She called him, her voice was shaking. Her ebony hair flew in the breeze as emotions run vividly in the crease of her lovely brow and the down-curve of her full lips. Her eyes showed everything she wanted to say.
"Yes," He answered tenderly. It took him a little time to respond, afraid that once he would open his mouth to speak, she will fade away.
"I think I'm in love with you" She confessed. The confession sounds so beautiful that even all the beauty of the universe could not even hope to compete with those words.
"Oh.....crap!" She cursed instantly after realizing what she did.
Her cursing woke Darryl up. His dreams of her ended that way all the time. He smiled, it was still a beautiful dream no matter how many times she cursed in it.
When she left, he did not make any attempt to contact her. Heaven knows how much he wanted to listen even just to her beautiful voice. However, the past few days, several things happened. There's quite at stake and he might not be able to protect her from the consequences of it. It's better for him to leave her alone for now. Until the perfect time comes.
He was in an early morning flight. Fluffy clouds glided across the pale blue sky as the sun just awakened promptly emerging through it. Darryl straightened his seat and run a finger through his dark locks. When it was time to step out the plane, he wore a denim jacket around his broad shoulders.
Several things made him flew to South, all concerned L Empire. Although he was not yet L Empire's President, he ran few matters as the future successor. Now, L Empire was in a dilemma brought by an unknown epidemic.
He strode to the car that was waiting for him at the foot of his plane. The flight attendants threw their single passenger respect as they bowed in unison when Darryl paced down the plane. They only straightened out their backs when the car left.
Although this flight hosted a young boy, the crew was very careful not to make any small slip-up.
This place in the South was very far from the Capital City and that's one of the many reasons why only few elites made upto this part of the country. Darryl himself had only been in the south once, and that was when he was still an eight-year-old young lad.
"Any improvements?" Darryl asked Manager Song as soon as the car hit the road. Manager Song was the one who managed L Empires properties in the south.
"Young Master, the experts are doing the best that they can, howev-"
"Don't make me repeat my question again" Darryl cut him off, displeased.
"I'm sorry Young Master, there are no improvements yet" Manager Song answered straight. This was the first time he met the L Empire's heir after so many years and indeed, he was far more intimidating than he was before.
"And how much does the Empire pays these experts?" The heir asked in mockery. So they were paying these professionals for nothing?
"..." Manager Song did not know how to respond. This heir was something.
"Never mind…" Darryl blunted without sparing Manager Song a glance. He, however, looked straight to the mirror in front of the driver's seat. "…Bring me to Roaster"
"Yes, young master" The driver responded politely. He swerved the car to the right and took an alley heading out to a local restaurant.
Manager song was appalled. What was the heir's business in a local resto?
"Young master, may I ask what is your business in Roaster? It is a beerhouse popular to local farmers and I'm afraid you might not suit—"
"I'm meeting someone" Darryl replied flatly without letting him finish off his sentence. That was twice for today, Manager Song thought.
Few minutes of turns in the road, the car halted in front of a fair-sized slat cottage with the signage "Roaster" hanging on top of its wooden door.
"Wait for me here," Darryl commanded as he flew out the car. He headed straight to the door and windchimes announced his entrance as he opened it.
"Young Master" A man on his forties called Darryl as he waved his hat to him.
He was sitting in one corner near a window, wearing a button-down shirt and chaps. He held his soft felt to his chest and stood to give respects when Darryl approached.
From the looks of it, it seemed that this man was an old local farmer in town.
"Farmer Su, thank you for meeting me here" Darryl started as they seated themselves comfortably.
"Anytime Young Master" He answered and turned to the person in the counter. "Matilda, can we have some tea right here?"
The aged-woman in the counter nodded. She was already scrutinizing the two when Darryl entered.
"Are you okay with tea Young Master?" Farmer Su turned to him as soon as he realized he has not asked him what he wanted.
"Tea is good" He responded. Though he had enough food in his private flight, he did not turn the humble farmer's offer.
"Young Master, I don't really know if I have the right information you need" Farmer Su commenced.
"Just tell me what you know…" Darryl replied in candid "… have you encountered this type of sickness before?"
"With the symptoms you relayed to me, I believe I did a few years ago" Farmer Su recalled in certain.
"Does it have a name?"
"The local farmers call it a Staw disease"
"Staw disease?" Darryl asked. He can't help but be more curious.
"Yes, I know the name is a bit odd. Rumors said that the one who named such diseases was the person who made the cure" Farmer Su explained.
"So, there's a cure?"
"All are rumors, Young Master. We are not certain of this. Locals even believe, these are just silly stories of the old folks"
"And the person who made the cure?"
"I don't have any idea"
"What else?"
"There is an old story here popular to the folks. It was believed that such disease was brought by the Manggen Tribe. A curse to those who offended them"
"You mean the tribe that dwells on the Mangga Island?" Darryl knew what island the farmer was talking about. Just in the southwest tip of Hampshire, small mysterious islands float through the deep blue waters of Hampshire bay. It was known as home to a hostile tribe that were confine in these islands.
"Yes, Young master"
"Could this be just a superstition?" Darryl asked doubting the information he just acquired.
"It could be young master, but it could also be true… What did your experts say?"
"They couldn't figure it out. No one can figure it out to be exact. That's why I asked someone to check whether the local farmers are familiar with it" He said and took a sip of the tea that Matilda put in their table quietly. "You said you have encountered this disease before?"
"Yes, young master, nearly eight years ago. Few of the local farmers had a problem with it"
"And what happened?"
"All those have been inflicted died after few weeks, except for those of the Owens"
"Owens?" He furrowed his brow and leaned forward a bit.
"One of the locals who used to live here. It was an old man, a weird one but brilliant. But he was rather aloof, no friends. They suspected that he was the person who made the cure"
"And where is the man?"
"Gone..."
"Gone?" Darryl echoed.
"Yes, few years ago the man just left without any trace. But since he has no friends that we knew of, nobody even noticed his absence for long"
"Any family?"
"Not that we knew of"
"Is there someone we can ask about him? Anyone he talks to when he's still here?" Darryl asked for a possibility. Although he doubted the story, there's no risk in finding such person, more so the person who knew the cure.
"There's one... but I don't know if he knows anything about him" Farmer Su answered as he took a sip of his own tea.
Few seconds later, Farmer Su realized that the heir did not respond to him. He curiously glanced at him and saw how spellbound Darryl was staring outside.
"Young master?" He called but it seemed that Darryl didn't hear him.
He followed Darryl's stares, snooping into what caught the young master's eye. It was a group of young blood that was walking down the street.
They halted just in front for their window, but they were busy talking they didn't even notice them.
"I know. I know what I have to do…." One of the young blood uttered anxiously. Her coal-black eyes were so deep it could drag everyone in its beauty.
"Remember if you lose, Sam can't stay" The boy beside him harked back at her.
Living in Hampshire for long, Farmer Su knew who these kids were. Particularly the one that the L Empire's heir was looking intensely.
Darryl was drilling into the girl in an unreadable expression, but his hazel eyes shone like sunlight on a polished stone.
"That's the doctor's granddaughter. Such a pretty child," Farmer Su said with a smile as he finished his tea.