"And so, how would I find the Marquess?"
"I've got a gut feeling that he'll be with this girl. You see, the Old Chapel houses a few Mages. The last surviving few Mages from the Congregation. Minwoo always liked siding with them. If that is a haven for them, then it's where the biggest target would be."
"They are quite strong, in terms of hand-to-hand combat. But against the likes of you, a sneak attack should be no problem," assured Ashley, giving Yan some gear to work with.
"What if they resort to their powers?"
"That should not be an issue for you. Serve them up a molotov cocktail*, Ford* style."
Yan nodded and went on to search for the Marquess. But, Ashley gave him one last warning.
"Fail this mission and you are good as gone, Hornet."
"Roger that, Ash."
Yan closed his eyes as he remembered the last part. As he walked around, he sat down by the fountain. A child soon came up to him, a girl with long chestnut hair and similar color eyes. His expression changed the girl looked familiar.
"I'm sorry, have we met?" asked Yan, confused.
The poor girl was even more puzzled as she shook her head.
"Are you looking for someone?' asked the young girl as she sat right next to him.
"Somewhat. I just thought you'd looked like the person I just met earlier."
"Why would you think so?"
"She looked like you but had different color eyes."
The young girl kept quiet and played with her hair.
"Do you have a home?" she asked, looking up at Yan.
"I've got no home to go to."
"Well, you'd better find a home to go to," reprimanded the girl.
"Nah, I'm used to not having one," he replied, yawning.
It was starting to get dark, he hadn't realized it was past sunset now. The night sky had an entire tear through its coat, allowing the stars to shine brightly as a cluster.
"Shouldn't you be going home?" asked Yan, towards the little girl.
"Yea, but I want you to come along too," she said, pulling his sleeves.
"Why? You just met me!" yelled Yan.
"Because you have no home to go to. My home is quite big and it's not far from here. We've got food and warm beds. Oh! And plushies!" exclaimed the girl.
Yan looked skeptical. He might be dead if Ashley found out he was hiding somewhere else and not doing the mission. Then again, maybe a shelter isn't so bad.
"And I would suggest that you get indoors quickly. Nighttime here is a bit different from the capital," warned the little girl.
"Or at least, out of here," she said, as the temperature dived beyond the human comfort zone.
Ice started to creep up the walls. The fountain they had been sitting around was slowly turning into an ice sculpture. The girl smiled as she gave her hand to Yan.
"Get me out of here," ordered Yan as he took the girl's palm while shivering.
The girl smiled as she bolted out of the area, with Yan trying to keep up. Not only the temperature was affecting him, but in the corner of his eyes, he caught something out of the blue. The shadows were not normal that night.
But he shook it off, trying to get out of that deathtrap is his priority. With the little girl reaching the dense forest, his body temperature gradually rose once more. The young girl halted by some thick, low hanging vines.
"After these vines, is my home," said the little girl proudly.
"Stand back," she ordered, as Yan complied.
Placing her small arms out, she murmured a little for the vines to part like a theatre curtain. Yan was still trying to conceive the are that he was in. But after recovering, he was shocked at where the little girl had taken him to.
"This is..."
Yan's jaw was left hanging as he saw the area, especially the giant building in the middle of the forest. The entire scene before him had perfectly fitted the description and sketch he was given by Ashley. Even the waterfall was on point.
And to put the cherry on top of this wonderful revelation, the area behind those vines was daytime. Yan could not fathom such a place like this. It was nighttime at the village, but this place had the sun out like it was normal.
"What in the world is that thing?!" yelled Yan as he took a step back.
"Welcome to the Old Chapel," said the little girl, brimming with happiness.
As she smiled, she gracefully extended her wings. She flew upwards and went in front of the frightened assassin.
"You are not human..." mumbled Yan as he looked at the girl.