He followed the kids to the city hall gate.
"Are your father here?" he asked.
"Yes. Come on follow me!" Cley said as he pulled his hand again. They walked to the side of the gate and stepped between the bushes until they saw a hole that big enough for them to pass through.
"We can enter through here."
Angel looked at the hole that surrounded by thorny plants then he turned his gaze at Cley and Claire.
'That's why their bodies are full of scratches.'
"Come on." said Cley as he ducked and started to crawled.
But Angel stopped him and helped him to get up.
"Rather than crawling, how about we enter in other way?"
Cley looked at him with confused expression.
"How?"
He carry Cley and Claire on his arms then focusing his dark aura on his feet. In a blink, he managed through the fence with a single jump.
"There." he said as he put them down together.
They looked shocked at first but after a while their expression turned excited.
"Sir, teach me how to fly like that!" said Cley in excitement.
"I'm not flying. I just jumped over it."
"Sir, can you take me to the clouds?" said Claire shyly.
"No, of course not."
"Sir, teach me how to fly! I will give my entire toy for you!" whined Cley.
"I told you, I can't fly."
They kept whining as they pulling his clothes repeatedly, while he could only stand with puzzled expression since he never experienced something like this before.
'What should I do? I never handled a kid before; I never read a book how to handle them either.'
A loud woman voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Cley! Claire! What are you doing?!"
He turned his gaze to her, a woman in her thirties wearing simple dress in a dull color, ran towards them. In a glance, he knew that she is from a noble family.
She quickly pulled Cley and Claire away from him.
"Who are you? What do want?" she said in unfriendly tone.
He bowed to greet her.
"Good Afternoon, madam. My name is Zel. I'm here to look for someone named Chay Fadington."
Her eyes widened in surprised after she saw his face more clearly.
"Your Highness." she said out of blue then she quickly closed her mouth with her hand.
He frowned in confusion.
"Your Highness?"
She bowed to replied his greet.
"Forgive my impudence, my name is Avira Fadington, Chay Fadington is my husband. He already waiting for you." she said while gave him a gesture to follow her.
He nodded with puzzled expression as he followed her.
'Chay Fadington is waiting for me? Why? I never knew him before.'
They walked through an unkempt yard, into a shabby white mansion, down a gloomy corridor to a room that full of scattered books.
"Chay! Chay! We have a guest!" she shouted as she swept her gaze around the room.
Suddenly someone appeared from a pile of books beside them. His face and black hair looked messy, his glasses almost fell.
"What guest?" he said half sleepy.
Cley and Claire giggled at him.
"Dad, you look like an undead." said Cley.
Avira sighed heavily.
"Chay, mind your manners. It's 'him'!"
Chay quickly fixed his glasses and looked at him deeply. After a while, a smile spread across his face, his eyes trembling in emotion.
Angel bowed to greet him.
"Good Afternoon, Sir Chay. My name is Zel, I'm here-"
"No, no, no! I already know why you come here. You want to ask me about Prince Lucian, right? " said Chay as he stood up and approached him, his eyes still stuck to him.
"How do you know?" he said in confusion.
"I know... Of course I know... You can ask me anything. I will answer it." said Chay while he paced back and forth to observe him in detail as if he is a rare animal.
'What's wrong with him? How did he know I was coming? Is he an expert magic user? A prophet? But why I can't feel any magic power from him?'
He cleared his throat in awkwardness.
"Sir Chay, can we talk properly?"
Chay just realized his rudeness.
"Ah! Yes, of course! Where's my manner? I just too excited to see you. Come, sit." he said while took him to old couch near them.
"Thank you." he said as he sat.
"Chay... I will bring the kids to call the mayor." said Avira with a slight smile on her face.
Chay answered her with simple nodded, then she took Cley and Claire with her, left the room.
He turned his gaze to Chay.
"Sir Chay, can you tell me what happened to Prince Lucian ten years ago?"
Chay took a long breath before started to speak.
"Yes, at that time Prince Lucian is just turning seventeen years old. He is a kind person and loved by his people. The king gave him a mission to investigate the strange sound that was heard near the forest. But, suddenly a mysterious shadow blocked our way, that shadow moved very fast in an instant our entire army was defeated. "
As he continued to speak, the more he seemed lost in his thoughts and his eyes started glistened with tears.
"The situation was very chaotic at the time. The prince immediately took me away and told me to hide. He said I only become his burden, since I can't fight. I watched him fighting with the shadow from distance, and then the shadow covered him with dark aura. After that, he died. "
Chay looked down with eyes filled with regret.
"I still clearly remembered his screams to this day. I was there, but I couldn't do anything to help him, I was his assistant, but I could only watch him die in vain. "
"I didn't think he die in vain." he said out of blue.
Chay quickly raised his head and gave him a sharp stare.
"Didn't die in vain? You know nothing about him! You didn't know how much effort he put on to studied and trained to become a king like his father! But, he died before he can took the throne, before he become a king! " he said in displeased tone.
He returned Chay's sharp stare with a straight face while his eyes piercing at him.
"But you're alive, so his sacrifice is not in vain." he said with emphatic tone.
Chay could only silent after heard his words.
"He's a prince; it's his duty as a royal family to protect his people. He died in honorable way, you shouldn't say he died in vain or are you trying to disgrace him?" he added, his expression and tone remained unchanged.
Chay's eyes shot out in surprise as he keep stared at him deeply. His eyes filled with emotions that can't be described in words, happiness, sadness, joy, regret, but one thing for sure, the burden that was pressing on his heart all this time suddenly felt lifted.
He frowned at Chay who looked spacing out again.
"Sir Chay? Are you alright?"
Chay cleared his throat while tried to get his thoughts together.
"Ah... Forgive me. I lost in thoughts again." he said as he gave him an awkward smile.
"Are you remembering anything else about the mysterious shadow?" he asked.
Chay thought for a moment.
"I didn't clearly remembered his figure since he moved too fast, but I remember his eyes glowing in red when he attacked the prince."
He just opened his mouth to ask him more about the shadow but Chay interrupt him.
"Oh... And also, after he killed the prince, I saw him holding a dark crystal and said 'you're not the one I looking for'." Chay added.
Angel's eyes widened in surprise, his heart pounding faster. Unconsciously, he clutched at his chest.
'The dark crystal... Prince Lucian also experienced the same thing as me. '
He just realized, Chay stared at him for a while.
"Sir Chay, is there something on my face?"
His expression turned awkward.
"Oh, no, no... Of course not. It's just somehow, I feel you're similar to him." he said in panic.
"Do we look alike?" he asked again.
"No... Of course not. Except your sharp eyes and hair color, your face, features, it's completely different from him, but still... It's feels like... I am talking to him right now..." Chay said as he keeps stared at him deeply.