Melvine stared at the mirror in terror .
The faint mark , on her neck , was now darker and clearly visible . It was much more than just a black patch . It was way bigger than before and covered her entire neck , not just that there were many thin thunder like marks , originated from the big black patch , which were extended to her throat up to her cheeks .
Melvine was awestruck . But the most terrifying thing of all these was that the mark was not still . It looked , as if there was some black smoky entity under her skin which was struggling , under Ryan's touch .
Melvine was feeling extreme pain all over her body , she couldn't take it much longer as she held onto Ryan tightly .
He noticed her condition and retracted his hand from her neck as everything turned normal . Except for the , stinging pain that trailed through her body .
" Wh....what was th.....that ? " , Melvine finally spoke in a shaky voice .
" Some kind of evil entity . " , he replied without going into much details .
" And .... " , he spoke again , " This can only be passed by close contact . "
Even in a condition like that , Melvine couldn't help but frown .
" But how can it be possible !? I .... I don't remember anyone pressing their hands on my neck ! It's not believable.... "
There was no way she could accept this . She was sure of the fact that nobody had touched her . But at the same time , she couldn't neglect Ryan's words either .
When she was having this internal conflict , Ryan spoke .
" Don't be so stressed . Take your time and think properly . You must remember the person who had supposedly passed it onto you . "
He was getting late , so he prepared to leave .
He took only a few steps when Melvine spoke suddenly , " Is it the same thing that I got infected with , back then ? "
He turned and said , " Yes . "
She looked down as she spoke in a low voice .
" So ..... it was the reason that you wanted to keep me around ? "
" That's right . " , he said truthfully , " It was something that I couldn't have left unattended . "
Melvine lowered her head and nodded slightly . Her heart filled with discomfort but she gulped down her gloomy emotions and said .
" What should I do now !?"
" Nothing . Leave it to me . I'd handle it when the right time times . And till that , keep calm. And make sure to have your meals properly . You must not become weak . The weaker you get , the stronger its influence gets on you . "
With some more words Ryan left .
As he left Melvine slumped down on the sofa. She felt at a loss as she held her head with her hands.
She felt dizzy as she tried to process the events from some time ago .
She didn't know what was more upsetting ; the fact that some dangerous dark entity was inside her or the truth about Ryan's decision to keep her with him .
She felt dejected as an unknown pain filled her heart .
-----------------------------------
On the other side .
Lilly was sitting on a swing in the park that Ammie mentioned .
It would be a lie to say that she didn't feel good in the fresh air , after so long .
Just as Ammie said , the park was very beautiful .
The calmness of the park helped her feel relaxed .
There was not much people in the park . Only some children were playing around in several groups .
Lilly was watching them with her calm eyes . There was a soft smile on her lips , although it was hidden under her mask .
She felt that she could spent hours after hours here , sitting like this .
Watching the kids playing without any worry, successfully managed to mask the crude emotions of her heart .
She was enjoying her time very much .
It was then , a ball came rolling near her feet .
In continuation to that came a soft sweet voice of a kid .
" Hey , don't go , stop . "
Lilly looked up only to see an extremely cute boy running towards her .
The boy looked about five or six years old .
He stopped before Lilly and stared at her with innocent eyes .
Lilly couldn't help but melt at the cuteness of the child .
The child said , pointing to the ball near her feet , " Miss , that ball is mine . Can I take it back ? "
" Of course . " , she said while picking up the ball .
" Here . " , she held it towards him .
The boy took the ball .
" Thank you , miss . " , he said politely and prepared to go back .
It was then Lilly recalled something .
She noticed that the other kids , present at the park , were all playing in small groups . But this boy doesn't seem to belong to any of the groups because he has been playing all by himself , since earlier .
She got a bit curious and called out , " Hey kid . "
The boy stopped and turned back .
" Are you playing all by yourself ? " , She asked .
" Yes . Why ? "
" Oh nothing , usually kids like to play together but I noticed , you were playing alone . "
" Why , is that a problem ? I have also noticed , ladies always gather together to gossip but you are also sitting alone . " , he said in a refuting tone .
Lilly was speechless . She didn't expect that a small kid like him could say something like this .
Lilly was about to answer when the kid took a few steps back and said .
" Wait , you are also wearing a mask ! Are you a kidnapper ? I heard that kidnappers target the kids who are alone and talk with them nicely . And then they take the kids away . " , the boy spoke in a serious tone , well let's say he tried to speak in a serious voice but it sounded adorably cute .
" Oh , no no no . I'm not a kidnapper . " , Lilly hurriedly said ," It's my first time here , so I haven't got the chance to talk with anyone , yet . "
She stopped for a moment and continued , " And also , I don't like to mix with other people , that much . "
It was true . For a really long time , Lilly hadn't stepped outside the Dark Soul base . So she had grown very reserved and therefore became reluctant to talk to others . But talking with the kid felt very relaxing to her .
On the other hand, the kid blinked a few times as if thinking something .
Then he took a few steps forward and sat on the other swing , beside Lilly .
Lilly got a bit surprised by his action because just a few moments ago he was calling her a kidnapper and now he is sitting beside her .
She couldn't help but tease him.
" So you are not afraid anymore that I might take you away . "
" I am smart and intelligent . It is not easy to kidnap me . " , he said with a confident expression .
Lilly couldn't help but smile at his words.
After a moment , she said , " So aren't you playing anymore ?"
" It is boring , playing alone . " , he replied .
" Then why do you play alone ? You should play with your friends . "
" Don't want to . "
" Why ? You don't like them ? "
" They don't like me , always say me bad things . "
" That is not right . Friends should not say bad things to one another . "
" They are not my friends . " , he said with a pout .
" Even so , they shouldn't say bad things to you ? Didn't your mother do anything about it ? Didn't she tell them not to behave like that ? " The child stayed silent .
"Where is your mother ? She didn't come with you ? " , she said as she looked around a bit .
" I do not have mother . "
Lilly got quiet . Unknowingly, an unknown pain struck her heart .
" I'm sorry . I didn't know . " , she said in an upset voice . But the child's expression remained unbothered .
" So , who did you come with ? " , she asked to change the subject .
" Aunt Gini . She is my caregiver . "
" Why is she not with you ? "
" She has bad knees . Can't stand long . She is sitting there . " , he said pointing to a direction .
Lilly looked over and saw a middle-aged women sitting on a bench , looking at their direction . It seemed , though she couldn't really accompany the child in his sports and games , she was quite attentive to her job .
Lilly turned to the kid again and said ," Then , it's her job to see if you are alright or not ! Did she not ask the other kids not to misbehave with you ? "
" It is fine . I do not care about their talks . I am strong . "
" Of course , you are . " , she said truthfully .
They continued talking about this and that as the child enjoyed the swing .
After a long while , he slowed down . Then he said .
" Miss ! "
" Yes ."
" You said , you only came here today ! Will you not come again ? "
" Why do you ask ? "
" If you come, we can meet again . "
Lilly remained silent for a moment so the kid said again.
" It is no fun, playing alone . Talking with you is more fun . "
Lilly could guess that this kid liked to talk a lot but probably he didn't have much people he could talk to .
In the course of their conversation , he was the one who was talking non-stop as Lilly listened to him .
Though Lilly and the kid hadn't talked about anything too fun or interesting , the child still found it better than playing alone . And she too felt very light-hearted after talking to him.
Probably it was because somewhere the kid's life matched with hers , both were trying to find a friend who wouldn't judge them .
Lilly's eyes softened looking at the kid's expectant eyes as she said .
" I also liked talking to you , I will definitely come to meet you again ."
" Really ? ", his eyes lit up as he said .
" Of course , kid . "
The boy looked happy but he pouted a little .
" What's wrong ? " , Lilly asked .
" My name is not kid . "
It occurred to Lilly that they have been talking for so long but they totally skipped their introduction .
She suppressed her smile as she looked at his pouty face and asked .
" Then what's your name ? "
" My name is Cayden . "
" You have a nice name , kid .....ugh .... I mean Cayden . "
"Thank you ! And what is your name , miss ?"
" My name is Li.... " , Lilly was about to tell her name but for some reason she didn't want to tell her real name .
It was a cursed name and therefore a cursed life . She didn't want to bring her cursed past in the present anymore .
Of course , she couldn't change her past but at the very least she wanted the kid to know her as a better person .
She took a moment to herself and said .
" Louisa . My name is Louisa . "
----------------------------------
Few days later .
Angel base .
It was eight o'clock in the morning . Enilese was sitting in front of the mirror , in her room , combing her hair .
She didn't have much to do today and Selina had also left to her work .
So she knew , it was going to be a boring day today .
After she was done with her hair , she walked out of her room in lazy steps .
It happened when she was passing the narrow corridor that led to the hall .
Her legs subconsciously stopped as some unknown feeling suddenly flashed in her heart .
She saw that she was standing before a painting , hanging on the wall .
She frowned a little . These paintings have been here all this while . But why one of them suddenly triggered her senses at the moment , she couldn't understand .
Well let's say , lately Enilese has been a bit stressed . She is constantly having an odd feeling that something bad is going to happen .
From her previous experiences , she knew that most of the times her intuition was proven right and just .
And right now , that odd feeling of hers triggered again .
Looking at the painting , that feeling as if grew stronger . And it made her very anxious.
In the painting , there was an image of an overbridge , over a stream . The thoughtful use of colours added an air of foggyness and smoky dullness to the painting .
It is painted in a way that it seems , the heavy grey fog is swallowing the bridge ; As if , the bridge is entering into a world of uncertainty ; As if , it is disappearing to nothingness .
The frown on her face grew deeper as she stared at the painting .
For some reason , looking at the bridge disappearing into the dense fog she felt an unknown fear in her heart . As if , the painting was trying to tell her something ; Something , she just couldn't grasp . She stared at the painting for a while but couldn't think of anything in particular .
Enilese let out a sigh as she tried to discard all the unnecessary thoughts from her mind .
She glanced at the painting one last time and left .
--------------------------------------
At the breakfast table .
Erika was sitting alone at the breakfast table when Enilese walked into the hall .
They exchanged a small smile as Enilese took her seat .
" How are you now ? " , Enilese enquired .
" Healthy as ever . " , Erika replied with a smile .
Enilese nodded as they started talking about this and that .
In the middle of their conversation , Riley walked in slowly .
They looked in his direction as he sat down at the far end of the table .
The two women became a bit surprised because as far as they knew Riley doesn't really eat with others .
They couldn't help but ponder about his sudden change of habit .
Enilese averted her eyes as he started eating without sparing a glance to them .
The atmosphere of the table turned a bit awkward .
The women couldn't immediately continue their conversation . So they concentrated in their breakfast . Eventually , Enilese noticed that Erika was still staring at Riley's direction but she too retracted her gaze after a moment .
It seemed , after the attack on Erika , things were not on good terms between them .
Almost everyone held Riley accountable for the attack ; According to them , Riley could have comprehend the situation better and thus could prevent the attack .
Erika had tried to discard their accusing opinion by repeatedly admitting that she was the one who suggested the idea of going separately . But no matter what , that attack had stained Riley's excellent reputation . Although he has a dire personality his capabilities have always been a matter of talk . All this while , he had perfectly taken care of every single mission that was assigned to him ; In a way that nobody could ever question his credibility . And this incident had marked his failure , for the first time . So definitely , his pride was affected and it was distinct in his demeanor which got more aloof and distant .
But Enilese was thinking about something else . She couldn't discard the seeds of suspicion against Riley , from her mind ; At least , not after his threatening words , that day .
She was engrossed in her thoughts when the painting from the passage suddenly flashed in her head and as the following reaction the uncanny odd feeling of hers , triggered again .
Because of the sudden rush of emotions, the fork , she was holding , loosened from her grip and it fell with 'clink' sound , attracting the attention of the other two .
It was now Erika's turn to notice the tensed expression of Enilese . She also noticed how later's complexion suddenly turned pale .
She frowned and asked .
" Enilese , are you okay ? "
Enilese took a small breath and nodded her head slightly .
" You look pale . Are you sure everything's alright ? "
Enilese remained silent . Erika could sense that something was not right with her . So she asked again .
" Is there something that is bothering you ? You can tell me . "
Enilese contemplated for a while . She couldn't decide whether to tell her or not .
Enilese hesitated as she turned towards Riley who was already staring at her , while occasionally taking small sips of coffee . He had an unreadable expression on his face .
For some reason , she decided to open up to Erika ( probably to Riley too ).
She sighed and started .
"For the last few days I have been feeling very weird ; An odd feeling , in my heart , keeps saying that something bad is going to happen. "
Erika frowned a little . Enilese continued .
" It may sound weird but whenever I've felt like this before , my gut feeling was always proven right . And today ...."
She stopped for a moment as she shot a short glance over Erika as well as Riley . He looked indifferent as ever but his sharp eyes were fixed on her .
" Today I am feeling more anxious than ever . And when I was passing the corridor, one of the paintings on the wall , for some reason , triggered my senses . It is the painting of the overbridge that I'm talking about . As I took a better look at it , I felt , as if , the odd feeling , in my heart , was getting stronger and more distinct . I don't know what's going to happen . Moreover today itself , most of our members are out on some serious missions . I'm really worried . "
She sighed as she stopped talking .
After a moment of silence when Riley was about to get up , Erika suddenly said , " You said , the painting triggered your senses , right !? But it's just a painting of a bridge ! What can it possibly suggest ..... "
Her words were cut by the arrival of another member .
The person turned to Riley and said .
" Riley !" , Riley turned to him as he continued , " Joseph is calling for you . And ..... it's very urgent . "
Riley got up immediately . He picked up his jacket and left in hurried steps .
The other person was about to go after him but Erika stopped him . She said .
" Hey , what's going on ? What's this about ?"
Enilese's anticipation grew as she waited for his reply .
" Do you know the overbridge Skylark at West Anatera !! " , He said keeping his tone as calm as possible , " It's falling down !"