"Sorry for being late, ladies and gentlemen."
Without hesitation, the men in neat suits entered a spacious and luxurious room that was only illuminated by a fireplace in the corner.
"You're late again, Lord 3"
In a circular room of 9 chairs in front of a large table where not all of them were present. All of them sat according to the numbers already provided, and only number 2, number 4, and number 7 were not in place. Uniquely, from one part of their body there is also a small tattoo of the Ionians / Greek Numeral symbol. Each of them also wore a number mask as if to cover their identities, except for the member sitting in the first seat.
"Sorry, I have to accompany the boss because there have been important meetings these few days."
In the dark of the room, his ruby red eyes were quite intimidating to people around. The same person who yesterday had attended a meeting of ASEAN country representatives and became the supervisor of the room. He introduced himself as Lord 3 and had frightened the representatives of the country. He was the only one who didn't wear a mask like the others, and casually sat down in the position of seat number three.
"First, I want to criticize Lord 5 for failing in his duties."
Of course, the guest occupying seat number 5 also got emotional until he kicked the table.
"What!? You thought entering Grimoir City would be easy? After all, we discussed this yesterday. Why are you still bringing this up?"
"You have one job, sir... one job!", said Lord 3. "Second! AMER has signed cooperation with several Southeast Asian countries."
He continued to explain and stunned everyone. They finally heard the news they had been waiting for years.
"That means it's a green signal for us," muttered number 9.
"That's right, now we will seriously spread out and perform as planned."
A mysterious aura of black smoke suddenly filled the room. A pool of energy came out of one of the people who was none other than him sitting in seat number 1. Compared to others, the mask he wears is different because it has a barong or lion's head motif.
"What's the matter, Lord 1? It seems that you are so interested in hearing this news?"
He turned into a black mist and got out of his chair, more precisely he flew and stood in the middle of the table.
"Let me stop by Grimoir city for a while."
His words shocked the other guests. They didn't seem happy with that. From his voice, it seems that he is the youngest member among them.
"You can't be arbitrary even if your position is Lord 1 in the members!", snapped number 6.
Without hesitation, the owner of the dark power spread his energy until it filled the room, trying to intimidate other members. His barong mask hair even fluttered in all directions due to the effect of his own energy. This behavior seemed to ask the guests to shut up and agree.
"Don't compare me to people like you..."
"What did you say?!"
"Relax, gentlemen... we don't need to argue for something unimportant", Lord 3 cut to calm the atmosphere. "You! if you really want to visit Grimoir go ahead, as long as you can enter that city."
"Heh~ don't think about it so much."
No one could see the smirk behind that barong mask. His intention to visit Grimoir, no one knows anyway. Whatever it seems specific, after all, the place is quite special for these 9 people.
"Finally, we will meet again... Airi..."
* * *
The warm and cold of the air conditioner is still difficult to tolerate the temperature tonight. Rainstorms accompanied by lightning, something that has become common in highland cities. The room still feels very cold even though the temperature of the air conditioner has been raised. The atmosphere of a luxurious room that should make you feel comfortable seems to be slowly fading.
It was already 2 in the morning, but the girl still didn't sleep. She was dealing with some documents on her laptop.
"Miss Ai! Why are you still awake?!" Clara snapped as she entered the room.
"Hei, you didn't knock on the door again!"
At the door of this apartment, the girl who is her maid and friend since childhood continues to pace back and forth. The goal is still the same, which is to check whether the master is asleep or not.
"The matter of the organization has not been completed, nor the documents for the competition for tomorrow", Aidera replied casually.
"But please think about your health..."
This is the picture of life in the world of lectures if you have received the title as an exemplary student as well as a member of the faculty council. So many affairs, even simple matters such as sleep, are even underestimated. Moreover, Aidera's character is also too perfectionist.
"You don't seem to give up after getting one of your laptops damaged by overworking."
"Relax, that thing have been taken to the repair hehehe"
"Yes!, and the place of repair is in an obscure copy shop in the middle of nowhere."
"Well, after all laptop service places are the same everywhere."
"Hmh!"
"Ok ok, I'm going to sleep after this," muttered Aidera.
"Alright, I'll also go back to my room."
They do live close together, more clearly they live opposite each other in the same apartment, namely Casa De Moderna in the West Grimoir, downtown area. To be honest, Aidera herself asked Clara to accompany her, but instead of one room, she still directed her to have her own room.
In terms of costs, everything was borne by her superiors, so Clara wasn't too worried. Although in the first few months he still felt reluctant.
"Eh, Clara..."
She casually patted the jumbo-sized mattress, motioning for her maid to sit down.
"Here, I want to tidy up your hair", said Aidera.
"Miss Ai, it's already 2 o'clock in the morning. If you still don't sleep..."
"Never mind, come here!"
Her heart was still heavy, but what could she do if her own master had forced her. Clara finally sat down because she was led to the bed.
"Do you remember the guy from yesterday?"
"Which one? The one whose wallet was just returned?"
Aidera nodded, then looked up at the ceiling trying to remember something.
"Clay, we've been together for a long time, haven't we?"
"Yes, I still remember the first time I was assigned to be a servant of the Chana family. When we first met, we were only 6 years old."
"Hmm..."
"What's the matter?"
Her hands were always combing and stroking Clara's hair. This sapphire blue-eyed girl is still trying to remember everything she can remember.
"Sounds strange but… whether true or false I don't know. I feel like I've met him in the past."
"What do you mean?" asked Clara.
The more she tried to remember, somehow her mind became more stuck. It felt like a dream, but Aidera wasn't stupid enough to think it was just a coincidence. Several times she thought about Zeyn, several times her head hurt, and pictures of the past appeared. Her mind also did not deny that the figure of the little red-eyed that had appeared in his mind, could have been the same young man she had met yesterday.
After all, how many humans out there have red pupils like that?
"Sometimes I feel like I'm getting a flashback. A burning mansion, people dying, and a strange cop."
"Flashback? Strange cop?"
Clara tried to catch the meaning of her master's words. In fact, she thought Aidera was delirious.
"Eh! If it's true that it is a picture of the past, especially when I was a child... You should be there too, right?"
"Umm... should be. Maybe?"
"Well, go find me more information about this person!"
"I don't understand, what is it for?"
"He could have known what happened that night. Maybe he knows why the mansion is on fire?", said Aidera confidently. "Could it be that he knows something that I do not know?"
An illogical-sounding excuse that could come out of the mouth of someone she used to admire. The more she listened, Clara became dizzy herself.
"Enough! This is the result if you rarely rest."
"Eh?"
Without hesitation Clara finally moved up, gently brushed Aidera's hand and intended to return to her own room to go back to sleep.
"No more delirious and hallucinating more than this. Your work can be affected later. We better sleep now."
"But..."
"Good night," Clara chose to leave the room independently.
"Well, she left instead. Huh!" Aidera puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
Who else should she tell if her best friend even thinks she is hallucinating? Again, she didn't want to think that the incident happened by chance. After all, it was not only once that she got a picture of the past. Her head was also dizzy every time that flashback appeared.
"If you ever need to go somewhere, I'll be happy to take you... even to the ends of the earth."
Aidera still vividly remembers Zeyn's exact words whispered near her ear at that time.
"Huft, what does that mean actually~"
* * * *