[Time: 21:18]
The man with a rugged face and scars all over his cheeks took a long sip of his drink as he sat back on the plush couch of his luxurious penthouse.
Suddenly, the tablet on the table in front of him lit up with a video call. He picked it up and answered, revealing the face of a young woman on the other end.
"Sir, I think you should take a look at this," she said urgently, and a video started playing on the tablet.
The video showed a man covered in a white sheet, crouched over a man in guard's clothing on the ground floor of a building, his hands glowing as he sucked the energy out of the guard of that building.
"And the same here too," the woman added, playing another video that showed a different victim but the same attacker.
The man furrowed his brow in concern as he watched the disturbing footage.
"Is that a new kind of dark mantle?" the woman asked.
"It doesn't seem to be the physique of a dark mantle," the man replied in a hoarse voice.
"There is a probability, but we cannot be sure."
The man sat in silence for a moment, his eyes fixed on the screen of the tab as the videos played one after the other.
His rugged face was etched with lines of worry and contemplation, and the scars on his cheekbones only added to the air of danger that surrounded him.
"What else have you got?" he asked, his voice low and gravelly.
"Sir, this incident is of a local mortuary near the city of Valtoria, no government official except the Ankarath organisation is aware of this," the woman on the other side of the call responded, her voice laced with urgency.
"And there was one survivor in this incident",
The man listened intently as she continued with her report, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"State your thoughts," he said, as she finished her explanation.
"Sir, I know this sounds weird but I think that thing didn't kill that nurse because she was beautiful, while every other person there was average," the woman said hesitantly.
"We'll find that out later, right now it's important to know whether this thing is like us or is it just like other dark mantles or a night lord. Do not hand this case to weavers, assign this case to Angel," the man said with a sense of finality.
"Find out if it can be an asset or not, no need to be in contact with it", As the call disconnected, the man stood up and walked over to the music player.
He pressed a button, and a haunting melody filled the room, adding to the heavy unease in the air.
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[POV: River Hart]
I let out a deep sigh as I stared at the stack of movies displayed on the TV. My eyes had been glued to the screen for hours, but it seemed like there was no end to my movie marathon.
"Do you have more?" I asked the room service woman on the phone, my voice laced with exhaustion.
"You've finished all of them, sir," she replied. "What genre would you like to watch next?"
I rubbed my temples. "Anything, as long as it's not supernatural."
"Okay, sir. Our staff will deliver the disks shortly."
I hung up the phone and leaned back on the couch, feeling like a fish out of water. I may have the body of a 50-year-old, but I had the knowledge of a newborn baby when it came to this world, except for a few things that I knew of.
My eyes then darted to the music player in the corner of the penthouse. I had been eyeing it for hours, wondering how it worked. It seemed like the perfect time to figure it out.
"How the hell do I turn this thing on?" I muttered to myself.
As I fiddled with the remote, trying to turn on the music player, I couldn't help but feel like a complete idiot. The buttons seemed to make no sense, and I was just randomly pressing them, hoping for some music to come out.
"This is worse than being a toddler," I mumbled to myself.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. The room service woman had returned with a new batch of movies. I grabbed the disks from her and thanked her before shutting the door.
But as I turned back to the music player, I knew I needed help.
"Wait, could you….show me how these things work?" I asked her meekly as I pointed at the music and movie players.
The room service woman looked at me incredulously before breaking out into a short laugh which she tried to hide at her best.
"Sir, you've been living in a bubble. I can't believe you don't know how to work these things!", she commented.
'Don't take me for an old man!', I really have the urge to shout those words.
I just smiled in response, realizing that I must have looked like a complete technophobe.
As I gestured for her to enter the room, I couldn't help but notice her beauty, making me feel a bit more at ease.
"Fortunately for me, you're here to save the day," I said, trying to sound charming but that didn't sound the way I wanted. It was more like a father asking for his daughter's help.
"I certainly am, sir", she replied.
She proceeded to show me how to operate the smart TV, explaining that I could even stream movies online without the need for a separate player.
For the next fifteen minutes, she patiently walked me through the different features of the TV, and I listened intently, hoping to absorb as much information as possible. By the end of it, I got the gist of it.
"Hey, one more thing", I said as she was about to leave.
"Yes sir", she replied as she turned around.
"I would love to have my meal in my room, will you be able to arrange that?"
The room service woman raised her eyebrows at my request but kept a professional smile on her face.
"Of course, sir. Our staff will bring your meals directly to your room," she replied, trying to hide her amusement.
"Perfect," I said with a nod.