The room was dark, save for the flickering candles casting eerie shadows across the walls. A man sat on a throne, his face obscured by the dim light.
Suddenly, a figure dressed in black appeared before him.
"What do you think?" the man on the throne asked.
The figure replied in a low, measured tone,
"Impressive control over power. He held back, despite the mockery, and secured the child first before coming forward."
"He has a lot of secrets and commendable power behind that easygoing demeanour," the man on the throne said.
"Keep an eye on him personally," he commanded.
"As you command," the figure in black replied, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared.
The man on the throne leaned back, his thoughts swirling with possibilities.
"Maybe he can save our clan," he whispered to the empty room, his voice echoing off the walls.
--------[POV: River Hart]
I entered my room, feeling a sense of relief as I left Cedric behind in the drawing room, munching on snacks and watching TV.
My room was nothing special, just like all the other rooms in the apartment. I took a quick shower and dried my hair before walking towards the glass wardrobe where clothes of different sizes and colours were aligned.
I picked out dark blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a white shirt that I left open. I slipped on a pair of black sports boots and socks and then selected a dark black cap that matched my hair.
After tying my hair into a ponytail, I took a quick glance in the mirror and said, "Perfect."
I grabbed a scent from the wardrobe and applied it to my body before pocketing the phone assigned to me.
"Where're you going?" Cedric asked when I emerged from my room.
"To this address," I said, picking up my documents which had the address of the previous River's personal residence. I needed to get an idea of his personality first.
"Come along with me," I said.
"Wait, let me inform Olivia," he said, getting up from the couch.
"I don't really think she would be interested, and she's watching a series. You would only disturb her," I said as I opened the door of the apartment.
"Okay," he said, following me and grabbing the car keys from the centre table.
As we walked towards the lift, I pressed the button, and after a few seconds, the gates opened with a soft chime. Cedric slipped on his shoes and followed me into the lift.
"How come you have such silky hair?" Cedric asked.
I turned to face him, a small smile on my lips.
"Long story," I said, "I don't think you'd want to hear it."
"Well, I'm interested," he said.
I chuckled softly, shaking my head.
"Trust me, you don't want to know."
We rode in silence for the rest of the journey, the only sounds coming from the classical piano music playing through the speakers of the car.
As we arrived at the address, I couldn't help but comment on the luxury of the house in front of us.
"Damn, River, you were a player," I muttered under my breath. Cedric nodded in agreement.
"Told ya he wasn't just your ordinary heartbroken man."
"No man remains ordinary once his heart is broken.", I said as I turned to him with a wry smile.
We got out of the car, and I walked towards the entrance of the building, taking in the dark-themed modern architecture of eight floors, the security cameras, and the three gates for the garage.
Cedric followed close behind, and together we made our way inside.
As I pushed the heavy metal gates open, the rusted hinges screeched in protest. The garden was unkempt, with withered flowers and a floor covered in debris.
We made our way towards the wooden gate that was secured by a card-scanning lock.
"How do we open this?" I asked Cedric.
"Use your phone, place it in front of the scanner," he replied.
I pulled out my phone and held it in front of the scanner. The lock beeped, and with a series of codes, the door unlocked.
I turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing the inside of the house.
It was far worse than I could have imagined.
"No way, I didn't think it was this bad," Cedric exclaimed as he looked around.
The lavish furnishings and expensive décor were overshadowed by the darkness that permeated the atmosphere.
Every wall was covered in disturbing scribblings, paintings made of blood, and bizarre drawings that made no sense.
The only words that seemed to hold any meaning were etched below every painting:
'I'll kill you all.'
I walked through the grand entrance of the house, observing the lavish furnishings and intricate details.
As I ascended the staircase, I couldn't help but notice the scribbles and doodles covering every inch of the walls.
The only thing that seemed out of place was a picture of the owner's father hanging near the staircase.
Cedric followed close behind me, but my mind was fixated on the strange atmosphere of the house.
Despite the chaotic appearance, everything was perfectly symmetrical and organized.
"There is something really, really odd about this place," Cedric spoke up, breaking the silence.
I couldn't agree more.
"Yes, he was a psychopath, but there's something different about him. If anyone sees this, the first thing that would come to mind is the nasty way of living," I replied.
As we moved up the floors, the same scribbles covered every inch of the walls. However, as we reached the eighth floor, something felt off.
The perfection of the previous floors was absent, and it seemed almost deliberate.
"I don't think his OCD is the only thing we should be concerned about," I said, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?"Cedric asked as he looked around sceptically.
"There's something about this house, the way it's designed, that's off. It's like he's trying to create an illusion of perfection to hide something else." I tried to explain my thoughts.
But Cedric wasn't convinced.
"The guy's a psychopath, that's all there is to it.", he said in a nerdy idiotic tone, adjusting his spectacles.
However, I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was more to the story. As we moved towards the bedroom, I noticed something strange.
"The bed, it's not symmetrical," I pointed out.
Cedric shrugged.
"Maybe he just forgot?"
"You're not helping you know?", I said.
"Look at the floor. It's not even. And the wall on this side is slightly longer than the other," I said, pointing out the subtle differences.
As we looked around the room, we noticed more and more imperfections. It was as if the eighth floor was deliberately designed to look perfect, to hide the cracks underneath.
Then suddenly, I felt it. I felt it for a fraction of a second. A dark energy emanated from the side drawer of the bed. Without hesitation, I walked towards it and opened it up. Inside was a glass box and a pen drive.
As I took out the drive, the world around me went dark. I couldn't sense Cedric anymore, and I found myself standing on a dark plane domain.