"I told you man, I don't know who you're talking about!" Lua heard a middle-aged man yell. Turning a corner to enter a street beside the bakery, he spotted two figures shrouded in darkness.
Lua had slightly above average sight, which allowed him to recognize one of the figures as the baker. He had a balding head and white shirt. It was almost impossible to miss him, even in the darkness.
The other figure was obscure - a dark cloak covered his body, making it impossible to see his face from Lua's point of view.
One of the few important details Lua noticed were that the baker was currently on the ground, looking up to the cloaked man. It gave Lua the impression that he was being bullied by the cloaked man.
Tch.. I'd be screwed if I went to help the baker. Lua knew his limits, and hesitated to push forward. Frankly, he enjoyed his life and didn't want it to end today.
Suddenly, a hoarse and cold voice spoke out from the cloaked man. "It's impossible to miss him in this tiny town. He has very obvious features. How can you not know who he is?"
The cloaked man grabbed the baker by his collar. "Do you want to die?"
The baker, clearly panicking, finally caved in. "A-ah.. I just remembered.. He lives at the house by the end of the road.."
The cloaked man dropped the baker on his arse. "Thank you for your cooperation."
The man turned around, revealing his dark eyes. He was still shrouded by the cloak, but it was impossible to ignore his chiseled face that felt like it was made by artists. He had clearly defined muscles that were barely contained by the black suit he was wearing. His suit was very unfamiliar to Lua - it looked like battle armour, yet was not made out of metal at the same time. It clung tightly to his skin.
Is this what the folks in the military wear these days? Lua couldn't help but wonder.
Seeing the cloaked man approach the end of the street, Lua quickly turned around to avoid him. He entered the bakery, and waited for the cloaked man to leave. While passing by the bakery, the cloaked man suddenly stopped in his tracks. He looked through the window and saw Lua, who was pretend reading a newspaper, trying his hardest to ignore the harsh gaze of the man.
Suddenly, the doors opened to the bakery and the man entered. Lua couldn't help but begin to sweat.
Wait.. My house is by the end of the road.. My blond hair and eyes could be considered obvious.. Realizing that the man was looking for him, Lua couldn't contain his panic!
He dropped the newspaper and immediately backed away, looking for possible exits in the meanwhile, but the only one was covered by the cloaked man.
The baker must have locked his back door.. I will only be cornered if I go there.
Realising he was out of options, he made a dash for the door while ducking underneath the cloaked man's arms.
He failed to escape. The cloaked man firmly grasped Lua by his neck, pulling him back into his seat. "Sit." He commanded.
Recognising he was out of options, Lua sat down obediently. Finally, Lua was able to see the features of the cloaked man more clearly. His cloak had an intricate design that resembled tentacles swirming around, uniting at his forehead - forming a vertical eye!
Does this man have a connection to the Lord of Secrets? Lua calmed down slightly after recognizing the symbol.
"Lua Moonsilver, I presume?" The cloaked man clarified that he was, indeed, looking for Lua.
Lua initially wanted to shake his head and say, 'Nope! Never heard of him. Have a good day!' but after just a little bit more thought, he decided this was a bad idea. He didn't want to anger the man pointlessly.
He nodded hopelessly. "Yes.. who are you?"
The man began to make a sign on his chest, he moved his fingers in a way that eventually created a vertical eye.
"You may call me Vision. I am a devout follower of the King of the Hidden, the forgotten yet mighty Lord of Secrets."
Lua looked around, fearing their conversation may be leaked by unwanted ears. "Is it alright if we speak here?"
Vision pointed at Lua's left hand. "The Lord's sign will protect us from any individual trying to hear us without our permission."
I see.. It works passively even when I don't actively try to use it? That's good.. Lua understood the mark better.
Vision spoke again, his hoarse voice resounding through Lua's ears. "The head of our organisation received a revelation from the Lord to seek out a boy with golden hair and eyes, named Lua Moonsilver. As a Wanderer, I was tasked with finding you. I was only given a general region, so it took me this long to find you.. May the Lord forgive me."
Vision drew a vertical eye on his chest once more. Lua was slightly worried that the Lord of Secrets had personally sent out someone to find him. "Why am I needed?"
Vision shook his head. "That is only known to the Lord. I am only tasked with finding you and bringing you back."
Lua gulped. This turn of events was too sudden - he had too much he wanted to do before eventually moving out. Being separated from his parents was a slightly terrifying prospect for a boy at his age.
"How long will we be gone for?" Lua hoped the answer would be a few days at most, or a month.
"A year or two at least. It depends on what the Lord intends for you. You may very well never return here." Vision spoke cold truth, one that hurt Lua down to his heart.
Lua was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He wanted to learn more from the Lord of Secrets, but he didn't want to be separated from his parents just yet. He was only fifteen after all.
"Can I at least have a bit of time to say goodbye to my parents?" Lua sighed, sad to depart from his parents this early. It appeared he didn't have much of a say in this matter.
Vision furrowed his brows. "We're already late enough.. Fine. Meet me back here tomorrow at noon."
Lua relaxed slightly, but was saddened by their still early departure. Now he needed a way to figure out how to explain this to his parents..
An hour later, Lua returned home with a bag of flour. He was forced to go to a different bakery considering the bakery he was at prior was shaken up by Vision. His mother looked up from her book, looking at Lua with a slightly worried expression.
"You're late. Did something happen?"