The street lay cloaked in darkness as if the abyss itself had enveloped it entirely, devoid of any hint of light. It remained concealed within the shadows, unnoticed by passersby unless they actively sought it out. And even then, most of those who are sane wouldn't want to walk down it because, well, it felt creepy.
It was so narrow that only two people could walk next to each other, and there was no way a big fancy car like the one Bruce just got out from could fit.
Bruce stepped out of his car, with Leo right behind him, keeping a vigilant watch for any potential threats to his young master.
His gaze swept across the surroundings until it settled on the two-story building looming at the end of the eerie street, barely visible in the dim light cast by the flickering street lamp beside it.
"I don't like this place," Leo said, feeling uneasy.
Bruce ignored Leo's discomfort and started walking towards the building, but he couldn't resist teasing him.
"Scared, are you? Afraid a ghost might come out and get you?" Bruce taunted.
"Master, don't even joke about those things," Leo replied quickly, trying to sound brave, but his nervous actions betrayed him.
He kept glancing around in all directions, half expecting something to jump out of the darkness.
"I don't believe in ghosts," he insisted.
"Well, you should. They're real," Bruce said confidently.
"Don't tease me, master," Leo replied nervously.
"There's a place called Pelthor Village near the Lazon forest in the Novar continent. The entire village is inhabited by ghosts," Bruce explained.
"Ha! Now you're definitely making things up. You hardly ever leave the Sterling Manor, let alone travel to the Novar continent. Even an Ascendant Level awakened struggle to cross the Blood Sea," Leo countered.
Bruce didn't respond, but he knew the truth. Just thinking about the village and his past experiences filled him with dread.
"Don't worry. I'll take you there someday," Bruce said aloud to Leo, then muttered to himself, "Got some payback to give to those damn specters."
"Oh, I'll most definitely come with you, master. I'm also curious to see those 'ghosts' you mentioned," Leo promised with a smug-looking face, thinking Bruce was just pulling his leg. Little did he know, he would regret those words in the future.
With that conversation over, they arrived in front of the two-story building.
The building was old and covered in cracks and moss, making it look like nobody in their right mind would live there. Well, they'd be right, since the guy Bruce was about to meet wasn't exactly sane either.
There was a board hanging on one end above the building, barely visible and ready to fall any moment. It had the words "Trend with Lenz Consultancy" written on it.
"Talk about poor naming skills," Bruce muttered to himself, shaking his head.
With a shrug, he pushed the door open without bothering to ring the bell, if there even was one, or knocking on the door. He just pushed it open, knowing it would be unlocked, and walked inside.
As Bruce stepped into the building, he found himself surprised by how normal it looked inside. Unlike the old and rundown exterior, the interior was neat and tidy.
Walking past a narrow corridor, laid a simple hall where a staircase nestled snugly in the right corner, leading upstairs.
In the center of the room was a table, its surface cluttered with a handful of worn books and scattered papers.
Yet, what caught anyone's attention upon entering the hall was the wall-mounted painting—a masterpiece of oil on canvas that stretched across two-thirds of the wall.
The painting depicted a girl standing on the shoreline, her gaze fixed on the horizon where the sun emerged, painting the sky with hues of warmth and hope.
Despite her obscured face, the gentle sway of her light blue gown in the breeze hinted at a quiet elegance. The emptiness of the surrounding landscape mirrored the solitude of her loneliness, immortalized in the strokes of the artist's brush, leaving an indelible mark on anyone who dared to meet her gaze.
"Beautiful, just as she described," Bruce muttered quietly. But his voice echoed in the nearly empty room, making it louder than he meant.
"Who described what?" Leonard asked quickly.
"What?" Bruce feigned innocence.
"You said 'she' described. Who's this 'she'?" Leonard pressed, his suspicion growing after Bruce's recent odd behavior.
"You must've misheard," Bruce insisted.
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's my hearing, Master" Leonard boasted proudly.
"Yeah, right," Bruce muttered again, smirking mockingly.
"I heard that!" Leonard exclaimed. "And what's with the smirk? Master, even though my awakened ability is different, I was born with super hearing, you know."
Bruce turned to Leonard with anger in his eyes.
"Bugger. I screamed your name this evening until my throat hurt. And you still claim to have super hearing? Don't you have any sense of shame?" Bruce snapped, leaning in closer to Leonard.
"Maybe, but this time I heard what you said loud and clear," Leonard responded.
"Shut up," Bruce interrupted.
"But—" Leonard started to protest.
"I order you to shut up," Bruce commanded.
"But aren't I supposed to be your friend according to you Master? As your friend, I deserve an answer," Leonard persisted.
"Seriously? You're going to play that card right now?" Bruce scoffed.
"Oh yes, most definitely," Leonard affirmed.
"You..." Bruce began to retort, but suddenly both he and Leonard felt as if something were gazing at them nearby. They turned their heads slowly at the same time to see a creepy-looking guy with a patch over one eye, a small goatee, and a torn top hat, smiling and watching their bickering amusingly, from uncomfortably close range.
"HOLY MOTHER OF LORD!"
"SON OF A B***H!"
Both Leonard and Bruce jumped in shock, looking like scared bunnies.
As they screamed in terror, the creepy guy reassured them in a strange slang,
"Fear not, chaps. I assure you, I ain't a specter, though I may bear a resemblance... hehe he."
His feeble attempt at a chuckle only served to enhance the eerie atmosphere.
"Who are you?" Leonard shouted angrily, realizing the person before him was just a human. Part of his anger was, of course, feeling embarrassed at his outburst, screaming like a child.
"Now, now. Isn't that my question for you a lot? After all, you chaps are standing smack dab in the middle of my house," the man retorted, suddenly muttering to himself.
"House... but is this an office? Office or house... well, both are one and the same, this is that, that is this, one and the same, hehe he
Leonard leaned towards Bruce and whispered, "Master, did we really come here to meet this crazy guy?" He asked in doubt, but not taking his eyes off the 'crazy guy'.
"Well, not exactly. But, You! Aren't you supposed to hear someone walking towards us and standing nearby, Mr. Born with super hearing sense?" Bruce mocked,
"Now shush and stand behind me unless I say otherwise."
"Ergh..." Leonard grumbled but obeyed his Master, standing behind him quietly as Bruce went towards the top hat guy.
"Well, no need to be wary about us. We're just clients," Bruce said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Clients? Hmm... But clients for what Mr.. hm.. or Master, this or that, that or this?" The man asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Just call me Bruce. We're here in need of your services. May I know your name?"
"Oh, how foolish of me!" the man exclaimed, shaking his head and removing his hat. He leaned towards Bruce, waving his arm with the hat as he introduced himself.
"I'm Tucker. Lenz Tucker," he said.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Tucker," Bruce replied, shaking his hand.
"Oh, please call me Lenz. After all, we're close mates, aren't we?" Lenz said with a laugh as he put his hat back on.
"When did that happen?" Leonard interjected but fell silent again under Bruce's warning gaze.
"Apologies for my companion's behavior," Bruce said.
"Ah, no worries, no worries. But what sort of services do you require? I typically offer insights on property acquisition or gathering general information. I reckon... Hmm... But how did you hear about me?" Lenz asked.
"Well, I learned about you from a mutual friend. But I'm not here for those information-gathering services. At least not today," Bruce said as he walked towards a painting in the hall.
"So, what can I do for you... or what can you do me for... um, confusing... confusing... ah, please don't touch that," Lenz warned as Bruce reached for the painting.
"Sorry about that. But one can't help but feel mesmerized by such a painting. Anyway, I'm not here to request 'your' services exactly," Bruce clarified.
"But I'm the sole occupant here.," Lenz replied, puzzled.
"Well, I came here to meet this woman," Bruce said, pointing at the woman in the painting.
"Oh, but that was.. merely a creation of my imagination. There's nobody here resembling that. Or anyone besides me. Or is there... there or not... yes... yes... nobody there... I'm quite certain," Lenz replied, though he seemed slightly nervous.
Suddenly, Leo also approached Bruce and whispered,
"He's telling the truth, Master. I sense no one else in this building, not even upstairs."
As a skilled awakener, sensing someone's presence wasn't particularly difficult for Leo. Yet, he couldn't fathom how he had missed the 'top hat guy' earlier. He made a mental note to gather all the information about this peculiar person once they returned.
Bruce, hearing Leo, didn't respond but continued to address Lenz.
"Well, of course, I know there's no one else here. Because the person I want to meet is standing right in front of me."
Bruce stood directly facing the nervous Lenz and continued,
"I would like to speak with you, Ms. Penz Tucker."
The moment he said that, Lenz grabbed a small knife from who knows where and lunged toward Bruce's heart. Lenz was confident he would strike the little guy, given his experience and the short distance between them.
However, after a moment, he realized that he couldn't even move his hand raised to stab Bruce, or any part of his body for that matter. He stood frozen like a statue, unable to budge.
Leo, who had used his 'telekinesis' ability to stop Lenz, moved closer to him with a menacing expression as he asked,
"Now, why would you do that?"
The roles were completely reversed, with Lenz unable to even turn his face as he shifted only his eyes towards the advancing Leo, who now appeared like a demon, sending a spine-chilling vibration throughout his body.