A crack in the wall led to the abandoned house, its interior covered with dust and dirt but that was nothing in comparison to the smell that came from old and wet wooden walls. Like a vein, it combined with dust and flew around and touched Lucia's face.
"Why me?!"
She panicked and her face twisted in disgust as she began to take down the dust that had just fallen on her with her hand.
Watching her Osmian chuckled wickedly.
"That's what you get for wanting to rush out so soon."
Lucia glared at him, but Osmian stayed unmoved, but looking down Hildebrant noticed both of them trembling slightly as if holding back their sadness and pain.
Or anger.
Came to his mind out of nowhere pushing his eyes to the side where David was walking in front of them all. His face showed no fear or anxiety, just a composed smile that hid the same amount of pain and loss as the other two.
Hildebrant knew that smile well, he wore it much longer than the three of them combined.
It was his dress, his muse.
"When we walk out, we will separate and try to find a way to the great hall of Lightbringers separately. It will be much safer than doing it together and also less suspicious."
Said David his voice sending tingles down his spine.
"Where do we meet later?"
Osmian crossed his hands and stopped when they reached the main doors of the house. They looked ordinary and old without any visible change in design from the Great Hall of exorcist other than a weird-looking symbol in its center that looked like a circle with a straight line passing through its center.
"When Darius was still in power there was a square he built for people to gather and after his fall it became the center of the great hall of blood demons so we should meet there before his sculpture."
Both of his companions nodded and then David turned to Hildebrant.
"Prepared?"
Hildebrant stared at him without answering and after scratching his cheek David opened the door letting the sound of people shifting among each other reach his ears.
"It's really crowded."
Said Lucia, and was the first one to say goodbye before disappearing into the crowd, Osmian was second and the last one was David who before turning and leaving put his hand on David's shoulder and said to him with a serious and begging voice.
"Please be careful."
After saying it he left leaving David to observe the ever-shifting street full of people.
His eyes took everything in until he moved too and entered the crowd.
People around him didn't care about his clothes or face devoted to any life. Some glanced at him, some ignored him but even those who gave him a glance in the end turned around and left. Hildebrant was happy they did because he had no mood to entertain an unknown person.
Time passed and the sun above fell behind the horizon when Hildebrant reached the square David talked about. It was gigantic built from white marble and engraved into the foundation of the sanctuary to the point it looked like part of it.
There was grass growing on the side, small monster birds flying, insects chipping, and people talking on benches that were put around the big status of a man he was familiar with.
Darius Main stood at the center holding the white sceptre in one of his hands and the white marble orb in another. His body was dressed in full body armor without helmed cowering his face but with a crown sitting atop his head and a long cape dragging down behind his feet.
He looked like a dignified king, a divine being but Hildebrant knew he was just another human, an ascender who fell to the horrors of the white shore after a while of his glory.
Observing it for a while he then sat down on one of the benches, its intricate surface making him trace his hand on the cold steel it was made of before continuing to stare at the ground and waiting.
Night was young and his body that didn't move looked like that of a ghost. His black hair with silver ends that grew without him noticing didn't help either as they began to fall off his shoulders and down.
Time became meaningless and he alone had no idea how much time passed when a shadow passed around him and then someone sat next to him.
When he turned his gaze to the person, he saw a gorgeous young girl with long black hair and black eyes staring at him with a wild smile that exposed rows of her sharp teeth. She wore a red tight body suit exposing her great figure but also her tight muscles but none of them gathered his attention more than the torn cape that was draped around her shoulder.
It was completely crimson, releasing a smell of decay and blood, and without looking a second time he already knew it was the cape of Darius Main.
The artifact known as the Jewel of Walldrifters.