Above, the moon was right at the middle of the sky, gleaming over the estate with silvery reflections. Conceded by the shade, 001 and his two agents, code-named 002 and 003, respectively, approached the secret passage. The tension in the air was thick as the three moved in silence-like dark, quiet rivers.
Stay alert," 001 whispered, his voice barely audible. "We have no idea what kind of security they may have." Suddenly, he froze, tossing a hand back toward the others behind him. "There's somebody in there," he added, his skin raking up one sharp prickle of awareness after another.
A moment later, Kael stepped out into the night, scanning around. He was convinced all was well, and he resumed his nightly patrol routine. As he rounded the corner, the shadows on the ground started to take on a different shape. Three figures emerged, fluidly moving and with purpose.
"Move in and split up. It'll be quicker that way. Remember, no witnesses," 001 instructed as they disappeared through the door.
In the training room, Alastair went through a sequence of intricate strikes with a wooden dummy. With each strike, marks in the floor were made. He was satisfied. 'I am getting better, he thought, when suddenly it was ruined, his peripheral vision catching something - a flicker of movement. "What was that?" he muttered, calling out, "Kael? Sabrine?" There was no answer.
The scent of vampire, both familiar and yet not, struck as he made his way to the door, and with a sense of curiosity, he strode to look out into the passageway. The next instant, a blade whirred in at his throat. "Done," the hooded attacker growled, already turning to go.
Instinctively, Alastair let his hand sail up to protect himself, feeling the blade slice across his skin, a gash opening, weeping crimson. "Who the hell are you?" he shouted in an urgent voice.
The figure in the cloak spun around, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, this is a twist, but sadly, I have no time for this." He assumed a fighting position with eyes shining bright with excitement.
Alastair gnashed his teeth as the roots of adrenaline coursed through his veins. "You are not going anywhere."
With a bound he sprang forward, ready to defend the mansion against this unexpected marauder. It was fight on, now-their wrestle hurling itself up and down the vacant hall, as if the very household were laughing at the unpremeditated strife that hung upon the house.
Patrolling the upper level, Kael's senses took sharp tune. There was a disturbance in the air, just beyond his line of sight. "Sabrine?" he called out softly, but there was only silence in response. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he cautiously moved toward the source.
Coming round a bend, he glimpsed movement-a dark silhouette darting into a shadowy corner. In an instant, his instincts flared; he raised his fists ready for whatever lurked in the darkness. "Show yourself!" he called out, his voice firm yet level.
From behind his back, a figure emerged, an assassin clad in black. "You should have just taken another path," the intruder snarled, tugging a sly smile across his lips.
Kael clenched his fists tighter."who sent you," he replied, taking one more step forward. In the process of doing this, another figure came from the other side and flanked him.
Two against one?" Kael muttered low, the odds suddenly not quite as attractive. He whirled ready to take on the first attacker, but the second was already there diving with a quick strike.
Barely in time, Kael moved and deflected the blow, returned with a quick kick that sent the attacker reeling back. "You'll have to do better than that!" he snarled, his actions fueled by resolve.
In the other wing, Sabrine was on her way to meet Kael when she heard the commotion. "That doesn't sound right," she said, hastening her steps-almost running at this point. Just then she saw Kael surrounded by the two
intruders; as one of the intruders made an attempt to strike Kael from behind, he was stopped by an unexpected swing kick to the side. "Sabrine? "I didn't know you had friends, Kael," asked a sarcastic Sabrine. "Careful,
Sabrine; these guys are strong," was all he replied, disregarding the meaning of her previous message. "Okay, how about we take one eachnthen?" she suggested. "Just don't kill them, we have to find out why they're here." "Sure and let's be quick about it; Alastair might need help."
With two fights unfolding in different corners of the estate, the once peaceful night had descended into chaos. Alastair grappled with his unexpected assailant, while Kael and Sabrine faced a dual threat. Each fighter was consumed by a whirlwind of questions: Who were these intruders? What was their purpose? And how had they bypassed the estate's defenses?
As Alastair parried a swift strike, he felt the sting of adrenaline heightening his senses. "Why are they here?" he thought, desperately trying to gain the upper hand.
Meanwhile, Kael deflected an attack aimed at his side, his mind racing. "Who are these people?" he wondered, glancing for any sign of Sabrine. Just then, he caught sight of her in the periphery, engaged in her own battle.
Sabrine, cornered by one of the cloaked figures, also questioned their motives. "What do they want with us?" she thought as she dodged another strike. Her instincts screamed at her to gather information, to find out why this was happening.
The estates former air of serenity now replaced with an overwhelming sense of disorder had turned the estate to a battleground where uncertainty loomed as heavily as the shadows, and the three defenders fought not only for their safety but for answers that lay just out of reach.