At the same time, in another place, the room that was usually neatly and beautifully arranged, was now in disarray. The cupboard where the books were usually arranged fell apart along with the books. The table and chairs were scattered. Only one chair was still standing in its place. That chair had been occupied by Mayes. Mayes sat silently. His eyes were staring into the distance. Suddenly the door opened. Gustav entered the room in a hurry.
"Mayes." He called softly. Mayes turned and looked at him closely.
"Have you found Her?" he asked coldly. Gustav shook his head.
"N-not yet." he answered stuttering. Mayes looked very disappointed. His light brown eyes widened in anger. "But... but we know where she has been living all this time. Maybe... maybe she is there." he replied again. "She is at one of her friends' houses, the Nicolau family. You know them, right? The traitorous family."
"Then what are we doing here? Let's go." Mayes got up from his seat and walked out of the room then teleported to the intended place followed by Gustav.
As fast as lightning, they both arrived at Sabrina's house. Inside the house, there were already several Darkens on guard. In the middle of the room were Sabrina's parents and Sabrina's older brother, Jim, kneeling. They saw Mayes coming and looked at him with a little fear. They were surrounded by Darkens. Mayes approached them and crouched down. Now his body was level with Mr. Nicolau.
"I didn't expect to meet the Nicolau family again. I thought I had killed you decades ago. It turns out you live safely and comfortably here." Mayes laughed. "Indeed. Your family should have stayed hidden like rats. A family of traitors."
"Our family is not a family of traitors! My great-grandfather chose a people who were much better than your rotten people!" said Mr. Nicolau loudly.
Mayes laughed and immediately slapped Mr. Nicolau's face. Mrs. Nicolau who was beside him screamed a little. Mr. Nicolau's face which was covered in blood felt hot from the slap. His mouth was injured and there was a small tear on his head from the fight with Darken. His body felt weak. The situation was not much different with Mrs. Nicolau. Her lips were also sore and her body ached. But they tried not to show all that in front of Mayes.
"Better people?? The right words are cowards and self-righteous. But it won't be long. It will all end tonight." Mayes stood up. "Darius? Where is he?" he asked one of the witches standing in the room.
"We have handled him and are bringing him here." the witch replied then lowered her head again. Mayes enchanted the kitchen chair to come closer. He sat on the kitchen chair while looking at the Nicolau family carefully.
"Where is that person? The one who opened this protection? Lestrel?"
"I will bring him soon." Lestrel replied and immediately walked out of the house.
"Why don't you just kill me?" Mr. Nicolau offered and received a loud protest from Mrs. Nicolau.
"It's too easy to just kill you. There's no fun in it." Jaschi replied laughing greeted by the other witches' boisterous cheers.
"Shut up!!"
Mayes seemed very disturbed by the laughter from his followers. They all fell silent and their heads were bowed. Mayes calmed down again. His mind was full of worries. He was very worried if he failed to kill or bring the chosen one. He must not delay to awaken Darkness from his long sleep.
Not long after, Lestrel came back with another man with a thin face, a thin body and a limp. The man limped towards Mayes.
"My lord..." he replied happily to meet Mayes. He lowered his head and did not dare to look at Mayes directly. His long gray and white hair covered his face.
"Ahhh you've arrived." Mayes replied as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on. Mayes approached the man and patted his humped shoulder lightly. "Good... very good..."
"My lord. I am happy to serve you, my lord." He replied while looking at Mayes closely and smiling proudly.
"Mr. Barlock??" Mr. Nicolau replied in surprise. The man named Barlock looked at Mr. Nicolau and smiled.
"Good evening, Mr. Nicolau." He replied mockingly.
"Ahh, you already know each other. Good then." Mayes returned to his original seat. "Now, where is the girl?" Mayes looked at each of the people kneeling in front of him.
"Tell quickly!" Jaschi snapped. Jaschi swung his hand almost hitting Mr. Nicolau. The family stared back at Mayes coldly.
"We don't know where she is."
Another blow landed on Mr. Nicolau's face. Mr. Nicolau closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, then opened his eyes, staring coldly at Mayes.
"Even if we knew, we wouldn't tell you."
Gustav slapped Mr. Nicolau's face again, several times this time. Jim, who witnessed it, stood up defiantly. Jaschi swiftly stretched out his arms, ready to fight. Mrs. Nicolau pulled Jim's hand so that Jim sat down. Still feeling angry, Jim knelt down again.
"A very brave boy." Mayes smiled faintly. Then he recited a spell. "Diparcantian."
Jim's body was thrown and hit the kitchen cupboard containing plates and glasses. Everything shattered. Jim tried to get up but his strength was already drained and he was in great pain.
"Please... don't hurt my son, hurt me. He's just a child." Mrs. Nicolau pleaded with Mayes.
"You must be joking. He's not a child anymore. He can fight, that means he's a man. Right?" his followers answered Mayes' question noisily. Mayes raised his hand signaling them to be quiet.
"Then tell me, where is she?" Mayes asked again.
This time no one answered. Mayes took a deep breath and prepared to cast another spell. But before he could cast the spell, the door of the house opened again. One of Mayes' followers entered, bringing Darius with him and pushing him into the middle of the people who were still kneeling in front of Mayes. Darius quickly balanced his body so as not to fall. Darius stood up straight again after almost falling.
"Darius... it's so nice to see you again. Your condition is really... sad right now. Have you lost your magic? It seems like you've made the same mistake as before." Mayes laughed. Darius stared at Mayes coldly.
"Kneel." Gustav replied.
"I won't kneel in front of him." He said while still looking at Mayes coldly.
"What did you say?!" Gustav was angry and almost cast a spell on Darius. Mayes laughed loudly, making Gustav stop in his tracks. Mayes' laughter suddenly stopped.
"He said kneel." Mayes cast a spell on Darius' legs. Darius fell and was now kneeling in front of Mayes. "That's good." Mayes smiled slyly. "And now…" he continued. "Where is the girl?" he asked for the umpteenth time. "I'm starting to hate this question."
"It seems to be with their daughter." A voice answered. It was not Darius or the Nicolau family but Barlock. All eyes turned to Barlock. Darius was shocked by what he saw.
"Sir Barlock??" Darius could not believe what he saw.
"Good evening, Mr. Ardelean, sir." Barlock smiled with his disgusting smile. His teeth were yellow and uneven. Some were even black and his teeth looked like fangs. Darius was silent. His eyes were unfocused. He seemed to be thinking about something.
"Was it Mr. Barlock who helped to open the protection of this city?" Darius asked. Darius looked at Barlock with hope that it was not Mr. Barlock who helped the Darken. Barlock was his trusted messenger. Baggolf had been by Darius' side for a long time and helped him. Barlock had also proven his loyalty several times.
"Exactly. Very ironic, right? Never believe what you see and the people around you Ardelean." Mayes laughed. The Darkens in the room laughed too.
"What do you mean by their daughter?" Mayes asked Barlock.
"Mr. Barlock, please. With all our closeness so far. I respect you very much. Please..." Darius pleaded with Barlock.
"I am also very happy with our closeness, Mr. Ardelean. But my loyalty is far more important than all that." Barlock said with a mocking chuckle. "The Nicolau family has three children. One has died in an accident—"
"No! She's not dead yet… Lisa isn't dead!" shouted Mrs. Nicolau cutting off Barlock's words. Mrs. Nicolau would be very sensitive when it came to Lisa.
"There's someone who hasn't accepted it yet." Jaschi said mockingly. All the Darkena chuckled. Mrs. Nicolau looked at Jaschi sharply. "Ohh don't look at me like that. Your eyeballs will fall out, madam." Jaschi laughed. Mrs. Nicolau was about to stand up but Mr. Nicolau stopped her and shook his head.
"Yes, that's it." Barlock continued. "They also have a son. Jimmy Nicolau." Barlock pointed at Jim. "They also have another daughter named Sabrina Nicolau. She was the one with that girl."
Mayes nodded in understanding. "So she's the one hiding with the girl. What does she look like?"
"Mirrorier." Baggolf swung his hand around while reciting a spell and a pool of clean white water appeared that resembled glass. "Sabrina Nicolau." Barlock said Sabrina's name. The pool of water that resembled glass began to become cloudy and turned black. Then it turned into a young woman.
"She's the one named Sabrina, my lord." Barlock replied showing Sabrina's figure to Mayes. The mirror showed Barlock's memory of Sabrina's face and formed the glass into Sabrina's face.
"Then that girl?" Mayes asked again.
When Barlock was about to say Keyra's name, Darius stood up and attacked Mayes. Mayes was thrown back but was still able to balance himself so he didn't fall. Mr. and Mrs. Nicolau also started attacking the Darken. Barlock stepped aside. Maybe he was a traitor but he didn't like war. He had asked Mayes not to get involved in the war that was about to happen. He would only help open the shelter but would not join the war and Mayes agreed.
There was a magic fight in the room. People were thrown here and there. Jim helped. He attacked Gustav, who had slapped his father. But Gustav, who was experienced and also a Greatest, quickly dodged and turned to attack. Jim was about to be hit by Gustav's spell. Jim managed to dodge. Jim was a great young Elder. He was famous for his sensitivity to something. Mrs. Nicolau realized that Gustav attacked her son, and attacked Gustav back. Gustav was thrown. A Darken who saw it attacked Mrs. Nicolau back. Mrs. Nicolau was thrown but not far. She managed to withstand the attack.
"Electrico!!"
Jim attacked the man with a spell. The man writhed from the electric shock created by Jim and did not move anymore. Jaschi who saw it lifted Jim's body.
"You--"
Jaschi looked angry. Mrs. Nicolau wanted to help her son again but her steps stopped because she was also attacked by another Darken. Jim struggled hard trying to free himself. But the more he struggled the tighter Jaschi gripped him. Jim began to weaken.
"Dipercantian!"
Mr. Nicolau cast a spell. Jaschi was thrown to the side and hit the wall. Mr. Nicolau was thrown too after helping Jim. The man named Heym threw him. Heym came to Mr. Nicolau who was still on the floor then lifted him and strangled him. Mr. Nicolau kicked and punched but none of them hit Heym who was big. His head almost touched the ceiling of Jim's house. Jim kicked Heym. But Heym only felt it a little then turned his head, grabbed Jim's arm and strangled him too. Heym strangled Mr. Nicolau and Jim at the same time. Both of them struggled. Mayes who was just standing still in his place started to move. He threw and cast a spell on him. Mrs. Nicolau didn't move anymore. He moved forward slowly.
"No Mayes!! Not them. Fight me."
Darius stopped Mayes's steps. Mayes smiled and raised his hands. Mayes and Darius raised their hands and cast a spell. A flash came out of each of their hands. They both refused to give in. Jim and his father were still trying to free themselves from Heym. They stared at each other. Jim seemed to understand the meaning of his father's gaze and so did his father. They had the same idea to get away from Heym. They held Heym's hands together and read a spell.
"Electrico!!!"
Heym walked backwards. His body shook as if he was electrocuted then fell and became unconscious. Heym's big body fell on Gustav who was trying to stand up. Gustav also fainted under Heym's body. Mr. Nicolau helped Darius fight Mayes.
"Jim, look at your mother!!" Mr. Nicolau pointed at his wife who was still lying on the floor. Jim ran towards his mother who was lying down.
"Mom... Wake up." Jim shook his mother's body but she was still not moving. Jim put his ear close to his mother's nose. He didn't feel her breath. Jim realized his mother was not breathing.
***