A tall man stood behind him, "Care to explain?" He looks at Xióng, a small weary smile tugging at his lips as he put an arm around Xióng's shoulder.
What a presence, he must be the Marquis, Xióng tries to take a step back but realises he got caught and instinctively lowered his head, "I greet the Marquis."
"No need for formalities, you're here to help, so can you explain to me what you felt?" the man asked in a firm tone.
"Sir, it's a feeling I get at certain times," Xióng recalled from experience, "whenever I pass by a cemetery, or a place where bad stuff has happened, I feel a chill in my spine."
"An instinct, are you a Spiritwalker?" the man asked.
"No sir, I major in Deceiver and Emitter, but the feeling of cold, I could always sense it since I was a child."
"Hm," the man lets go of Xióng and walks towards a door and pushes it open, "come in."
Ren and Nichole who were standing followed behind, along with Xióng.
The doors creaked open, revealing a richly furnished study with tall shelves containing tomes neatly arranged.
He takes a seat behind his table lined with books, and files. The Marquis seems to have been stressed out by the constant wave of problems washing over his Marquessate.
"I have to tell you, I don't have any leads or information on the missing children case," he looked outside the window as he took a deep breath, "and my one and only son fell sick."
"Sorry to hear that sir," Nichole said from behind, "we'd like to meet the parents of the missing children."
KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in," the man said out loud.
A man in black walked in, before stopping and bowing before the Marquis, "My lord, the students from Nexarion have accepted the second request as well."
"Are they here, Samuel?" the Marquis asked.
"They are. They also requested an audience with you, my Lord."
"Please ask them to wait, I'll have to sort this out," he gestured at the three before him.
"Yes, my Lord," he bowed before walking out.
"Did you submit another request, Sir?" Ren came forward.
"I did, honestly, I just applied for a request anywhere I thought would help me, but only Nexarion accepted both times," the smile disappeared replaced by a sense of dread.
"What seems to be the trouble here?" Nichole asked with a tint of concern.
"Some... please don't worry about it, I'll let the other team take care of it," his voice faltered as he explained the situation.
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"Pftt," Daniela fell on the floor and rolled around laughing, "all that bravado and you're scared of ghosts."
"It's a lot more than that," Finn turned around to avoid the teasing.
"So, what's the negative energy you felt?"
"I can't explain it, but it's this eerie feeling of... sadness and pain," Finn thought as he looked beside him.
"Something there?"
"No," Finn said as he noticed a maid walking towards the two.
"Are you two perhaps the ones Master Samuel asked me to take care of," the maid asked in a respectful tone.
"Yes, mam," Daniela replied, "if it's not too much trouble, could you please show us around the estate?"
"Please call me Clara."
"Alright, Clara, lead the way," she replied with a smile.
"The Laon Marquessate has had a deep history of being one of the greatest frontiers against attacks from outside," she pointed at the great stone walls standing proud over the estate.
"You mean the estate was a fortress?" Daniela asked.
"Yes," Clara politely replied, "the founder of the Laon family was just a knight who was given the border wasteland as a retirement gift, but when the invasion began, the area turned into a pivotal point of defence for the kingdom."
"Oh, I had no idea," Daniela replied.
"This is my Lord's favourite spot here at the Marquessate, the garden he had built on his late wife's memory," Clara gestured at a small and humble garden house with multiple intricate designs.
The garden was simple yet elegant, a black-gilded gazebo surrounded by climbing vines and hanging pots overflowing with vibrant flowers. It exuded a serene, almost melancholic beauty.
"It is indeed beautiful," Finn slightly touched the iron railing, his finger lingering around a bit longer.
"Is this really an eastern garden? I've never seen one," Daniela walked around exploring it. This looks a lot like the ancient Chinese gardens I've seen on TV.
"What happened to the Lord's wife?" Finn asked the maid who watched the two explore the gazebo.
"She suffered from anorexia before committing... suicide," her voice fell low to one filled with sadness.
"Suicide?" Finn paused before replying, "anorexia alone isn't the reason, is it?"
"It's a well avoided topic, not because the Lord has asked us to, but rather because it's a painful topic for him."
"That seems rather sad, is that why the Marquis is worried for his son?"
"It's not the only reason, to him, the boy is a piece of his life, if something were to happen to the young lord, I don't think the Marquis would ever recover."
"Hey," Daniela quietly whispered to Finn, "you don't think it's the Marchioness haunting the place, do you?"
"It's not a conclusion I could jump to, after all she said this place was a fortress..."
"Meaning?"
"There could have been many deaths, and not all of them could have completely let go of their regrets."
"You're telling me it could be them?"
"That's the thing, this place feels cold, but I cannot see anything, and I'm only a One-Star."
"You said qi, right?" her expression shifted, "are you sure it's not the work of an Eonborn?"
"Anything wrong?" Clara turned back to see the two murmuring.
"Nope, nothing wrong,"
"Are these my dear guests?" a deep voice entered their ears, "sorry to keep you waiting."
Finn looked straight to see a tall man in a black suit followed by a red overcoat. The man wore a weary smile, his moustache droopy just like his shoulders slumped from a long day of hardwork.
"We greet the Marquis," the two bowed down in unison.
"Please stand up," the man got closer to the two, putting his hands on their shoulders, "please rwsie your head."
"Yes, Sir," they stood back up.
"How are you, Marquis David?" Daniela asked her man.
"Huh?" the man took a quick look at her before taking a step back and bowing down, "I greet the Princess."
"Marquis, please stop, I'm no longer the princess," she complained at the humble gesture.
"But it's no—"
"No, Marquis, we have much bigger problems to attend to," her face shone with a smile.
"Ah, Yes," he stood back up, "are the two of you the only ones here?"
"Yep, professional first year Spiritwalker and second year Herbalist here for duty."
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"What are you doing?" Jack looked at Hailee who was latching onto him.
"Nothing, can't I sit with my older brother," she smirked as she made herself comfortable.
"Big brother? Is that how you see me?"
"Yes, why do you ask, you want me to be your girlfriend?"
"Not what I was implying," he pretended to cough in a coarse voice, "and thanks, you know for taking healing me back at the Victor incident."
"It's nothing, I have to protect my big brother, right?"
"Then my little sister, didn't you forget about something?"
"What?" her grip loosened, "did I forget something?"
"You wanted to meet him, right?" a faint shadow appeared beside him before revealing another Jack dressed in long crimson robes.
"Yes, I almost forgot about your sovereign," Hailee got up and walked towards Count.
"Are you going to touch me?" Count brought his face close to Hailee's.
"You seem fun," she took a glance at Jack, "unlike my big bro over there."
"I can assure you, he is pretty fun when you tease him."
"So how do you manifest, what is the price?" Hailee touched the smooth fabric floating around him.
"His mental strength, and boy, is this man weak, I can barely make a manifest and he's already out of mental energy."
"I'm still here," Jack watched the exchange in amusement.
"Pretty sure he's enjoying it," Count said to Hailee, "but this idiot holds onto too much, he might burst if this keeps up."
"Big bro, you can't be like that," Hailee got back to Jack, grabbing his cheeks, "you have me, don't you?"
Jack's eyes burrowed in as a small feeling of sadness overtook his pleasant smile, but the small smile never disappeared.
"Hm," Count hummed, "he's thinking of not opening up to you right now."
"Not, but why?"
"Hey, I'm here, at least stop reading my mind," Jack mumbled in defeat, but Count paid no attention to him, "if you want to speak more, kiss your outing goodbye."
"Oh, dear Jack, you can't threaten me like that," Count's voice fell into a deep whisper.
"And why is that?" he asked back.
"Because you can't, aren't you the nicest guy I've met?"
"There you go with that sly tongue of yours," Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, "you're always here with soothing words."
"You call him Jack?" Hailee asked Count.
"Oh, it's a little name he picked up, The Jack of all Trades," Count posed extravagantly, pointing at Jack.
"Is my big brother some secret big shot that no one in the world knows off?" Hailee pulled Jack's hand, "you have any other names like this?"
Jack looked away, exasperated, "Ahehe, I'd rather not talk about it, can I not tell you?"
"Hm," Hailee smiled, "what are you talking about bro, you can always tell me anything, and if you're uncomfortable now, you can tell me later."
"Thanks," he grumbled, but his tone lacked any real bite.
"Why are you all grumpy?" Hailee couldn't help but notice Jack wasn't talking much.
"It's because the little girl isn't here today," Count chimed in. "He's missing her, dearly."
"Oh, I didn't know you were that close," Hailee continued, "I guess you care for her."
Jack's face reddened as he looked away. He did indeed miss the girl, her infectious laugh and how she brought in a warmth he had never felt in his life before.
"He's silent, what does that mean?" Hailee asked Count.
"Nothing much, he's just deep in thought. Considering his boring life before coming here, the girl really touched his little heart," Count laughed, but his eyes softened as he looked at Jack.
"So, now that he's out, tell me more about yourself. Let's start with the introductions, I'm Hailee, what's your name?"
"Count."
"Not that, your real name," her eyes looked at him with a piercing glare.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, young lady."
"Fair enough."
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"What do you mean father?" Thomas looked at the elderly man before him, a perfect cut version of Thomas, just a bit older.
"You couldn't learn the Blood Moon, hence I'm dropping you," the man looked at Thomas with his emotionless eyes, "you're not worthy of the Radagar name."
"But, I've been devoting myself to the family for years, wh—"
The man cuts him off, "Worthless, all that time you spent, worthless effort, did you make any progress despite all the training you did?"
Thomas could do nothing but listen to his words without talking back. His fists clenched up in anger, no, grief. He knew getting angry wasn't going to change anything, after all it was his own weakness.
"Dismissed, you may leave," the man said out loud.
Thomas turned back to leave, his teeth biting deep down into his lips, tearing the flesh as a single drop of blood scarred his silver beard.
"And, Axion, he'll be taking your place," the man's voice came from behind, "the elders and I have made the choice, there will be no change."
Thomas walked out of the room, every step heavy. He felt as if he had lost all purpose in life, yet...
"Thomas," a young woman's sound echoed through the hallway. "I heard what happened," she wrapped her arms around him as she pulled him in for a hug.
"An—" before he could complete his sentence, the silver haired girl brought her hand near his mouth, wiping of the blood.
"Ann, I'm..." Thomas pulled back from her grasp, "I'm no longer part of the clan."
The words hung around the air, almost as if a thread waiting to snap.
"Hoho, so the old man has completely given up on you?" the white haired girl looked at Thomas, her hand still on his lips, wiping off the blood.
Thomas's eyes sank at her words, the sudden shift in demeanor from his innocent sister to something else. He took another step back in horror as his sister grinned at him.
"Oh, Thomas, it seems you've met the end of your useful time here at the household, you may leave right now," she got closer to him.
Thomas took another step back before realising he had reached the walls. He looked back in panic, his hands scratching against the surface of the white walls as the silver haired girl got closer, her blood red eyes thirsty.
"So, Thomas, I'm sure the palace would be more than happy to offer you a quarters..." her words lingered as she slid her fingers through his jaw.
Thomas shivered, his breath getting caught on his throat as he tried to breathe under her pressure.
"But... I don't think you'll be given one," she got closer to his ear, her voice turning to a faint whisper, "now that you have lost all real value."
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