Inside the cloistered crowded room, lantern lights were attached to the walls. At the far end, there was a dusty table with various objects like flasks, mortars and pestles on top. Beside the table, there was a door which was closed that opened to another room.
On the left side of the wall, crosses, icons, and other religious artifacts could be seen, while on the right side, old maps and star charts were displayed.
Ava entered first, followed by Leios. The mysterious girl closed the door after they had entered, leaving the three men outside.
She left Ava and Leios standing and headed to the door which was besides the table. She slightly opened it and entered, closing it behind her.
Ava faced the right side of the wall, turned her head up and started observing the maps which were hung on the wall with her eyes narrowed into slits.
Leios, on the other hand, walked slowly with careful steps towards the table which had objects on top.
He stopped in front of it and drew his right index finger slowly across the top, wiping away the dust. He then brought the finger close to his mouth and blew the dust off. His eyes moved to an old porcelain pot that was nearby which attracted him, prompting him to take it off the table with his hands.
He again blew off the dust from it as he stared at the patterns etched on it with intrigue. Suddenly, the door besides the table was opened which startled him. He juggled the pot on his hands until he managed to save it from falling.
"Did I say you could touch anything!" The girl who had returned from the room spoke, anger manifesting through her husky voice as she took the pot from Leios by force.
She held the pot with both hands at her side like a selfish child denying other kids a toy. She glared at Leios, her molten chocolate eyes not blinking.
"Now, now, come down Nemesis." A gentle friendly voice spoke as the door from the same room opened.
A tall handsome young man appearing to be in mid twenties entered, closing the door after him.
He had perfectly trimmed dark hair that framed his chiseled face, dark eyes that gleamed with intelligence, and refined jawlines that accentuated his strong chin.
"Are you two not afraid of walking outside? I wish I had courage like you," he said, a broad genuine smile playing on his face as he sat down on a chair next to the table.
He ran his hands over some of the objects on the table before speaking again. "For you to take a risk to come here, it must be worth it."
"Aren't you suspecting that we're a threat?" Ava asked after closing the distance.
"Hahaha, don't worry, those eyes can see any kind of threat," he replied, brushing off her concern while pointing at the girl, Nemesis.
Ava turned and faced Nemesis, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, then returned her gaze to the man as she fished out the ring from her cleavage. She carefully unwrapped it from the handkerchief and held it high against the lantern lights, making it magnificently sparkle.
"May I?" Elias asked, stretching his left arm towards Ava, palm open.
"No, you won't con me," Ava replied, moving the ring in her hands slightly back.
Nemesis was ready to retort, but before she could, Leios cut her short, "Ava, we don't have time, let's do what brought us here."
Nemesis glared at Leios, who reacted by shifting his gaze around the room.
Elias laughed lightheartedly at Ava's remark, then added, "Don't worry, I'll try to be fair."
"Don't try to be, just be fair," Ava replied, shaking her head as she handed over the ring to Elias.
Elias took the ring from Ava and placed it against the lantern light on the table, he turned it around as he observed it keenly and silently. Without facing them, he asked, "Where did you two get this?"
"..."
Leios and Ava exchanged glances silently, and as they did that, Nemesis lowered her brows while she stared at them.
Ava fluttered her long eyelashes, shifting her gaze around the room, then opened her mouth to reply, but Elias interrupted, scratching his head with a half smile drawn on his face, "Sorry, it's not like I suspect you two or anything, It's just that..."
The three of them, including Nemesis, surrounded Elias as he stared at the ring he was holding.
"What is it, speak up," Ava impatiently spoke, her eyebrows turned down. She didn't want to be disappointed after all the expectations she had, let alone what they had gone through to get there.
Elias stopped scratching his head and spoke, "This is not a diamond."
"If it's not a diamond, then what is it? Can't you see it's clear, sparkling, and glittering?" Ava asked, skepticism etched on her face.
Leios also had a doubting expression on his face just like Ava.
"I've never seen a gemstone like this in this world." Elias replied, his eyes narrowed into slits as he observed the ring.
Ava exhaled a heavy amount of air in frustration, but then he added, "Don't worry, it's something rare, so I'm still going to buy it."
He spoke while pulling open the drawer that was built into the side of the table. He fished out a drawstring pouch then pushed the drawer back slowly, untied the cord, and poured gold coins on the table which made clinking sounds as they dropped on the surface. Ava's eyes widened immediately she saw the coins.
Elias started counting them carefully one by one, placing them back in the pouch. Ava salivated as he dropped each coin inside
"...47...48...49...50 gold coins..." He finished counting and tied the pouch with the cord then turned to hand it over to Ava.
Ava snatched it before he could even stretch his hands. She lifted the pouch high in front of her, staring at it with glistening eyes. She rushed to Leios' side, twined her arm around Leios', smiled while looking at him as she spoke in joy. "Let's go home Leios, we have made a fortune."
Leios stared back at Ava as he tried his best to hold a smile back but failed and ended up smiling.
"It's already late, you can stay here for the night." Elias offered as he stood up from the chair. He lifted his left arm, stretched himself then rubbed his eyes.
"No thank you, this place is scary," Ava replied, already starting to pull Leios from the room.
"I can give you Albert to provide an escort," Elias offered again, but this time Ava replied with a serious voice, her face drawn into a scowl.
"That fool has already caused us enough trouble, please don't associate him with us."
Leios faced Elias and nodded at him, assuring him that everything was going to be fine. He stopped pressing further and watched, together with Nemesis, as they exited the room, shutting the door behind them.
It was already dusk, but the sky was so much clear. The moon's light illuminated everywhere and the stars shone brightly in the sky, painting a beautiful picture that one would wish to stare at forever. Albert and his fellows were still standing in the alleyway, smoking tobacco.Leios and Ava walked past them without exchanging words, Ava wrinkling her nose.
She couldn't help but wonder whether they were holding a lung capacity championship.
Immediately they got out of the alleyway, they inhaled deeply, filling their lungs with fresh air. As they exhaled, a fog-like vapor cloud formed in front of their mouths, quickly disappearing into the chilly atmosphere.
Small amounts of light penetrated through the ventilation of people's houses. It was so silent that only the chirping of crickets could be heard. As they walked down the deserted street, Ava didn't let go of Leios' hand.
Cool breeze blew as the sounds of their footsteps on the cobblestone dissapeared in the darkness. She hugged herself against the cold with the other free hand. Apart from her frilly pink dress, she was wearing nothing to keep her warm.
Leios halted his steps, bringing them to a stop. He slowly began to remove his capelet so that he could hand it over to Ava to keep her warm. Unlike Ava, he was used to tough environments, so he saw that as nothing. But as they stood in the middle of the dark deserted street, a menacing wind blew, making leaves on the ground rustle.
They stood still, gulping, their eyes darting around from shadow to next, but saw nothing.
"I-it's just a wind," Ava whispered as she gasped but still darting her eyes uncontrollably around.
Leios was also scared but wouldn't let it show. He proceeded to remove the capelet and handed it over to Ava. He remained with only his white shirt on.
"H-hey, what about you?" Ava whispered again in concern, but Leios dismissed her uneasiness, "Don't worry about me. You're trembling like you're about to freeze."
Ava knew he was right, thus she didn't protest. She accepted the mercy shown by Leios, took the capelet from his hands, and wore it. She seemed to shrink even more beneath its folds, making her look like a lost child in an adult's coat. Yet, despite the ill fit, she carried it with an air of grace and dignity, as if it were her royal regalia.
They faced ahead and began to walk again
The tensed Ava was now getting some sense of relief, as their house was no longer out of reach.
But, the menacing wind blew for the second time. Its howling force sent shivers down Leios and Ava's spines, making them stop on their tracks.
When they turned their heads back in unison, they saw nothing.
But when they faced forward again, a shadowy figure stood right in front of them.
Leios instinctively jumped back and pulled Ava with one arm.
The figure was wearing a black cloak, which covered all of their body, including the face.
Without speaking, they immediately moved forward to attack Leios, ignoring Ava. They leapt high into the air like coiled springs, their bodies twisting with explosive force as they unleashed a devastating roundhouse kick towards Leios' head.
"Leios!" Ava shouted, her voice trembling with horror as Leios pushed her away. She tripped and fell, but landed safely.
The kick was coming at a high speed, and Leios had no time to dodge. He planted his feet on the ground for stability and drove the weight of his body on the ground. He then held both of his forearms close to his head to create a shield. The strike landed on his arms, and fortunately, he was able to absorb the impact, but it managed to push him back.
The mysterious attacker jumped back and charged forward again, this time forming their hands into a shape of a spear. They were now going for his throat. Leios had not recovered from the previous hit yet but managed to duck under the incoming attack before it landed. He then swung his right leg in a sweeping motion, aiming to knock out the attacker's legs from under them and bring them to the ground. But they were fast to jump back.
The opponent prepared to unleash another attack, but before they could, Ava shouted at them, "Nemesis!"
"..."
Leios turned his face, eyebrows raised, to Ava, who was still seated on the ground, then returned his gaze to the figure before him while furrowing his eyebrows.
"Tsk!" They muttered as they lowered the hood of their cloak, then added, "Seems like someone has marked me somehow." She spoke in her usual husky voice as she lifted her upper lip in contempt.
Ava was right; the person attacking them was Nemesis.
"Explain yourself, what are you up to?" Leios asked stoically, still assuming a battle stance.
"Calm down, I was just asked to provide security by my brother," she spoke in her usual monotonous voice, as if she was uninterested in what she was saying.
"Don't take us for fools, what kind of security is that?" Leios replied, almost losing his composure.
"I got tired of tailing you and decided to have some fun," Nemesis spoke as she headed towards Ava, extending her right arm to assist her from the ground. "Sorry for scaring you, Ava."
Ava held her hand and hauled herself slowly from the ground.
"Don't trust that bandit, Ava," Leios protested.
Ava fumed, fists clenched, her eyebrows furrowed, as she addressed Nemesis with a seething voice. "What were you trying to achieve? You could've hurt him, you know?"
Ava headed to where Leios was standing, started doing a visual inspection while touching him, even though it was dark. "Are you okay, Leios?" Ava asked in a worried and concerned voice.
Nemesis threw glances around the darkness before speaking, "Don't you think it's dangerous standing here? We should talk at your premises."
"I'm fine. Let's move. The bandit is right, but I don't understand what she means by 'we should talk at your premises.'"
Ava exhaled audibly, held Leios' arm as they proceeded to go home.
Nemesis followed them behind, and that made Leios complain all the way.