Thinking of her master, Alia's expression turned slightly serious. She glanced at her watch. It was still early, and the sky hadn't completely darkened. Resolving to use this opportunity, she decided to investigate Eryx's house. Perhaps it would yield some clues about him.
Before leaving, she set the next meeting place with the gang of street thugs, her tone calm yet unyielding. "I'll come back from time to time to see if you have new information. Right here. The more you have, the better the rewards. But don't waste my time." They quickly nodded in agreement.
Turning to Red, Alia asked, "Do you know where The General of the Second Army Group Eryx lives?"
Red hesitated briefly but wisely refrained from asking why Alia wanted to know. Instead, he directly pointed her in the right direction.
"The place isn't heavily guarded," Red cautioned, "but there are patrolling soldiers nearby. If you're just observing from outside, it shouldn't be a problem."
Alia glanced at Red, choosing not to elaborate. She knew he wasn't the prying type. Without another word, she vanished into the shadows of the street.
As night deepened, the air grew cool, and the streets gradually emptied of pedestrians. Alia avoided the well-lit main roads, weaving through alleys and shadows, her movements silent and purposeful as she neared her target.
When she finally stood before Eryx's house, she froze in place.
The house was all too familiar—the stone walls, the spacious yet eerily quiet courtyard, and the surrounding grove of trees. Every detail brought back a flood of memories from her past life. Her heart raced wildly. "How can this be…" she murmured to herself. This was the very place where she had first met her master and been saved by him.
But back then, the house had displayed a portrait of a man she didn't recognize—someone who looked nothing like Eryx.
"Why is this Eryx's home now?" Alia's gaze remained fixed on the house as fragments of the past resurfaced in her mind. Though she hadn't returned since her master had rescued her, she remembered every detail vividly. This place, the site of their first meeting, had been deeply etched into her memory. Could this house conceal some hidden secret? What was the connection between her master, Eryx, and the man in the portrait? Could it all be a coincidence?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle approaching. A sleek black car pulled up in front of the house. Alia instinctively retreated into the shadows, lowering her hat to obscure her face, leaving only her sharp eyes visible as she observed the car.
Eryx stepped out.
Dressed in a pristine military uniform, the shoulder insignia reflecting faintly under the lights, he exuded authority and a natural air of command. His expression was cold and stern, and his steady stride radiated vigilance. Even at home, he didn't let his guard down. Before entering the house, he swept his gaze around the area, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings like a blade ready to strike.
Alia held her breath, her heartbeat slowing to a near stop as she suppressed her presence to the utmost. Her eyes tracked his every move until he confirmed nothing was amiss and stepped inside, the door closing behind him.
"As expected, not an easy man to deal with," Alia thought to herself.
Her gaze lingered on the closed door, her thoughts a tangled web. The house was indeed Eryx's, but why was the man in the old portrait someone else entirely? Was Eryx connected to that man? Had he simply moved into this house later, or was this residence part of a larger conspiracy, with Eryx merely a pawn? And what role did her master play in all of this?
Her eyes gleamed coldly, resolute. "Whatever lies behind this, I'll uncover it."
Taking a deep breath, Alia decided not to risk infiltrating the house tonight. She could sense that the mansion hid a much greater mystery, and her current observations had only scratched the surface.
"I need the right time…" she muttered under her breath, turning to leave quietly.
As she walked away, she glanced up at the sky above the mansion. Stars peeked through breaks in the clouds, and the night breeze carried a faint chill that brushed against her face. Her emotions were a swirl of unease and determination.
"I'll find the answers to all of this," Alia resolved, disappearing into the shadows at the street's end.
The night was fully settled by the time Alia made her way back to her own estate. Despite the new questions crowding her mind, she considered the night productive. However, she now had even more to unravel.
Slipping into her manor under the cover of darkness, Alia expertly navigated the guards' patrol patterns—a rhythm she knew all too well. Every two hours, a short gap emerged in the northwest quadrant during a shift change, a vulnerability she had personally built into the guard schedule. It was a subtle flaw, one that would be nearly impossible for anyone else to detect or exploit.
Hidden in the shadows, she observed the guards' movements with a practiced eye. Counting down silently, she waited for the last soldier to disappear down a distant corridor. Then, like a panther, she leapt forward, her steps light and soundless as she slipped through the gap.
Scaling a low wall with fluid ease, she kept her body close to the top before dropping softly to the ground, not even rustling a leaf. After confirming the area was clear of guards, she darted across a garden path, skillfully avoiding the pools of light cast by scattered lanterns.
Finally, she reached the concealed side entrance to her quarters—her "secret passage." Technically, it wasn't a real passage but a brief blind spot in the patrol schedule. Only at precise times and locations could it be exploited, a plan only she fully understood.
Standing before the slightly ajar door, she pushed it open gently and slipped back into the sanctuary of her private space. The room remained untouched, just as she'd left it. She shut the door behind her, tossed her hat onto the bed, and went to the window to check on the guards. Satisfied that everything had returned to normal, she let out a small sigh of relief, a faint smirk curling her lips.
"Looks like my efforts weren't in vain," she murmured, already considering ways to further refine the loophole to make future operations even smoother.
She changed out of her clothing, standing before the mirror and meeting her own gaze. Her nerves were still taut from the night's events, but she reminded herself that this was just one small step toward uncovering the truth.
"My master, Eryx, and the secrets of that house… I'll unravel them all," she whispered to herself. Sitting at her desk, she began organizing the information she had gathered that night. The fragments seemed chaotic now, but she believed that, when pieced together, they would eventually reveal the shape of the truth.