"Unm..." Ethan opened his eyes as he saw an unfamiliar ceiling above him. It was a dimly lit room with a strange aroma of incense mixed in the air.
Ethan hurriedly stood, only to see Varian and a blonde-haired girl with a tomboyish look before his eyes. He also noticed that he was tied to the chair he was sitting on.
"I hope you have a proper explanation for this, Mr. Senad" Ethan muttered as he glared at the man.
"I mean you no harm, Mr. Holmes. Instead, I want to explain things to you" Varian said as he looked at the girl.
She was a teenager with a beautiful thin face. Her short blonde hair fluttered gently and her fair white skin looked flawless. She had a decent figure for her age as she looked at Ethan with her sharp golden-brownish eyes.
"Sarah, can you untie him for me?"
Sarah nodded with a reserved expression as she untied Ethan.
Once untied, Ethan looked at Varian as he sat patiently to hear the truth from him. He had a lot of anger and sadness within his heart, but he decided to curb all of these emotions for now. He already decided to take his revenge one way or another. But he wanted to know more about his enemy right now.
"Sarah, can you wait outside for a bit"
Sarah, upon hearing Varian's words, nodded and left the room.
"Mr. Holmes, have you ever wondered why people believe in the Church of Eternity?" Varian asked.
"Grandpa...asked me the same question yesterday? Does this question hold a more significant meaning that I have yet to realize?" Ethan answered as he felt a little emotional at the mention of his grandpa.
"There are only two possible conclusions: either 'God of Eternity' truly exists or people just want to believe in a higher existence as a symbol of hope," he concluded.
"Well, what if I tell you that your former conclusion is the right one? Will you believe me?" Varian said.
"After what I saw yesterday...I think I do," Ethan answered, which surprised Varian to some extent.
"I have to say, Mr. Holmes, despite your young age, you truly managed things way better than most other people I have seen until now. Well, this world is not as bright and peaceful as you see...there are uncountable dangers constantly lurking within the shadows, eager to consume everything. People who possess supernatural powers without any restrictions and are consumed by their madness are a threat to the living.
That is where we come in...Templar Order. We also possess the same supernatural power, but we don't use it to harm others. Our existence has only one goal and that is to protect. We live to eliminate evil so that common people can live in peace and enjoy the beautiful side of this world." Varian stated.
"There are no freebies in this world... that is the price I have to pay to know about this truth?" Ethan asked as he knew that there must be a reason why Varian was telling him this big piece of information.
"Indeed Mr. Holmes. There's always a price for certain things. The price that you will pay is...Freedom. You must sign a confidentiality contract influenced by divine powers. You will die on the spot if you dare to reveal any prohibited information according to the contract.
You have one more option too...join the Templar Order. Become one of us and you do not have to sign a lighter confidentiality contract than the former one. Plus you will get a job with good pay. In return, fight along with us to protect this world. Ah...you can also take your revenge against the people who killed your grandfather. I can ignore a few dead terrorists after all" Varian said as he extended his hand.
"I need some time to think about it, sir" Ethan stated as he shook hands with him. He knew that this handshake was not for formality but for something else.
"By the way, visit the Nighthawk Security Company on Volga Street if you decide to join us. Tell the owner that you want to hire our service"
And as expected, Ethan fell asleep instantly.
***
Suddenly, Ethan opened his eyes and found himself in a carriage standing right before his house.
Varian was sitting facing him as he gestured for him to go.
"This thing again...can you guys stop treating me like a toy?" Ethan said and then left the carriage.
He headed towards the house where Elina was already standing with tears in her eyes. The moment she noticed Ethan, she hurriedly approached him.
"Ethan! What happened?! Where's sir William?" She asked as tears rolled down her cheeks. She grew attached to the family after serving them for a long time. She naturally felt shocked and sad to see the Holmes family going through such a tragedy.
"Grandpa...is no more auntie. I just returned from the police station. They promised to catch the culprit as soon as they can" He answered and was about to leave when he halted and looked at the women.
"Auntie, things are not good now. You can also be in danger so there is no need to come to work for the next two months. Here, it will help you get through this time," Ethan said as he handed her notes worth a hundred pounds.
"..." Elina wanted to say something but couldn't. She also knew that if someone could harm a rich family like Ethan's, then what could a poor lady like her do? Besides, she is the only person her little daughter has as a family after her husband passed away in a factory accident a few years ago. She nodded and then left the house after.
A hundred pounds is more than enough for a poor family like her to survive for an entire year if they want, so it wasn't that bad of an outcome Ethan's point of view.
Once she left, Ethan looked outside the window.
"Varian must have appointed someone to look after me nearby, so I shouldn't be in any danger. Now... let what you were hiding, Grandpa," Ethan muttered to himself as he remembered the last question that his grandpa asked him, which coincidently overlaps the question that Varian asked him.
Ethan went inside his grandpa's room, and he saw broken furniture and rubble spread all over the place. The side wall was gone, and a big hole was there leading outside.
"There's nothing important here...then why did they attack my grandpa? Was it just some random lunatic who went mad? I think...I must step into that world of darkness myself if I want to know the truth." Ethan muttered in a low voice as he thought about the Varian's offer.
"Sigh...but first, I have to contact a housing company to repair this house."
Ethan muttered as he decided to call it a day and went to sleep, but unfortunately, he couldn't sleep until late at night due to all the things that kept repeating in his mind.