The sun finished setting, and was replaced by a brightly shining full moon, and the sky darkened like the mouth of a wolf; there was not a single star.
It was a truly dark night.
In the air, several purple dots could be seen appearing and disappearing, in the trees, bushes, and even in the poisonous wildflowers.
Deep in the forest, with the smell of dampness, mold, and the cold night breeze, you could hear the sounds of nocturnal animals that were more active tonight, as if it were a bloody night.
The bushes moved, some suitcases were crushed, and the eyes of owls moved as they saw two figures moving around the place, lighting their way with a purple flame.
Michel Abraham and Elizabeth Blander had been searching for a while and still hadn’t found Kael or the head maid, Roberta. They had only found traces of animal blood and nothing else.
However, as they went deeper into the house, they began to hear the sound of a jacket rustling, which grew louder and louder.
In addition, the traces indicated by Elizabeth’s magic pointed to that place. That was why they had gone so far into the forest despite nightfall.
"We’re getting closer," Elizabeth murmured, looking at her tracking magic and frowning. "But the smell of animal blood is also getting stronger."
Michel, for his part, didn’t say a word. He had already given up on the maid Roberta, since Kael must have found something extremely valuable.
They continued advancing through the trees and bushes, under the gaze of various nocturnal animals lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to attack.
Their footprints were broken up on the damp ground, covered by purple leaves falling from the trees in the night breeze that blew through the forest.
The sound of the waterfall grew louder as the moonlight became more visible. Not long after, they emerged from the forest and arrived at a rather unique waterfall. The water was not the usual blue, but a crystalline purple that reflected the distorted image of the moon.
Elizabeth covered her mouth when the strong smell of animal blood flooded her senses. Near the waterfall was a small hill of wild beast carcasses, their blood creating a path that led to the crystal-clear purple water.
Elizabeth’s tracking magic was decided in her hand, giving birth to several fragments before disappearing into particles. She quickly circulated her mana spell toward her magic diagram.
After doing this, she murmured a simple spell:
From the golden magic circle, a golden mass with white came out and scattered into the sky at high speed, until it was at a suitable height.
It exploded like fireworks, briefly lighting up the sky before disappearing again.
Elizabeth hadn’t ignored her father’s words; she knew how dangerous this forest was, and the current situation was too strange to be overly confident.
After doing this, she approached Michel, who was near the waterfall where the hill of animal corpses was located.
Once they reached the waterfall, the roar of the water filled their senses, and they saw a path where two adults could pass, but despite that, it was too quiet; only the roar of the water could be heard.
They advanced about twenty or thirty steps, where they came to a cave where the ceiling of the lagoon was an extremely beautiful starry night.
However, they could not continue admiring the ceiling of the cave, because a shadow moved like lightning toward them.
Michel reacted immediately, covering himself using a martial arts defense technique, but Elizabeth was not so lucky, as she knew no martial arts.
The shadow moved like a snake, and in a matter of two movements, it was behind Elizabeth and struck her on the neck, and she began to lose consciousness without understanding what was happening.
What the hell...! That was her last thought before everything went completely dark.
"Kael?" Michel asked loudly, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
He got no response, only an indifferent voice devoid of emotion.
A small ball of light the size of a baseball began to dispel the darkness in the cave, revealing the attacker, who had hair as black as night, an ordinary face, and eyes as dark as a starless night.
It was none other than Kael Medici.
With much of the darkness cleared away, Michel smelled human blood flooding his senses and saw the decapitated corpse of the maid Roberta lying in a crimson pool.
"Why did you knock Elizabeth unconscious?" Michel asked suspiciously.
"Cooperate," Kael offered no explanation, but got straight to the point; he was running out of time.
He had been searching all this time, but he couldn’t find the entrance to the Star Lord’s inheritance.
Michel’s eyes narrowed. "And why would I? I don’t know what you’re up to."
Kael didn’t beat around the bush and said calmly, "I need your help because I found a magical inheritance, which is why I killed that servant. If you help me, you’ll get a share of it."
A smile appeared on Michel’s lips. "And what’s stopping me from killing you right now and claiming it for myself?"
Kael let out a cold laugh. "Do it... and Elizabeth dies."
Silence stretched out for a few seconds. The air seemed to freeze between them. Michel let out a dry laugh, though a dangerous gleam burned in his eyes.
"You’re despicable, Kael. Fine... I’ll cooperate. But if you betray me, there’ll be nowhere for you to hide."
Kael didn’t answer. He just smiled with the serenity of someone who had already won.
"What do I have to do?" Michel asked, looking back at the cave, this time much calmer.
"Grab Elizabeth’s body and look for any irregularities in the walls. Maybe that’s the entrance to the inheritance," Kael said without giving many details. He wasn’t stupid enough to tell him everything.
Michel grabbed Elizabeth’s unconscious body. He understood perfectly what Kael wanted to do with the body; he was going to use it as a reincarnation vessel, although it didn’t take a genius to figure that out.
So without further ado, they began to search for the entrance to the Star Lord’s inheritance.
Aiden, Natalia, Max, and Milwar remained at the agreed-upon spot, immersed in a heavy silence. No one dared break it, for deep down they all shared the same concern: Elizabeth’s safety.
Aiden, perched high up in a tree, gazed at the moon. The moon, like a distant, cold spectator, looked down on Earth with indifference. Under its pale light, Aiden couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad had happened. Anxiety gnawed at him silently.
That was when a flash burst through the darkness. A light streaked across the night sky, shining brightly for an instant before fading as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind an even darker void.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. That was the sign.
"They’ve found them... Roberta and young Kael," he muttered grimly.
He jumped down and, without wasting any time, began to run toward the spot where he had seen the light. The others followed closely behind, although their hearts were filled with bitter uncertainty: what awaited them at the end of that path?
The sky, covered by scattered clouds, revealed a solitary moon that cast silver rays with indifferent serenity. The night breeze slowly pushed the clouds, as if the entire natural world remained oblivious to the anxiety of those four.
In the forest, moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting eerie shadows that stretched and twisted across the ground. Toads hopped from rock to rock, sticking out their tongues to catch stray insects, while their deep croaking briefly broke the silence.
Suddenly, swift silhouettes darted between the trees. They passed so close that they startled them, leaving behind only a murmur in the wind. Further ahead, a swarm of fireflies emerged, painting the air with a purple glow that seemed alien to everything human, as if the forest itself were playing with their imagination.
The figures advancing were getting faster and faster. They glided between the roots and trunks with the ease of those who knew every corner of the forest, as if they had lived there for generations.
The group continued along the path without stopping until the foliage opened up before them. Then the vision was revealed: a waterfall, pouring crystal clear water tinged with an ethereal purple. Beneath its surface, the moon was reflected in a distorted form.
Aiden, who was the first to arrive, scanned the surroundings with his eyes. His eyes, sharp and alert, moved quickly, examining every detail of the terrain. That’s when he saw it: a grotesque hill raised with animal corpses. The blood was still wet, filling the air with a thick stench, and flies buzzed around the monument.
Shortly after, the rest of the group arrived.
They quickly moved forward, as if an invisible force was pushing them closer. The tension in the air grew palpable when, suddenly, a loud noise shook the inside of the waterfall.
Then they heard a loud voice coming from inside the waterfall.
"Don’t come any closer or your young lady will die!"