Chapter 18: First Encounter
The dark alley was devoid of any passersby, giving Aldrian a desolate impression upon his arrival. He sensed a different kind of energy, even though it was minuscule. Walking toward the source of the energy, still followed by Eleine, he finally stopped at the quiet and dark alley, devoid of activity. Eleine also stopped beside him, feeling a strange sensation in the area. She looked around but saw nothing unusual, only the lack of activity. Aldrian then looked at a door on one of the buildings, where he felt a strange, sinister aura, and decided to investigate.
"Eleine, I feel a strange aura over there. It's sinister but also not at the same time. Let's go check it out." Aldrian said.
Eleine furrowed her brows upon hearing her young master. "Are you sure, young master?" Eleine couldn't sense Aldrian spreading his sense, but she didn't know that inside his domain, Aldrian didn't need to use his 'normal' senses.
"Yes, and it's only a residue left by someone."
"Don't you think it would be better to report it to the city guards? We don't need to involve ourselves in unnecessary trouble."
"You might be right, but since we're already here, shouldn't we at least see the situation first? Also, the energy is almost gone, and by the time the guards arrive, there might be no evidence left." Aldrian said.
Eleine looked at the door he mentioned and spread her sense towards it a few times, but she couldn't feel anything abnormal. She trusted Aldrian and nodded her head. She took out double daggers from her storage ring and readied herself for any sudden changes. They walked toward the door, and Aldrian tried to knock, but there was no answer from inside. He looked down at the doorknob.
"There's some kind of formation." Aldrian said, examining it.
"Please let me see, young master." Eleine examined it for a moment and was stunned.
"This is... it can't be!" Eleine's body trembled.
"It's one of the formations from the devils! It's a little altered from the original, but I'm sure it's the structure formation that the devils sometimes use!" Eleine found it unbelievable. How did the devils reach Balin City?! With those checkpoints and surveillance, how could the devils reach inside this city undetected?