Chapter 112: Fear
In a hidden room in Rebirth City.
The three of them sat at each corner of the table, staring into space.
Memories of what had been in that carriage flooded their minds and stirred their hearts.
In Edward’s mind, that scene played out again. From the feeling of being watched by the Aleskra, to what they had seen through the carriage windows.
On the other side of the windows, the four hooded men were holding a meeting. The small table between them held some glasses and appetizers. This table was made of the same material as the carriage; it was completely black and almost blended into the background.
If Edward asked Aurora and Harry if they had seen it, they would answer with a resounding no.
All around him, the four men didn’t move their mouths as they spoke—mainly because they didn’t seem to have mouths. But just by looking at them and watching their gestures, you could tell they were speaking.
The strange thing about it wasn’t that. It wasn’t anything he saw, but the strange sense of familiarity he felt upon seeing them.
’Do I know those four figures?’ he wondered to himself.
Since he had never felt that strange familiarity in this world before, his mind strained to try to remember. The faces had nothing distinctive that he could use to process them. They were horrifying, and he was sure he would never forget them from now on, but looking back, there was nothing.
He tried using their energies... but he didn’t find anything there either.
’Am I just imagining things and in shock?’ he thought, and looked at Aurora.
She was calm, but her eyes betrayed fear. Now she understood that children’s chant... she regretted finally understanding it.
Afterward, Edward looked at Harry. Harry was trembling uncontrollably, his head buried between his legs, staring at a blank sheet of paper. If he closed his eyes, he would see those faces, and if he looked at anyone else, any gesture they made would remind him that at any moment they might turn around, and he would once again see the source of his fears.
That’s why looking at a blank sheet of paper would help him calm down.
Edward looked at himself again; his thoughts continued to wander.
After seeing that, the carriage vanished and light returned to the street. In fact, some pedestrians even crossed over from other streets to fill Reunion Street as if nothing had happened.
If it weren’t for the lingering fear on his friends’ faces and the extreme familiarity he felt with those four figures, he would have thought he had been the victim of an illusion.
Tremble!
Tremble!
Suddenly, the intense tremor woke all three of them. Harry looked up, confused, and Aurora frowned.
"Mr. Jerry is still fighting, and for it to be felt all the way out here, the situation must be serious," Edward said.
"I have to call for reinforcements." Aurora stood up quickly and pulled out her family’s golden quill. She took a special scroll from her storage ring and began writing on it.
Edward looked at Harry. "What will you do?" he asked.
Harry swallowed hard. "What will you two do?"
"Although I want to fight the vampires, I realized I’m not strong enough to fight them from the inside. So we’re going back to the Academy. Do you want to come?" he asked.
Harry was about to say yes. The academy was the safest place for him, and the teachers there might be able to help him deal with the trauma he was now experiencing. But then he remembered his father...
Even though they didn’t get along, that stubborn man had done him a great favor. He had put him in charge of the family and wouldn’t let anyone object. He also granted him the authority to deploy the spies and assassins trained by the family.
He made a decision. "I’ll go back to my father. I’ll ask my family to act more moderately," he said, looking carefully at Edward and Aurora, as if to see if that bothered them.
But Edward smiled. "You should tell them to withdraw from the recently opened fronts. They can retreat to neutral territory for now; you’ve done enough for us and for the mission. I don’t think Aurora and the Ashfords will hold it against you. That will also allow you to establish a foothold in your territory," he said.
Harry felt a wave of relief wash over him and nodded enthusiastically.
Aurora spoke as well, rolling up the letter and handing it to her messenger bird. "I’ll send troops to protect you. Return to your homeland with peace of mind. I’ll spread the word that you’re dead, so they won’t come after you," she told Harry, and he, even more encouraged, nodded vigorously.
Finally, Harry went on his way.
Edward and Aurora disguised themselves in robes and realistic masks to leave the city in a private carriage from the black market.
Only once they were out of the city were they able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Aurora looked back at the city behind them. Her mind was filled with unanswered questions.
The city’s troops had gone out to confront the invaders, only to be surprised to find that more than a few of their own were among those invaders.
A once-peaceful city had turned into a den of chaotic vampires. This would surely bring serious trouble for the Ashfords.
The journey back to the academy was filled with silence. Few words, more questions in their minds, and fewer sighs.
Even so, they remained more alert to their surroundings. That black carriage was still a huge shadow in their hearts.
As soon as they saw Lor on the horizon, their breathing returned to calm. Nothing happened on the return trip.
Once inside the Academy, Aurora and Edward went to meet with Mervan.
"Isn’t Instructor Mervan here?" Edward frowned.
In Rebirth City, they hadn’t seen him—not even a trace of him. They thought he had already returned.
"He went on a mission, and it’s taken longer than expected. He probably ran into some trouble. I heard the city he went to recently fell into chaos because of some vampires," said his assistant as he served them coffee. "You can wait for him here to be the first to be seen. Though I can’t guarantee he’ll be back today."
Edward nodded and accepted the coffee. Aurora did the same.
Just as they were about to take their first sip, the office door opened.
"I heard you were in the same city as me, so I wanted to say hello. But when I went to look for you, you were already on your way back. Haha, a bit of bad luck on my part," said Mervan as he walked through the door.
’He heard we were there?’ Although Edward found that strange, he stood up to greet him.
"Hello, Instructor Mervan. We went to..." His words trailed off abruptly as he looked at Mervan’s face.
His heart skipped a beat, and his soul was shaken to its core.
"Hm? I remember the last mission didn’t go too well; I thought you wouldn’t be going on any more missions for another month." Mervan walked past him, oblivious to Edward’s state of mind.
Edward shook his head once and stared intently at Mervan. Although he frowned, he relaxed his expression seconds later with a smile.
"Actually, we just went to see a friend. Unfortunately, we weren’t even able to meet with him. He was a victim of the attacks," Edward said with a long sigh of regret.
"I see. I’m sorry for that loss. I hope he was a good person in life so that the gods will grant him a second chance." Mervan smiled after a brief prayer. "What brought you here? Do you want to take on another mission?"
Edward shook his head quickly. "Actually, we came to report to you what was happening in the City of Rebirth. We didn’t expect you to already be aware of it. So there’s no need."
Mervan nodded slightly, thoughtfully. "If you have any additional information, you can tell me. I couldn’t stay longer to investigate because it became too dangerous, and I didn’t bring any of my subordinates with me who could deliver the news in case of my death. So any information is welcome."
Edward and Aurora nodded. Although Aurora didn’t understand why Edward hadn’t told him the real reasons for their visit, she went along with him.
She gave him all the information they had, though with nuances that concealed most of the plot behind it. In the end, Mervan thanked them and dismissed them.
Once they were outside the instructors’ building... Edward spoke up. "We can’t keep taking missions from Mervan," he said firmly.
Aurora stared at him. "Did you find out something?"
"His aura... his face... he..." Edward struggled to say it. But he gritted his teeth to get the words out. "He... has the same aura as those monsters inside that black carriage."
Aurora felt a chill the moment she heard it. Her eyes narrowed instantly as she recalled it. "R-really? Are you sure?"
"I am. I don’t think he’s one of the ones who were there, but his aura is the same. We can’t keep taking his missions. He’ll kill us." Edward made up his mind. "I’m going to talk to Elder Owen," he said and started walking toward Owen’s office.
Owen was inside, and when he saw him arrive, he stopped whatever he was doing to listen.