Chapter 66: Contained
"Miss Jenkins."
The woman turned, her majestic appearance blessing the two as she stood in what seemed to be a white lab coat. Though it was Eirin’s third time seeing her, Scarlett Jenkins, Shade’s former mentor, still looked out of this world.
When Eirin and Scarlett’s eyes met, the woman sighed. "Why have you bothered yourself coming here?" She turned, the clicking of her heels filling Eirin’s ears as she faced an entrance to what looked like a cave, a void of darkness beyond the glassy area.
Before the two could even speak, a scream of agony deafened them. Even with Eirin’s hands covering her ears, the piercing sound vibrated through her whole body. Her eyes darted around the place, wincing, and that’s when she noticed Shade Cromwell’s missing presence.
When the scream stopped, Eirin immediately questioned Link about Shade’s whereabouts, but like her, the young man had no idea.
"If it is my former student you seek, here he is," Scarlett said, pulling a small crystal cube from her white coat’s pocket. The seriousness on Scarlett’s face left Eirin baffled.
’Why would she joke around while holding such a beautiful crystal?’ Eirin thought.
"You locked him?" Link’s voice was laced with disbelief as he stared at the cube. "Why are you doing this, Miss Jenkins? Don’t you know the danger going on in this place?"
Eirin’s breath hitched. The beautiful crystal cube, no bigger than her palm, truly held the man she’d been searching for. The revelation hit her with a silent thud, a blend of awe and disbelief.
How? How could such a small thing contain a person? Questions exploded in her mind, tumbling over each other, too many to hold back.
"Why?" Eirin muttered. "Why would you lock Shade Cromwell away from the outside world?"