The man stood in front of me, smiling as if he had won the lottery. There wasn't any proper response I could give except to smile back.
"Is what you said true?" he asked again, only this time, anger was reflected on his face.
The guards continued to shiver, staring at each other to see who would answer the question. Finally, the first guard answered.
"Please, forgive us. We didn't mean anything. We were just speaking rubbish."
"Yes, exactly, we were saying nonsense," the other guy named Jess mumbled.
He only regarded them for a second before turning his attention to me.
"Please, do not pay heed to what they said. This is the second time we are meeting, is it not? What brought you to this place, Miss Janette?"
He signaled for me to follow him as we began to walk into the metropolis. The sound of the sea, towering walls, and the beautiful scenery of the metropolis came upon us.
It was more magnificent than when I saw it from a distance.
Suddenly, the beautiful structures were something worth admiring.
As we moved through the city, I noticed several peculiar sights: beautiful structures, pointed spires, and miles of cars everywhere. People walked around every corner of the buildings.
"Miss, is everything okay?"
Lenos' charming voice awoke me from my daydreaming. I recomposed myself and smiled.
"Yeah, I am fine. It's just that I am fascinated by this level of technology here," I truthfully said.
He smiled faintly, then continued. He didn't answer or give any response except by smiling. We continued moving until we reached a rundown building.
As we got to the entrance, we stopped briefly to examine the building. The building, like any other rundown building, had a leaking roof, several cracks along the walls, damaged windows, and a partially working door.
The sight was really disgusting.
Lenos finally broke the silence. He calmly said,
"Miss Janette."
"No, you can call me Janette," I insisted.
"Okay, Janette. What I am going to do might be dangerous. If you don't want to follow, I won't insist," he said, his voice low but audible.
Then he moved forward, stepping into the damaged building, and behind him was me, quietly following him.
As the name implied, it was rundown. Nothing was in good condition; broken chairs, peeling paint, piles of trash everywhere, and puddles of water around every corner of the building.
We moved through the water as we headed deeper into the building. It felt like a tunnel. The farther we walked, the deeper the building became, like it was a cursed house.
After what seemed like an eternity, we got to our destination. Lenos suddenly paused, his face darkening. Veins bulged from his face, and a smile that could instantly kill anyone appeared on his face.
The room instantly became cold, dropping to -2°C, enough to make people shiver to death. Even though I was used to this kind of situation, this one felt different. The bloodlust and the sickening aura were something I hadn't seen before.
Sweat dripped from my face as I struggled to stay on my feet.
"Please, could you reduce it?" I gritted my teeth as I struggled to speak.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot you're here." He flashed a heartwarming smile.
Just like that, everything suddenly became normal. The pressure from earlier vanished like it had never happened.
"Before we step into this room, I ought to warn you not to make any unnecessary movements, Janette." His calm voice resonated, warning me before we entered.
Lenos's hand finally moved, opening the plain door that was in front of us.
As we entered the room, the door finally moved, opening in a dramatic way. With a weak thud, the door finally stopped, revealing the room's scenery.
The lighting was dim, showcasing its deep red and blue colors. One side of the room was blue, and the other side was red. It was nothing short of creepy. The dim lighting and the weird colors created a spooky and abnormal environment.
We proceeded to move, with Lenos at the front, observing the room until his eyes stopped in a particular direction. My gaze followed his sight, quietly observing it.
In that particular direction, shadows shrouded the entire place. No matter how I looked at it, my eyes couldn't perceive anything through the shadows.
I could only see the outline of a table at the edge of the shadow.
And at that exact place, a deep voice echoed throughout the room.
"Welcome, Lenos. What brings you to my humble abode?"
Lenos's eyes glittered with a dangerous light as he heard what the person said. He slowly walked towards the table with measured steps. Each step was enough to crush a mountain.
With a calm and collected face, he replied,
"I am even surprised you could call this place home, you vermin!"
"Now, now, let's not go that far. Right? What brings you here, old friend? Or should I say brother?"
"Brother?" I mumbled.
That word hung in the room for quite some time. Nobody replied.
Just uttering the word made his face morph for a second, but that was enough to show the anger brewing inside him.
"That word is no longer a quality you possess, maggot!"
"Are you still angry about the day I murdered our parents, plus half the entire clan?" the person asked again, standing up from his chair and stepping out of the shadow.
As he stepped out of the shadow, his face was covered with a mischievous grin. He walked slowly, with his tattered clothes swinging in different directions.
In fact, he looked like a psychotic madman.
"There is no use talking with a madman. You know why I am here. Don't act stupid," Lenos spoke.
"Is it about the coming disaster?" he asked, looking straight into Lenos's eyes.
He hesitated for a few seconds before he eventually answered.
"I know a time will come when you will ask about this coming calamity, but I will only answer if you call me by my name, brother."
"And I also know it will come to this. You sicko, but since I've no other alternative, I'll have to agree to your terms," Lenos replied.
"Excellent, brother. Now, can I hear you say it?" He smiled.
"Very well, Aurick, are you satisfied?"
A disgusting smile spread across his face as he heard his name. He moved forward, with his hands wide, wanting to hug Lenos, but Lenos quickly sidestepped to the right, avoiding Aurick by a narrow margin.
"Since that has been taken care of, let's get straight to business," Lenos said, dusting nonexistent dust from his shirt, keeping a serious expression.
Aurick flashed a smile towards me before his expression became as serious as Lenos's.
"Well, there is no running away from the truth."