1 Mysterious Woman in a Cloak

In a land of magic, dark clouds parted and soft sunrays fell on the whole place, bringing relief to the people who were versed in magic.

In one of the oldest and most prestigious manors was an old man with light stubble and long shoulder-length hair. He stood with his fist clenched tightly behind him, and his gaze focused on nothing in particular.

Nobody dared to approach him, fearing for their lives, nor did he allow anyone to cross the limits of his bedroom door.

A maid was walking in the garden, but as soon as she spotted his tall and broad frame standing on the balcony, she hurriedly looked down and walked away before she became the receiving end of his wrath.

A pair of feet approached the man from behind. Upon hearing closely, one could have told the nervousness in those steps.

"Mr Devera"

The old man didn't turn, but his attention was on the man who now stood behind him.

"We have tracked her down."

Devera's fists tightened even more until his knuckles turned white.

"She is searching for a safe place but has not many resources at her expense."

"And?"

"And soon we will get at her."

Devera finally turned, his dark eyes flashed in rage. "I want her dead! Do you understand?"

The young man hesitated a bit. "But... she... she is-"

"No matter who she is, she would pay the price. I have lost my son. And everyone who was responsible for that would pay the price.

And this woman would pay the big price. If not for her, then I might have gotten my son by my side. I could have saved the legacy of my family.

But she ruined my plans. And now she has to pay the price with her life!"

The young man inhaled a long breath nodding his head in understanding.

"Don't worry! Everything will be done according to your wish. Wait for the good news."

He left, taking his leave. The door closed behind him on its own. Devera's eyes shifted to one portrait that was hanging to his left on the wall.

A young man smiled back, standing beside Devera. He looked like an exact replica of the old man.

Devera's throat tightened with overwhelming emotions, but it was too late to shed tears.

His son was gone. He was gone leaving this land of magic- Larnwick behind and with a dream of establishing a happy life in the human realm with his human lover.

The disgrace that had fallen on the most powerful family of wizards in Larnwick was inexplainable.

Now the head of the family was burning in the fire of revenge, and it would destroy many lives. The quest had already begun with the little dark witch! Her life had already been cursed.

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A bolt of thunder struck in the dark sky, and a figure walking in the chilly air shuddered. Her hands wrapped around her small frame as her dark locks were troubled due to the blowing wind.

She moved them from her face and tucked them behind her ears as her dark eyes looked around her surroundings. The shops were closing fast, and the people who were out for the night's drink hurried back to their homes with discontent hearts.

She avoided meeting any gazes and kept her head low, tightening her arms around her torso.

"Only a few minutes." She whispered to herself in an attempt of ignoring the fatigue she experienced after days' long travel.

Her stomach growled, and she realised she hadn't eaten anything in the past twenty-seven hours.

"Oye! Watch out!" A man hollered from behind her as she hurried forward after bumping into him.

She should keep her focus on the way, or she would end up upsetting more people.

The man waited for her apology, but it didn't come. It wouldn't come. Sylvia Ibsen was not someone used to apologising, especially to humans.

Realising that his wait was supposed to go in vain, the man shook his head and turned to carry on his path, muttering a curse.

But the very next moment, he lost his balance and fell straight on his butt, which drew a wave of mocking laughter from the onlookers.

He blinked, not understanding how he fell. He checked his shoelaces, but they were tied well. There was nothing slippery on the ground either.

Then how did he fall?

He felt embarrassed, muttering something incoherently under his breath.

Sylvia pulled out her hand from under her coat with a small smirk on her lips. She was not going to pay that man any mind, but when she heard him cursing at her, she lost it.

However, the sense of smugness died the very next moment as she realised what she had done.

Her eyes instantly turned to her left and then to her right as a distinct fear settled into her thudding chest. She shouldn't have done that, not here at least!

Now she had to hurry out of there before anyone suspected her and what she did with that man.

Sylvia fastened her pace as fast as her heart thudded in her chest. Another thunder rumbled in the sky, and she paused for a second to take a look at it.

She gulped nervously before reminding herself to move forward. Only she knew how her mind was clouded with so many thoughts.

She was keeping it all inside her for so long but with every passing minute, she found her self-control wavering, cracking little by little like parched soil in the summers.

But she didn't have time to mull over the past. She had to move forward.

She heard the croaking of a raven in the distance, and her heart heaved a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't alone!

It encouraged her to move forward. She soon turned around the corner only to see stairs at some distance and at the end of one of the roads of a square.

Her heart skipped a beat, and the corners of her lips stretched a little. Her eyes again moved around before she took another step forward and began walking toward the flight of stairs.

But her eyes were trained on the large and tall statue placed at the centre of the stairs. Seated on the tall column was a statue of a Griffin. One of the ancient mystical creatures who were believed to go extinct a long time ago.

She couldn't help but admire the detailed carving of the statue. The tall and proud statue portrayed the mystical animal in its exact form. With the head of an eagle and the body of a lion, the animal also had a pair of large wings and a long tail.

What left Sylvia in awe was the sharpness in those eyes.

Wait!

Did they just blink?

Sylvia rubbed her eyes, taking a second look at the statue, but it was as non-living as it was before.

Her mind must be playing tricks with her after starving for hours. She should get something to eat soon, but first... she had to assure her safety. Without it, she wouldn't be able to survive any longer in this world.

Because this was not her world. She didn't belong here. She never did!

The only place she could call her home was... Warthford Island. She had finally found her life there, her friends and... Gerald... Gerald Livingstone.

Her eyes pricked with tears, and she batted them rapidly to fight those tears back. It was not the time to wail over the past and what she had lost.

She had to think about her future, and the only way of assuring her safety was this man- Rune Creppes. A goblin.

Sylvia reached that statue of a Griffin after climbing half of the stairs. She looked around to see most of her surroundings were now deserted. It was her best chance.

She stood in front of the column on which the Griffin statue sat. She found a nameplate carved in one side of the column which stated the date of the commencement of that statue which was more than a hundred years ago.

But she knew for sure that date keeps changing after every century and was never older than a century.

Licking her dry and chapped lips, Sylvia ran her fingers over the words engraved in the stone while her lips moved, uttering a spell.

The very next moment, she was pulled inside the column by an unknown force and within a blink of an eye, the woman standing near the statue, dressed in all black was gone as if she had evaporated into thin air.

Sylvia gasped, breathing through her parted lips as she found herself in front of a glass door. She could make out the silhouettes moving inside.

She had never been anywhere than Larnwick and Warthford Island. She didn't know many people and hoped coming here wouldn't be the decision she would regret later.

"Let's do this!" She whispered before pushing the door open.

As soon as that barricade between her and the insides of the place was gone, she was greeted with loud noises.

The overall vibes of that place were overwhelming, especially for an introvert like Sylvia, who avoided crowds at all costs.

The place was packed with men and women. She could see some weird creatures roaming around. They all were gabbing and laughing while enjoying the hot and delicious food with bottles of their favourite drinks.

Even the supernatural creatures who had no palate for the taste of their food seemed to be picking their orders carefully.

The human ways of life had rubbed on them all!

Sylvia stepped inside the place that looked more like a club or restaurant where old friends gather for a nice dinner, good drinks and a happy time.

She saw the servers, both male and female, dressed in skimpy red and black outfits strutting around while balancing trays full of various dishes and glasses filled with drinks, swaying their hips and highlighting their physical assets with sugary sweet smiles on their faces.

Sylvia felt very uncomfortable in that place. It was not the place she would have stepped foot in if it wasn't for saving her life.

'Endure it for a little while, Sylvia. You can do it!' She encouraged herself before taking the next step forward.

Her eyes searched for a table where only one man was seated but everywhere her eyes roamed, she found the tables full of people. Some even cramped the place forcefully.

Where was he?

"Oops! Sorry! I didn't see you coming my way." Sylvia hurried to pick up the spoons that were scattered on the floor.

She could feel many eyes on her, but she kept her head low and her face out of their sight as she gathered all the spoons.

"Oh, it's fine. Really! I was in a rush anyway."

Sylvia looked up at a young girl who wore a flimsy red blouse with black shorts that barely covered her butt. She had a black belt around her neck with studded fake diamonds. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and most of her ginger locks came undone from that bun.

Sylvia's face turned red, and her eyes widened before she snapped them away instantly at the sight of the valley between that young girl's bosoms.

"Erm... it's okay." Sylvia thrust the spoon into the girl's hand before standing up quickly.

She needed cold water to wash her face because this place was not only hot for visuals but it also had a high temperature.

"Excuse me miss, are you okay?" She heard the same girl asking her in concern.

Sylvia quickly nodded her head before meeting her eyes. She kept her gaze fixated on her powdered face and didn't let it roam anywhere wrong.

"Are you sure? Are you alone here or with someone?" The girl persisted, feeling Sylvia's nervousness.

Sylvia hesitated for a moment before she asked, "Do you... perhaps know a goblin named Rune Creppes?"

The girl eyed Sylvia from head to toe, and an unreadable expression crossed her face. She looked hesitant before she asked.

"The one who has a witty sense of humour?"

"I guess. I am meeting him for the first time." Sylvia answered truthfully.

But her answer seemed to put the girl in a weird position. After a moment of thought, the girl pointed to a corner at her left.

"Go through that curtain." With that said, she quickly walked away, leaving Sylvia staring at her back dumbfoundedly.