07: Something Mysterious

With his bracelet reacting to something mysterious in the basement, Alvan couldn't care less about the attention he was receiving from the female villagers. However, he briefly waved his hand at his students before focusing his attention on the vibrating bracelet.

"Are you okay?" Emelda asked when she saw him looking at his bracelet strangely.

Alvan shook his head from side to side without uttering a word, still fixated on the bracelet. This time, the bracelet had stopped vibrating, but he felt a force pulling him towards a specific area of the basement. Alvan raised his head in that direction, and he was amazed by what he saw.

There were three muscular men in dark-red armor who stood guard in front of what appeared to be a pitch-dark alley-like passageway. That was the direction from which he felt the force drawing him in. It was located near where the elite members and Elder Parliament of Etheloria were.

'What are those knights guarding, and why do I feel a strange force drawing me towards that place? Wait… this bracelet is also connected to whatever is being guarded behind those knights,' Alvan thought, curiosity clearly written all over his face.

'It isn't much of a big deal if I go check it out. After all, the thing that was there seemed to be summoning me through this bracelet. Also, I might find a peaceful place to examine this bracelet and see if I can gather any information about my father from it... But how do I dispose her of my side…'

He turned his head and gazed at the captivating woman who had captured his heart a year ago. Her silky, dark golden hair, which cascaded freely down her back, awakened an urge in him to stroke it, as he often did. However, he did his best to resist the movement of his hand, which seemed to have started moving on its own.

Then, Alvan shifted his gaze to hers. And those pair of golden hazel eyes were intensely fixed on his as if she could scan through his thoughts. He slightly averted her gaze. Emelda was one of a kind. She seemed to have the uncanny ability to predict his thoughts just by locking eyes with him, and Alvan was well aware of this. If he continued to be captivated by her mesmerizing eyes, he might become hypnotized and inadvertently reveal his plan to her.

Alvan, even though he slightly averted his gaze from her eyes, ended up focusing on her inviting and alluring rosy lips. He felt his head moving towards hers, and internally, he was struggling to stop himself. But he ended up giving her a peck.

"Alvan, you're starting to behave suspiciously. What are you up to this time?" Alvan was caught by his Mrs. Detective. He rubbed his temple while shyly smiling at her. What would he tell her now? As if inspiration came at that moment, he gathered his thoughts before uttering these words:

"It's actually nothing. I just wanted to... to tell you that I will be meeting with one of those Templar warriors," he said, pointing at the men in silver armor who were closest to the Elder Parliament, who was sitting in what looked like an earthen back seat. "The High Priest gave me a message to relay to them, but I need your help to find Kael. As a knight, he can assist us in meeting one of those warriors."

Emelda flashed him a questioning look before she asked, "Just that? You know you would have said it without having to peck me." She teased him; however, her cheeks appeared to have reddened when mentioning the word "perk". "Wait for me, I will go and get him," Emelda said before leaving his side and going to fetch Kael.

'Finally, my Achilles' heel is gone. Now, let's devise a plan to walk past those knights.' He thought, his gaze fixated on the dark passageway behind the knights. He could still feel the powerful force or energy attempting to draw him in.

Alvan could be considered to be on the same level as those knights in terms of ranking. However, there were three knights that he needed to outwit. Also, there were the warriors, elite members, and the Elder Parliament close to where these three knights stood guard. Not to mention, he was a special case when it came to his ability to harness ethereal energy.

However, he made his move, fueled by the resolve to uncover the secrets hidden behind the dark passageway and its connection to him or his mother's bracelet.

Otherwise, Emelda would soon return with Kael. Then his plan will be thwarted. After making his way steadily through the villagers, he suddenly came to a stop with a smile spread across his face, enhancing his attractive features. "I knew it, my powers won't forsake me at this moment," he mumbled.

***

Alvan had successfully made his way through the villagers and was now just a few feet away from where the knights were standing guard.

Right now, he was hidden behind a huge boulder, contemplating the best way to pass the knights without attracting attention from others. What if the thing being guarded is something forbidden? That means being discovered might spell hell for him.

'How I wish I were a sorcerer. I would use invisibility or teleportation to effortlessly reach the dark passageway without detection. Regardless, I possess something that neither the knights nor the warriors possess.'

He raised his finger, still shielded from other people by the boulder, and then he snapped his fingers. A spark of golden energy flashed before it disappeared. After the golden spark, a bat-like creature materialized on top of his hand. He whispered some inaudible words to the dark bat-like creature before releasing it to soar towards the knights.

A mischievous smile was plastered on his face as he watched the bat creature flap its pseudo wings towards the knights.

When the bat-like creature reached the location where the knights stood guard with stoic expressions, it emitted a brief shriek, capturing their attention. The three knights lifted their heads simultaneously, only to see the bat.

Seeing that bat, they began to shiver and tried to cover their eyes. That was because the bat's eyes were glaring purplish, like those of shadow minions, with a dark aura lingering around its wings.

Alvan, whose hands were moving as if puppeteering the bat-like creature he had created, smiled before he stealthily passed by the guards who still had their eyes closed. What do you think he did? With his power restored, he harnessed his cosmic energy to create a bat-like creature that exuded an eerie aura, giving off a shadow minion vibe. The creature's eyes glowed lilac, and a dark aura clung to its wings.

However, he had it all thought out because he would have been caught if he had used ethereal energy. That was because those knights would easily detect the use of ethereal energy around them. However, since they were not cosmic mages and there were none currently in the basement, his trick worked using cosmic energy.

"A shadow minion!" One of the three knights, who was almost shivering, exclaimed. This caught the attention of the Elders and the Templar warriors. Three of the Templar warriors left their positions and instantly went to see if it truly was a shadow minion.

"Are you stupid? Where is the Shadow Minion? Do you think they can bypass the guardians outside and gain entry here?" One of the three warriors reprimanded him.

The three knights slowly opened their eyes, peeking out to see if the "shadow minion" was gone. And there was nothing in the air them anymore.

"We... we... saw something with purple eyes that looked like those shadow minions." The knight who had previously exclaimed stuttered. Of all three knights, he was the shortest and skinnier.

"So, why haven't you been infested yet? Or are you already a guardian?"

"We apologize, warriors, for giving a false alarm. We won't complain if you punish us." The eldest knight said while kneeling to the warriors, and the other two knights joined him.

"It's okay. It's not as if we can punish you guys. You have been specially selected by the Supreme Commander as the best to guard the Basement Chamber. We didn't even meet his qualifications for guarding the chamber, so why should we punish you? Since Mecca seemed to be hallucinating, we will leave it to you." Another warrior spoke, and from his words, it seemed that the other one held a lower rank.

After everything had been settled, the three warriors returned to the vicinity where the nobles of Etheloria were gathered. Mecca was asked to take a few minutes rest by his fellow knights.

Alvan, now concealed by the pitch darkness of the passageway, heaved a sigh of relief. He had successfully sneaked past those three knights with his tricks. Even though it was pitch black, he could still manage to see, albeit faintly.

'I can clearly feel that the pull seems to have intensified here. I'm close.' He said as he raised his hand with the bracelet, using it to track the mysterious force just like a map. Because, with its reaction, he knew where to go.

After walking for almost two minutes, feeling the intense pulling force with each step, he finally arrived in front of a stone door, or should I say, a stone gate.

At first, he thought he had reached a dead end in the passageway, but the pull was still drawing him in. So, he inspected the wall before him. That was when he discovered a fissure running through the center of the wall, adorned with intricate carvings of runes that he could not even decipher.

Now, it seemed that whatever had been calling him was just on the other side of the stone gate. But how is he going to open the mysterious gate?

Alvan gathered his ethereal energy and used it to enhance his strength. With all his might, he attempted to pull open the gate. However, no matter how hard he tried, it was all in vain. He was becoming impatient and growing frustrated as time went on without being able to open it.

"Do you need an extra hand?" Alvan heard a certain familiar female voice behind him. He was frozen in place.

It was her...