Ampithera: One Side
Chapter 05's

A middle-aged man in a blue military suit was sitting in his chair by putting his feet on the table. He seemed to be relaxing while wiping the rifle that looked very shiny using a napkin.

This calm has been going on for a long time. However, the sound of the door being knocked several times out there shattered all that long-lasting calm.

"Come in!"

That heavy-sounding voice echoed in this room as the middle-aged man spoke.

Not long after, the door opened. Appeared to a man who was about twenty-seven years old in a dark brown military suit. He closed the door when he was really inside. Afterwards, the man saluted by taking off his military cap and bowed, "Our respect to the Great General Morpheus Swocratis."

"Tell me what big of a problem made you come to the headquarters that are so far from your territory, Captain Regas?"

"Do you remember what happened ten years ago that killed thousands of victims? "

Regas's question just now, made the man named Morpheus suddenly stop the activity of wiping his rifle. While looking at Regas with a probing look, he replied to the young man. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, General. I really don't understand much about this. So, I want you to check it out for yourself, what's the matter in the Soutaven district this time, there's something to do with the Devil that you say is very troublesome."

"Did you deliberately want to scare me because of what you said? Explain everything!"

"All right …,"

According to the command of the general, Regas explained everything.

Half an hour before ...

Regas was resting inside the supervisory post along with his colleagues. They were talking about everything that came to their minds. When viewed from the way they talk casually while occasionally accompanied by laughter, they look familiar with each other. Like a family.

However, in the low boisterous conversation, they were startled by the constant pounding in the vestibule.

One of them went to check on what was going on in front. When the young man who was inspecting it opened the door, how shocked he was when a middle-aged man suddenly held both of his hands violently.

"Please! Save my daughter!" said the middle-aged man in his irregular roar of breath.

"Calm down! You set your breath first!" the young man replied while holding both arms of the middle-aged man.

"Can't! We need to rescue my daughter immediately. My daughter is being eaten!"

Hearing him, the young man immediately gasped. "wasn? Whatchu mean?"

"What's up, Hannan?"

The sound made the young man named Hannan look at him. He removed his hand from the middle-aged man's arm. "Captain Regas, he said his daughter was at a meal."

Regas surprised. "Don't joke!" his bluff while looking at the middle-aged man with a sharp look.

Then, the middle-aged man also looked at Regas with an equally sharp gaze. "You think I look like I'm joking?" hisses.

"Come in! I wanted to ask for clarity, "Regas's ink was rejected outright by the man.

"Can't! We must save my daughter!" he snaps at the man with a murderous look.

"Then how can we save your daughter without knowing what's in there?!" regas asked as loudly as the man earlier.

"Calm down, Captain!" Hannan tried to calm the mood. "Sir, tell me what you see!" pinta Hannan on the middle-aged man gently.

"I saw a man filled with blood biting my daughter's shoulder. I don't understand what's going on, but when I look into her red eyes my body feels creepy and I run right here for help," it was obviously the old man who made Regas glare in shock.

"Don't," muttered Regas who instantly returned into the room where he and his comrades were resting. With a hasty step, Regas walked towards the small room of the weapon storage, leaving everyone inside this room astonished.

"What's going on, Captain?" ask one of those people.

After Regas picked up a rifle, with a worried-looking facial expression, he stared at his comrades. "Koizor, Floyth, Lasley, take your guns and come with me! Others, stay here just in case. Remember that! Don't let your guard down! Call me right away if anything happens!" his successful orders made everyone curious about what was happening.

"What's really going on, Captain?" ask the curly haired man to represent the others.

"This is not the time to tell stories. Come on!" Regas immediately walked out followed by his three colleagues who were ready with their respective weapons.

Regas walked towards Hannan and the middle-aged man who was now crying. With a cold look, he said, "Hannan, you stay here with the others. Try not to panic."

"Understanding, Captain," replied Hannan as he raised his hand and placed it on the forehead a sign of respect.

Regas held onto the middle-aged man's shoulder as he said, "You're coming to the car with us!" He passed out of the room followed by the middle-aged man and his comrades.

After Regas and his colleagues entered the car, Regas immediately asked Floyth, the teary-eyed man who drove his car to drive it at high speed.

Before long, they arrived at the scene of the crime. He was shocked to find bodies lying on the ground. Not only himself, everyone including the middle-aged man was also surprised to see him.

Regas and the others got out of his car. He then walked towards one of the corpses lying there. His colleagues also examined the other bodies.

Regas walked towards the corpse of a man with his head separated from his body. "He doesn't look like a victim of Ezbar," he said.

"He's my brother!" said the middle-aged man who suddenly dropped his body while crying.

"Why are you in a place like this?" lasley asked the only woman here to the middle-aged man.

"We're chasing my daughter. She ran away from home because she knew I was going to match her," the middle-aged man replied in his tears.

"Is this ... your daughter?" asked Koizor who was kneeling beside a head of a young woman.

Seeing him, the middle-aged man immediately headed towards the residence of the person who had just asked him that. His body sagged, until it finally collapsed. The crying broke too. He grabbed Alma's head lying on the ground with trembling hands. Fresh blood coming from Alma's head started flowing in the middle-aged man's hands. Koizor rubbed his back trying to calm down.

"Captain, look!" said Floyth who was bending his knees next to the corpse of a cannibal creature that had eaten Alma.

Regas stepped his foot towards the woman.

"Only he whose body is intact" said Floyth with a little worry.

"Captain, should we contact the superiors? So that they ask a special investigation team to investigate the case," proposed Lasley who is now beside Regas.

"No need, "shake Regas.

"Lantas, what are we gonna do?"

"Understanding," Regas' colleagues replied simultaneously.

After that, Regas also drove the car with the highest speed.

Back again at this time. Where Morpheus was solemnly listening to the exposition of Regas.

"My survey says that Ezbar's seal has been destroyed. We don't know what the enemy has been doing for the last ten years. But the time during that time, it was enough to break through the seal that the Zaswen had installed that was no longer strengthened or even forgotten because we assumed that we had been safe from attack," long-winded Regas.

Morpheus remained silent. It was as if he was thinking of something he could not accept. Although the roar of his breath sounded unproblematic in the slightest, but the man with him knew how shocked he was. A few seconds passed with silence until suddenly the voice of the middle-aged man sounded in this room. "Have you told your boss?"

"No, General. As you wish."

Hearing Regas's reassuring reply, Morpheus sighed for a moment before finally getting up from his seat. "Can you take me there?"

"Sure," Reply Regas.

Morpheus put on his blue military coat then walked towards the door.

Like his subordinates in general, Regas opened the big door for Morpheus and followed him out of the room.

***

After they reached the outside of the building, Regas walked to a black luxury car to open the door of the car which in fact was Morpheus's private car.

After Morpheus boarded his car, Regas spoke for a while. "General, we'll choose a detour."

"Why?" morpheus asked with a hand that was holding the steering wheel.

"The residents in the Louth district are having a festival. It'll hinder our journey."

"so. Alright." Morpheus shut the car door.

Immediately, Regas walked quickly towards the car he had previously worn to get to this place.

Regas led the way to guide Morpheus who drove the car after him.

Two government office guards standing on either side of the gate immediately opened the gate and saluted their general.

After a long journey, Morpheus and Regas finally reached their destination.

Morpheus got out of his car, and so did Regas.

Regas' comrades were surprised to see the arrival of the great general. They bowed respectfully to Morpheus. Just like Regas did at the headquarters.

Not caring for Regas' comrades who were so jolted at him, Morpheus stepped his feet towards the body covered by cloth near the river guardrail. Next to one of the bodies, the father of Alma was leaning against the fence. His eyes looked blank, his face clouded like he was losing hope.

"Sir, did any of your family fall victim?" morpheus asked the man.

Still with his blank gaze, Alma's father answered Morpheus's question. "Yes. They're my daughter and my sister." His voice sounded weak and desperate.

Morpheus lowered his body, kneeling near the dead body of the man's daughter. He opened a small piece of cloth that covered Alma's body. He was a little jolted when he found the head separated from his body. "It looks like he didn't die because of the creature" he said.

Hearing this, Alma's father's eyes suddenly returned to life. Staring at Morpheus, he asked, "You mean?"

"I think so too. Apparently, he was killed by someone. That person must be the same person who killed this man" said Regas who was crouched beside the body of a cannibal creature not far from Alma's body.

His father Alma was shocked to hear that, his gaze returning empty. "My daughter ... was killed by someone?" muttered.

While Morpheus, he got up from his seat and moved near the other body. Morpheus again bent his knees when he had been beside the corpse. Then, he spread a little cloth that covered the face of the corpse. "He ...." Morpheus was shocked to see the face of the cannibal corpse. Then, he immediately closed the cloth.

"Do you know him?" regas asked Morpheus, who still had a face of disbelief.

"Yes. He is the son of one of my acquaintances" Morpheus replied, to the surprise of Regas and his friends.

Morpheus stood up again. "Regas, can you and your team handle this on their own? There's something I need to take care of first."

"of course. Don't worry, General," Regas replied.

As he was about to set foot to leave this place, someone called Morpheus' name making him stop his steps.

"General Swocratis."

Morpheus turned. Highlight his cold eyes were fixed on the father of Alma who had just called his name.

"I beg you, find out who killed my daughter and take my revenge on her!" her door bowed respectfully.

"I can't promise" he replied in his cold-sounding voice.

Alma's father seemed a little disappointed at Morpheus' reply just now. However, when Morpheus continued his remarks ….

"But I wish I could do it."

Like having just escaped a very heavy burden, Alma's father heaved a sigh of relief. His face forced a smile even though those tears were still streaming down his face. Then he raised his hand and placed it on his forehead saluting his general.

When Morpheus was about to step again, he suddenly remembered something that made him turn back. "And one more, for the sake of the security of the country, promise not to tell anyone this! If you break it, I won't hesitate. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. They could not deny when Morpheus had said so. Alma's father Regas and his friends set their sights on Morpheus, who had now stretched his legs. Shortly after Morpheus got into his car, Regas and his colleagues saluted the military by raising one hand and placing it on the forehead until Morpheus drove his private car.

***

This magnificent room was so spacious without a sound. Not a single lamp was on the ceiling, not a single one was on. Only a lantern on the table was the light of the room at this moment.

A blonde-haired middle-aged man with sapphire blue eyes was busy with documents that were still piling up like never ending.

Initially, only the sound of pen scratches filled this room, until suddenly the door opened revealing a handsome man in full military clothes who was none other than the Great General Morpheus Swocratis.

"Great success for the kingdom of Anthasia. Our respects to His Majesty the King of Cleinestes Raesiphier." Morpheus bowed respectfully.

Meanwhile, the King just looked at the man lazily while he was cupping his face using his fist.