LUCEM
Chapter XX

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Walking along the sidewalk that afternoon towards a red painted house. Marbella snaps her coat, slips her hands into her coat pocket to keep it warm, it's a cold afternoon in town.

Open the wooden door and push it slowly. Marbella stared at the tired face of someone sitting on a wooden bench facing straight at the door.

"Good day, Mr. Adam," said Marbella.

Marbella stepped on her foot, the knock from the blunt heel of the shoes she was wearing echoing filled the dusty room. Marbella stands by Adam's mayor's side and watches the situation at a glance.

Sit down" said mayor Adam. His voice sounded whole and serious.

Marbella sat on the remaining wooden chair.

A skinny old man emerged from another room carrying a brown scroll and handed it to mayor Adam.

Marbella looked in question.

"He's Armate," mayor Adam introduces the old man Marbella saw for the first time after several secret meetings with Ahem's city number one.

Armate bent down and rewinded her steps docked to the wall.

He's probably sixties. His thin body seems only wrapped in skin only in a sweater wrapped up to the top. He was tall, awkward, and showed a conservative attitude. Her hair was neatly cut. Her jaw was prominent and she had the usual merciless look of a missionary or fanatic— something like that.

Mr. Adam unrolled the brown scroll on his lap, looked at it for a moment and then lowered it carefully to the floor.

"It's really challenging" Marbella muttered.

Mr. Adam looked at the girl who had been crouching on the floor at a glance.

"Very similar," he thought, then reviewed a thin smile.

While analyzing the sheets on the floor, Marbella began to feel uncomfortable noticing the stern look of the old man waiting for them.

"Well, what does all this mean?" marbella's tone of voice was sharp by throwing her glance at the old man who was standing stiffly by the side of the wall. He again took a seat in the chair.

Mr. Adam rolled up the loose paper and followed Marbella to get back to the chair.

Mr. Adam gave the paper back to the old man and shook his hand slowly to signal his way away.

"We both have an interest in the dot on the paper, Marbella, that's what this all means."

Marbella kept her voice calm. "I can't say I ever went in there."

"There's not much to see at least until someone opens the door" said Mr. Adam.

Mr. Adam clasped his fingers agitatedly, throwing a glance at the room where the old man was.

Marbella moved her neck veins to keep the two men within her sight.

"Listen, sir, I don't know what you really know about me, or you think you know. To note, I'm telling you, I may not be the right person to open that door."

Adam answered quickly. "We believe you made the deal in secret. We have done it too. Our position is as vulnerable as you. We have a family, the people of Ahem city and the people we love, and know very well what they can do. That makes our standing equal.”

Armate is making a sound. “Our fate depends on each other. I don't have time. Please, help us.”

Marbella looked cynically. “According to Master, what can I do for you guys?”

“You look a lot like him, and I'm sure you're just as strong as him.” added the old man named Armate.

“Funny, I just remember we were rat pest controllers.” Marbella chuckles fake.

“All know that the entire Ghoyanta bloodline is a witch with a border-opening destiny,” old man Armate uttered with a quivering tone.

Marbella gnashed her jaw tightly until it hurt. “Good, enough is enough. Now tell me who you are.”

An hour later, Marbella was on a grassy road that ran in orange light late in the afternoon on the streets of Ahem. He felt his chest, where he kept a worn brown sheet of paper that he carelessly folded.

Several small passing vehicles flew the fragile foliage into the twilight air. Marbella stopped her steps, her ears listening so seriously that the city seemed to disappear.

"Mantra. mantra... mantra..it's a spell, damn it!" means nervous.

From the other side of the road, a shadow moved towards him. Marbella hastened her steps.

Until— an embrace on Marbella's shoulders stopped everything.

“Halo, Marbella.

There are no coincidences but goals.

Someone just finds what he's looking for.

That was the reason why one ended up meeting the person he had to find. Agree?” she whispered while scratching the sharp blade of her nails on Marbella's smooth cheeks.

Tears flowed through Marbella's frozen cheeks withstanding the intense pain.

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