Episode 8: The Discarded Shells of Time
March 1, 960
The Malkion stepped down from the carriage, as if they had just arrived somewhere with the Eric,
I took a look around.
The surroundings were eerily quiet and expansive, like a vast plain, with crumbling houses scattered about, their ruins a haunting sight.
"Where am I?"
Despite being asked about it in the Eric, the Malkion walked ahead silently.
Eric trailed Malkion, still harboring doubts,
Malkion stood in front of the well, pointing to it as he spoke.
"Go in"
"What?"
Eric was taken aback by his words and peered into the well, lowering his head to take a closer look.
The well was completely dry, and it was as dark and deep as a tunnel.
"What are you doing coming in here?"
"If you're curious, you should see it for yourself."
"Hurry up"
The Malkion handed the rope to the Eric and said, "Hold on to this."
Eric alternated between the rope in his hand and the Malkion.
Despite feeling a sense of distrust in my mind, I soon gave up,
He slowly began to climb in, holding onto the rope from the leg.
"Can I come back here again?"
As the Eric continued to sink deeper into the well, the voice began to echo.
"You're really suspicious, aren't you?"
The Malkion stood alone, muttering to himself, and held the rope from the ground.
As I finally touched the bottom of the Eric, I realized it was too dark, so I had to feel my way along the ropes and the wall with my hands.
"What's going on?! I can't see a thing!"
As the Eric's voice grew faint, the Malkion also started to venture into the well.
As the Eric felt a vibration in the rope, he looked up in confusion.
"Excuse me?"
"If you come in too, how do you plan to leave?"
Despite being two, they somehow managed to squeeze into the well,
Despite my worries about Eric, it wasn't cramped, and I could see ahead in the darkness.
"Just hang on for a minute."
"Can we not go out?"
"Are you seriously trying to get me killed right now?"
The Eric thrashed about, trying to grab the rope and pull himself up,
The Malkion started lighting the torch as if it were second nature to him.
As the lights flickered on, the vast space inside the well slowly came into view.
"Follow me, hurry up"
"Don't make a fuss."
"What's this? What is it?"
"Underground?"
The Eric quickly dropped the rope and hastily followed the Malkion, keeping pace beside him.
The two set off into the darkness, relying on a single torch for guidance.
"Do you know about the Vatican's elite security team?"
"Vatican?" "Yeah, it's super famous..."
"Knights of D..."
"They're beyond human classification."
As the Malkion finished speaking, a door caught my eye in the basement corridor.
Malkion knocked on the door, and Eric stood there, looking a bit on edge.
As he looked on, the door swung open, and a burly, muscular man stood before him.
"Malkion, what brings you here?"
"Did something go wrong with your plans?"
"I was completely lost in the Jeff."
"I'm going to leave this guy in your care."
The massive Jeff, a male, cleared a path for the Malkion to enter,
Eric followed Malkion's words, still uncertain.
Eric's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected words.
"What? Me?"
"What's going on with this guy?" "Newbie"
Let's follow the Malkion into the Eric,
A large crowd had gathered, and they seemed to be in a state of high activity, as if they were in the midst of a training session.
"It's a devil"
"Jeff, you're the one who trains me."
"What's this training all about?"
"How are the families we were just talking about?"
The Eric seemed to be struggling to grasp the situation,
Jeff smiled to herself as she listened to Malkion's words, then reached out to grab Eric's shoulder.
"Really? You were a newbie, huh?"
"Newbie"
"Just trust me, I'll take good care of you."
"Just leave it to me, and I'll take care of it."
"You said you'd do it"
The Jeff let out a gentle, labored breath as it welcomed the Eric,
The Malkion turned around and took a step as if trying to leave.
The Eric stood frozen, his eyes averted from the Jeff, his body stiff with tension.
"Seriously, please..." "I don't think this is the right place."
"Excuse me?"
"Hey, newbies! Let's get started!"
"Today, I'm just going to do 50 rounds of Daeryeon!"
"Who's up for a game of sparring with a newbie?"
As the Malkion receded into the distance, people began to gather around the Jeff's cries,
He swaggered over to the Eric.
"Wow, it's been ages since I've seen a new recruit!"
"So, " "Check out those skinny muscles..."
"I'll always go first."
"Newbie!!"
It seemed that someone who had overcome growing pains was now experiencing them again, while someone else was just starting to feel them,
Someone else was holding on.
March 1, 960
At that moment, the Knights of the Sky were in high gear, moving swiftly across the Astrel.
The Order was on high alert following the investigation into Magellan's assassination
Theo's eyes looked like they hadn't slept in days as he scribbled down the reports he'd received.
At that moment, someone knocked on his door.
"May I come in, sir?"
"Come on in, Rachel."
With the Theo's permission, the deputy Rachel opened the water and stepped inside.
"How are you, sir?"
"You'll only catch it if you take a break and try again."
"What brings you here?"
Theo nodded in agreement as she spoke.
"To be honest, this is just my personal opinion..."
"The Mustang family is suspicious."
"The Mustang family?"
Theo was taken aback by her words.
Her family was a well-respected one.
Theo gazed at her uncertainly and asked her why.
"Suspicious?" "What's the basis for this?"
"There have been reports that a woman has been frequently spotted in the area recently."
Her words were a bit stiff, but she seemed equally confident.
The Theo was lost in thought.
The Mustang family was highly respected,
The current Knights of the Sky have not been well-received by the public
If you take the Rachel's word for it and focus your investigation on the Mustang family
It was because if things went wrong, we could have faced a major backlash.
"What's the woman's style like when she's out and about?"
"It was a tip that he had been painted with a face mask."
While the tip alone wasn't enough to move him easily,
Theo had come to trust the Rachel's conviction, which he had come to know over a long period of time.
"Let's just keep this between us for now."
"You're a big deal to act on without any evidence."
"Let's start by identifying the woman who's visiting."
"Got it!"
The Rachel nodded in a brief, pleased manner.
Theo also seemed to be making progress in the investigation, and my shoulders, which had been weighed down, began to feel lighter.
"Let's go undercover starting tonight."
"I have no idea when it will show up."
"That sounds great, I think." "You shouldn't draw too much attention to yourself."
"But will it be okay just the two of us?"
Despite the Rachel's concerns, not much was done.
At the time, I had no one to trust,
The Theo had to act unilaterally with the Rachel.
On the morning of March 2, 960
"Please!"
The Rachel's cries echoed through the streets.
The Theo's belly was bleeding profusely.
The streets were still shrouded in darkness,
The only sound I could hear was the Rachel's footsteps.
With one hand supporting the Theo's body, the other hand was gripping the scabbard tightly.
The Rachel carried him, his consciousness hazy, through the quiet streets.
"Sir!!" Please...
"Just hang in there for a bit!"
The spot where Rachel had passed was stained with Theo's blood,
Her tears fell into the frozen night air, each drop catching the moonlight as she ran.
She felt a knot of anger and fear coiling in her chest, making her breathing labored.
Despite crying, she didn't stop walking.
After a while, she finally arrived at the nearest small hospital, and she kicked the door open.
"Please help me out!!"
"I've been stabbed in the stomach...""
"Please...""
"Get down here right now!"
The doctor inside was momentarily taken aback by her sudden intrusion,
He acted like a pro.
The Rachel laid the Theo down and removed his armor.
"Excuse me, please..." "A knife on the boat..."
"Get out of the way, first!"
The Rachel took a step back, his hands trembling with fear.
The surgery on the Theo was performed solo by the doctor in the early hours of the morning,
She was frozen in panic, staring only at the Theo blood on her hands.
The doctor's hands were moving rapidly, and blood continued to flow.
The events that had unfolded in just a few hours had left her mind reeling,
A wave of helplessness and bitter defeat washed over her.
At that moment, the doctor's voice came from the hospital's inner room.
"My heart rate is back to normal!" "The bleeding has stopped!"
Rachel dropped to her knees, her body relaxing, and clasped her hands together.
"I lived..." Please... sir..."
Theo's pulse had barely returned, but he was still unconscious,
The doctor continued with the surgery.
The knights, patrolling the area, arrived amidst the chaos and commotion,
She looked up and turned her head towards the door.
"Excuse me, is that the vice president?"
"Sir!!!"
"We need to call in all the knights right away."
"A search of the Mustang family estate is underway, and the suspect is believed to be hiding somewhere on the premises."
Her voice was worn and trembling, but it was laced with a fierce command, fueled by anger.
One soldier quickly took off, while the other kept a watchful eye on the surroundings and asked.
"Vice president..." "What's going on with that?"
"Oh my..."
"Three hours ago...""
"No, I'm not." "First, gather at the Mustang Mansion, please."
She couldn't bring herself to speak, and let out a sigh as the sound of knights being summoned outside filled the air,
It suddenly came back to me three hours ago.