Somewhere in Backlund, three men were running for their lives. Their footsteps echoed through streets as if somebody chased them.
After a while, one of them stopped, panting heavily. The other two followed suit, trying to catch their breath.
"Guys… I think we're safe," one of them said. "We've been running for like thirty minutes. There's no way that psychopath will catch us now."
But then another man muttered, "But what about Bob? He's dead."
The other two turned to look at him. The oldest-looking one sighed and said, "Look, Gary. I know this is your first time doing something like this, but you signed up for it. If we hadn't run, that guy would've killed us too. Be glad we're still alive."
Gary hesitated before replying, "Yeah… you're right." Then he looked at the oldest looking one and asked, "Hey, William, you got his wallet, right?"
William smirked and said, "Of course I did." He pulled out the wallet and waved it proudly.
The third man grinned. "Come on, William, open it. Let's see how much we got."
"Yeah, do it," Gary added eagerly.
William chuckled, opened the wallet, and started counting the money. After a few seconds, his grin widened. "Guys, we made two hundred pounds!"
Gary and the third man exchanged stunned looks.
Gary asked, "William, are you sure there's two hundred pounds in there?"
William shot him a look. "You don't believe me, Gary?"
Gary quickly shook his head. "No, no, I believe you. It's just… this is my first time seeing that much money."
The third man, Jack, spoke up. "So now that we've got that much, how are we gonna split it?"
William thought for a moment before saying, "How about I take fifty percent since I'm the one who stole the wallet, and you two share the other hundred pounds?"
Gary and Jack glanced at each other, then nodded. Gary said, "Yeah, sounds good. Now how about we go celebrate?"
All three shouted together, "Yes, let's go!"
A few minutes later, they arrived at a two-story house. As they approached, William stopped and said, "Wait, guys, I forgot to buy alcohol. I'll be back in a minute."
After watching William walk away, Gary and Jack sat down.
"Hey, Jack," Gary asked quietly, "were those two hundred pounds really worth Bob's life?"
Jack sighed and leaned back. "Gary, with two hundred pounds, we can buy a lot of things. And there's nothing we could've done to save Bob. That guy had a revolver—we're just normal people. Even William isn't bulletproof."
Gary looked down. "Yeah… you're right."
About ten minutes later, William returned, smiling from ear to ear. He set down a few bottles and said, "Guys, guess what I found."
Both Jack and Gary looked up. "What did you find?" they asked in unison.
William pulled out a small piece of paper and showed it to them.
Gary squinted. "What language is this? Who even wrote it?"
William's grin widened. "This is written in Hermes—the language of mysticism. My master taught me some before he passed away. I think if we chant what's written on this paper, we'll gain great benefits."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "And where exactly did you find this?"
William chuckled. "I found it near a shop. Strangely, the only thing they were selling there was monocles. Weird, right? But if that's all they sell, they must be good at it." He paused. "So… should we chant what's on the paper?"
Jack and Gary exchanged a look, then said together, "You do it first."
William laughed. "Alright then."
He stood in the middle of the room and began chanting in Hermes:
"The Clock-Hand that Tampers with Time,The Shadow that Roams across Fate,The Embodiment of Deceit and Trickery—Please, gaze upon this mortal and bless him."
The room fell silent. Jack looked around. "See, William? That's exactly why you shouldn't pick up random stuff off the ground."
But before they could say more, William pulled out a crystal monocle, blew on it lightly, and placed it on his right eye. Without hesitation, Jack and Gary followed suit, each putting on identical crystal monocles.
William smiled slyly and said, "Hey there, Amon Number 2 and Amon Number 3."
The other two grinned back. "Hey there, Amon Number 1."
Then, in unison, all three turned their heads toward the same direction and murmured, "Interesting…"
Meanwhile, Lukas heard a knock at his door. He got up to open it, but there was no one outside—only a letter lying on the ground.
He thought. "Who sends letters to me?"
Curious, he picked it up and opened it. Inside was elegant handwriting that read:
Dear Mr. Arthur,Earl Hall cordially invites you to his ball this Saturday at 6 PM. He sincerely hopes you will attend.
Lukas read it twice, then chuckled softly. "An invitation to a ball? Well… sure. Why not?"
Hey guys, author here! I just want to say a few things—first of all, thank you!
thanks to:
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Thank you, everyone, for your support! See you all tomorrow!