Olivia's gaze turned towards the door, her body tensed, as Alexa strode in, wearing a grim expression on her face, but her eyes flickered with relief.
"How are you feeling?" Alexa asked, her calculative eyes scanning her.
"I am feeling better," she said, while skilfully opening her blanket for little white to hide.
"What happened? How did you survive?" Alexa's composure momentarily fell.
Olivia's eyes welled up, her mind flashed back to the horrific scene. "I don't know."
Alexa gaze lingered on her. "How did you make it back, have your system awakened?"
Olivia stared at her, if she said no, they were going to know that she was lying. 'The truth is it then,' she thought.
She weakly nodded her head.
Alexa walked closer, eyes serious. "Did you see any animal?"
Her heart skipped a beat " What kind of animal?" She asked, fringing ignorance. While her mind wondering if she was referring to Little White.
"We don't know what type exactly, but a very dangerous monster has evolved into an animal…" Alexa paused, gauging her reaction "… If you see one out there, you should let me know."
Olivia's eyes flickered with unknown emotions, it was so fast that Alexa missed it.
"I will let you know, if.. if I see one," she stammered.
A smile curled on Alexa's lips. "Good, get better soon."
Her hand brushed a strand of hair from her face. Olivia's breath hitched, scared by the sudden closeness.
"You'll meet the others soon… but If you are lying ....it won't end well for you," with that, Alexa strode out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
A man rested his back casually on the wall, his hands in his pocket, his feet tapped impatiently against the ground. He checked his wrist watch, while he waited.
He immediately stood straight as Alexa walked out of the door.
"How did it go?" He asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"Not good," Alexa paused, she turned to face him "She knows something, and we need to get it out from her."
"If your hypothesis is correct, then the Lord of the monsters is close by…" his throat tightened. "… and that would lure all monsters to our fortress." A glint of fear passed through his eyes.
"Exactly, and we don't have enough force to fight them head on."
"So.. what do we do about her?"
"We wait, we have to make her trust us enough to spill it out," she began to walk towards the elevator.
"And if we find him?"
"That decision is not up to us." Her eyes glinted with unexplainable emotion. She took a deep breath, "hopefully they kill him, and end this nightmare."
She entered the elevator, her fingers shaking as she pressed the -20 button.
Sweat dripped down her face, as cold chill travel down her spine.
Chime.
The doors slide open. Hesitantly, Alexa walked out of the elevator, every step she took was like a step closer to her grave.
"What took you so long?" A hoarse voice cracked through the silence.
"We have one survivor from this squad," her voice unnaturally softened.
"Hmmm interesting." The man stood up, walking closer to Alexa "I want to meet with her."
"But she haven't met with the monster Lord," she panicked.
The room fell in a eerie silence, it was so thick that a knife could slice through it.
Alexa felt cold tendrils, encircling her, her hands trembled slightly beside her.
Before she could react his hand grabbed her by her neck, pulling her closer. " Don't tell me what to do," his cold, icy voice resonated in the dim light room, breaking the silence.
"Yes boss," she choked, her hands clawing at his, trying desperately to break out from his grip.
Suddenly, he let go of her, but it made Alexa fell to the ground gasping for air. Her knuckles white as her eyes glinted with anger, pain and resentment.
She quickly said "I will arrange it, boss."
With a nod from the man, she turned around to leave.
She turned around, glancing one more time at the man. His broad cold frame was the only part she could see.
His black hair was neatly combed, not even a strand falling out of place, his back exuded confidence and arrogance. His tailored suit fitted his silhouette perfectly.
"Anything else?" He coldly asked.
"No boss," she said, before walking away.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile back in the room where Olivia was.
The air grew thicker with silence and tension between Olivia and the white snake.
"Why are they asking about you?"
The snake slithered closer to her, his eyes sparkled innocently at her.
"What are you?"
The snake slithered into her hand, curling into a ball in her hand, taking a nap.
"Why am I even asking? There's no way it can be you, you are just a little snake who managed to survive."
Her gaze lingered on the snake, she knew that it was strange, and its origin was still a mystery to her.
She had this inexplicable feeling of being drawn to him, and she felt this was only the beginning.
"Follow the path of chaos and you will find the sacred flame." Eritrea's words echoed through her head.
"But what does that even mean?" She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Maybe I can look into it," she muttered.
She opened her system, she had to know what exactly she was capable of. Although she was disappointed by her aspect, she believes she had hope now. She just needs to find the last bit of the sacred flame.
And like a screen, all her abilities appeared In front of her.
She scroll down to her weapons trait.
[Weapon trait: Lustrous armour - born to a lowly origin, with an act of defiance, he changed his fate, bathed with blood, it became a precious treasure. It's the best defence.]
She nodded in satisfaction.
She continued to scroll, her eyes lingered on the attributes.
[Fated: good and evil comes in a proportionate scale, whichever encountered depends on your affinity to them]
"Does that mean, if I have a strong affinity for evil, then I have a higher probability of becoming unlucky and vice-versa?"
She didn't really like this attribute, as she didn't believe she had an affinity for good.
[ Marked by Flames: Bath in the ancient sacred flames of the gods, your blood has become sacred, but you have been marked to fight alongside with the god]
"Okay, a god? I don't believe that sh*t."
She scrolled to the next.
[Born in Chaos: your origin is chaos, Chaos gushes through your veins, a blessing and a curse from the gods. Chaos is the fuel source for the monsters and vice-versa, one cannot exist without the other]
"What…." Her voice caught in her throat. Her breath hitched, a sudden pressure tightening around her chest.
She turned, and her gaze met with the snake's.The golden glow in its eyes was too unnatural, it was almost ancient.
Then, a whisper, almost like a forgotten memory, curled through her mind.
Find the sacred flame.