Welcome to the Innocent World

I stood in silence, gazing down at the crater before me. Blood spattered across the ground, dark and dried. With the strange symbol carved in red into the earth's surface.

"Who did this?" I asked, my voice laced with a solemn intensity, carrying the force of command. My eyes staring at the symbol, trying to make sense of no sense.

Alpha shifted her gaze, a glint of seriousness in her eyes. "It was done by…"

"Yes?" I asked, still staring at the symbol acting all cool.

She looked at me, her tone deliberate. "Zeta…"

"What?" I turned, bewildered, to find Zeta grinning sheepishly. She put a hand behind her head, her tongue peeking out in an innocent gesture.

"Sorry, Master…" she chuckled, the slightest hint of embarrassment coloring her tone. "I might've gone a little overboard."

"Oh," I exhaled, shaking my head slightly as I regained my posture. "So, what exactly happened here… and why were you responsible, Zeta?"

Alpha cleared her throat and took over, her face turning serious as she recounted the incident

"It started when Eta—the shadow mystic who oversees the government's trade activities and runs the large scale corporation of the country—became suspicious of a man named Alba."

"Alba?" I echoed, mulling over the name.

"Yes. He's a small-time merchant but recently gained a surprising amount of influence. Usually, cross-county trade agreements take time, with complex paperwork and procedures. But Alba somehow managed to streamline his dealings—attracting clients from other counties at an unusual pace. Eta thought it was… peculiar."

I nodded thoughtfully. "I assume she wanted to investigate further?"

"Exactly," Alpha continued. "Eta asked Zeta, who was close by, to keep an eye on him. Just to see what he was up to."

Zeta grinned again, this time with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Following him was no big deal; he didn't even suspect a thing. I watched him carefully for days. Finally, yesterday, Alba slipped away from his usual route and came here, thinking he was alone. Of course, I was tailing him."

I couldn't suppress a slight smile at her eagerness. "Go on."

"When he arrived, Alba met with a man in a black cloak. They were clearly wary, checking the surroundings as if they suspected something. I stayed hidden and overheard their conversation."

Alpha stepped forward, adding a serious note to the story. "Apparently, the cloaked figure wanted assurance that Alba hadn't been followed."

Zeta jumped back in, her voice mimicking a mocking version of Alba's tone, "'Don't worry; everything's fine. You worry too much. How many times have we done this? And yet you're still nervous,' he said, waving off the cloaked man's concerns."

I raised a brow, impressed by her memory of the exchange. "Seems like Alba was confident in his methods. And the cloaked man?"

Zeta's eyes gleamed with amusement. "He wasn't so sure. He kept pressing Alba. But Alpha mocked him saying a typical 'Latros,' how they're all paranoid and obsessed with keeping things quiet for their 'boss.'"

"Interesting," I mused. "This boss of theirs… Did you get any more hints about who he might be?"

Zeta shook her head, her smile slipping slightly. "Unfortunately, no. But then, things got interesting. Alba handed over some files to the cloaked man—looked like trade documents, or at least something important. The guy in the cloak activated a portal, a veil of sorts, which he was about to use to leave with the documents."

She paused, her eyes narrowing. "That's when I decided to make my move."

Alpha raised a brow, shooting her a look. "And that's when things got…messy."@@novelbin@@

Zeta laughed, looking at me with a bit of pride.

"I leaped from above, planning to take them by surprise. But that cloaked guy noticed me mid-jump. Instantly, Alba and three goblins he had with him gathered their auras and lunged at me." She punched her fist into her hand, grinning. "I had no choice but to smash the ground with enough force to knock them all out in one blow. Like a free fall blast on their heads."

My gaze shifted to the shattered ground and the symbol burned into it, and a low chuckle escaped my lips.

"Quite the impact, Zeta. So loud that the nearby knights were alerted, right?"

"Yeah, that was… unexpected," she admitted, scratching her head. "As soon as I realized the knights were coming, I slipped away. But there was something strange, Master…"

"Strange?" I echoed, noticing her expression shift.

She nodded, her brows knitting in concentration. "As I was leaving, I saw that the ground—where I'd struck—began carving itself into that symbol. It… appeared out of nowhere."

Alpha chimed in, her voice laced with worry. "The symbol itself is nothing we've ever encountered. And, Master, there's more. When the knights began taking the bodies, Zeta noticed that Alba's hand had that same symbol, like a mark branded onto his skin."

I mused, rubbing my chin.

"And now the Queen and the knights are investigating. But we must be one step ahead of them if this is as serious as it seems, isn't that right?"

"Exactly, Master," Alpha replied, her voice steady. "The capital is buzzing with discussions about it. Rumors have even reached the high court. But if anyone's going to get to the bottom of this, it's us."

I let out a long sigh, taking in all the details. The strange markings, the veil, the hidden dealings—all of it suggested something far more sinister at play.

"That's a lot to take in," I admitted, glancing back at the crater. "But I must say, Zeta, you did well. Taking down five enemies with one blow…" I glanced at her, allowing a proud smile to surface. "Impressive."

Zeta blushed, her grin widening as she glanced away, clearly pleased by the praise. "It was nothing, Master… really! But… thank you, thank you!"

I chuckled softly, watching her blush deepen. It was rare to see her so openly flustered, but her pride was evident.

Alpha's eyes met mine, her expression steady as she asked, "So, what's our next move, Master?"

—Before I could respond, a dark energy prickled at the edges of my senses. I stilled, focusing on the faint but unmistakable aura that had slipped into the building.

My gaze sharpened, my posture shifting as I materialized my black robe and boots.

"Now?" I said, my voice laced with a quiet intensity. "Now, we deal with the one who's been trying to spy on us."

Zeta tensed, her eyes flashing with alertness. "Someone's here?"

I nodded, a smirk tugging at my lips. "He's just summoned himself inside. Must've thought he could sneak in unnoticed."

Alpha's eyes darkened, and she instantly shifted into a combat stance. "A spy? Who would dare?"

*Clap* *Clap*

Just as the words left her mouth, a slow clap echoed through the chamber. A deep, mocking laugh followed, reverberating through the room as a figure emerged from the shadows.

A man stepped forward, his long, blood-red hair catching the dim light as his laughter faded into a sly grin. He wore a black jacket, and his eyes glimmered with malice.

"Well, well, Zero," he drawled, clapping again in mock applause. "I have to hand it to you. I wasn't expecting you to detect me so quickly. Impressive."

I didn't reply, keeping my gaze fixed on him, my stance unwavering. My eyes narrowed as I noticed the same symbol branded on his arm—the very one etched into the ground below us.

Alpha took a step forward, her expression fierce. "Who are you? And why are you here?"

The man smirked, ignoring her question as he locked his gaze onto me.

"You didn't think you could kill my subordinate and not hear from me, did you?"