The truth

Anna removed the blanket from her body and got off the bed. Her hand held the edge of the bedside table to find her balance. The dizziness she felt at the airport still lingered.

Thinking about what had happened at the airport, Anna could only sigh. Back then, she was only trying to help Avery, but it seemed to backlash. It was funny now that she thought about it.

She wondered what happened after she fainted. Did Avery's parents even listen to her?

'Enough!' Anna thought to herself. She didn't want to think about it, for it would only ruin her mood.

Anna took a deep breath and let it out. She stared at the unfamiliar surrounding once again, walking from one section to a section starting from the bedside table beside the bed. There was nothing peculiar, just an empty notepad and a pen.

Leaving the space, Anna walked towards the closest area, which was the bay window seat. Her hands automatically tidied the unorganized cushions while occasionally looking at the view outside the window. She realized that it was dawn time. It felt like daytime inside the room due to the light. It seemed that she had been asleep for quite some time.

Once again, Anna looked around the room and noticed a hall that led to another room. When she explored the area, she realized that it connected the main bedroom to two other places.

The first one, which was the closest to the bedroom area, was a closet. The other one, which was located quite far from the first room, was a library. Immediately, it became Anna's favorite room.

When she opened the door, the first thing that greeted her was two grey couches and a round grey table. The wall behind it was a massive glass window with a garden view. There was no empty wall, only massive floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that were fully occupied.

Anna's fingers were tracing the books' spines as her eyes scanned the upper shelves. The books there were all thick books, arousing her curiosity about the kind of books they were. Hence, she took the tallest stool nearby before stepping on it.

Carefully, she pulled a random book and flipped through it. It was an exciting illustrative book about animals.

After some time, Anna closed the book and returned it to its designated place. That was when she noticed a small opening in the wall. She didn't see it earlier as all the massive books hid it.

Curious, Anna removed some of the books which blocked the access to the hole and placed them at the shelf underneath it, revealing a rectangular space that could fit a standard size book.

Anna peeked inside and saw a red book. Frowning, she pulled out the book and rearranged the shelf before stepping down from the stool.

She sat on one of the couches inside the room and inspected the book, which was untitled. However, after looking at the first page, she realized that it was a journal left by the previous Anna.

A journal that made her eyes wide open in disbelief as she read the content written in cursive writing.

[Why? Why did they kill her? It wasn't an accident. They killed Camelia!]

[I am the real daughter, the true heiress of the Gunnars' estate! Why did they take it away from me?]

[Avery, you don't deserve Dominic, but I do! I'll do anything to get him from you even if I have to sacrifice my sanity.]

[I'm tired of playing the role of a good girl...]

"This..." Anna inhaled nervously. Her hands were trembling, and she felt sick to her stomach.

She always thought that Anna was a kind person after knowing that she fell off the cliff trying to save Avery. However, now that she read her handwritten journal, she had to rethink her next actions.

Anna forcefully exhaled to release the built-up tension inside her. She reread the journal and found out that the earliest anecdotes were heart-warming, only those written a month ago carried a dark tone and intention. Moreover, the last account was recorded the day before she reincarnated as Anna.

'What if...' Anna shook the thought away. She hoped that the previous Anna didn't commit any serious offense within the one-month time frame, because if she did, it would be troublesome to fix it or even run away from it.

At that realization, Anna immediately left the library and ran to the bathroom in the main room. She tore all the pages that contained Anna's evil thoughts and shredded them into pieces until there was no word left. Then, she threw everything inside the toilet's bowl and flushed them away. Once everything was done, she heaved out a long sigh.

***

Chamrose Mountain

"Master," Gorgon called his master once the ground in front of him opened to a half. Inside, Van Raven was lying naked on a bed made from the mountain's soil. His chiseled physique was on display except for his manhood. It was a sight Gorgon was used to. However, he couldn't help but praise his master's excellent features.

"Master, it's dawn!" he called again. This time his voice was louder.

However, a voice yelled back at him, asking him to shut up.

"You're noisy," Van Raven complained. He got off the Earth bed and floated to the ground above, standing right in front of his butler.

Gorgon grinned but froze half-way when he felt a terrifying aura coming from the man standing across him. He looked up and met his master's eyes of green orbs with rings of silver.

"M-Master, your eyes..." he said with trembling voice. It had been a long time since he last saw his master's eyes change in color - the color that symbolized his wrath. Gorgon was curious about what triggered his master's anger, but he was too afraid to ask.

Van Raven looked at his butler, whose head was hung low with his nonchalant eyes. He took the robe he was holding and put it on.

"Gorgon, I have a task for you," he said. His voice was low but carried a dangerous vibe.

"Prepare a resident in Weammont city. Three days," he stated before disappearing from Gorgon's sight.

Seeing his master gone, Gorgon exhaled a long breath to calm his nerve. His master was always playful and cheerful, causing him to forget the other side of him. The side which once provoked couldn't be appeased so easily.

Gorgon waved his hand to close the healing ground. His instinct told him that someone in Weammont city would meet their doom soon.

Meanwhile, Van Raven was inside his room, staring at the sky that was now veiled in the darkness.

He brought his right hand in front of his face, staring at the wrist held by the young lady he met earlier this day. He couldn't believe that her simple touch had established a connection between the two of them. A bond that almost turned him insane a while ago, because there was a moment where he thought he would lose her.

While recuperating inside the mountain soil, he suddenly felt a kind of danger was approaching her. He didn't see it, but he just knew. He knew that she was in trouble. He wanted to run to her, but his internal wound rendered him useless. He tried to move as her fear crept into his mind, sending his senses to a hellish experience. Alas, there was nothing he could do...

Pressured by helplessness, his ancestors' records appeared in his mind, which stated the unique ability to be unlocked once a Noblebloed met his or her soulmate. That gift was the ability to communicate with your partner, telepathically.

These thoughts gave him hope.

Sadly, his connection with her wasn't strong. They haven't made an exchange that allowed them to communicate with each other freely. Thankfully, his power managed to create a link to her consciousness by manipulating the weak connection they have. Albeit at a cost.

His power was used up, making him vulnerable to the torture of the devil inside him.

Despite that, the sacrifice was worth it. She was safe! That was all that matters...

Still, what angered him the most wasn't the demon who tried to harm her but the memories sealed inside her and the number of manipulative spells that were hidden deep in her core.

Someone was daring enough to use his soulmate for gain. Whoever that was, they would never escape his wrath...

Van Raven's eyes glowed in the dark as he stared at the sky with an unsettling calmness. Only when the moon was halfway across the sky did he leave.

He walked to a particular area and tapped the ground with his feet. The tap triggered a specific mechanism, which then revealed an opening on the floor. It was the entrance to a secret chamber located underneath his bedroom.

He jumped into the opening, and once he was inside, the entrance automatically closed itself.

Van Raven navigated the darkroom swiftly. When he arrived at a specific location, his hand caressed the wall next to him. Soon, the darkroom became bright.

The room was small with a wooden desk and a chair as the only furniture. On top of the table was a thick, leather-bound book. Van Raven dusted off the book's dirt layers, revealing a series of ancient characters that translated as [The nine pillars].

He flipped the pages and stopped at a chapter entitled [Death of Callisto/D' Callisto].