The Search

Scarlett left for her search the next day . She decided to start with looking for the academy as it was the common connection between everything . She believed whoever murdered her parents was someone from the academy as most of the supernatural creatures reside there .

Though Scarlett was determined , she had no clue as to where to start her search . She then recalled the name of the town where The Great Hunt took place , Zeldia . Zeldia wasn't anywhere near Driscot , infact it was miles away and now Scarlett had a long journey ahead .

After her parents' death , all their savings and insurances had been transferred to Scarlett . She couldn't get herself to use a single penny that came out of their death . But now she had no other option , if she wanted to reach Zeldia which is miles away she needs resources . With a heavy heart she took all the money for her journey.

She took the book along with her as she believed it would help her with her search .

She took the nearest metro station and got on the train that led to Zeldia ." I've only seen passengers go to Zeldia , never heard of anyone coming back from Zeldia , are you sure you want to go there ?" the station master had warned Scarlett .

The warning had no effect on Scarlett as she wasn't going to entertain fear anymore . She just wanted to catch the murdered who killed her parents .

Zeldia was the last stop and would take around 36 hours to reach , so she sat down to plan her next move after getting to Zeldia . ' Since the hunt was going on , obviously the town wasn't turned into an academy . But the academy must be somewhere around the town ' she continues reflecting on her thoughts .

She searched what was around the town in her GPS but couldn't find much . There was nothing around the town except dense forest . That was when she recollected seeing a map in the book and rushes to open the book .

She was just going through the map when she notices a castle in the north of the town which wasn't visible on her GPS . ' Was it destroyed ?'

The area of the castle was also covered in forest according to the GPS . She was confused but that didn't stop her from marking it as her first location to search once she reached Zeldia .

After hours of planning , searching and marking , she fell asleep . It wasn't until she woke up that she realized there was no one on the train . With a befuddled expression ,she started looking around for more people but the only person she found was the ticket inspector .

" You won't find anyone , no one goes past Craig ( the capital ) . My guesses are you're the passenger travelling to Zeldia , there's still 2 hours to get to that station . Rest well , you might need it " those are the words he spoke , but that spoke a lot about Zeldia .

The next few minutes were spent in pure silence , both didn't speak a word .

But someone had to break the silence , " Does no one live in that town ?" she asked with genuine curiosity . " Town ? Hah ! There's no town there , all you're gonna find is trees and dangerous animals " he replied with a sombre expression .

Scarlett at this rate realized , Zeldia wasn't as simple as it seemed anymore . It was complicated in many ways a normal person couldn't understand .

" We're here kid , It's Zeldia . I hope you don't run into any misfortune " said the ticket inspector . Scarlett gave him a reassuring look and stepped out of the train . The first thing she noticed as soon as she steps out is the freezing atmosphere . It felt like someone dropped a bucket of ice on her .

She left the station and she didn't find anything to be the way others described . She found a small town where people were busy with their daily chores. She was walking past a street when she notices a tavern and decided to stop by for food .

As soon as she enters the tavern , every single person present in the tavern turned to look at her . It was as if they had seen a ghost . There was a giant person standing around the counter . He looked like a cyclop out of a story book except he had both his eyes .

" Is there anything I could buy to eat ? " she questions with a growling stomach and embarrassed face . " Pick any of the tables , your food will be there " he answers without any shift in expression . " But ..." Scarlett was about to say she hadn't mentioned what she wanted to eat yet but he turned around and started walking away .

Scarlett took the nearest table and noticed people still staring at her and whispering . Suddenly the door of the tavern shot open and two people who looked like trained soldiers entered the tavern . It didn't take her much time to realize they were making their way towards her .

" You ! you're coming with us " and with that single sentence , she was on her feet , following them to whatever place they were taking her . She wanted to scream , ask them who they are , fight them , argue with them but she couldn't seem to do any of what she wanted to do .

After a long walk , they arrived at the front gate of the very place Scarlett was looking for . ' The Bloodline Academy '

' It seems like my lucky day , they brought me right where I wanted to be . But who are they and why am I not able to disobey them ? '

They enter the gate and then she sees it , it looked like a castle . ' Wait ! I think this is the castle I saw in the map except it should be very old but this looks like it was recently constructed.' The castle she had seen on the map was actually used to build the academy . This was the very place Gregoria Jane had protected with her powers .

She was awestruck . She could see fairies flying , mermaids and sirens swimming in the river the flew around the academy , a dragon flying in the sky and many more creatures which she had only read about . ' So the academy and all the supernatural beings are real . That just proves that my parents were murdered ' her face turns stone cold as she is reminded of that gruesome day .

The two soldier like boys push her into a room and lock the door . She didn't feel the freezing cold she was feeling at her arrival anymore . She could feel warmth around her , there was something familiar about this place which she couldn't quite point her finger at .

" Hello , Scarlett " She was just admiring all the books around her when someone from behind her spoke .

" How do you know my name ? Where am I ? And who are you ? " she asked as her mind was flooded with questions .

It took Scarlett some time to notice it was an elderly woman in her late 50's , with strange eyes and a very powerful aura . Anyone from across the room could notice an aura of such strength .

" You ask a lot of questions for someone who's been forcefully brought here " the woman responded with retort as she made her way around Scarlett .

Scarlett didn't know what to say at this point and was befuddled as to why she couldn't defy those soldiers' order . " Why could I not defy their order ? Why did I follow them here without any opposition ."

" More questions I see . I would like to ask some as well . Why are you here and how did you find that tavern in the first place ? " the woman sounded curious , neither angry nor annoyed .

" Anyone with eyes can find that tavern , it's in a very disclosed place if you haven't noticed yet " Scarlett mocked as she maintained an eye contact with the woman .

A small chuckle escaped that woman's mouth as if she was laughing and annoyed at the same time .

" No , not everyone with eyes can find the tavern . This whole town is under a spell which wouldn't allow anyone except a supernatural to find this place . Which brings me to my next question , What are you ? " the woman asked with certainty , as though she was sure Scarlett isn't a normal human .