CHAPTER 3: The Mysterious Man

She checks the time, it's exactly 8pm…it's late. She says goodbye to the team and heads home….she starts walking from the institute and is lost in her own thoughts.

It was a cool evening, so nice to take a stroll.

Lila's thoughts are a jumble as she walks home. On the one hand, she's proud of the work they've done. As she turns the corner, she sees something that makes her stop in her tracks. A little girl is standing on the sidewalk, looking lost and afraid. Lila's instincts kick in, and she approaches the girl with concern.

"Are you okay?" she asks gently.

The little girl looks up at Lila, her eyes wide and tear-filled. She's clutching a teddy bear to her chest, and she looks so small and vulnerable. Lila's heart breaks at the sight of her, and she crouches down to the girl's level.

"What's wrong?" she asks again, her voice soft and soothing.

The girl sniffles and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "I can't find my mommy," she says, her voice trembling.

"Come here", Lila beckons. "I'll help you find your mommy".

The girl hesitates for a moment, then takes a few hesitant steps toward Lila. Lila smiles and opens her arms, and the girl walks into her embrace. Lila holds her tight, feeling the little girl's body trembling against her own. She feels a surge of protectiveness, and she knows that she has to help this child find her mother.

"Let's try to find your mom, okay?" she says, her voice full of warmth and compassion. "What's your name?"

"I'm Andrea" the girl says, her voice muffled against Lila's shoulder.

Okay, Andrea, let's see if we can find your mommy. First, do you know where you were when you got lost? Can you tell me what happened?" Lila asks, trying to get as much information as possible.

"I was with Mommy at the grocery store," Andrea says, her voice a little steadier now. "Then I saw a puppy, and I ran over to pet it, but then it ran away and I got lost."

She starts to tear up again, and Lila holds her tighter.

Just as they are strolling down the street trying to look for Andrea's mother. Lila senses an unfamiliar presence. She stops for a while in a bid to observe the environment and suddenly a creature emerged from the shadows. Yes! it's a demon but what does it want here.

Lila's heart pounds in her chest as she sees the demon emerge from the shadows. It's tall and imposing, with glowing red eyes and sharp claws. The demon glares at Lila, its eyes boring into her own. Suddenly, it speaks, its voice deep and sinister.

"I see that you are one of the chosen ones(the quove), the ones who wield the power of the ancient symbols," it says, its words dripping with menace. "But you will not succeed.

Lila is a clearly afraid…without her team, she can't fight the demon alone. To add to the matters on ground, she was with little Andrea. Now she will have to find a way to protect herself and Andrea. Lila's fear is understandable - the demon is a fearsome and powerful creature, and she's afraid of what it might do to her and Andrea. However, she knows that she must be brave and put her fears aside if she wants to protect the little girl.

The demon takes a step toward them, its claws glinting in the moonlight. Lila stands her ground, holding little Andrea close to her. She knows that she must stand firm and try to drive the demon away. But how can she do that when she's so afraid?

As the demon approaches, Lila's hand shoots to her pocket, where she's hidden a small knife. It's not much, but it's the only weapon she has. With a trembling hand, she pulls it out and holds it up in front of her. The demon pauses, clearly surprised to see the small weapon in Lila's hand.

"Do not underestimate me," Lila says, her voice shaking but determined. "I will not let you hurt me or Andrea."

The demon snarls, its fangs glistening in the moonlight.

As Lila goes into battle with the creature, the injury from her previous encounter opens up and starts bleeding. She falls to the ground, and little Andrea starts crying.

Lila and Andrea look up in surprise as a figure steps out of the shadows. At first, it looks like another demon, but then it becomes clear that it's actually a person.

The figure steps into the light, and Lila gasps.

"I see you're in need of some help," he says, his voice calm and reassuring.

It's a young man, in his 20s.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his voice gentle. "is that little girl with you?"

Lila stares at the young man, still trying to process what's happening. He doesn't look like a demon, but he could be an ally of the creatures. She can't be too careful.

"Who are you?" she asks, her voice firm but not hostile. "How did you get here?"

The young man holds up his hands, showing that he's not a threat.

"But how did you know we needed help?" Lila asks, her eyes narrowing.

"You don't have to worry about that love". What matters is that you and the little girl are alright.

"See ya" he said while he gestured to leave.

"You haven't answered yet" Lila sounded a little harsh.

"Is that how you behave towards someone who saved you?" he said with a stern look.

From the way he spoke and looked, Lila saw he wasn't in for jokes. He looked and acted cold. Before she could ask another question, he left without giving her a chance and leaving her to battle with multiple questions in her head.

Lila is left standing there, confused and a little bit angry. Who was that man? How did he know about her and Andrea? And why did he leave without answering her questions? She feels frustrated and a little bit afraid. What if he's working with the demons? What if he comes back?

She looks down at Andrea, who is still crying quietly. Lila takes a deep breath and kneels down next to the little girl.

"It's okay, sweetie," she says, trying to sound reassuring. "We're going to be okay".

"What was that?" Andrea asked, her voice shaking with fear.

Lila hesitates, not sure how to answer. She doesn't want to lie to the little girl, but she also doesn't want to scare her.

"It's... it's hard to explain," she says slowly. "But I can tell you that we're safe now. You don't have to be afraid."

"But what about that man?" Andrea asks, her eyes wide. "Where did he go?"

Lila sighs, knowing that she can't avoid answering this question.

"I don't know who he is," she admits. "But we're safe, I promise. "Now let's go find your mommy" Lila tells her.

Andrea nods, still looking a little bit scared, but comforted by Lila's presence.

"Okay," she says softly. "Can we hold hands?"

Lila smiles and takes the little girl's hand in her own. "Of course we can," she says. "Let's go."

As they walk away from the shadows, Lila can't help but feel a sense of unease. She keeps glancing over her shoulder, half expecting to see the man again but he doesn't appear.

She sees a lady in front who looks like she's looking for something.

Andrea raises her voice, "that's my mommy".

Lila is quite happy and they approach the lady.

"Andrea" the lady screams.

"Mommy" Andrea says as she runs into the woman's open arms.

"Thank you" the woman says to Lila.

You're welcome, Andrea is such a sweet little soul" Lila says back.

The woman looks at Lila with gratitude in her eyes. "I was so worried," she says. "She's been missing for hours. Thank you so much for finding her."

"It was my pleasure," Lila says, feeling a sense of relief. "I'm glad I could help."

The woman turns to Andrea, who is still clinging to her. "I love you so much, sweetie," she says, hugging her tight. "I was so scared when I couldn't find you."

Andrea looks up at her mother, her eyes shining with love.

Lila gives the woman a final smile before leaving. As she walks down the road, she feels a sense of satisfaction. She was able to help someone, and that's what matters most. She heads back to home and straight to her room ready to rest after a long and eventful day.

As she lies down on her bed, she thinks about the mystery man from the shadows. Who was he? And why did he leave so suddenly? There's still so much she doesn't know. But for now, she's just happy to be safe, and to have helped a little girl find her mother.

"In a dark room, the sound of splashing water fills the air. The sound of the running water is loud and relentless, almost drowning out the sound of the ringing phone. But then, a male voice answers, and the sound of the running water abruptly stops.

"Hello?" the male voice says. There's a pause, another voice speaks from the phone.

"What information did you manage to collect?" the voice from the phone said.

"Nothing, but I managed to get close to one of them," the male voice replied.

"Is that all you were able to do?" the voice asked, sounding disappointed.

"I'm sorry, father," the male voice said. "I think I'll need to carry out this mission in person."

"That's a better idea," the voice said. "But don't fail."

The call ends, and the sound of running water resumes. The room is silent, save for the sound of the water and the faint sound of someone breathing heavily.

The owner of the voice steps out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel around his waist. There's a half-naked woman lying on his bed. He walks up to her.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he says.

"Darling, so soon?" she says back. "Do you really want me to go?" She stands up from the bed.

"Yes, I want you to leave," he says, his voice cold and stern.

"Why?" she asks, trying to touch his chest. He pushes her away."

"I'm not interested anymore. You need to leave," he said, his tone filled with warning.

His eyes were filled with rage, and his voice was as cold as ice. She sensed danger, and quickly started dressing and packing her things. As soon as she was ready, she hurried out the door.