UNKNOWN LAKE

Not a sound was heard from around the lake. Keira was still standing in the same place with her gaze still looking into the forest with a confused facial expression. Keira took a few steps closer to the forest. "Della? Are you back yet?" said Keira in a loud enough voice.

Silence.

Just like last night, there is no one but herself in the lake. Then what voice did she just hear?

Keira walked back closer to the lake, she sat down on a tree branch that was right facing the front of the lake. She sat down slowly with mixed feelings.

She then rubbed her face with both hands. "What's wrong with me?" muttered Keira, feeling uneasy.

Since last night, she had been so confused that she even had nightmares. She felt something strange about her, since returning from Xerxes castle. This was the second time she heard a strange voice, and she did not know where it came from.

Had she heard wrong again?

Or could it just be her imagination?

Keira took a deep breath. "Calm down Keira..." she said trying to get rid of the strange thoughts that began to fill her head.

She then remembered the 'Unknown Painting' that she had photographed last night using her cell phone. Given the confusion that even she could not explain the reason for the strangeness. She remembered seeing the face of the man in the painting before she took the picture.

"What's happened? Why did the man's face disappear from the painting when I took the picture?" confused Keira. "Have I seen wrong?"

Keira bit her nails. She tried to think of any possibility that might explain the disappearance of the handsome man's face from the picture. Because she could have sworn that she saw that handsome man's face in the 'Unknown Painting'!

Keira shook her head, feeling dizzy thinking about all the weird things happening to her. "Shit! I don't want to go crazy from all this!"

Yeah! She's had enough of her college subject already. She had no intention of burdening her mind with strange things like this!

Not wanting to think about weird things, even more, Keira stood up and walked to the edge of the lake. She was going to swim first because Della still hadn't come. She couldn't wait to swim in that very beautiful lake.

Keira slowly entered her feet into the lake water, until half of her body was already in the water. She immediately felt the cold water from the lake. But it didn't matter because for her the temperature of the lake water was perfect.

Keira slowly floated herself on top of the lake water. She is indeed quite reliable in terms of swimming, she can even hold her breath long enough when diving. Keira stared at the blue sky that looked so beautiful, it looked like a painting from down here.

"Why is Della taking so long?" said Keira because her best friend hasn't come back yet.

Maybe her best friend got lost? No, it was impossible because Della herself showed this place to her. So it's certain that Della knows the way to go to this lake.

Keira swam around the lake while enjoying the beautiful scenery around the lake. Until she took a deep breath, then dived into the lake.

SPLASH!

Keira kept moving her arms and legs. Her eyes saw what was inside as well as at the bottom of the lake. It turned out that quite a lot of fish lived in the lake even turtles were seen walking on the bottom of the lake.

A smile appeared on Keira's face.

She likes this lake. Not only on the outside but inside this lake is very beautiful with water that is so clear than previously thought.

Keira is still diving, she still wants to enjoy the lake a little longer. She dived between the tree branches that sank into the lake. Until suddenly she saw something...

The shape looks familiar.

Keira sharpened her eyesight and approached the object that was in the middle of the lake bottom. That object had caught her attention at this moment...

BLUP

BLUP

BLUP

A few seconds later Keira's eyes widened, and the movement of her hands and feet became erratic. 'Human?!' shouted Keira stifled.

...

SPLASH!

"Hah... hah... hah..." Keira breathed heavily. She tried to regulate her irregular breathing, along with her heartbeat.

Keira rubbed her eyes which were blurry from the few drops of water that got into them. Then she looked blank, the expression on her face was hard to describe. "Eh, what was that?" Keira stuttered.

She still remembered very well what she had just seen a few seconds ago. She saw a 'human' at the bottom of that lake. But she was too afraid to come any closer.

Keira's shoulders shook violently. "I-Is that a corpse?" stuttered Keira with a feeling of fear that ran through her whole body.

Slap... Slap... Slap...

Keira slapped her cheeks three times quite hard. "No... no! I must be dreaming!"

She looked around the lake, which was still the same as before only she was alone in the middle of the lake water. The atmosphere around her was not very supportive, the very pleasant atmosphere turned tense.

Keira bit her nails, a habit she always did when she was scared or anxious. "I... I have to make sure..." muttered Keira.

For the second time, Keira took a deep breath trying to calm herself down, and dived back into the lake.

SPLASH!

Different from before, Keira didn't look around her but went straight to the middle of the lake. She kept swimming... swimming... and swimming. Until finally seeing the 'object' that is her current goal. Keira stopped for a moment, she was trying to calm herself down.

After feeling sure, Keira swam back to approach the 'object'. Here she was right in front of the 'object' which turned out to be a human.

She didn't see wrong.

That's a man... the 'object' was a man.

Keira swam around the man. Then she saw a chain that reminded the man's right leg of an iron rod at the bottom of the lake, likewise with the man's hands that were chained.

Various kinds of questions immediately appeared in Keira's head.

Who is this man?

Who had killed this man?

And why is this man's corpse at the bottom of the lake?

Keira turned around again. She also noticed something strange, namely the man's corpse which did not rot or swell at all. He didn't even look like a corpse at all but only looked like someone sleeping.

Keira then returned to the front of the man. She saw a necklace with a blue gem on the man's neck. The necklace was so beautiful, that it managed to fascinate her. Keira's hand reached out to hold the necklace and accidentally made the necklace slip off the man's neck.

Keira who initially wanted to take the necklace canceled her intention. She stared at the face of the man who was probably the same age as her. Keira looked at the man's hair, nose, and lips. She scanned every side of the man's face then furrowed her eyebrow.

She kept staring... staring... and staring at the man's face. Then slowly began to realize something, that man's face seemed familiar to her.

Keira's face was only a few centimeters away from the man's face and not long after, Keira's eyes widened. 'He is Navarro Eryx!'