Sudden vision

"Greetings to you too, cousins," Sarah spoke with confidence, catching her cousins by surprise. "I believe you all know why I'm here?"

The way she spoke was different from the timid girl they last saw 16 years ago, who decided to abandon her aristocrat title to go be with a farmer.

Cyrus, being the leader of the three, responded, "No, we do not. Actually, we are a bit curious about why you have returned. Were you not the one who abandoned your family for a boy?"

Cyrus was a brilliant businessman and a master negotiator, and he was also very good with words. He knew what to say and when to say it, and right now, he had just delivered a jab at Sarah, reminding her that she had been the one to leave home.

Observing Sarah's reaction with a faint smile, he knew he had placed her in an unfavorable position. By taking the initiative to strike while the iron was hot, he had given himself an advantage over her. After all, he did not need to win the battle; he needed to keep his job, because Sarah, being the only child of his uncle, now owned everything he had.

Sarah understood what Cyrus was trying to do. In fact, she was quite relieved he had opted for that, because it would have been tiring to go back and forth with them.

"Look, I don't have time for all these childish antics," Sarah said. "I'm here for one simple thing." She paused, glancing at each one of them before continuing, "I'm here to tell you that everything you do from now on shall be reported to me, and I need to see your files and business transactions. Do not worry about your jobs or positions; they are yours to keep, since you guys have been running everything with my father. All I need between us is transparency and respect."

At her words, the three of them were relieved, but they could not show it, since they had to keep a certain image in front of their cousin.

"Alright, if that is all, then I'm sure we can do that....oh, and welcome back, Sarah," Cyrus spoke, the other two just smiled without saying a word.

Sarah nodded and gestured for Derrick to come stand beside her. Derrick reluctantly moved to his mother's side but kept his head down to avoid his uncles' gazes.

"This is my son, Derrick. He turned fourteen the day I got the news that father had passed away. Greet your uncles, Derrick."

Derrick stared at his mother for a moment before raising his hand shyly and speaking in a low voice, akin to a whisper, "Hy."

This time, it was Cyrus who responded, but instead, it was Bron who spoke, "You resemble your mother and your grandmother a lot." Even his twin seemed to agree.

Cyrus stood up and gestured for Sarah to follow. Hearing the door open, Simon and Josh stopped their eavesdropping and stood staring at the wall like loyal servants.

Cyrus stepped out first, followed by Sarah, Derrick, and the twins. Cyrus did not even spare the two servants a glance as he walked past them. Sarah nodded at the two, and they followed behind the group.

"We have a meeting with a potential client from Moonridge. Maybe you might know him; his name is Davin Dotmon. Have you heard of him?" Sarah's eyes widened at the name; she knew who Davin Dotmon was, and funny enough, she resented the man with her whole heart. But she was not the only one surprised by that; Josh's interest was piqued. "What is he doing in Denil?" Even Simon seemed to know the man.

Josh had met the man before, while he was still part of the royal task force, and he was the owner of the building where he stayed.

"Oh, I know him very well. He is the reason my husband died," Sarah spoke in a soft voice. Her three cousins were momentarily shocked, and they could not even say a thing. But Dotmon's business proposal was too good to resist, so they kept quiet and said nothing.

Once outside the main office building, a carriage was waiting for them. It was big enough to fit seven people, but Cyrus refused to let Sarah's servants ride along with them.

"You guys can take our coach and ask Herman to take you around the city. I will meet you back at the manor after all of this is done," Sarah instructed before leaving with her cousins.

Herman, the middle-aged coachman, signaled for them to come, but as they took a step forward, Josh found himself standing before an old man he knew too well: Arnold Manchester.

It was currently nighttime, and the mine site was empty, with only Arnold and another man whose face he couldn't make out. The two men spoke in hushed voices.

"Did you find the key?" Arnold asked, the man in front of him shook his head "No, but we have discovered who has it, it's a grand seeker and he is hiding in Moonridge." The man reported, nodding his head. A smile graced Arnold's lips "Find him and the key, that key needs to be destroyed, it is the will of the lord." Arnold spoke, and on the last part of his sentence, he drew a circle on the left side of the chest where the heart is located, and the man in front of him did the same.

"What about you? Any progress regarding the archangel's feather?" The man asked, and Arnold smiled mysteriously.

Before the scene could continue, sunlight hit his eyes. Herman was waiting for them, and Simon had only taken two steps forward. It was a vision, but what had triggered it? But most importantly, why was the key so important? And why were they so many people after it?

Josh's mind was now a mess, but he had also made a new discovery about the abilities that they could activate on their own, but the reason behind that, he had not yet figured out.

Simon sat beside Herman, and Josh entered the coach alone. The coach took off under a watchful gaze.

"The butler is interesting; I need to find out who he is." A young man with feminine features stepped out of the shadows and watched as the coach left.

Josh sat in the coach, his eyes closed, as he thought of Judith - the young girl always made an effort to know him, but he never gave her a chance, and her death was on his hands. But then he thought, was she really dead? Did he see her dead body? Maybe this was just a plot of whoever was pursuing him.

By framing him for murder, he would be wanted throughout the kingdom, and it would only be a matter of time until he was found. Sighing, Josh sat up and stared at the seat opposite him. He suddenly had an idea - if this was the main carriage Arnold took, then it housed most of his secrets since he could not disclose some in his manor in fear of spies.

Placing his hand on the seat, Josh closed his eyes and concentrated on the couch. He had not yet gotten the chance to practice his abilities, and the best way to learn how to use them was by trial and error.

"Tell me your secrets." He murmured and waited, but nothing happened. He repeated the same phrase three more times, but still, nothing happened.

Frustrated, Josh opened his eyes and was about to curse, but then he saw the couch staring at him with a calm expression. Josh almost jumped, but he remembered the scene with the wall in the alley and calmed down.

"You are one rude young man; can't you be more polite when asking someone to reveal their secrets to you? As a butler, I did not expect this from you, young man - truly, utterly disappointed."

The seat spoke in an aged voice filled with disappointment. Josh was taken aback; the old man never mentioned that the inanimate objects would have personalities and feelings once brought to life. But then a realization hit him - Whisper of life; every living being has different characteristics. But it seems like the environment or the state of which the inanimate project is in influences its personality.

For example, the wall in the alley was simple and straightforward, which could be said to be influenced by the environment. After all, people from the slums were easy-going and straightforward, unlike aristocrats, who demanded a certain level of respect.

Josh immediately acknowledged his mistake and apologized before starting over. "Could you please tell me your secrets?"

The seat did not respond for a while before finally shocking Josh with its answer: "I don't think so." Josh's left eye twitched a bit, and his hand balled into a fist; this seat was getting on his nerves.

"Why not?" He asked, staring directly at the seat with great intensity. The seat seemed to feel the intensity of Josh's gaze and let out a nervous chuckle. "I am only playing; yes, I will. A few months ago..." The seat started speaking, with Josh listening intently. Most of it was not important until he reached the part about the key.