Next Day
On the highway leading to the Bennett Mansion, three black cars pulled over to the side of the road. A man with blond hair stood on a nearby mountain ridge, scanning the terrain and the layout of the quiet town below. In the distance, the Bennett Mansion and the sacred tomb were both visible.
"So, anything?" A sweet voice rang out through his earpiece.
"Yeah," the blond man—Mike—replied. "I can see the whole town, the Bennett Mansion, and the tomb. I don't think there's another route to the tomb other than the one that goes through the mansion."
"Huh. That means we'll have to fight our way through, then," another voice responded grimly.
"Get down, Mike. I'm scared," came a trembling whisper from a third voice.
Hearing the fear in her tone, Mike leapt down from the mountain with ease. The air slapped against his face, sharp and cold, but he smiled at the sting. As he neared the ground, he slowed himself mid-air and landed softly, straight into the arms of a blonde girl.
"Don't be scared, Monica. I'm fine," he said with a gentle smile, brushing away the worry in her teary eyes. He wondered when his wife would finally stop fretting over him—hadn't she realized his strength by now?
Turning back to the others waiting by the cars, Mike's expression grew serious.
"Josh is right. We'll have to go through the Bennett Mansion. There's no other way."
"That's not a problem, right? I mean, with our combined abilities, who can stop us?" repeated the sweet voice.
Mike turned toward the speaker, Sara Clarke. Despite her soft tone and innocent smile, Mike had always thought she was the most dangerous among them. Evil cloaked in sugar.
He shook his head, then looked at the silent man sitting inside one of the cars, a cigarette resting between his fingers, his eyes lost in thought.
"What are you thinking, Lucian?" Mike asked.
Lucian Salvatore took a slow drag from the cigarette before exhaling.
"What do we know about the person guarding the tomb?"
The man in the driver's seat answered instead.
"Not much. According to sources, she's an orphan, currently at the Eternal Level, and holds more authority than anyone else in the Bennett family. Ben says she's a cunning bit*h who's wrapped Elder Bennett around her little finger."
Mike scoffed, "We can't trust anything that comes out of Ben's mouth. Magnus, you should've seen his face when I told him we wouldn't be staying at his place."
Magnus smirked, "I bet his face turned black with rage."
"Alright, enough," Lucian cut them off. His mind was already racing through the possibilities. Even now, something about this felt... risky.
"Okay. Let's stick to the plan. We'll pretend to be hunting for that Grade-A herb, just like we told the Bennett family. In the meantime, Mike, you'll scan the tomb and the surrounding area—guard count, routines, shifts, everything. Let's understand our enemy first. Then we'll decide our next move."
Mike snapped his fingers. "Alright, let's move. We need to regroup with our men who've already entered the town before heading to the Bennett Mansion."
With that, everyone climbed back into their cars, and the Salvatore convoy resumed its journey toward the mansion.
Forty-five minutes later…
The convoy of sleek black cars pulled up in front of the Bennett Mansion.
From the study window, Eva looked down at the cars and exhaled slowly. She turned away from the view and muttered to herself,
"Here we go."
With that, she mentally slipped into her role—not as Eva Bennett but as Eva Kingsley, the mansion's keeper. That meant putting up a show in front of the Aurion Circle's people as a servant of the mansion. Her grandfather hadn't told her exactly who was coming, so they'd have to figure it out themselves.
Descending the grand staircase, Eva stepped outside to find Mrs. Jones, Uncle Marcus, and John already waiting on the front lawn, hands clasped behind their backs. Ten cars are now lined up on the gravel driveway.
"Welcome to the Bennett Mansion," Mrs. Jones said first, bowing respectfully.
Eva stepped up beside her. "Welcome to the Bennett Mansion. I'm Eva Kingsley, the keeper of this house and the tomb. This is Mrs. Jones, our head of staff. General Marcus of the Bennett Army, and John Summers, one of our warriors."
When Eva mentioned General Marcus, she noticed a slight shift in their expressions—something between surprise and recognition. That told her enough: these people knew who Marcus was.
Smiling, Eva extended her hand and shook each of theirs politely.
"Let's get you settled. John will take care of your luggage. I hope the journey was smooth?" she asked, though not addressing anyone specifically.
"It was fine," replied a man with blond hair. He had an air of command about him. From his tone and posture, Eva guessed he was the unofficial leader of the group.
"Forgive me," she continued. "We were informed of an arrival, but not the exact number. May I ask—?"
"There are six of us," the blond man interrupted. "One room for me and my wife. We'll need five rooms total—and some extra space for our people."
"Understood. And where are the rest of your group?" Eva asked, just a bit too casually, masking her suspicion.
"They should be arriving now."
Almost on cue, another car pulled up and parked beside the others. Two men stepped out.
One of them—the one from the passenger seat—immediately commanded attention. A heavy, dark aura clung to him like smoke. It wasn't until he stepped into the light of the mansion's entrance that Eva saw his face.
She inhaled sharply.
"Oh my god," Marcus muttered, not intending to say it aloud.
Eva gave him a frown, but the blond man looked amused by Marcus's reaction.
The dark-haired man came to a halt in front of her. His eyes—black, deep, unreadable—locked onto hers, and the air seemed to shift around them, heavier, denser. Looking into those eyes was like staring into the abyss itself—silent, infinite, and unknowable. A chill crept up her spine. However, the man had a breathtaking face.
For a second, she forgot to breathe.
Uncle Marcus leaned closer and whispered out of the side of his mouth,
"Breathe."