It was early morning. Two mysterious figures stood high in the sky, directly above an island.
The island had a heart-like shape with beautiful turquoise ocean waters surrounding it.
The sun had already risen and was peeking through the clouds, making the entire scenery look mesmerizing and harmonious.
One of the figures who stood in mid-air was a striking young woman with long, dark hair that flowed past her shoulders. She wore a form-fitting, black leather bodysuit adorned with intricate silver detailing; the design was both elegant and fierce. The bodysuit had cutouts at the chest, revealing a hint of skin, and a low-cut neckline. There was a dark, bead-like necklace on her neck matching her suit. A wide, black belt with silver buckles cinched her waist. She also wore long, black gloves that extended past her elbows.
The most striking feature on her was a silver, ornate blindfold that covered her eyes entirely, with no eye windows. It was finely crafted and a symbol of her power and mystery. Delicate silver earrings dangled from her ears. Her skin was pale, and her lips were painted with a soft, neutral red color.
She had a calm, almost serene expression, yet just her posture radiated unfathomable strength.
Two steps behind her stood a young man.
He was a little shorter than the woman. He had shoulder-length, silvery-white hair. He wore what appeared to be a high-ranking official's ornate robe—a flowing garment primarily off-white, adorned with intricate bronze embroidery and detailing along the shoulders, sleeves, and hem. A dark black sash cinched his waist, adding a contrast to the lighter tone of the robe.
He carried himself with an air of confidence, even aloofness. His gaze was obscured by ornate, bronze-colored eyewear; similar to the woman's, it completely covered his eyes and forehead without any eye openings.
His skin was tanned, and his features were delicate yet sharp.
Beside him, almost towering over him, stood an enormous, dark-grey, almost black broadsword. The blade was slightly stained, suggesting it had been used for a long time. It floated in mid-air and, through a special method, it would always stay beside him even if he was moving at high speed.
The woman asked without turning, "Arlo, is this the island?" Her tone was monotonous, devoid of feeling, calm and steady.
Arlo nodded and answered, "Yes, Lady Marla. The artifact pointed to this location." He then pulled out an artifact, checked a few things, and nodded back in confirmation. "It is indeed so, but I am not too sure personally if the 'thing' could be here. Elendo's location was too far from this place; how could he even manage to ship it this far, especially since he himself wasn't certain of its location?"
"No, our artifact is correct; this is indeed the place."
Arlo glanced at his superior, Lady Marla, and waited for further explanation; however, she didn't say anything else and slowly descended toward the white beach directly below them. He quietly followed behind.
After landing, Marla frowned unhappily. Although her face was covered by the silver eye mask, Arlo knew that something must have happened for her to be so displeased.
After a pause, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Marla didn't answer and instead grabbed a fistful of white sand from beneath her with her gloved hand. After some time, she slowly let it slip away.
While standing back up, she spoke with a displeased frown, "There are too many arrays planted within this island, hidden perfectly and having almost become a part of this island's natural cycle."
Arlo was surprised; he quietly nodded, as Marla wouldn't give him false information.
He was not an expert in arrays, so he couldn't see through them. He felt that whoever had laid out those arrays was an extreme expert; they were so well-planted that they almost seemed to have blended perfectly, becoming a natural phenomenon of the island.
"The person who planted these arrays was a Grandmaster."
Hearing Marla say it was a Grandmaster, Arlo could no longer hold on to his nonchalant attitude and stood alarmed.
"No need to be so rigid; that Grandmaster has long left this place."
Arlo nodded. After some hesitation, he asked softly, "Then why are you so displeased?" His voice was very respectful so as to not anger Marla; she was far stronger than him and also his superior. If he annoyed her, his good days would be numbered.
"Lysandra Willow, the Elven Queen!" Marla said while gritting her teeth in both anger and helplessness.
Arlo was startled, but soon his expression changed. He stammered, "B-but how is this possible? Didn't she go inside the void portal opened by..."
Marla turned and glared at Arlo.
Arlo quickly clamped his mouth shut. Some things must not be spoken, even if there was no one around them.
Marla spoke while glancing around, "This means our mission has failed." Her voice was calm, but the displeasure in her tone was clearly noticeable.
"B-but how is this possible? It's been over nine months since she entered, and many facts have also proven this!"
Marla answered after some thought, "Our artifact notified us that the object or item had awakened for a brief moment on these coordinates, but the timing perhaps was not accurate. Due to all these arrays here, it must have received a much delayed signal, or perhaps Lysandra herself had planted such an array, and we have also taken a few days to arrive..."
"It's a pity that neither of us is a top expert in arrays to see through what she planted here. Nonetheless, we can guess that the object or item was awakened or used here within a year."
She had checked the island thoroughly with her spiritual sense, and all clues suggested that it had been over a month since anyone had stepped onto the island. She couldn't get a proper estimate, yet this fact already proved that, due to whatever reason, their artifact had received a much delayed signal. Furthermore, they themselves had no idea what they were even searching for.
Arlo recalled all past information and agreed, "Yes, it's possible. Around eleven months or so ago, Lysandra and her royal delegation arrived at the Humancrown Continent for various businesses. There was also a report mentioning that she disappeared for over a week in between."
Marla once again scanned the island with her spiritual sense and nodded, "Yes, it was indeed so. It was also reported that during her visits to the Humancrown Continent, she visited Satyrstane United, where Elendo's workplace was. This fact already shows that there was a high chance she obtained the object. Perhaps only she knew of the location and method, since she was an old acquaintance of Elendo."
Arlo agreed and then asked in a solemn tone, "Won't this become too troublesome if that item has fallen into the Elven Queen's hands?"
There was a high chance that the 'Object' had turned into an 'Item' or an 'Artifact' since Elendo was a pure artisan.
Marla didn't turn her head, but Arlo was suddenly drenched in cold sweat.
He knew that she was glaring at him menacingly. Her pressure was directly sent into his being, and he couldn't help but shiver.
"This has nothing to do with us. Don't complicate our own missions," Marla emphasized her words with an indifferent tone, which Arlo quickly acknowledged.
Marla was already in a terrible mood, as a mission failure was not acceptable; neither did she ever want to fail in anything. In such a situation, Arlo was reminding her of how important this mission was; of course she would turn furious.
Arlo hesitated for a moment but still informed Marla of what he recalled, "I remember in the report it was mentioned that Lysandra and her youngest daughter, named Elara, both disappeared for over a week during their visit. So perhaps..." He didn't speak further, as this was beyond what an early stage Rank 4 like him could involve himself with.
Marla pondered a little and then shook her head, "This princess should have long returned to the Elven palace. I will report it as it is to Lady Deborah later." She paused for a moment then continued, "There's no longer any point in staying on this island; all clues were wiped clean; there is nothing here except a cave with nothing inside."
Arlo agreed and then pulled an artifact from his ring. After checking a few things, he put it away. He turned back to Marla and suggested, "There is a human village some dozen miles away from here; should we check if they know anything?"
Marla frowned internally with displeasure. She was already quite unhappy, and now Arlo made such an unnecessary, stupid suggestion.
She still spread her spiritual sense wide and soon detected a weak village some fifty or so kilometers away.
She thought a little and nodded to herself. After hearing what that village leader knew, she might as well destroy the entire village.
Despite it being pointless—as how could a mere village with just a handful of beginner Apprentice Ranks provide any useful information related to such a powerful Grandmaster as Lysandra?—however, if there was even the smallest chance that they might know something, she absolutely shouldn't miss it. She had already failed an important mission and, if there was a chance for redemption, she shouldn't neglect it.
Both she and Arlo were dispatched with multiple vital missions that needed to be completed within the Silvia Kingdom, and among them was to create a giant structure in the southern region, away from human habitation. Thus, it was better if all cities and human settlements were wiped clean from this region, which would make the entire task countless times easier. They personally didn't have to perform this extermination, which was why she had hired others for the job. She would be going against a rule of the palace, yet it was much better this way than being constantly vigilant in the future.
'Hopefully those three necromancers can complete their mission and bury the entire Batley City and its surroundings during this chaotic time,' Marla thought hopefully.
This would reduce a huge headache for her; otherwise, it would require constant control and surveillance, even with arrays planted.
'As long as the puppet is successfully in his place, both of us will have a much easier time,' she thought while gazing at the clear blue sky.'
She was not at all happy with the current mission and was already having a headache. She wished all missions were straightforward with fewer restraints, yet this mission would not only take quite some time to finish, it would also require her constant management; it was not a mission of her liking at all. Unfortunately, everyone else was busy, and thus she was put in charge.
Their Elipseon organization's recent missions were all too complicated and filled with contradictions. On one hand, they were told not to kill too many people or any non-targeted Mana Wielders, yet the missions assigned to them were hard to complete without such death tolls and destruction happening.
"...Fine, let's go. We have a lot to do after this." While saying this, Marla started rising toward the sky. Arlo swiftly followed behind.
Soon their figures disappeared into the horizon.