Whack!
The resounding noise of countless slaps echoed in the dark cave.
"I came here because you told me you have it secured!"
The man in white continued to hit Faramond's face.
"And what did I get? You made me walk into this filthy place for nothing!"
The cave is filled with nothing but useless corpses. He was enjoying his warm, aromatic bath when he received the message urging him to get to this place after they secured the target, but in the end, it was all for naught.
Whack!
Faramond clenched his teeth as he endured the damage from the slaps. Blood started dripping from his mouth.
It made his boss' hand freeze.
"Haa… now, even my hands got dirty!"
The slender man in the white cloak threw his glove off Faramond's face and replaced it with a new one.
He scrunched his nose in disgust,
"Look at me. Do I look like I have enough free time to waste talking to you like this? I look idle to you? Is that it? Huh?!"
"Umph!"
Faramond's body flew to the wall after he got kicked on his stomach. His wounds that hadn't fully recovered yet opened and his stomach started bleeding again.
But he didn't care. He went in front of his boss and grovelled on the ground.
"L, Lord Avarice… please give me one more chance. I promise you, I will definitely, definitely, get Hypnos to you!"
Avarice scoffed. He tapped Faramond's forehead twice with his middle finger.
"Hey, hey, talking big isn't gonna do you any good. Take it easy, Faramond."
He grinned,
"Honestly, it's a miracle you're still alive. Did you face Hypnos? It's no wonder you small fries were wiped out! I don't expect much from you all in the first place. However!"
Avarice dramatically turned around to face his followers who were too scared to make a move.
"Since I'm so kind, I shall give you one more chance."
He then leaned into Faramond's face,
"Faramond, I will grant you an opportunity to make up for your mistake. How is it? Aren't I the nicest boss you could ever ask for?"
Faramond hastily nodded,
"Y, yes, sir! Lord Avarice, your benevolence knows no bounds!"
Avarice's lips curled into a wide grin.
"That's right. You use fire, don't you? Then Phoebus' heirloom mark would be great on you. A fire user having access to the Sun God's Atlas! Ah, how marvelous! I must be a genius, right?"
Everyone in the cave quickly nodded their heads in response. Each person who's wearing black cloaks didn't hesitate to sing praises to their boss.
"Yes, Lord Avarice, you're the best!"
"You're a genius, boss!"
"You're truly great!"
The man dressed in full white clothing shrugged his shoulders in satisfaction.
"Faramond, a member of the House of Agni…"
Avarice's palm began to glow. He removed his gloves as he approached Faramond who was still kneeling on the ground, waiting for his boss' next move.
Avarice put his hands on top of Faramond's head, and the dark cave started to become blinding as glowing lights filled it.
He smirked,
"...from now on, you will be Phoebus' heir."
Faramond's hands started glowing, a symbol of sun permeating his palms.
Even though it was different from his innate divine nature, a divine heirloom mark is priceless.
The Sun God, Phoebus.
With this mark, the gates of the Sun God's Atlas of Verse were now open to him.
After his clan banished him and his family for being branded a traitor, no other group accepted him. No one except this organization.
His first jobs required him to clean up for his superiors until he finally climbed up to his position as the captain of their squad. And now, a huge reward has been given to him.
To think he'd live to see the day a mark would be given to him.
Even though he had made a mistake, he will surely correct it.
He bowed deeply in front of Avarice.
"I will not disappoint you, boss."
Avarice patted his shoulder twice,
"Bring Hypnos to me. I believe in you."
"Yes, sir!"
Faramond got up and gathered his subordinates, not wasting any time to go and search for their target.
Their mission is to bring Hypnos, the Slumbering Lord, to the master of their organization.
'I will make sure this job gets done!'
His gaze showed unmatched determination and focus. This time, there'll be no mistake.
Equipped with an heirloom mark granted to him by Avarice, Faramond got newfound confidence to do his mission.
A little while after Faramond and his squad departed, Avarice's face twisted in disgust.
He wiped his hands that touched Faramond with his handkerchief.
"Haa… why do I have to do this? Seriously…"
He lifted his hand and one of his followers gave him a new pair of white gloves.
Avarice then threw away the white handkerchief on the ground.
His brows lifted as he remembered something.
"Ah, right. Didn't the Sloth say he's building his home around here? I might as well pay him a visit."
***
Back at the sleeping city of Velmire.
The buildings looked frozen mid-breath, curtains swaying in windows no one watched.
"How is this even possible?"
Vick muttered.
The whole scene was bizarre. There's no way everyone in the city decided to sleep altogether at once. Moreover, the outskirts didn't have anyone in it. Most of them gathered at the center. Everything was too suspicious for them to just ignore.
Chad's eyes narrowed as he held Eli's hand.
"Don't get too far from me."
"O, okay…"
Eli nodded.
The air started to vibrate and a woman's voice could be heard all over, carefully enveloping the city.
The woman's hum slowly gets closer to them. It was both relaxing and sinister.
Eli took a step forward, searching for the source of that voice.
"It's dangerous!"
Chad suddenly lifted him from the ground and got far away from the sleeping people on the ground in a flash.
"Ah…"
It happened so fast that Eli didn't have time to process what just happened.
Vick started yawning loudly,
"Huh? Weird… I'm suddenly… so, sleepy…"
Thud!
His body fell to the ground shortly after rubbing his eyes while looking drowsy.
"Wha–? U, uncle?!"
Eli was about to run over to check on Vick but was stopped by Chad.
"Stop. Don't approach them."
"M, Mr. Chad! What is happening? How did uncle–?"
Eli asked in distraught.
They arrived in Velmire with nobody around at the entrance, only to see people sleeping on the ground when they reached the center. And now, they hear a woman humming and Vick is unconscious.
One after another, mysterious things keot on happening to them.
'I, is this also someone's doing? Is it a divine power? Or…'
The illusions at the dark forest came to his mind. The voices did tell them to get away. Were they a warning to get away from Velmire? Was it the demons' doing? Is it another illusion?
He quietly opened his mark's Eye of Discernment but it closed shortly after he activated it. As expected, he has no divine power left. He's too tired to even keep it open.
However, the single moment he had used it made him confirm something.
'... It's not an illusion!'
Fear started to creep in. Eli looked at Mr. Chad whose face also tensed up.
'Dammit… What the hell is happening?'
Chad clenched his jaw.
His hands started getting sweaty as he looked at the direction where the woman's voice was coming from.
'First, the imps, and now this. Why is this place such a mess?'
Is coming here a mistake? Maybe they shouldn't have gone to Velmire. Nothing seemed to ever go his way. This day is so unlucky.
'...Should I run away?'
It's not too late yet. He can take Eli with him and they could get away together from this place if they leave now.
Chad looked at the people laying on the ground. He told himself over and over that he will not engage in any trouble but one mess after another keeps on happening in front of him.
He shook his head,
'No, even if I don't do something, surely Ocnus will. This is his domain. He can't keep on ignoring this forever, but then…'
If he leaves, then these people would be left here defenseless. Who knows how long they have to keep on sleeping 'til rescue arrives? If imps are around, then chances are that other kinds of demons might also be here.
Moreover…
– G, et awa, y!
– He, lp!
The screams in the forest earlier are still on his mind.
He shut his eyes in frustration.
'Ocnus, you bastard. If you decided to build a clan, then do your job properly!'
The soft voice of a woman filled the place once more. The air vibrated so hard, it was visible even to Eli's untrained eyes.
The voice stopped at the center of the city, failing to reach both Eli and Chad.
'This sound…'
"Hah!"
Chad nervously laughed.
'What the hell are you doing this for? Hypnos!'