Edgar and Duncan left the Organization's building in an eerie silence, following the address that had appeared on the new card.
The cold air of London stung their faces,and the gray sky rained faint threads of blue light falling from the high towers, towers that seemed to tear through the very clouds.
Edgar walked with steady steps, looking at the card pulsing from his wrist bracelet as if it were alive. Duncan walked behind him, yawning and wagging his tail with every step. The scene seemed calm until a strange sound began to rise from nowhere... or so Edgar thought.
But the truth was far from that.
The sound wasn't coming from the outside, but from inside him.
From his mouth,specifically.
It was a voice both playful and sarcastic, its echo reverberating between Edgar's teeth like mocking applause, saying in a light tone:
"Wooow... What a touching speech you gave, well done... well done...Dogs, dogs, doooogs!"
Edgar's eyes widened in surprise, and he opened his mouth trying to understand what was happening, but he found only something strange moving inside him.
And suddenly,Alexander emerged from his mouth, as if being born from the laughter and chaos itself.
Alexander stood tall before them, breathing slowly, his long hair flying in the wind, half of his body bare except for simple black trousers. His muscles gleamed under the rain as if polished by moonlight.
Duncan looked at him with genuine admiration and said with childish wonder:
"Oooh, Mr. Alexander... you really are the best!"
As for Edgar, he remained frozen in place, trying hard to find a logical explanation for what he had seen, before sighing and saying in a desperate tone:
"I don't understand... None of this makes sense."
Alexander smiled slyly, as if he had heard a phrase he loved:
"Exactly! Because logic is boring.."
Alexander reached out and snatched the card from Edgar's hand, looked at it briefly, then raised an eyebrow and said:
"So this is your first mission?"
Then, without waiting for a reply, he snapped his fingers.
The snap was light...but it released a strange echo that spread throughout London.
The sounds disappeared,the wind stopped, and then, in a moment, Edgar and Duncan found themselves standing in front of an isolated house, surrounded by dead trees, their branches intertwining above it like hands trying to strangle it.
Alexander said, waving his hand as if offering a generous service:
"I gave you a free ride. No need to thank me, because thanks are logical, and I hate logic!"
Edgar muttered, trying to comprehend what had happened:
"What exactly do you want from us?"
But before Alexander could answer, Duncan stepped lightly on Edgar's foot and whispered to him:
"Shut up!"
Alexander raised his head and looked at them with a smile full of calm:
"I don't want anything. Just... doing what I always do. Accompanying you. Maybe I'll help you, maybe not... Just being myself."
Then, in a sudden movement, his body shrank and transformed into a black cat. He leaped lightly onto Duncan's back and said cheerfully:
"Now let's start our adventure!"
Edgar sighed but continued walking towards the house, which looked more like frozen ruins than a habitable place. A small purple tent was pitched in front of it, and next to it stood a thin man, his eyes sunken, his face pale, as if he hadn't slept for days.
Edgar approached him and asked in a professional tone, trying to sound confident:
"Is anyone here?"
The man slowly raised his head and said in a trembling voice:
"Hello... Are you ghost hunters?"
Edgar nodded affirmatively while the black cat – Alexander – sat on Duncan's back, lazily cleaning its claws as Duncan trembled.
The man continued speaking in a tired voice:
"I'm Edward... I bought this house because it's old and historic. I was fascinated by its details… until I started hearing the sounds of swords clashing inside at night. And sometimes, I wake up to find wounds on my body as if something is attacking me in my sleep."
Then he pointed a trembling hand at the dilapidated walls behind him and added:
"Even the trees around me died... Everything is rotten here. Everything in this place... is cursed."
Edgar approached the door with cautious steps, his hand holding the bracelet that pulsed with a faint red light.
He said,observing the house:
"Don't worry, Edward, we'll take care of it. Just stay away from here."
Then he turned to Duncan and said in an enthusiastic tone:
"Are you ready?"
Duncan laughed, despite the confusion evident in his eyes, and said:
"I'm always both hungry and ready at the same time, don't worry!"
Edgar smiled slightly as he placed his foot on the doorstep, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.
The sounds of swords echoed from inside...not like imaginary sounds or illusions, but realistic, sharp, and full of anger.
He slowly opened the door,and a cold breeze crossed their faces.
Inside,the darkness was thick, but on the walls flickered the shadows of warriors resembling specters, fighting in silence.
Edgar stood at the entrance and said quietly, while Duncan stood beside him and the black cat purred on his shoulder:
And he put on the bracelet, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the real world while Edward stood surprised.