They stopped in front of the gates of the Gothic-style Catholic Church. The arched windows reflected moonlight like silver mirrors. They sat on the car's hood staring at the wrought-iron fence that surrounded the church building and was painted dark black. "We came here too late. Of course, the church is locked," Rain said, glancing at Jace, who looked thoughtful. "Leave it to me," Jace said as he rose from his seat and headed for the tightly closed gate. He rolled up his sleeves and placed his palm on the large padlock that locked the fence. Rain watched Jace grip the lock, and a few seconds later, the heavy iron lock suddenly fell with a thud to the ground. The gate opened after Jace gave a slight push. "Wow, how did you do that? If all thieves were like you, there would be no prison. Because all prisoners can freely escape anywhere with just one touch." "Are you kidding me? You mean to call me a thief?" Jace glared at Rain. The girl was still restless. Rain occasionally looke
When Jace turned and looked at Rain, the girl simultaneously expressed shock, fear and disgust. "Is that a human bone?" Jace raised his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, it's a bone." "You used human bones as weapons?" Rain wanted to make sure that Jace was probably joking. "This is a black bone—a black human bone." Rain covered her mouth with her hand. "The colour is very intense." "This bone has strong magical abilities if used by the right person. But, if a person without magic powers touches it, it's just a normal bone that doesn't have any abilities and effects on the wielder." Jace wiped the dust on the black bones as Rain knelt beside him. Rain looked at the black bone. Upon closer inspection, Rain realized that the solid surface of the bones was engraved with beautiful, intertwined runes. Rain recognized it—the meaning of the runes was almost as easy as reading an English word when she saw it. "This is a rune that means darkness," Jace said without being asked. As Rain was i
As the chill winds blow, Rain wonders if Jace is serious about his plans tonight. The man looked excitedly looking forward to the hunt, so Rain didn't feel Jace was as gloomy as his words. "He has killed more demons than anyone. If he always backs down and is reluctant to fight, he definitely won't be able to kill those demons." "What are you doing?" said Jace. "You want to back off? Have you forgotten your passionate desire to get Benjamin back?" Jace sneered at Rain. The girl couldn't believe it. Jace seemed to be able to read Rain's thoughts. "That might happen!" however, Rain tried to dismiss that possibility. They were standing in the middle of a deserted street. The area was abandoned strangely, Rain thought. Usually, in big cities, there are always other people on the streets, even at 4:00 am. Several of the street lights lined up weren't lit, but the one closest to the Plaza cast a dim yellow glow onto the path leading them to the entrance. "Stay away from the light!" Ja
Rain was more surprised when she saw Jace's shocked reaction. Rarely did anyone startle the man, and less often did anyone manage to sneak up on her without Jace noticing. Jace moved away from the litter box and hid in the shadows of the dark side. His right hand was stretched out, ready to show the runes in his palm. Jace's left hand went to his waist, looking for the bone dagger he'd tucked. However, Rain realized that there was something strange about Jace. "Why bother using a weapon if he has such strong magical abilities?" "Who is there?" hissed Jace. "You guys aren't from this neighbourhood, are you?" A male voice that sounded about like laughing echoed through the alley. The figure stepped forward and out of the darkest shadow. Slowly his form formed the formation of a young man no older than Jace. However, his height is not as tall as Jace's. "Man?" thought Rain. "Is that why Jace didn't use his rune power and instead hid in the shadows?" The young man who had just join
"Okay, how about we start with introductions? My name is Franco," said the curly-haired young man confidently. "You are not surprised to see me?" Jace asked with eyes as sharp as daggers. "You mean with that unusual appearance of yours? You're not the first person I've seen with a curse on his body." Rain and Jace finally looked at each other in astonishment. "But you do know what we're talking about. You know about werewolves?" Rain asked. Suddenly Franco's gaze was full of hatred. "That hairy human? Even before this plaza closed, there was already a lot of news about them, such as howling late at night, the disappearance of pets from this area, and the scary figures that often roamed around at full moon nights…." Franco stopped and shook his head. "Everyone in this neighbourhood knows it's best to stay away, but what can they do? Even calling the police was useless. They won't believe the stories about werewolves and stuff downtown!" "You've seen it?" Jace asked. Franco hes
"Who is there?" Jace brandished the black bone dagger in his hand warily. "Oh, calm down; it's just me!" Franco's voice echoed in the narrow passage. The curly-haired man stood up, shaking the dust from his hands. He grinned at Jace and Rain. "What do you think you're doing here?" Jace feels disturbed and doesn't like it when he sees Franco appear. "Of course, I want to follow you guys! I changed my mind, and this is way more important than my business up there. In my entire life, I have never set foot here. What's wrong with wanting to be the first and maybe the last? This plaza was even closed before I moved here." Jace hissed in annoyance. "You know, we have no business with you even though you told us the way in here." "Yes, but what can I do at this point? I can't get out of the way we came in. I can't climb or jump there without a foothold. And you guys didn't just leave me here to find the furry thing, did you?" Jace looked tired, and Rain looked at him in surprise. The
With a speed that stunned Rain, Franco disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Is that how he disappeared before?" Rain muttered. "There's absolutely no sign of dust to indicate where he might have stepped." No one answered Rain's curiosity. Jace was moving. He ran towards the arch that opened into the wall. Rain couldn't see anything but the beams of light that Jace carried. Rain didn't understand what it was. The light is like a lantern, but it is yellowish-green and glows. Rain followed Jace's footsteps through the yellowish-green light source; she went through the same arch. There appeared to be a large ballroom. The rubble of the floor was made of the same white marble and was cracked. Winding balconies run along the walls. The fence is covered with orange-red rust. Rain took another closer look at the room. There was a gold-framed mirror hanging crossed between the balconies. Each mirror is crowned by a gilded pinch head. Cobwebs also hovered in the air covering everything they
The young man Rain had met in the elevator was now standing opposite Jace. Meanwhile, another wolf pierced through the crowd to stand next to the young man. This newly arrived wolf transformed into a brown-skinned girl with dark red hair. She wore a short leather skirt. "Ethan, they have violated our territory," said the female werewolf, who looked very possessive at the young man named Ethan. "They are already outside the territory of the Darkwood Kingdom. Let's kill them. They have killed many of us, and now they encroach on our territory." Rain gulped, hearing the werewolf girl's words. "I don't know what the history is, but every time they enter the Darkwood forest, these wolves always seem to hate humans and all creatures other than their group." Jace didn't flinch at all. He pressed the tip of his black bone dagger against Franco's neck. "Which one of you is in charge of this place? Is that you?" Jace challenged Ethan, who was standing in front of him. Jace's voice was flat