Chapter 3-The Buried Man

"This…?" Clare didn't continue her words. She was still amazed and fascinated by the room.

"Looks like this is Grandpa's secret room," Matthew told his two siblings.

Raymond looked at the objects displayed there, a pistol, silver bullets, bows, and arrowheads, also made of silver.

Silver stakes, silver swords, and daggers.

Clare rubbed the book, the pages open, on Grandpa's desk.

She looked at the tiny writing on the page, then frowned.

"What is it?" asked Raymond as he walked over to his little brother, looked at the page, and stood straight at Matthew.

"Have you known this place for a long time?" He asked his brother, his voice a little angry.

"Yeah, I've known it since we were teenagers, Ray," Matthew replied calmly.

"Then did you ask Grandpa about this?" Clare also asked out of curiosity.

Matthew just shook his head slowly. Raymond's eyes widened, knowing that.

"Who is our real family? Are we the Vampire exterminator family? Or a cult cultist? Are we even a nation of magicians?"

Raymond questioned this incessantly, but Matthew didn't answer the question.

"We'd better hurry up, and you, Clare… Don't ever come into this room again.

It looks like this basement was converted into Grandpa's private room.

It's too dangerous if you're alone down there, understand?"

Matthew instead warned Clare with piercing eyes.

Despite feeling heavy-hearted, Clare could only agree with her brother's orders, so they went back upstairs.

Matthew immediately closed the room again and returned the carpet to its original position.

"Let's take your things into the room," Raymond said, patting Clare on the shoulder.

He knew that Clare was disappointed because she couldn't stay down there for long.

They then went up to the second floor. Raymond and Matthew took Clare's big bags and went into the first room on the second floor.

The rooms are like fairy tales.

A big bed with a beautiful mosquito net and a landscape painting hung in the room.

An antique clock hangs on one side of the room, just above the old grandmother's dresser.

Clare opened her bedroom window and inhaled the sweet smell of red roses. Yes, the room overlooks the rose garden, which Grandpa had tended in honour of his late grandmother.

"Don't let other people into this house, Clare. I will ask Uncle Alex for help to send two bodyguards."

Clare's eyes widened at that.

"I don't want to! I don't want my every move to be spied on! Matt! You said I'm not a child anymore. I have the right to self-study!

So don't send anyone to watch over me, or I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"

Suddenly Clare's body jerked because Matthew pulled her wrist tightly. He looked straight at his little sister.

Their eyes met, and Clare felt a fury hidden in silence for the first time.

"You are an adult, but you are still a woman. Like it or not, you have to listen to your brother.

I don't care, even if you hate me your whole life.

What I'm doing is a form of my responsibility towards you, so don't argue!"

Clare was taken aback. She had never seen Matthew act this serious before. The look on Matthew's face showed if something was wrong.

But what is it?

"Come on, Matt, you don't have to be so serious…." Raymond felt sorry for Clare, whose face was pale with shock.

Matthew sighed and let Clare go.

"Clare, we're going first to do our job. If there's anything you need, just call me," Raymond said as he patted the girl's shoulder.

Clare could only nod with a slightly gloomy face.

Raymond felt sorry for his sister, but he didn't even dare to go against Matthew's orders.

Whatever Matthew said was absolute; it was all he did to protect them.

Clare waved her hand as the car driven by her two brothers slowly left the yard.

Clare then locked the door of her house from the inside and entered the grandfather's library. He was standing right above the basement entrance.

"Why does Matt look like he's hiding something, huh? He had never behaved like this before…."

Clare thought for a moment and then turned around, but just as she was about to leave the place, she suddenly heard a loud noise.

BANG!! BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!

Clare looked here and there and looked for the source of the sound.

The sound came back again and seemed to come from the basement!

Clare tiptoed and then parted the carpet without hesitation.

BANG!! BANG!! BANG! BANG!

The sound was coming from the basement, but what could be there? Rat? Do rats have the ability to bang on that door so hard?

Clare tried to use her logic, but her curiosity was now unstoppable.

She grabbed the metal handle and then opened the basement door.

But Clare was startled by a prominent figure, who jumped and pinned her body on the floor.

A man whose body was covered in dirt and debris was right before her eyes.

Unmanaged with long hair and beard, sharp blue eyes, and a muscular body, Clare really can't describe how the figure of the man who is currently in front of her is.

"W-Who are you?" Clare stuttered though she felt a little scared.

"Where is this? What year? What time is it?" Instead, the man asked a question that Clare thought made no sense.

Clare was annoyed because her question was not answered. She immediately pushed the man's body away until the man rolled to the other side of the library floor.

"First, answer my question! Who are you? Why are you here? This is my late grandfather's house!

What are you doing in the basement?

As far as I know, there was nothing there. Why did you suddenly appear now?"

Clare asked with a roaring breath, her fear and curiosity being one when she saw the man's figure, who appeared suddenly.

She immediately looked into the basement and saw a big hole in there.

She immediately covered his gaping mouth.

"Did you dig the hole?"

The man didn't answer and just nodded.

Clare gaped again and then looked at the man intently.

"I will answer your question, but you must answer mine first. 

Who you really are?"