
This kid was bringing out the worst in him.
Hakuren smirked and said that splitting up wasnât a great idea and Avian had a feeling that the human mentally lambasted him after that comment. Ah whatever, the brat talked big but hasnât contributed to the group so far. It would be petty of a royal dragoon to pay such people the slightest bit of attention. At least, that was what he wanted to think. Victoria, despite her aggressive tendencies towards sharp tongues which rivaled her own, was better with handling these sorts of people. He didnât know why; itâs just that she was easy to offend and yet impossible to insult. Avian could feel his mood growing lighter at the mere thought of his wife and exhaled, returning himself to his current duties as bodyguard and guide to the Lost Souls. He watched as the humans played with their respective jars and then teamed up with their friends to discuss where to go. Hmm, it was almost like those field trips from the Academy of Sol.
Some of the humans went upstairs while the others ventured branched out over the first floor. Avian was slightly nervous when he saw the red-haired girl staring down at the base of the wall, and when Harper fiddled with whatever it was Ace was looking at, the soldier decided to step forward. He watched as the door was opened and narrowed his eyes when fumes of dust swept up at their faces.
âAre you really going down there?â He asked Harper, concern apparent on his face, but Avian didnât bother to jab the question at Ace. From what he has seen, the girl was pretty much a younger version of Victoria and it would probably take hell
and high water to dissuade her. âHmm. Take care then. I donât want to impede your little adventure, so here,â The dragoon handed over a thin brass whistle to Harper and shrugged. âItâs nothing special, but apparently some of the lurkers here in the Dark Side get stunned by high-pitched sounds. Not that Iâm expecting you to bump into any of them⊠Good luck,â Avian grinned and watched as the two descended into the basement. They should be able to handle whatever comes their way. Maybe. Wow, he was being irresponsible now, wasnât he? Just to make sure the humans had an escape route should they ever want to hightail it out of there, Avian jammed a piece of wood under the door so that it stayed ajar.
Avian felt something approach and he immediately spun around to face it, but the âitâ was a human, a white-haired girl whose name was a rock. Ah, Jasper. She proclaimed her intent to follow him and the dragoon nodded.
âLetâs head upstairs then,â He said and the two of them climbed the stairs, some steps squeaking under a weight which the old wood may not have borne for centuries. Avian saw the slightest flicker of a glow jar over in the other corridor, so he took the opposite hallway and tried the doors.
The walls were a dark wood paneling with intricate curlicues at the beams and there were various paintings pinned up, along with large exotic cloisonnĂ© plates which stood proudly near the ends of the corridor. Unfortunately, some of the plates had been broken and jagged pieces were spilt over the floor. The floors were of a lighter shade than the walls and were made of designed boards, with the center of the entire hallway carpeted by a lush velvet strip. The place must have been a real beauty back in its dayâŠ
Too bad that its splendor had to be lost in years of neglect.
Avian Rider tried one door after another until one finally yielded; he and Jasper strolled inside the room after he ascertained that it was safe to go inside. It was a massive room with a glorious-looking canopy bed at the very center, with an end table and a boudoir nearby. There was even a coffee table and chairs near the wall; on closer inspection, the âwallâ was actually a curtained stained dark grey by dust and grime. The dragoon tried to slide the curtains open but to no avail; it seemed as if they were stuck due to rusty hoops or something like that.
âSeems like thereâs an adjacent room, miss Jasper. Probably a study?â Avian fanned the air with his hand when he noticed that there was a door on the leftmost side of the room. It was barely visible thanks to the design which greatly resembled the wallpaper, but the jutting doorknob paved the way for keen eyes to notice its presence.
On another note, Avian approached the bed and got down on all fours before peering under, where only darkness and the musk of poorly circulated air met his inquisitive gaze. âIâve always wanted to look under a bed. Back in Aven children slept in cots near their dragons, and Victoria doesnât let me look under our bed because itâs âsillyâ and âsomething a grown man like you, honey, shouldnât doâ,â Avian cheerfully disclosed these pieces of information to Jasper, unknowing of whether she was paying attention or not.