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SOFIA'S POV
All around me, people were cross-checking their things.
I touched the bag that was wrapped around my waist. I had been carrying it since we got into this place, making sure it was secured intact. I didn't need to open it; I already knew that everything I had would be placed well inside. After all, I had secured each of them.
Loosening my band, my damp brown hair fell, brushing against my waist, some sticking to my face. I repacked my hair, making sure the bun was tight enough. Braiding it and securing it, I ensured that in case another fight broke out, it wouldn't get in my way like the last time. There was nothing sexy about sputtering out hair that got into your mouth or rapidly blinking your eyes while evading the fist whistling your way just because your hair entered your eyes during the fight.
It was distracting. I don't like it, but a mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do.
My dry humor dispersed some tension.
"Gather around." At his call, I walked forward, reaching towards him. I took a place at his side. From his pocket, Leon retrieved a parchment; it was the place where all of Ava's confessions were written down.
Leon held it with his hand. After taking one glance at the bloodstained, grimy floor, he traced over something, murmuring under his breath in words even I couldn't get. It sounded like unintelligent mumbles.
In addition to the fact that I could hardly see it, Leon was just that tall.
Folding it, Leon faced us and said, “Okay, guys, the next clue is ‘The truth lies in the reflection.’”
My eyes twitched. I stared at him incredulously. That was our lead? It’s even worse of an encrypted word than the first one.
In this place layered with dangers, everyone’s mind is on coming out alive first and getting to the bottom of this.
It’s not a stroll in the park where we have to stop and smell the roses. Here, if anybody tries that, it’s the reaper’s roses they’ll be smelling!
But I hid my dissatisfaction with the interrogation team, partially understanding their difficulties.
Perhaps that’s why we’ll do all the brainstorming right here before we move out.
But no matter how I scratched my head and thought, I grasped at straws.
“Does this bring up anything to mind?” Leon opened up the house to a brief talk. It wasn’t the best place to do this, but even I could feel the helplessness that encroached into my mind.
It was like we were spinning in circles, going nowhere, or walking right into another trap.
Finally, after a round of suggestions and thoughts, someone spoke up, “Does it mean like physical image or reflection…” but the person’s voice faded, obviously unsure of his words.
I secretly nodded. That was exactly what I had thought of, but just like him, I wasn’t certain. But it was the closest we had gotten.
“Alpha, does that mean we’ll have to pay attention to mirrors?” someone raised another concern.
We stared at him, waiting for an answer, but Leon folded the parchment and placed it safely in the confines of his pocket.
Before he answered, “Currently, we have no other choice. We’ll have to go with that.” Finishing, he summarized everything again just so that everyone could be on the same foot.
Then he announced, “Alright, wolves, we’re heading out.” By this time, the people who sustained injuries were taken care of, bandaged with cloth as a makeshift one.
“Let’s conquer that bastard and head home.” His strength and the charisma he put into that speech infected everyone, including me.
Influenced, I could feel it. My steps became much more steady and stable, my heart calm.
I looked at his broad back from behind as he led us forward.
“Lunar Guard Formation,” he barked while still marching on.
We arranged ourselves, fixing into spots like jigsaw puzzles, entering into (formation name), marching forward, at the same time keeping our ears and eyes peeled for any unusual sound or movement, be it a person or an object.
It would be bad if we’ve walked all this way only for us to be taken down by a trap.
“Alpha, there seems to be something in the water.”
During our journey, we had come across a rather suspicious puddle of water, might I add. In the previously perfect flooring, a little dip appeared, containing something.
I sent the person who reported it a glance. How come I didn’t know that even her eyes were that good too?
The person who reported it was the inconspicuous woman whose hearing was excellent.
But such thoughts only came fleetingly before they flashed out of my mind. Following Leon’s gesture, someone stepped out from the formation. His vacant position was swiftly covered by the people beside him, leaving no vulnerability.
“Wait.” Leon stopped him. Searching around, he picked up a twig conveniently lying on the floor. Raising another eyebrow from me, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up, and that kept nagging at the edges of my mind.
But I swallowed my doubts, staring at the man who had taken the twig from Leon and reached into the puddle.
To my shock, a sizzling came. In shock, the man threw it away, sending it clattering to the floor.
Gasping, “That—that wasn’t water. It’s acid!”