CHAPTER 70: RED MYSTERIES (2)

At the mention of Caden’s name, Alyssa’s eyelid twitched for a second, she knew this was trouble.

She was trapped in a dark alley, surrounded by corpses of slain blood puppets.

The alley was a narrow, filthy canyon between crooked timber-framed buildings, their upper stories jutting out over the narrow passageway like rotting teeth.

The air was thick with the stench of human waste and decaying food, the smell of unwashed bodies and rotting thatch.

The ground beneath his feet was uneven, the cobblestone slick with muck and filth.

The walls on either side were daubed with a patchwork of mud and straw, the surfaces pitted and weathered by the elements.

The only light came from the faint glow of a torch in a nearby window, casting flickering shadows across the ground.

The light was weak, barely penetrating the darkness, and the shadows seemed to move and twist like living things.

Alyssa’s eyes scanned through the alley, hoping to locate the one responsible for the blood puppets.

The owner of the voice who had mentioned her master. She growled "Where the hell are you?"

A loud chuckle erupted from the darkness once again.

"Where the hell am I?" The voice questioned, "Why don’t you guess" Sounds echoed from every direction.

Alyssa flinched, she staggered back. She felt it, Qi was used to amplify that voice just now.

And it wasn’t an ordinary type of Qi.

It was a Qi designated for both support and attack at the same time. Alyssa understood how dangerous her situation was.

"You’re annoying" She grunted, just then approaching footsteps resounded across the scene.

"Ah yes, my colleagues do tell me that" the voice answered, and then something was thrown into the scene.

Landing on the ground with heavy thud, blood splattered across the scene.

Alyssa stared down, her eyes widened in shock. She was stupefied to see a severed head.

But not just any head, it belonged to the Red Spy who had escorted them.

Now her only lead was gone. She has failed her master, this enraged her to the core.

"What have you done?" She questioned, no longer acting cautious. She was ready to draw out her blade once again.

Glaring into the darkness, hoping whatever is hidden beneath the darkness could see her rage.

"Wasn’t she part of your little group?" She questioned. A laughter uproared shortly after.

"So you did know that she was a spy huh?" The voice questioned, "Well she was one of us, but she was simply a failed product"

The voice explained.

It paused for a second, "I noticed it, on the first day Caden Ryder had stepped into the academy"

"He had already confirmed her to be a spy, I don’t know how he did it but I could tell that was the case" A loud sigh was heard.

"What do you think happens to useless people?" The voice questioned.

"They die" Alyssa answered. Another loud clap resounded across the scene "Such a smart girl" the voice complimented.

"If you weren’t the guardian of that little scum, I would have invited you personally to my continent"

"But all relating to Caden Ryder must die" the voice declared. Alyssa’s eyebrows furrowed "So you’re here to kill me?" She asked.

"Ah no" The voice answered, "I simply summoned you here to have a word with you"

"It’s still too early to kill you, don’t you think?" The voice asked, Alyssa shrugged, "It seems you’re preparing something big" She scoffed.

A laughter echoed afterwards "You really are a smart girl, a smart girl you are"

"You got it right" Another clap echoed, "But I’m only telling you this because there’s nothing you can do to stop me"

"Only the Head Chancellor Darius Kincaid is someone who is powerful enough to contend with me" Alyssa felt relieved, she continued to listen.

The voice continued "There are quite the number of people already marked, but only two were marked for death"

"Can you guess what those two are?" The voice chuckled. Alyssa took a deep breath "Caden Ryder and Darius Kincaid" She answered.

"Bingo" Another clap resounded, "You got it right from the start, then why do you think I’m telling you this?"

"Why do you think I will let you go after exposing my intentions?" The voice asked, Alyssa lingered for a moment.

"You want me to resist" She finally found her answer.

Just then a bright crimson light flickered in the darkness. It all happened in a fraction of a second, but it was enough for her to see it.

A crimson haired figure standing at the center of the emptiness, draped in red trench coat.

His hair silk and long, touching his waist and his eyes glowed. On his forehead was a cross, a cross with a grey serpent wrapped around it.

His lips curled into a faint smile as he locked eyes with Alyssa "That’s correct little one"

"Just as you are interesting, Caden Ryder is also interesting, Darius Kincaid is also interesting"

"Everyone in this Valor Royal Academy is quite interesting so I want you to resist, I want everyone to resist"

"This is why I, Lord 5th Reaper truly exist"

"I need to cause chaos, to ensure destruction exists in the Purple Continent, I don’t want to senselessly kill everyone and anyone"

"Those who have been marked. I need them to entertain me before I take their very life"

"And that applies to you, Mona...I’ve marked you for death"

The voice chuckled "The next time we meet, that is when you die!"

Saying that, the eerie presence vanished without a single trace. The voice was gone as well.

Alyssa gulped, swallowing her saliva "I need to report to the master, a monstrosity has been unleashed upon this very land!!"

***

Caden was still sitted in the lecture hall when he received a notification, his expression turned grim.

[Reporting.....]

[Task: Uncover the mysterious of the Red Spies in the Valor Royal Academy]

[Task Report: You’ve encountered a single Red Spy hidden in the Valor Royal Academy]

[Task Record: 1% Task completion progress]

"What is going on?" He mumbled.