"Where did you get that?" Adam was looking at the lit candle in Adelyn's hands.

"It was there… why?" she asked as she was baffled.

​​

"Nothing."

Adelyn knit her brows. It was surprising that Adam asked her, and he looks like he was amused with her actions.

"... you're really strong. Let's spar when we get back." He said as he wiped the black blood in his long sword.

Adelyn chuckles. It was because Adam only seen her a few times and they never been in a party like this where she can showcase her strength.

"I promised… we will have a spar." She replied.

She also wiped her sword as she put the candle down the old broken table that she found inside the room.

Sir George came to her and he said something that surprised Adelyn.

"Umm… Miss Adelyn? How did you know that there's a monster that will attack us?"

"…"

She only looked at him and answered a bit late.

"…Experience"

Sir George seems to be surprised at her short answer, but Adelyn doesn't want to explain how she knows about the monsters that ambushed them. He must have a gist of what happened, and Adelyn doesn't like explaining herself anymore and so she just said anything that came to mind.

"I kill monsters on a daily basis, Sir George. That's why I can sense danger." she said with her black face.

What she said is still true, she has been killing monster's since she's thirteen during her deal with her father and her spartan teacher Sir Shiek.

And besides, she knew that she can't escape killing when her dream was to become an adventurer.

Before Sir George can ask him further questions, she stands up and speaks about their main purpose.

"We should search for the royal room and get out of here. I have a bad feeling" Adelyn said while she mumbled the last sentence.

"Yes, it's not good to be here when we don't know when the monsters will attack us. And it's suspicious how we only encountered goblins when we're on the way to the castle." Silvester explained.

The castle was rundown, and the floor can give out at any moment and the cracks are visible to the stone floor.

"We should split. We need to find the royal room fast. It would be a disaster if we extend the search during the night." Silvester said.

Adelyn, Adam, Sir George, Sir Izzy, and Sir Edrich nod their heads with the suggestion and split the group into two.

Adelyn, Sir George, Sir Louise and Silvester will be the first group and will explore the west side of the castle and Adam, Sir Edrich, and Sir Izzy will be the ones to search the east side.

"Here's a communicator device…"

Sir Izzy the mage gave a small ruby earring that was embedded with magic and used as a communication device.

"It will blink a few times and you will know that we are calling, and if you want to call you can just call my name. It will automatically connect."

He handed two earrings, one with Adelyn and one with Silvester.

'Cool…' Adelyn thought but her face was still blank as she put it into her ears.

Adelyn then gives Adam a piece of cloth that also embed with magic to repel the black mana.

They parted ways after that, and Adelyn who was with the first group who searched the west wing had a bad feeling at one of the rooms.

After searching almost the entire west part of the castle and fighting monsters that were made by black mana and poison they have arrived at a door that was heavily closed.

'That's too much black mana.' Adelyn thought.

What their group saw was a large door that seems to be too heavy to open because the door length is from the floor to ceiling and can be estimated to be ten meters. It is also made of some sort of metal.

The dust and spider web that was surrounding the metal door can't hide the intricate design of the gigantic door.

"Call the other group, we found it." Silvester said.

As what Silvester ordered they called the other group and when they were in front of the large door everyone was just looking at it. Why? Because the door won't budge even if all the guys help each other to open it.

Then Adelyn looked at the door and saw that there's a missing part of the pattern of the sun that was etched to the door. In the middle of it is a sun pattern and at the center there's a missing part and the supposed handle or mechanism for the door to be opened.

"Sir Sil, don't you have some sort of jewel with you? Or anything that is related to the Stygian ruins?" She asked.

Silvester looked at him baffled at what the lady was saying.

"I think this door has a special type of mechanism to open it. Look there…"

She points her slender finger to the center of the sun where a small hole that can't be noticed is there. And Silvester seems to have remembered something as he takes his necklace out.

*tak!*

'Isn't that…'

Adelyn squinted her eyes as she recalled about the black jewel that he was giving to one of his subordinates.

"Try this…"

The necklace has a ring attached to it. It was a black ring with a black jewel in the middle. She felt familiar with it. No, she was certain that she knew that object.

'Isn't that… my black ring?'

She stares at Silvester who seems certain that the ring was the key to opening the heavy door in front of them.

"Why is my ring with him?" She mumbled that only she can hear.

Adelyn was too curious about the connection of her ring that was in the hands of his cousin.

'Does he know what's the purpose of that ring?' she thought.

Adelyn glanced at the door and the ring that was slowly reaching the small hole of the sun.

*clink!*

*whoosh!*

"Huh?"

Adelyn is shocked. The door really opened after attaching her black ring.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Silvester glanced at her who was shocked at what she saw. He knits his brows about her reactions but thinks that it must have been surprising to see what was happening.

So, he explains to her what he thought.

"When you said that it seems to have a mechanism for the door to open, I suddenly remember a history I read about the forbidden city." He said.

"I read some old text about the history of the royal family of the Elves, they have a jewel called "The abyss" that was the key to opening the door where you can see secrets that you want to know or people you want to find. In simple terms, it will make you see the future" He continued.

"Huh? but…" Adelyn is more confused than ever.

It's because she remembers that the black stone was hers and a gift from her mother when it was her 7th birthday, and they were in the Kingdom of Perspiru visiting the grave of Grandmother.

And she doesn't know when, but she lost the gift when she was in the Kingdom of Bahalki.

It's because she remembers what she bought in the market was a black stone that accumulated dust in the corner of the creepy store that she just happen to pass by during her own excursion to the festival and on a whim she purchased and requested to the old man to make it into a jewel that is easy to carry.

And that was the product, the ring.

Adelyn snapped back because she heard Silvester again.

"… It's funny that the jewel that I have been searching for has always been near me… you see, I found out that my cousin owned it."

'What?!'

Adelyn, No. Evelyn pushed down her swirling confusing thoughts and asked him.

"So… What do you need to find out?"

Her heart was beating loudly when the words left her mouth.

"That's a secret" he said and smiled a knowing smile.

'I have a bad feeling' Adelyn… no, Evelyn thought.

***

Silvester and his knight, the sword master Sir George were the only people who went inside the royal room and the rest were guarding the door.

Adelyn is walking and pacing back and forth at the front of the tall doors. She is nervous and curious as to why the black ring that she needs to get back is in the hands of Silvester.

'I need to get it back. But how?'

*BANG!*

The door opened and made a loud sound that every head turned toward the door. Of course, Adelyn was one of them.

"You…!" Silvester ran to her with a serious face.

"What is it Sir Sil?"

*thud!*

Another shocking moment for Adelyn. Adam, Sir Izzy, Sir Edrich, and Sir Louise were all looking at Silvester's abrupt action.

"Huh?" Adelyn can only blink. She blinks once, twice before it registered to her mind what just happened.

Silvester hugged her, he was tall and Silvester needed to lean down.

But that's not the issue at hand because what she wants to know is why this guy hugged her and trembled in her embrace. She looked at Sir George who was with him and was also shocked. Then, he heard Silvester's quivering voice in his ears.

"I'm glad… I'm really glad… Evelyn."