A QUEST OF DEATH : Shadows Never Lie (undergoing MACRO EDITING)

07 | To Meet Someone • Part 1

"The number you dialled has not responded. Please leave your message after the beep..."

A deep sigh of frustration escaped Ada's lips, the heaviness in her chest mirrored the weight of disappointment in her heart. In a fit of anger, she snapped her flip phone shut and hurled it across the room. It bounced off the mattress before landing on the plush carpet below.

Defeated, Ada sank back into her makeshift fortress of pillows and blankets, propped up against the solid headboard. Her weary gaze wandered up to the stark white ceiling. It was marred by a single stubborn crack that had long been etched into the plaster and seemed to mock her like an unyielding symbol of the imperfections that mirrored her own life.

Beyond the gauzy white curtains billowing gently in the breeze, the morning sky transformed into a canvas of vibrant hues. The rising sun painted strokes of violet, peeking from the Mountain of Life: her home, casting a warm glow across the horizon as it popped up against the edge of the world.

Its prime rays danced upon the tranquil azure sea, welcoming yet another promisingly exhausting day. The same sun was beaming upon the folks of Moon Town and the Mountain of Life though she knew for a fact that the warm sun could neither brighten nor warm up the mountain or the forest beyond the azure canvas. Concealed from Normies' naked eye, it was always cold and gloomy out there -- just like the citizens inhabited it, mortal, immortal alike.

The universe seemed to really hate her now that it didn't want to see her get back with Auden. It had been a long while since she had seen him. She wondered what the trouble maker was up to. He had always been up to something that would set her tail on fire.

A cool, salty breeze, that carried the promise of respite, wafted through the open window. Ada took a deep breath from the breeze carrying the unmistakable scent of summer, allowing the tangy sea air to fill her lungs. The delicate curtains rustled, granting flight to the embroidered hummingbirds adorning their lacy fabric.

She closed her eyes, momentarily surrendering to the serenity that washed over her troubled soul. The feel of the fresh air on her skin and the sensation of the cool sand between her toes were among the few solace she found in this place where she had reluctantly anchored her way back home.

After all, it would be foolish to ask a palace like Serenel to be something like her the Moon Town. It was a place where inhumane powers were born, grown and protected. This bustling metropolis, to which she had escaped, had so much to offer to one like her. Gloomy or not at Mountain of Life, she had someone to call 'her own'.

Glancing down at her upturned palms, she noticed how they seemed to radiate with the soft glow of the morning sun, as if echoing the inner light that still flickered within her.

The familiar tingling sensation began to stir at the base of her palms, an energy that surged through her veins like a dormant force awakening from slumber. It travelled steadily down each finger, traversing the intricate network of lines and creases, until it felt as if it might burst forth from her very fingertips. Ada instinctively curled her slender fingers into fists, concealing the latent power that resided within.

The memory of the enigmatic man she had seen the previous night suddenly crossed her mind. She was sure him to be no human. But she could not quite point out what kind of an immortal he was.

His face was smooth and unlined, filled with youth all the features that defied his potentially ancient age. There was a good chance of him being over a thousand years old yet looking damn young. His facial features appeared to be chiselled out perfectly by an artist with surreal beauty. In brief, he was much more of an angel than a demon.