Hidden World

Chapter XVII - Leo

After coming back to the hotel from the Inn, Leo's mind was twirling around the letter Eliseea thought he wrote. Many theories came to his mind, but none were doable. As soon as the clock struck 5:30 he left to meet her in front of the restaurant, still dressed in his black suit and white shirt. He did look like he was going to a date and in a way, it was what he wanted people to think.

After dinner, Eliseea left, and he could not help but feel uneasy as the man's name lingered in his mind. It is true that he helped Rose stay out of a dark path but at the same time he was nowhere near the personification of innocence. Yeomra was powerful and at the same time a trickster with an evil twist. A perfect partner in crime he thought.

He was ready to order a third bottle of wine when his phone pinged. He took it out and read the text Eliseea sent him. Cold chills ran down his spine as the idea of someone entering in the Tomb was not a pleasant one. He asked for the check, and he was on his way as soon as possible.

When he entered the woods, he could barely see but he decided that he will manage as he knew the path well. The cold air simply annoyed him, and he was cursing himself for wearing derby dress shoes rather than something more appropriate for the environment he entered. With some luck he reached the ruins just as it was getting fully dark and guided by Eliseea's flashlight he soon found her.

"What took you so long?!" the girl almost yelled at him

"What did you think? That I will teleport here?" he responded with sarcastic tone and looked at the entrance to the Tomb. "This was dug before the rain; I am certain of it." He said and went down the steps before stopping and turning to look at Eliseea. "You are coming or not?"

Eliseea got up and walked down the stairs next to him. "Do I have a choice?" she asked but he already started to walk ahead on the dark path. "I guess not." She mumbled and followed him illuminating the pathway for both.

"Why are you not using your fire to light the way?" she asked as she tried to keep up with him. When he stopped, she stumbled and bumped into him.

"Be more careful maybe?" he said and crossed his arms over his chest. "I am trying to not attract any creature that might sense the fire. Is dangerous besides, where's your sense of adventure?" he asked before tuning on his heels and starting to walk again.

"My sense of... you know what... you are right but once we get in there, I am turning this off. I don't want to risk being left without batteries in this place. I really don't like it." She said and followed him.

Until they entered the tomb they walked in silence, only their footsteps disturbing the peace. It was smarter like this as they could hear if anyone was following them. The good part was that they did not need a map to know the way. They've been here before, while it was built as well.

Once they entered the circular room, Leo waited for the door to close before he lit the torched. Both remained stuck when they were met with the disaster left behind. The sarcophagus was opened, and all the chests had their contents scattered around.

"It seems we are late to the party." Leo said as he approached the opened casket and looked inside. "The necklace is gone." He said before pulling back the wooden lid and then pushing the stone one in its place.

"Let's look around and see what they took. Maybe we are in luck and the necklace is the only thing gone." She said as she started to look through the clothes and pieces of cloth left on the floor, putting them back in the chests at the same time.

Leo circled the sarcophagus and kneeled in front of a shield that decorated one of the sides. He moved his fingers across the intricate details and pressed on the center, making the shield to move to the side revealing a shelf with different items.