Lord Of The Mysteries モ横映

Chapter 4:Didnt Expect

Shin's heart skipped a beat. She had heard those words before, in fleeting moments of fragmented memory, but never in such a direct, personal way. She squinted, trying to make out the features of the figure, but the shadowy outline remained elusive.

The figure's voice was familiar, filled with an eerie calmness that contrasted sharply with the intensity of their presence. Shin felt a chill, her mind racing to piece together the context. "Who... who are you?" she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

The figure's eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light, locked onto Shin's. There was a depth to those eyes, an ancient wisdom that spoke of forgotten realms and lost knowledge. "You know me," the figure replied cryptically. "Or rather, you will come to know me soon enough."

"You can call me the Angel of Secrets for the time being," the figure

As the figure stepped into the light, their appearance became clear. Long black hair framed a face of ethereal beauty, with white eyes that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality. Pale white skin contrasted with the dark hair, giving the angel an otherworldly glow. Their presence was captivating, a blend of grace and power that seemed almost eternal.

Shin's breath caught in her throat. The sight of the angel was both shocking and disconcertingly familiar. She struggled to place the recognition, her mind a whirlwind of questions. Angel? Just the word terrified her. In this world, angels were revered as near-divine beings, their power and status commanding the utmost respect. As a member of the Nighthawks, Shin knew well the significance of encountering an angel.

The Angel of Secrets seemed to sense Shin's inner turmoil. A soft, knowing smile played on her lips as she watched Shin's reaction. "Hahaha, don't worry," the angel said, laughter like a melodic chime. "I won't do anything to you."

Shin's face betrayed her bewilderment. She looked at the Angel of Secrets, the words the other party had just spoken still echoing in her mind. The angel hadn't spoken in Loenese but in English—a language Shin hadn't heard since she arrived in this world.

This angel, could she also be...?

The angel's eyes twinkled with amusement, as if she could read Shin's thoughts. "Be bold, remove the words 'could it be'. It is exactly what you think," she said, almost playfully.

Shin was absolutely confused. It was one thing to encounter a fellow time traveler, given the existence of others like Emperor Roselle, but this was different. There was a familiarity to this angel that Shin couldn't shake. "Long time no see"—those words implied a shared past, but what past? So many questions flooded Shin's mind.

Swallowing hard, Shin finally found her voice. "Do you know...?" She hesitated, the unspoken question hanging heavily in the air. Do you know why I traveled through time? Why did I appear in this world?

The angel's smile softened, becoming almost maternal. "I know you have a lot of doubts, about this world, about yourself," she said gently.

Shin felt a mix of relief and frustration. It was clear the Angel of Secrets held answers to the mysteries that plagued her, but they were tantalizingly out of reach. "Why am I here?" Shin asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Why did this happen to me?"

The angel's gaze was penetrating, yet filled with compassion. "You are too weak now," she replied, her voice gentle but firm.

"There are things you must learn, strength you must gain, before you can understand the full truth."

Shin was stunned. Her thoughts raced as she struggled to grasp the significance of the angel's cryptic words. "What do you mean? Once I become stronger, will you be able to answer my questions?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of hope and trepidation.

The angel's lips curled into a faint, enigmatic smile. "You can think so," they replied softly. The figure's presence seemed to shimmer, a blend of ethereal light and shadow that was as mesmerizing as it was unsettling. "For now, just remember—your journey is far from over. The answers you seek are closer than you think."

The angel then extended a hand, offering Shin an old, delicate clock. Its brass casing was intricately engraved with faint symbols that seemed to shift and dance under the flickering light of the room. Shin took the clock, her fingers brushing against the cool metal. An instinctive shiver ran down her spine as she felt something ominous about it, a subtle warning that this object held more than met the eye.

Before Shin could ask any questions, the angel's form began to dissolve into the surrounding shadows. "Goodbye, little scholar," the angel's voice lingered in the air, soft and distant, until it too vanished.

The temperature of the room returned to normal, the oppressive chill lifting as if it had never been there. Shin was left alone, her thoughts a swirling maelstrom of confusion and unease. She sat back down, her toast and coffee forgotten. The angel's words replayed in her mind, mingling with the residual aura of mystery and fear that still clung to the air.

As Shin tried to regain her composure, the weight of the evening's events pressed heavily on her. The encounter with the angel had added yet another layer of complexity to her already tangled existence. The clock in her hand felt like a tangible link to the questions she couldn't yet answer. Her mind struggled to make sense of it all—why had the angel appeared now? What was the purpose of this clock? What did it mean for my future?

Shin's heart raced with a mix of anxiety and curiosity. The old clock seemed to pulsate with a hidden energy, its hands ticking in a rhythm that felt almost alive. She examined it closely, trying to decipher any hidden clues or messages embedded in its design, but found nothing overtly significant. The more she studied it, the more she felt a sense of unease, as if the clock was a key to something profound yet unsettling.

So many questions flooded her mind, each one more perplexing than the last. She sighed in defeat, feeling a sense of helplessness wash over her. So much had happened in one day that it felt like a lifetime's worth of experiences compressed into a few hours. The contrast between her current life and the quiet, uneventful years of Shin Everhart's existence was stark.

"Is fate playing with me?" she muttered to herself. The weight of the day's revelations bore down on her, making her feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Shin wanted to scream, to rail against the unfairness of it all, but she kept silent. Complaining would do no good. She needed to stay focused, to take each new piece of information and figure out how it fit into the larger puzzle of her existence in this world.

She glanced at the window, noting that it was already late. The darkness outside seemed to mirror the uncertainty she felt within. "I'll deal with this tomorrow," she decided, pushing herself up from the chair. The need for rest was overwhelming, and she knew she would need her strength for whatever lay ahead.

Shin made her way to her room, each step feeling heavier than the last. She placed the clock carefully on the bedside table, its presence a reminder of the strange encounter and the mysteries yet to be unraveled. She changed into more comfortable clothes and slipped under the covers, hoping that sleep would bring some clarity or at least a temporary escape from her swirling thoughts.

As she lay there, staring at the ceiling, Shin's mind continued to race. The angel's words, the cryptic nature of the clock, and the unsettling realization that her journey was far from over all mingled in her consciousness. She closed her eyes, willing herself to find peace in the chaos.