"We need to tear this place down."
Lucian spoke with a disgusted look on his face as he returned to the hallway together with the group. The receptionist heard his words and she frowned.
"I apologise, but may I ask what prompted that statent?"
Lucian wanted to answer but—
"Nothing. As I said, he is a new recruit."
Darius spoke up, then, he side-eyed Lucian.
"And clearly, his field discipline is still lacking, I apologise for his remark, I will see to it that you receive a formal apology for this and he faces proper consequences."
"That... won’t be necessary."
The receptionist shook her head.
"I was simply wondering if there was sothing in particular that concerned the gentleman. The Velvet House has always been cooperative with the authorities."
"It’s nothing."
Darius shook his head.
"If there is nothing else, am I to take it the inspection is over?"
"Yes."
Darius nodded.
"Then if you pleas—"
Before she could complete her words—
"You may return, we will be back shortly."
Lucian spoke up, this ti, with a much calr face than before.
"Cross."
Darius glared at him, Lucian just looked at him with a aningful gaze, then, he turned back to the receptionist and—
"Please."
He urged.
The receptionist seed unwilling, but she didn’t let it show on her face.
"Then I’ll be leaving, if you require any help, please co to ."
"We will."
Lucian nodded.
Then, after a second-long pause, the receptionist returned. Lucian watched her leave and Darius—
"Cross, I specifically instructed you to follow and stay put."
He spoke with a strict look on his face.
"I was planning to do just that, but that device of yours clearly isn’t working."
Lucian retorted as he pointed at Mara’s tablet. Mara was offended by those words.
"I checked my—"
But before she could defend it—
"Do you people not see it? There are clearly supernatural forces at play here."
"It doesn’t matter, Cross."
Darius shook his head.
"Even if there are supernatural forces at play, it doesn’t change anything because we have no way to prove it. We do not have the authority to take down any place we desire without concrete evidence. The faster you learn that, the better."
Lucian clenched his fists at those words.
"Then what if I give you proof?"
"Cross, I ordered you to stay put—"
"Aren’t you supposed to protect humans from the supernatural?"
Lucian interrupted. Darius narrowed his eyes and Lucian—
"10 minutes is all I ask for."
Then, he looked at the rest of the team mbers before looking back at Darius.
"You lot clearly do not like , give 10 minutes, let move how I desire, if I do not find anything, you can return and claim I did not follow orders and have removed from your team. If I do find sothing, you will have the proof you so desperately desire.
It is a win-win, no?"
"I cannot allow you to caus—"
"I will not cause any ruckus, I promise you that. You can follow all the ti and put a stop to it if any of my demands are unreasonable."
Darius turned silent at those words, he looked at the other mbers of the team and they looked... convinced, even Tomas was no different.
Seeing Lucian acting like this, he wanted to give him a chance.
Plus, if he failed, they would have a reason to throw him out of the team, he was very pleased with that.
"Alright."
Darius gave in.
"Good."
Lucian grinned.
Then, he moved, chasing the receptionist who had just returned. Darius and others followed him.
"Excuse ."
Lucian called out the mont he saw her.
"Sir? Is there sothing I can help you with?"
She asked.
"Yes, pause the music."
Lucian commanded.
"Sir?"
The receptionist tilted her head, confused.
"The music, stop it."
Lucian commanded.
"I need complete silence."
"Sir, we keep the music for vari—"
"Stop the music."
Darius commanded, looking at the receptionist, she looked at him for a mont, then—
"Of course."
She nodded.
She then took out her phone, called a number and in about a minute, the music stopped. The building suddenly turned silent.
Well, at least for ’normal’ people.
Lucian was not normal.
He closed his eyes and the demonic energy inside his body moved in a much, much, much more controlled and refined manner than when he first used it.
He guided it slowly towards his ears and his hearing beca much, much more sensitive compared to his already heightened senses and the next instant—
His mind was hit by thousands of different voices, breathing, heartbeats, the sound of a glass being placed on a table, a woman swallowing, a man crying softly through his nose, a staff mber tapping two fingers against a clipboard, the water in the fountain, even the sound of fabric brushing against skin.
He heard everything.
It was so ridiculously overwhelming that Lucian before would have instantly lost his mind but...
Compared to things Vivienne made him do inside that training hall this past month, this was... much more bearable.
In less than a second, Lucian began sorting the sounds. He placed every voice in all the rooms he had been to till the point he could picture the entire room with sounds alone.
It took a few minutes since there were so many voices he needed to sort but—
Once he was done.
Once every single room on every floor was complete—
Lucian heard more sounds, sounds that didn’t fit in any of the rooms he had been to. Sounds much lighter than the sounds that ca from other rooms and—
"Found you."
Lucian grinned as he opened his eyes.
"What do you an?"
Darius narrowed his eyes, Lucian didn’t answer him, instead, he looked at the receptionist. She was still standing at the side of hallway, with that sa, professional smile.
"How many floors are there?"
He asked.
"Three. You visited them all."
She answered professionally.
Lucian watched her face, then he listened to her heart.
It was steady, a little faster than before, but still steady.
Then, he shook his head.
"No."
"Sir?"
"You did not take us to one place."
Lucian spoke and the instant he did—
The receptionist’s heartbeat skipped.
There.
Lucian grinned, his violet eyes shining dangerously.
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