Chapter 42: “Accident”

  “I’ll help, just tell me your plan.” Shade spoke with fake confidence, but that was enough for Ms. Snow.

  Ms. Snow laughed softly behind her hand before telling Shade her plan.

  …

  An evening celebration was to be held in a great ballroom. Carly was told to participate by her parents. With the help of maids, she was putting on her blue dress which was gifted to her by her parents.

  “Miss, are you sure you don’t want to try the yellow one? It would look wonderful on you.” A maid asked, holding up a light yellow dress.

  “No, one of my pursuers gave it to me during my birthday. I can’t wear it, he does not suit my fancy.” Carly spoke with disinterest while looking at herself in a full body mirror.

  The maid curtseyed and went away with the yellow dress. Carly gestured to her maids to open the door to the hallway. She stepped out of her room followed by four maids.

  When Carly got to the first floor, she noticed one of the butlers at the front entrance.

  “Has father and mother already left?” Carly asked.

  “Yes, you will be riding in the carriage alone, is there anything else I can do for you, miss?” The butler said with poise.

  “No, that will be all, thank you.” Carly curtseyed as she exited the house and boarded a carriage.

  Upon entering the celebration venue, Carly greeted everyone she knew as she searched for her parents. She finally found them talking with her father’s business partners.

  “Father, Mother, there you are.” Carly said with an amused tone.

  “Ah! My beautiful girl! You sure took your time.” Her father said teasingly.

  “Enough of that, Shawn! A woman takes her time preparing. I was the same, there is no need to worry yourself over that, dear.” Her mother said while scolding her father.

  Carly’s father, Shawn Ceres, and her mother, Olivia Ceres, built a business empire that focus on horses and carriages. They are commoners with connection to many nobles because of their business deals.

  While chatting with her family, Carly noticed the change in music. Olivia shifted her gaze towards her daughter’s dress, it was a blue dress she had seen only once before.

  It was a present from a fallen noble family with only the heir left alive. Olivia remembers that the heir that gifted her daughter that dress was a handsome young man named Austin Blackhardt.

  “This song. It has been a while since I have heard it. Carly, why don’t you go and dance for a bit.” Olivia said to her daughter with a teasing smile.

  “No, Mother it is fine.” Carly said with a smile. However, her mother insisted.

  “Come on, dear! I know that you didn’t buy that dress. Go on, we will wait here.” Olivia said teasingly.

  Carly blushed slightly and did as she was told. She went to the dancing area and looked for a certain man she had conversed with multiple times before when she suddenly heard a voice from behind.

  “May I ask you for a dance, Carly Ceres?” A striking young man approached her. His blond hair and brown eyes matched his outfit.

  This particular young man had been observing the brown haired Carly since her arrival. He was waiting for a chance to dance with her.

  “Austin Blackhardt, I see no reason to deny you of this dance.” Carly answered back.

  The dance begun and the two of them danced incredibly well together. To observers, it looked like those two had gone through much together to dance that well.

  “You wouldn’t be wearing that dress if it wasn’t an emergency. Is it your parents?” Austin asked quietly.

  “Yes, I have already prepared everything. All I need to do now is get them into a bit of an accident that will send them to the hospital.” Carly said, matching her volume of her words to Austin’s.

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  Austin Blackhardt made a fake smile as if the two of them was talking about something wholesome.

  “Not a real accident I hope.” Austin said with a hint of worry in his voice.

  Carly laughed slightly to keep up with the picture they were trying to paint to the spectators.

  “No, our youngest is here.” Carly said, using a codeword for a certain someone.

  “Youngest?” Austin said in confusion, his tone of voice was completely different from his facial expression.

  Carly simply smiled as she waited for the great detective in front of her to put pieces together. As if something looked into place, Austin understood what his dancing partner meant when she said “youngest”.

  “What do you need me to do?” Austin said with calm.

  “Make them sleep.” Carly answered.

  The dance finished while Carly and Austin were talking, a round of applause was made by the spectators and the dancers as in accordance with etiquette.

  “When?” Austin asked.

  “You will notice.” Carly answered briefly as she said her thanks for the dance and returned to her parents’ side.

  After another round of dance, everyone was told to sit down at a table because food was going to be served.

  Carly and her family went to sit down with her mother’s business partners. Carly listened to the conversations as she looked at the clock on the wall… It’s time.

  A creaking sound could be heard from the chandelier above her head. The chandelier was tampered with. All it would take to make it fall down was to simply throw something at the chain.

  Carly felt something surrounding her, it was an illusion. A rather powerful. Anyone with less than 20 spirit or demon characteristics wouldn’t be able to see through it, much less notice it as an observer.

  By taping on the table slightly, a water droplet from her tea shot up and hit the tampered chain the chandelier above her was hanging from. The sound of panic as people try to get away from the falling chandelier was heard.

  However, no one would be able to get away in time if the situation would be left untouched by mystical powers. Carly used some of her wind spirit characteristics to slightly push her parents’ business partners to safety.

  Just so they do not get hit by the chandelier. Carly used her enhanced speed and strength as a mystic to avoid getting hit by the chandelier. However, her parents didn’t manage to get away in time.

  The chandelier landed on top of them and they fainted quickly because of injuries. The onlookers saw that only Carly’s parents were caught beneath the chandelier. They had bruises and blood was flowing from their wounds.

  Carly screamed for help as people ran out to prepare a carriage for them, luckily there was one standing just outside of the venue. Tears streamed from her eyes as she followed the people that helped carry her parents to the carriage.

  Two of the people who helped carry Carly’s parents chose to stay with them until they had gotten to the hospital. One of them was Austin Blackhardt, the man Carly danced with moments before.

  The other was a young man in a white shirt that clearly looked like it cost 1 pound. Carly sighed as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

  “Didn’t know you could cry on command like that.” Austin said.

  “I am the one and only daughter of a rich merchant family, this is how I got most of my dresses.” Carly answered calmly.

  Austin turned to the young man next to him. He tried to memories the face of the person that helped them, but that proved to be difficult.

  The young man noticed what Austin was doing and took of the pendant he had around his neck. His appearance suddenly got much easier to distinguish.

  “So that is how you look. I was never capable of seeing more than your mouth and nose and it got worse recently. You got a new spirit, didn’t you?" Austin said with amusement in his voice.

  “Yes, I did. It had two characteristics.” The young man answered.

  “Carly, he is catching up to us. I don’t like this.” Austin jested.

  Carly laughed softly as she looked at Austin.

  “Austin, if you have a problem with how fast he is progressing, then progress faster yourself.” Carly joked.

  Austin wrinkled his nose when he heard Carly’s words.

  “Is that a roundabout way to tell me to go die? How cruel!” Austin answered back.

  The trio laughed together as they heard Carly’s father start to snore. Carly had used her wind spirit characteristic to make the chandelier stop just milometers above her parents’ bodies. They fainted because of Austin’s sleep spirit characteristic.

  After laughing, the young man looked at Carly and then at Austin.

  “Should you two really be using your names with me around?” The young man asked.

  Carly and Austin looked at each other then laughed once again.

  “It depends, really. However, I feel like I can trust you.” Austin said with a smile on his lips.

  “Yes, I do as well. And let’s not forget that we are approaching a war against the church of fire and flame. I feel like it is best to put our trust in you now, than later. That way, we can watch each other’s backs, right?” Carly said with a grand smile.

  The young man was stunned. He thought for a moment and remained a bit hesitant, but he decided to speak with confidence.

  “My name is Shade. I don’t have a surname as far as I know.” The young man said while he looked at Austin and Carly.

  “Nice to meet you, Shade.” Carly said nicely. Her poise as Ms. Snow was apparent even when she was herself, Carly Ceres.

  “I already promised to have your back. But it truly is nice to finally make your acquaintance, Shade.” Austin said warmly. His laid back and joking attitude were the same whether he was Mr. Specter or Austin Blackhardt.

  Judgement and Magician remained quiet during the carriage ride. They had been talking like usual before, but they felt it best to leave Shade and the other two alone.

  Austin and Shade left after arriving at the hospital. Carly had her own arrangements where she will transport her parents away from the city. She also planned on telling her parents about the mystical world and about what had happened.

  While changing someone’s religion is not an easy task, she wanted to try for her parents’ sake and her own.

  …

  The reminiscing man drifted in space without a destination in mind. He didn’t say anything, nor did he think about anything. He simply smiled.