Chapter 035

Alvin looked at the villa belonging to Stephen Rosier from a distance. From the reports he previously read, this time Stephen Rosier was not missing, as one of the informants spotted him conversing with his son after Even approached the bar. Hence, Alvin was unsure what the problem was. Also, the location was a bit upscale, and there was no good place to set traps and keep barrels of gunpowder and oil. Hence, Alvin instead looked for good escape routes and more subtle traps he could lay in the surroundings.

He then scouted around once more and climbed into the house through a window on the second floor. As before, he did a room by room sweep as he came downstairs.

He finally met Even in a room on the first floor.

"We're you looking for me?" asked Alvin, standing behind Evan who was writing something on a piece of paper.

The startled boy turned around in fright, before calming down.

"Me Hunt! Yes. I did go looking for you at the bar again" said Evan.

"What's the problem? Can't find your father? Just like last time?" asked Alvin.

"I can sir. He is downstairs. But it's just...I have doubts. He seems very different from my father, in ways I cannot put in words. I am worried that something might have happened. I wanted you to take a look" said Evan.

"Any particular reason you thought of me?" asked Alvin.

"Yes sir. After you left, my father told me that I couldn't spot him initially because it was kept a secret. I could only spot him after you let me in on the secret by spotting him and telling me. He also said that it takes a person with strong intuition or some other special aspects to find the secret" said Evan.

"I investigated your father quite a bit. He seems to have some special powers doesn't he?" asked Alvin pausing for a while.

Even hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Yes sir. He is great at convincing people to keep secrets. Everyone thinks it's just his natural charm, but he once told me that he could get people to keep secrets because of his special powers"

"And?" questioned Alvin.

"He also had some contact with some strange people. He never let me meet them, but I saw them from time to time. A year ago, I stopped seeing them. We then moved here, and I didn't see them again since" said Evan.

"Do you think those strange people are back? Did you see them?" asked Alvin.

"No. But my father was very nervous when we moved to Backlund. He was fine after settling here for a while. Now he is starting to panic again. And he seems to get beaten every now and then, and claims it is a secret when asked. So I think those people are back again" said Evan.

Alvin felt that he was lying about something, or concealing something from him. But he didn't feel danger, and the divination by the Coin of Wonder assure them that there was no imminent danger. Hence, he did not press further.

"Your father is in the living room?" asked Alvin.

"Yes he is. He looks, talks and behaves very like my father, but sometimes I feel that he is not" said Even fearfully.

Alvin nodded, and walked into the living room, and instantly spotted the man sitting on the chair in the centre.

He was the same height as Stephen Rosier, wearing the same clothes, and his facial features resembled that of Stephen Rosier.

But Alvin could instantly tell that it was not Stephen Rosier.

"Ah, good to see you again Mr Hunt. I didn't find you in the bar the few times I visited, and was told you went on a vacation. I hope you had a pleasant vacation. Is there any particular reason you want to see me?" he asked politely, extremely similar to Stephen Rosier's demeanour.

Evan who standing next to Alvin looked at the man with a mixture of guilt, fear, trepidation, and hope. Alvin looked at Even, and then calmly faced the man and said, "You are not Stephen Rosier"

Evan who was looking at the man suddenly seemed surprised, before his face warped into shock as he stumbled back a few steps and looks at the man in horror, and shouted, "Who are you? What have you done to my father?"

The man raised an eyebrow, and then gave a creepy smile. He then said, "Well, it seems you had suspicions about me before little boy, but we're just too chicken to act on it. That's why you went and brought reinforcements. But the fact you can even see have such doubts means that our doubts were correct. You were born with it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Alvin calmly.

"Me Hunt is it? A random Beyonder working odd jobs in the city. I heard about you from that idiot. You seem to be regarded as an excellent fighter. I wonder how good you really are?" he said creepily.

Alvin, sensing a fight was coming, quickly pushed Evan back, and yelled to him, "Run. Go to a room on the third floor, and shut every possible door behind you" and retreated behind some furniture for cover. He then pulled out the Sword of Dominance with his right hand, and his revolver with another. He then got in a battle ready stance waiting for the man to make a move.

"Well well, aren't you sensitive? A mere mention of a battle and you go nuts!" said the man chortling. He then retreated a few meters behind, right under some enormous curtains over the main window, that was casting a huge shadow. And then, with that creepy smile still on his face, he slowly vanished into the shadow.

"Well, this is a pain in the ass," thought Alvin, as he looked around, trying to catch traces of the man who had just seemingly vanished into the shadows.