Const Orphanage 1

On the 88th floor of Luminous Entertainment, you find the CEO's office.

At this moment, Altair sat in a leather swivel chair in front of his desk, seemingly enveloped by the chair's back and armrests. He leaned slightly backward, tilting his head to one side, his eyes half-closed, massaging his temples.

On the desk was a box brought from Elvira's residence, containing the werewolf relic that had been missing for years—the Laurel Crown.

To be precise, it wasn't lost but taken by Lorcan without Altair's consent.

Altair, with his eyes closed, reached into the box and grabbed the Laurel Crown, turning it over in his hands. It was one of the Sterling family's heirlooms, symbolizing the werewolf Sterling family's glory and honor, as well as his werewolf insignia.

Being of both werewolf and vampire descent, he possessed the formidable physique of a werewolf and the immortal constitution of a vampire, bearing the responsibilities of both races.

As Altair caressed the Laurel Crown, a bitter smile curled on his lips. At least for this year's werewolf transformation ceremony, he could attend with the insignia.

"Beep beep"

A crisp notification sound suddenly echoed in the office. Altair's eyes snapped open, a cold light bursting forth as if a beast, fully charged, rose from his swivel chair.

He pulled out a smartphone from beneath his desk, displaying a message: "Received a complaint: Suspected abuse at Const Orphanage. An unnatural scent was detected in the letter. Investigate immediately."

Squinting at the few words on the screen, Altair recognized the name of the place; it seemed familiar. It appeared that the letters he had taken from Elvira's mailbox downstairs were sent from Const Orphanage.

At sixteen, Elvira entered Const Orphanage and stayed until he went off to college. Not long after, Altair received a compilation of recent rumors about Const Orphanage, prepared by Saxon for him. Among these, one email was marked as important—a dinner invitation from Const Orphanage to their investors, including Saxon.

Saxon, being the nominal contact for Luminous Entertainment, received numerous external emails daily.

"Dear Mr. Sterling,

Greetings! Const Orphanage is organizing a mysterious dinner exclusively for our investors, with the details as follows:

Time: 8 PM the day after tomorrow

Location: Const Orphanage Hall

We are prepared to address any concerns or issues you may have, should you be willing.

This event is confidential, and your timely attendance is requested.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Sincerely,

Const Orphanage"

Altair, upon reviewing the invitation, appeared contemplative.

Elvira's gaze shifted from the window to the letter in his hands. He seldom received letters, just one a year. It likely came from Const Orphanage, which he supported financially; they sent him an annual letter of gratitude. After turning sixteen, Elvira lived at Const Orphanage, where Teacher Ginger provided him with selfless care. As an adult, Elvira worked to earn money for living expenses and tuition, sending any surplus, however modest, back to Const Orphanage.

"Dear little Elvira,

I am Teacher Ginger from Const Orphanage, and I am delighted to hear that all is well with you recently. I received your letter and am so pleased you've graduated from college. If you have time, please come visit the Orphanage and share your college experiences with the children.

Missing you,

Teacher Ginger"

The previous year, Teacher Ginger wrote to him, informing him that Const Orphanage was under a new Dean. She mentioned feeling her age more acutely, noticing a decline in her health and an increase in her temper, often provoked by two mischievous girls in the Orphanage. Yet, she couldn't help but forgive them, thinking of the vitality their mischief brought.

It had been four years since Elvira had left Const Orphanage, and even though he had only spent two years there, he fondly remembered his time—wild fruit trees on the mountain, the lavender garden, and the woods behind the hill.

Const Orphanage is located in the suburbs, a fair distance from the city center. Reaching it required a bus ride to the last stop, followed by an hour's walk up Const Mountain. There's only one narrow path leading to the summit, barely wide enough for a car and two pedestrians side by side. The trek up the mountain took about thirty minutes.

The next day, blessed with pleasant weather, warm sunshine, and a gentle breeze, Elvira stood at the base of Const Mountain, looking up at the towering cross pointing to the sky atop the Orphanage's roof.

The road was fairly smooth, indicating frequent use. However, the forests lining the path were eerily silent, the ground softened by damp moss and years of accumulated dead branches and leaves. Overgrown weeds stretched onto the road as if reaching out to grasp at his ankles. Everything was enveloped in quietude.

Elvira remembered how he used to climb the trees here, picking fruit. Back then, Teacher Ginger would stand below, repeatedly cautioning him to be careful while gathering the fallen fruits. Teacher Ginger insisted that children, being frail, needed to consume fruit daily to bolster their immune systems. Despite the orphanage's limited funds, Teacher Ginger always found a way to procure fruit.

—Having Elvira climb trees to pick fruit was one such method.

Before long, he reached the summit, and the familiar sight of Const Church loomed before him. Elvira strained his ears, hoping to catch the laughter and play of children, sounds he deeply missed. But there was silence. Utterly quiet, without a sound.

He pushed open the black iron gate, and the sound of metal scraping against the ground was grating to the ears. He saw a man asleep on the desk inside the guardhouse. Elvira tapped on the window, but the man did not wake up, not even stirring in the slightest. Elvira stepped forward, walking through what used to be the lavender garden.

Now, the garden was nothing but an open wasteland with no vegetation surviving, covered in a layer of dust or ash, like a giant hole corroded by acid, gaping open at the sky.

No lavender. It felt discordant.

Elvira sensed that Const Orphanage had changed; it was an overall shift in ambiance. It wasn't just the absence of the vibrancy and warmth he remembered, there was something more lurking around, though he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly. Maybe he was just overly sensitive, always able to feel many indescribable things that even he couldn't articulate. He could only move forward, walking into the main building of the Orphanage.

He stood on the first floor, on the narrow, blotchy black staircase, alone.

Suddenly, from afar came the sound—

"Tap—tap—tap—"

Someone!

The sound of adult footsteps was unmistakably clear in the empty hallway. Elvira walked towards the sound and, upon turning a corner, collided with a woman. She wore a blue uniform, which Elvira recognized as the standard attire for the Orphanage staff. The woman, startled by the sudden appearance of a stranger from around the corner, widened her eyes in fear and dropped the cloth she was holding. She took a few steps back, even raising the broom in her hands defensively.

"Hello?" Elvira offered a smile, trying to appear friendly, and continued, "I'm Elvira, I used to be at this Orphanage—"

He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the woman pointing to her ears and shaking her head.

Was she deaf?

Taking the notebook and pen she offered, Elvira flipped to a blank page and quickly wrote:

"I used to be at this Orphanage. Teacher Ginger asked me to come and see the children."

The woman leaned in to read the message on the notebook. Elvira noticed her eyes widen slightly in surprise, and her body shivered. She snatched the pen and hastily wrote a few words that surprised and even shocked Elvira:

"Teacher Ginger left the Orphanage half a year ago."

He hurriedly took out the letter he had received and sniffed it intensely. It had no scent. Elvira's fingertips trembled; in that moment, his blood felt as if it had frozen, turning him into a piece of stiff stone. He had felt something was off about the letter but couldn't quite place it at first.

Now, he remembered—the letter lacked Teacher Ginger's signature lavender scent.