Lost Memories: Dance on The Bloody Diamond

Byron's eyes glows as he followed a little girl spirit hugging a teddy bear as she excitedly led him toward the secret room where his target was kept. When they reached a hidden wall, the little girl suddenly vanished, signaling to Byron that this was the entrance to the vault—the heavily guarded chamber where Gion's ultimate prize, GOLIX, the diamond-encrusted watch, was stored. Soon, it would be the highlight of the night, a gift for his dear father.

If he could steal it before its grand reveal, Gion would be humiliated in front of his esteemed guests, exposed as the fool who couldn't even protect his own treasure. 

After what he did to the miners in Ranggolan? It would be worth it. 

Opening the secret door was easy—he simply needed to push the wall, revealing the hidden vault. However, before he could proceed further, a small chamber blocked his path. A thick glass door, reinforced and nearly impenetrable, stood in his way, secured by a combination lock.

It's time to re-enter the spirit realms.

A faint glow flickered across Byron's forehead, revealing a neon tattoo of an open eye surrounded by an Ajna mandala. His irises turned white as his consciousness shifted into the higher dimension, the realm where spirits lurked. 

Before him, ghostly figures emerged—the spirits that had been tied to Gion for years. They might have been bound to him, but spirits never lied. 

Byron's voice was calm but firm. "What do I need to be aware of? How does the security work?" 

The spirits had varied personalities—some cackled at Byron, some merely observed in eerie silence. 

One particularly mischievous spirit grinned as it urinate on GOLIX while laughing frantically. But amid the chaos, an elegant woman spirit stepped forward, her presence commanding attention.

She spoke with quiet authority. "The floor is sensitive to even the slightest shift in weight. The entire room is laced with invisible infrared sensors that will trigger alarms at the faintest movement. A body temperature scanner detects any heat signature that isn't pre-programmed into the system. And CCTV cameras operate on a private, non-electric frequency, making them impossible to disable." 

A giggling trickster spirit snickered. "It's impossible! Give it up!" 

An old, grumpy-looking spirit sitting in the corner scoffed. "He can do it! It's time for that bastard to pay for his crimes. I'd be more than happy to watch him humiliated in front of his elite guests." 

Byron took in their words, his mind piecing together a plan. "Is that all I need to know?"

The elegant woman smirked. "180299 is the code. It's his father's birthday."

The glow in Byron's eyes faded as he returned to the material realm. His body pulsed with exhaustion—communicating with spirits always drained his energy—but he still had plenty left in him.

It's time to move.

Byron entered 180299 into the combination lock. A faint beep echoed in the small chamber before the thick glass door slid open with a smooth, mechanical hiss, granting him access to the vault beyond.

Byron exhaled slowly, activating Vel'Kareth, the Whispering Mirage. As Vel'Kareth answered his call, the tattoo on his left shoulder, depicting a snake emerging from a mirror, began to glow.

Soon, his body faded into a spectral shimmer, the air around him bending like heatwaves over a desert road. To the human eye, he was nothing but a flickering distortion.

Then, Byron activated the Eagle Spirit's gift, signaled by the glowing eagle tattoo on his left forearm, allowing him to levitate without triggering the weight-sensitive floor.

Last, he needed to bypass the invisible infrared beams crisscrossing the space, weaving a deadly net of alarms, and the temperature scanners that were already detecting a presence. The moment his warmth registered, an alarm would blare.

He took a slow breath, feeling the wings tattooed on his back burn cold.

The Temperance.

A shiver ran down his spine as the spirit's power took hold. His body temperature dropped to match the room, his warmth vanishing into nothingness. To the scanners, he was just another patch of empty air.

One step. Then another.

Byron moved between the laser grids, weaving his way through them with precise, fluid motion. Ghostlike. Untouchable.

Finally, he reached the pedestal.

The watch gleamed under the cold white light.

Now, it was only him and the GOLIX watch. A masterpiece of full-diamond craftsmanship—also, the watch that had cost countless miners their lives, leaving behind families to suffer. All of that, just to be a birthday present for an old man who would die in a year or two.

Byron smirked. "Let's save you from being useless and buried with an old man next year."

Byron placed his gloved hand against the glass case.

This was the trickiest part—removing GOLIX without triggering the weight sensors beneath it.

He had already prepared a hollow glass replica made of resin, crafted by himself to match the exact weight of the original watch.

With surgical precision, he lifted the original GOLIX, replacing it with the fake in a single, fluid motion.

The system didn't react.

The weight sensors remained undisturbed. A perfect swap.

Byron held GOLIX in his palm, the diamonds reflecting the light like a star trapped in glass.

As Byron made his way out of the secret room, he did not realize that Etienne had been there all along, right from the start. He had been enjoying a smoke, but instead, he had found a thief. A calculating expression reflected in his green eyes as he took another drag from his cigarette, contemplating what to do with this little bandit.

Should he tell Gion? Or should he play with this boy before trapping him? Because betraying Gion would cost him his life.

***

"Where is Jared?" the manager of the Salsa dancers looked worried, he looked like about to explodes but trying to hold off the anger. The client is VVIP, and they will perform in front of the elites. The OCD manager surely want to make it perfect.

One of the three dancers had lost the pair, it would be a disaster if he doesn't come back from toilet and it's already been 35 minutes, the show is about to begin; it's already been delayed almost 10 minutes. 

Suddenly the door is open and Byron show up, eyebrows rises innocently, "why is everybody here? I thought we all should wait in the hallway?"

"Not hallway! We all waiting for you here before going there!" The manager is enraged. 

Byron make himself looking regret, he take a step backwards and pinches his forehead in regret. "Oh, I'm really sorry, seems that I misheard the instruction, but we shall not waste more time. Let's go!"

The dancers leaving the dressing room to the hallway of the ballroom where they wait for the MC to call them to perform. 

"That's Ryan Huges! Oh my God! He's even more handsome than in the movies!" the ladies squeals. 

"I'm getting more anxious now, I hope I look perfect tonight! Jared, what should I do?" Byron's pair looked excited but also anxious at the same time.

"Don't worry Yeasolde," Byron get her hands and massage it gently, "I got you!"

"Oh Jared, please don't let me messed up!" Yeasolde feels a bit calmer now. 

However Jared turn his head to a direction where people are walking and gathering to mingle with one another. He really sure that someone is there watching him among the crowds. And then he found a man with beautiful open back black dress, with golden chain slings over his waist. He is currently talking with a handsome muscular action movie actor.

Byron knows somebody is watching but he doesn't seems to get any evidence of it right now. Brush it off isn't the wisest idea, because someone might catch him walking the corridor in the place he isn't supposed to be and tailing him. He has to keep his guard up. 

***

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please enjoy the Salsa dance performance of the Danceslinger!" the MC announces, one of the three dancer pairs energetically slides out of the corner of the stage and captivate the audience right away with their energetic moves. 

he audiences outside the ballroom now decide to re-enter the ballroom to enjoy the performance. After three minutes, the pair of dancer walk out the stage to the other corner of the podium to let the second pair enter the stage and captivate the audience with their quick yet beautiful moves. It's male-male dancer, so the movement is powerful, quick, and sometimes fun.

Orion Salvador really knows how to entertain the audience with such witty dance moves. 

And after approximately another three minutes, the pair also slides off to the other corner of the stage to let the last pair enter the stage. 

Isabel is a very talented dancer, she just young and nervous to perform in front of the elites. But she manages to focus back into her own performance and make a lot of amazing moves. Byron really help her with his strength as her anchor, allowing her to get wild while knowing that Byron is strong enough to carry her to move the way she wants it. 

The performance is sensual, it's beautiful, and breath taking. 

Just before the show is over, two other pair joins in the stage and they encourage the audiences to join them in the dance floor. 

They are the elites, of course they know how to salsa. Everyone are dancing now, even the kung-fu megastar actor who is muscular, apparently can pull of the dance perfectly, turning the stage into his own, even though he is not the only one who dances.

As Byron entertain a beautiful woman in the red dress--she's a high class senior actress--on the dance floor, Etienne find his chance. Smoothly, Etienne captures the actress by the hand and gently pull her aside, "my turn, ma'am." 

And without even look away from Byron, he maintain the eye contact. An invitation to dance battle.

Men are simple creature; they able to communicate without words. It's that simple. 

The way Etienne maintain the eye contact... He is a predator dressed as prey.

However, Byron is about to show him that he was preying on the wrong target.