Veronica arrived at Mek-Tek headquarters for work one morning, the early sunlight casting long shadows across the room. She stepped into the receptionist booth in the center of the lobby, mentally preparing herself for another day of menial and tedious tasks. As the clock ticked closer to the start of business hours, one of her co-workers arrived. It was the usually annoyingly cheerful Lila, but she had been different recently. Several weeks ago, Alexander Bellmont had suddenly vanished one night, with no word of his whereabouts since. A dull cloud hung over her since then. Her irritating radiance had been replaced with a sad glumness. Even Veronica, who was not usually personable or social, could see that. She remembered seeing Alexander some weeks ago. He had come stumbling into the lobby one morning looking like he hadn’t slept in days. But more than that, he seemed… afraid. Like he had seen something truly frightening and terrible. Veronica had wondered about it occasionally since then, not sure what it was all about.

She looked at Lila, who despite her dreariness, tried to do her best and put on a happy face to greet everyone. Their other co-worker, a new girl named Mindy, arrived. Mindy was 18 years old, and even more noisy and flamboyant than Lila normally was. Veronica found her incredibly obnoxious.

Mindy loudly greeted them both. “Good morning, ladies!” she chirped, her voice grating on Veronica’s nerves.

Lila tried her best to humor her. “Good morning, Mindy.”

Veronica remained silent, observing the interaction. She could tell from the way Lila talked that she still wasn’t her usual self. Veronica thought to herself that she was going to regret her next action, and reluctantly asked, “Hey Lila, can I ask you a something?”

Lila’s interest was piqued, as was Mindy’s, since in the few weeks she had worked at Mek-Tek she had seldom heard Veronica speak. “Um, sure, Veronica... What’s up?”

Slightly embarrassed, Veronica asked, “Are you alright?”

Lila was momentarily dazed at Veronica, of all people, seeming to show concern for someone else. She finally answered, “How do you mean?”

Veronica, not one to mince words, asked, “Are you still upset about Alexander?”

Lila lowered her face as Mindy asked, “Who’s Alexander?”

Veronica gave her a cold look for her lack of awareness. “He’s someone who works here and went missing recently.”

Mindy quickly apologized, realizing her mistake. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Lila said, “It’s alright.” She turned to Veronica. “I’m fine. I’m sad about Alexander, but I’m more upset for his friends. I know the three of them were really close.”

Veronica nodded, accepting Lila’s response. She could see the sadness in Lila’s eyes and felt a pang of empathy. It was rare for her to feel this way, but Alexander’s disappearance had affected everyone. She hoped her small gesture of concern had helped, even if just a little.

Later that morning, Robert arrived and stopped by the receptionist booth. Lila greeted him warmly. “Good to see you, Robert. How are you doing?”

Veronica, surprising herself, added, “I hope you’re alright.”

Robert looked at her, surprised. “Um, thanks, Veronica. I’m alright, but Megan is still in a rough spot. She’s only come in to work a few times over the past few weeks. We’ve been friends with Alexander for years. He was like a brother to us.”

Lila nodded sympathetically. “It’s not something you normally think of happening to someone you know...”

Robert’s expression turned grim and serious. “The last day I saw Alexander before he disappeared, he wasn’t right... He went on about seeing something, but I don’t know what. I wish I knew more. Maybe if I did, I could’ve prevented it…Maybe things could’ve been different…”

Veronica agreed, “I saw him that morning and I even tried to talk to him, but he didn’t respond.”

Robert sighed deeply. “Megan is still holding out hope that maybe the police can find something out…but I’m not so sure…” His voice trailed off, unable to say the unthinkable out loud.

Lila put her hand on Robert’s shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself. I want to believe he’s still alive somewhere, and maybe someday we can meet again.”

Back in Avalon, Alexander, Erika, and Elizabeth stood at the base of Merlin’s throne, awaiting the arrival of the master. Alexander had tried his best to put the events with the tome of shadows out of his mind, but he couldn’t help but wonder why Merlin wouldn’t equip him with all the knowledge she had available. It frustrated him.

Erika seemed to sense something was wrong with him. “My Lord, is everything alright? You seem troubled…”

He gave her a faint smile. “It’s nothing to worry about, Erika. I appreciate your concern.”

Since he arrived on Avalon, Erika had been his closest friend. His relationship with Elizabeth had started off rough, but ever since he went through the shrine, she had eased up on him. Someday soon, the three of them would return to their world to fight and protect it, together. It once scared him to death and spiked his anxiety, but now he felt more ready than ever. He was willing to do whatever necessary to prevent the grim future he saw in the shrine cave.

Merlin arrived in the great hall and greeted them. “Good morning, everyone.”

Alexander thought she appeared unbothered by their confrontation the night before.

Wasting no time, she said, “Lord Bellmont once dueled with Elizabeth to test his progress and abilities. Now we are going to do it again.”

Erika was slightly concerned. “Is that really necessary? Though I do acknowledge that Lord Bellmont has grown much stronger since then…”

Elizabeth seemed surprised for a moment, but played it off with a smug smirk. “I’m more than willing to fight him again.”

Alexander stood cool, calm, and collected. A confident grin crept across his face. “This isn’t gonna go the same way as before.”

Merlin was pleased with his enthusiasm. “Good. Now prepare yourselves.”