Dawn Of The Dark Dynasty & The New Inhabitant

Chapter Ten

Murderous Thoughts at the Gate

Dianne kept on stealing fleeting glances at the boy sitting across. Shawn was proving to be one unsolvable puzzle she couldn't decipher. He was one sphinxlike enigma; an unpredictable factor that caused her constant headaches. Nothing was within her control when it came to him.

Dianne had previously thought that sparing his life could benefit her substantially. His concealed secrets stirred up a deep temptation and the needed gateway to achieve her goals. However, every time she was confident she had uncovered some of his mysteries, the boy would prove time and again to be a bottomless pit of wonders. Every twist and turn would reveal something new about him.

This left her second guessing herself and it wasn't within her nature to do so. The boy already showed his terrifying power, yet things still never added up. His strangeness left her skeptical about his origins. Moreover, his strange words and phrases begged the questions...

From which outlandish lands did he originate from? Where are these lands located? Do they have some peculiar means of cultivation?

Then there was the possibility of the boy being possessed by the Demon Hound. Because one, the boy never emitted any magical aura. If it were not for Dianne witnessing for herself, she would have never believed the boy possessed magic.

Whenever she tried questioning him, Shawn would always give vague replies. This fueled her suspicions even further. He was definitely hiding something. Being stuck in between a rock and a hard place wasn't what Dianne expected. On one hand, killing the boy would be unbeneficial to her given the enticing mysteries surrounding him. On the other hand, she feared the possibility of him being possessed. If the latter was true, then she was surely bringing damnation upon the Empire.

While all this conjectures and deliberations were circling around Dianne's mind, the boy in question was looking at the passing hilly landscapes with splayed trees. However, if one was keen they would see his eyes were glistening with a far-off look. What awaited him in the Maelin Empire was unknown and it scared him. Also, it brought him a surprising sense of anticipation. The mission assigned to him by the Demon Hound still hanged in the air.

Obviously, Shawn was told about the infamous tales of the demon. However, contrary to what he was told, what he witnessed was different. What everyone believed was that the Demon Hound was a complete mindless and bloodthirsty creature that knew nothing but slaughter. Except, that was a total misjudgment on their part. They might be correct on the bloodthirstiness, but way off track on the mindless bit.

It remained uncertain if the Demon Hound was able to live the Lands of the Unknown at will. Still, nothing should be left to pass when coming to that cunning beast. It wouldn't have entrusted such a mission to a boy it just met, and remain confident in its threats if he failed. Luckily, the demon never gave Shawn any timespan.

Soon his thoughts drifted to the Dark Emperor. Who was he exactly? Was he the Emperor of this Maelin Empire? What was his relation to the Demon Hound and why did it want the so-called amulet?

Shawn never disclosed anything about the mission. He even hid the aspect about the Demon Hound being brainy monster. Dianne might have spared his life, but that's because she had other ulterior motives. This cold and cruel beauty couldn't be trusted. There is nothing more dangerous than a crafty woman.

"Whoa!" Shawn gasped suddenly.

His eyes bulged wide with shock after spotting something up ahead. An enormous wall had come into view.

"What is that?" he asked.

Dianne replied with an unconcerned sigh, "The border wall."

"That's the border wall...?" The boy was awestruck.