Solflare: The Painter's Secret

Chapter 278: Summoned

Cracks lingered in the hallway as the Ghost Squad and Leon reached the second floor.

Seo-jun and Eun-woo walked at the front, swaying their hands like robots. Kim walked by Leon’s side with a faint smile on her face.

’Leon seems to have changed in a few weeks. What happened to his Triarch?’ She thought when her gaze crashed with Leon’s.

Leon smirked, then shifted his gaze to the path ahead. He watched every line streaked on the walls, the floors, and the ceiling.

His dual heart thrummed with every crack he saw, then calmed when he caught Kim staring at him from the corner of her eyes.

...

In front of Hei Yung’s office, Eun-woo and Seo-jun stopped, then stood by the door like soldiers keeping guard over an untouchable treasure.

The blade of the Hi-no-Kami on Leon’s back threw sparkling rays on the walls, reflected in the smooth surfaces of the metal.

"Leon," Seo-jun said in a soft voice, then gestured for Leon to near the door. He pushed the blue-black door open, then smiled.

The rays from the blades of the Hi-no-Kami died when Leon walked through the door. The moment his left leg entered, he tilted his gaze slightly and nodded at the Ghost Squad.

A sharp exhale exited Leon’s lungs when he turned his gaze and saw Hei Yung, Lu Wang, Hei Luo, and Lord Luo Fang sitting there like Gods holding judgments.

Soft footsteps echoed when Leon walked toward them, then bowed slightly.

Hei Yung stood up from his seat and walked to Leon’s side. "It’s good you came, Leon."

He placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder when Leon lifted his gaze and locked eyes with him.

Bone-crackling sounds echoed around Lord Luo Fang while angry white glows blazed out of his eyes like flames. ’Your time has come, Leon Storm!’

Leon shifted his gaze from each person and smiled when he saw the burning rage on Lord Luo Fang’s face. ’What is he on about?’

Hei Yung tapped on Leon’s left shoulder once, then gestured for him to take a seat. "It’s been a while since you sat among us, have a seat."

Leon smiled at Hei Yung, then nodded before relaxing himself in the leather chair.

Metallic thuds echoed when he placed both the Hi-no-Kamis and the golden kinetic-drift shield on the table in front of him.

Hei Luo’s head snapped backward when he saw the shield. ’That is not what he sent.’

Saliva snaked down his throat when he saw flickers of light in Leon’s pupils but could not name them in respect to the color.

The moment Hei Yung sat in his chair, he placed a blank smart tablet device on the table and cleared his throat.

"Leon Storm is now here, so." He paused and shifted his gaze to Lord Luo Fang.

A grim grin lanced across Lord Luo Fang’s face when all attention fell on him. "Okay."

Metal-creaking sounds echoed when Lord Luo Fang pushed his chair a little bit back and stood up. "There have been many catastrophic events recently."

He walked with his left arm crossed behind him while swinging the fingers of his right arm like a pianist. "Every single one carries the same power signature."

Hei Luo hissed and folded his hands on his chest. "So?"

"Relax, Hei Luo." Lord Luo Fang smiled then shook his head. He stopped behind Leon’s chair, then slammed his right palm on the top of the seat. "Every single one carries the signature of the Destroyer."

"What?" All three officials of Agatha Special Forces said in one voice. "Leon wasn’t here when those incidents occurred and he doesn’t even know the kind of incidents that occurred during his absence."

Lord Luo Fang shifted glances at every face while nodding slowly. "That’s the point."

He leaned in on Leon’s right shoulder, then inhaled the bloodied, burnt scent escaping from the warrior. ’He carries the same energy. Don’t they have noses to smell it?’

"There can only be one Destroyer on this earth, since the first was scraped out of human existence."

He straightened himself, then placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder. He began to tap his fingers on Leon’s blackened war suit. "I know he wasn’t here."

Hei Yung shifted glances from Leon’s shoulder to Lord Luo Fang’s face. "So why did you come here and order to see Leon before you speak, when you perfectly knew he has no idea of what has happened?"

’What incidents occurred?’ Leon squinted at Lu Wang’s slightly shocked but awestruck expression. He lowered his gaze to the Hi-no-Kamis and the drift shield, then back to Lu Wang. ’Why is Lieutenant Lu Wang staring at me as if he hasn’t seen me before?’

...

Lord Luo Fang pulled a summoned envelope from his sleeve, then placed it in front of Leon.

Hei Yung, Hei Luo, and Lu Wang’s eyes grew cold when they saw Seol-Mujin’s high court stamp on the envelope.

Hei Yung stood up from his seat and pointed a sharp finger at Lord Luo Fang. "What is this?"

A cunning laughter escaped Lord Luo Fang. He moved from the back of Leon’s chair and stopped by Hei Yung’s left ear. "Be careful how you talk to your Overlord."

He turned toward Leon, then pointed a finger at him. "You have been summoned to appear before the high court of Seol-Mujin, Leon Storm."

’Summoned? That means I won’t be able to go and check on my family.’ Leon turned a sunken gaze to Hei Yung. "I want to visit Thule and check on my family first."

"You can..."

"You dare challenge the orders of Seol-Mujin?" The sky above the Blackscale Citadel thrummed with angry white lightning when Overlord Luo Fang screamed.

All three officials of Agatha had pale eyes when they saw the fiery glow plummeting around Overlord Luo Fang, but Leon sat there uninterested. "What will happen if I choose to wait?"

Hei Yung’s breath caught when he shifted his gaze to Leon and saw the glow in the boy’s eyes blazing in gold, red, blue, and grey.

He walked toward Leon when he saw the red-gold cloth flapping on Leon’s chest as if wanting to transform into something he had not seen before, and placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder. "Leon, there is no need to fight them."

Hei Yung lifted his hand when Leon shifted a blackened gaze to him and sighed. "Leon, I will be there with you. There’s nothing to worry about."