Alexandria's Keeper - Lord of the Mysteries

I̸͓̻̳̗͘͜͜͝r̷̭̭̒͊i̵̛̱̤̖̘͈̜̔n̷̰͕͚̮̤̩̉̌͛́̀͝͠ͅa̶͎̒͒́͘—Elena sipped her coffee leisurely, skimming over the latest report, when she heard the familiar ding of the elevator.

She raised her gaze and watched as her boss came strolling in, wearing his pristine suit. "Good Morning Riri~" she teased, the nickname rolling off her tongue without thought.

"Elena," he sighed as the doors closed silently behind him, "how many more times do I have to tell you to act professional?"

She laughed lightly, rising from her desk with a stack of papers in hand. "You've got an appointment with the owner of the Chaos Sea," she began, walking slowly toward his office door. "As well as one with [̴̬͉͒̕͝R̸̨̛̯͚͚̀͑͜͝E̷̢̫̥͍̾̃̄̽D̶̪̯̽́A̷̹̫͎̮͂͜C̴̰͍̈́͒͐T̶̢̛̩̜̙̉Ḛ̶̢̈̅D̵̨̕]̷̢̛̘̣͆̇̚̚ͅ—"

She faltered, the words getting stuck in her throat. What was that? For a fleeting moment, something tickled at the edge of her momory. A quick blur. A whisper. A sudden headache. but she blinked rapidly, and it was gone. SHe shook her head and continued, her voice now steady. "—sounded quite annoyed, if you want my personal opinion."

Unbothered by her strange stutter, he hummed thoughfully, entering his office and lisstening to the day's events.

He settled in his chair, calmly sipping his coffee as his laptop turned on. "Would that be all?"

I̸͓̻̳̗͘͜͜͝r̷̭̭̒͊i̵̛̱̤̖̘͈̜̔n̷̰͕͚̮̤̩̉̌͛́̀͝͠ͅ—Elena nodded. "Yes, it was a slow morning." She explained, placing the documents on the desk right in front of him, "Those are mostly from the past days. They're overviews about..." She continued explaining, receiving slow nods and few questions in return.

"Are you coming to the party tonight?" He asked suddenly.

She blinked. "Huh... no?" Her brows knitted, confusion evident in her tone. "Your assistant will be there, so I'm not needed. I also never participate in those events, you know that."

He pouted. She watched as the grown man, boss of The Alexandria Corporation, owner of multiple properties all around the world, the richest man she knew, pouted like an angry child.

"You've got to be kidding me," she said out loud.

"Come on... please? Will you come?" He pleated with bright eyes.

She groaned loudly, "This is exactly why I don't act professionally when it's just the two of us."

"But—"

"No Nefiref, I'm not coming. You know I don't like parties like that. Interacting with others is my job as your secretary, but not in the after-work hours—"

"I'll pay you thrice your normal wage."

I̸͓̻̳̗͘͜͜͝r̷̭̭̒͊i̵̛̱̤̖̘͈̜̔—Elena, having prepared herself to refuse again, shut her mouth at the offer. "... I still do not understand why you want me there."

He shrugged nonchalantly, "Is it important? I just want you there."

She eyed him suspiciously, crossing her arms. "Then no. I'm still not coming."

His eyes locked into hers. "You'll also have tomorrow free."

I̸͓̻̳̗͘͜͜͝r̷̭̭̒͊—Elena kept staring impassively, not moving an inch.

Nefiref tried again, his voice pleading, "Pretty please?"

"No." She replied flatly.

The two fell into an uncomfortable silence. The only sound being that of the ticking clock, moving towards an inevitable ending she still didn't know.

Nefiref tried his luck once more with an even bigger offer, "I'll pay you five—no—six times your normal wage! So... please?"

Seeing her stubborn superior not willing to let go, I̸͓̻̳̗͘͜͜͝—Elena accepted, not quite displeased but not quite happy either. I wanted to binge-watch that series tonight...

"Fine, but I'll need to go home early to prepare. It's a black tie event, I can't show like—this." She gestured at her simple white shirt and black pants, her classic work attire.

He looked her up and down and nodded seriously, "Definitely not. You'd tarnish the company's image."

How kind. She thought with annoyance, the emotion clear on her face.

Nefiref turned to his laptop, swiftly tiping something as she began to plan what to wear, the make-up, and how to style her hair. Elena slowly began to panick, realizing she didn't have enough time to make herself presentable for the upcoming evening.

Her phone buzzed loudly in her pocket, interrupting her thoughts. The ringtone a clear sign of who had just texted her.

She looked at him with confusion, only to face his smug smile as he pushed her to check it. "Go on, open it. You don't want to be late."

Elena kept staring at him, trying to miraculously read his mind, as she took out her phone and opened it with ease. Her gaze then turned to the document he had sent her.

An appointment. Booked for today, at a very expensive hairdresser; as well as a fitting in a small boutique. Attached to it, was the winking face emoji.

Oh for fuck's sake—this man!

"You planned it from the very beginning! You—"

Nefiref shushed her, "I only got the idea this morning, so I booked it accordingly. You just have to show up, everything is already paid for."

You and your rich ass, why don't you pay me more if you can— Elena stared at his expression shortly before exhaling in acceptance. Why am I even arguing with him, he's my boss...

"Fine, but I'm not going to the boutique. I already have a dress that works perfectly fine, I'll wear that," she argued.

He smiled at her, "I trust your fashion sense." Well, I don't trust yours, she mused in her head, quickly glancing at his usual high ponytail. Why does he waste such lustrous, silk-like black hair like that?! If I were him I'd—

A phone rang loudly in the room, the sound bouncing off the walls, rudely interrupting her thoughts.

He cast a quick glance at the caller and his eye twitched imperceptibly. Curious, Elena couldn't help but take a peak. She managed to read the caller ID just in time before Nefiref took his phone away, raising it beyond her field of vision. Huh, she couldn't help but wonder who the person with the peculiar name was, Adam? Just where do I know—

"Just be on time, I'll send you the time and room later since we'll have to enter at the same time." Nefiref's eyes didn't leave his phone as he dismissed her, "Now go, I'll see you later."

Elena left the room not making a sound, closing the doors quietly, not wanting to disrupt what was most probably a work call.

The whole conversation kept repeating in her mind to no end. She tried her best to understand just what was it that kept bugging her, making even her fingers twitch with a need to—to what even she didn't know.

She left the office building, stepping out into an unnaturally quiet street. She was in the middle of the city, yet, the whole place felt strangely off. Too empty. Too quiet. Too still.

Something is missing... but, what? 

Just as she stopped to think about it, her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp and sudden headache. Her hand flew to her temple, trying to massage the pain away.

Those have been so common lately. Should I visit a doctor?

The thought disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind a numbing emptiness. She shook her head, her mind focused back on the appointment at hand.

Trying not to be late, she walked up to the street, calling a taxi. If he's so eager to throw money around, he might as well pay for the transport. She smiled proudly to herself, the strange events slowly dissipating from her mind, why should I cheap out and take the metro?

The sun had began sinking beyond the horizon, its warmth fading just slightly. Elena posed elegantly in the back of the taxi, snapping multiple selfies. She tilted her head just so, winking at the camera from time to time, unable to stop admiring the beautiful and intricate work the hairstylist had done; all accompanied by the flawless make-up. Turns out, Riri paid for that as well but forgot to send me the link earlier at first~ 

The taxi came to a stop in front of Alexandria Corporation's towering headquarters. Thanking the driver, she stepped out carefully, mindful of her dress's long hem. The strong smell of rain still lingered in the air, the puddles reflecting the deep oranges and reds of the sky.

Elena straightened her posture and took a deep breath. Thank God the downpour stopped. This is exactly why I don't trust the weather reports! She nodded politely at the doorman as she entered the building. Thankfully I didn't leave my clothes out to dry today.

Her heels clicked softly against the marble floor as she navigated through the crowd; carefully dodging some guests while greeting others, as well as turning down some undesirable attention. Ugh, even here, high society or not, some poeple are just... ew.

Despite her thoughts, she plastered on her best customer smile as she excused herself and went back to her main mission: reach the rooftop lounge.

She passed the security guards, quickly flashing her ID to them, as well as using it to call the executive's private elevator. The doors closed with a faint click and she finally breathed a sigh of relief. "This is why I don't like those types of events..."

Soon, warm light engulfed the small space. Elena turned her gaze too look behind her, through the giant glass wall, at the fading sun slowly being eaten by the the modern city skyline.

Beautiful. A faint, genuine smile, graced her lips. And I'm being paid a small fortune just to be here tonight. She traced a finger along the elevator's cold steel rail as her thoughs began to wander, maybe I should participate more often if Riri is willing to pay that much. She stared at the soft, pink clouds still dotting the sky, reminding her of cotton candy. Good, now I'm hungry. 

A pleasant chime made her realize she had reached the rooftop. She took a long breath, calming herself. As the doors opened, so did her customer smile reappear, as bright and fake as ever.

The night in itself was uneventful, if not for the random headaches that assaulted her mind from time to time. Luckily, Nefiref was always there, somehow alleviating them with his mere presence. She didn't question how it was possible, and, to be honest with herself, she didn't care.

She imagined the event to be much worse, but being in the upper-upper circle, stirred the conversations towards work related topics—more pleasant throghout, if not just detached from reality.

Elena had decided to step aside for a little bit, having noticed a man with a golden beard and hair trying to talk to her boss. He wore a simple white suit, if not a bit outdated. It doesn't really fit him, she thought, triyng to imagine the man with a more modern outfit but it still didn't feel quite right. More like, a robe would suit that aura of his better? 

She shook her head, what am I even thinking about. She tried to rid herself of those thoughts, casting her gaze on a specific pastry she had spotted long ago, but couldn't help but look back at him. His silver cross shone with every small movement, reflecting the artificial lights all around.

But what caught her attention the most were his pure and innocent-like eyes, reminding her of those of a child. She failed to realize that his irises were pure gold, almost as if that was a completely normal color in the modern world.

Elena delicately twirled the cocktail glass between her fingers. Far away from the main party, she leaned on the glass railing, gazing down at the city, its vibrant energy and sounds still visible from her height. It's truly not that bad, maybe I should join those events more often. She took a small sip of her spritz before carefully placing it down. Especially if Riri pays me so handsomely~

But then, a strong gust of wind brought her back to reality. The strangely cold summer-air hit her hard. Instinctively, she tightly grabbed the rail for balance, her footing faltering on the wet tiles.

Ḯ̸̞̝̜̜̣̊̄͋̍̉̒͊͘ṟ̴̢̰̜̣͚̏̽î̸͕̪̗̏̑̎͐̀̓̐͒͜n̷̛͚͉̪̥͙̒̃̆̃̓̒̏͝ą̴͚̤͉̱̈́̊.

Pain erupted in her skull, her mind exploding with the strongest migraine ever. Her vision blurred, and her hand flew to her temples, trying to alleviate it—she swore she heard someone call her name. Who...

Hit with the strong urge to look down, she slowly opened her eyes, watched over the rail and—Wait. The glass she placed on it was gone. It was here—

I̸͓̻̳̗͘͜͜͝r̷̭̭̒͊i̵̛̱̤̖̘͈̜̔n̷̰͕͚̮̤̩̉̌͛́̀͝͠ͅa̶͎̒͒́͘.

Another wave of agony crashed over her, making her knees weak and her footing unstable. Her hand slipped, grasping at nothing.

-̵̨̧͕̱͈͓̬̭̝̘̈͊̌̿̈́͜͠Į̵̯͙̦̀͒̏͒̑̽͆́̌́̉͝͠ͅr̶͔̭̹̣̞̮͚͗̀į̵̭̣͓͔͙̙̹̆͌͋̓̽̅́͋͐͊͑̚ṇ̷̨̖͔̥̤̘͔̫̭͖͍̋̏̊̂̈́̃̅̄̅̿͆ͅa̶̝̥͖͓̅̀̈̎͐̚̚ͅ

That's my nam—no it's Elena... She cast her gaze down at the street below, only to find it missing—the bustling streets, the noise, the buildings—vanished, as if erased from reality. A thick darkness, obscuring her vision like fog, impenetrable by ligh, stirred and swirled far beneath her reach.

WAIT—-̵̨̧͕̱͈͓̬̭̝̘̈͊̌̿̈́͜͠Į̵̯͙̦̀͒̏͒̑̽͆́̌́̉͝͠ͅr̶͔̭̹̣̞̮͚͗̀į̵̭̣͓͔͙̙̹̆͌͋̓̽̅́͋͐͊͑̚ṇ̷̨̖͔̥̤̘͔̫̭͖͍̋̏̊̂̈́̃̅̄̅̿͆ͅa̶̝̥͖͓̅̀̈̎͐̚̚ͅ

Her head burst with incomprehensible and incoherent ravings. Her mind felt like it was being crushed, pulled apart and stitched back together by invisible hands. She closed her eyes, trying to reduce the overload of information, her legs barely listening to her. She grabbed her head in an attempt to make it stop, only to worsen the situation.

In desperation, she ripped the uncomfortable pins from her hair, letting them fall down without a care, the small clatter of metal ringing unnaturally loud, as if her hearing had exponentially increased.

-̵̡̛̫̝̠̹͔̱̤̮̒̎͒͘I̸̡͚̳͍̼̙̪̮̒̒̾͗̍͒̍̐͠r̴̼͚͚͕̩̗͖͕̀́́͌̄ì̷̘̯̞̦̃̑͋n̵̙̫̥͇͉̝̙̮̞͗͝â̴̘̫͈̖̜̏́͗͒̕͝ Stop it already! Let me be—

The name, together with the searing pain, brought with him fragments of incoherent memories.

Another strong gust of wind. Another sudden headache. Another failed attempt.

Her hand shout out to the rail but grasped only empty air.

She was falling.

For one brief, fleeting moment, everything stilled. The pain, the noise, the chaos—unexistent. It all disappeared, allowing her mind to breath, and leaving her with one crystal-clear though.

How many loops have I gone through already?