Mr.Swift

It was like a beacon of light , the man thought as he continued to caress the spherical object with his hands. Aside from the spots where his hands held, the entire surface shone brightly.

And then, it stopped.

The man smiled as he put the relic down. I must be getting close, he thought. The secrets of relic were almost upon him, and he would be the first to discover them.

Normally, he would’ve continued to work throughout the night if a breakthrough like this occurred. However, he was unusually tired for some reason. I wonder if this is because of the relic’s power?, he pondered. ''I guess I’ll take a rest then. ''

So he took off his tunic, stopping to make sure the cloth does not create wrinkles as he folded it, and then draped it over the chair he was sitting down. When he laid down he made a mental note of the time and wearily drifted into sleep.

He was woken by the sound of a hard knock in his workshop door.

“Come in, please”, were the first words out of his mouth.

A small preteen girl wearing an orange nightgown opened the door and sat down next to his bed.

“Mr. Sendo, you have a visitor”, she said.

Kobashi got up slowly and nodded. A visitor at this time of night could only mean Martin.

''I don’t think Milena has met him yet. It’s best if she doesn’t. ''

He replied: “Alright, go back to bed, Milena. I’ll take care of this”. Milena scurried out of his room like a rabbit going back to its rabbit hole. When she left he quickly got dressed and hurried to the door.

The first thing he noticed when he opened the door was that it was raining outside.

It’s not Martin , were his first thoughts as he looked at the stranger standing in his doorway.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The man was about the same height as him and wore a large black trench coat which, despite the weather, did not seem to be wet anywhere.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Good evening, Mr. Sendo. I’m sorry to disturb you this late”, said the man.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">As far as Kobashi could tell, the man was in his late-twenties or early thirties. He had a long face with heavily accented cheeks and sharp eyes which were fixed in an unperturbed gaze. The best word to describe him would be suspicious.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“And who might you be? Are you one of Martin’s men?”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">The man paused and replied: “No, I’m afraid not.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“My name is Stromile Swift.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“What business do you have with me this hour, Mr. Swift?” asked Kobashi impatiently.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Atropos. Does that name ring a bell to you?” was his reply.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Kobashi almost swallowed his tongue. He tried his best to hide his panic from Mr.Swift. ''Who is this guy? How does he know about Atropos? Well, let’s see what he wants first. ''

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Please, come in.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Mr.Swift did not budge. “Thank you for your offer, but that’s not necessary.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">He continued: “I just wanted to let you know that it’s been found. Yes, Atropos.”

''<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Impossible. ''<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> The word echoed in his mind. ''It can’t be. There’s no way a human could find Atropos. ''Kobashi wasn’t ready to believe him yet.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Mr.Swift’s expression changed. It was as if he expected this kind of response from Kobashi. “I understand you have an interest in this subject, Mr. Sendo. If you wish to see Atropos, meet me at the crossing at 8 o’clock sharp tomorrow.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Alright.” Kobashi replied meekly. He wasn’t sure what to say. He doesn’t trust this man quite yet, but Mr.Swift may prove to be useful to him later.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Good, I’ll see you then. Have a nice evening, Mr.Sendo.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">And with that, the man left.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Kobashi watched as the man make his way to the crossing near his house.

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">“Oh, and one more thing, Mr.Sendo.” said a voice in his head. “Be careful tonight.”

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Kobashi felt a strong blunt object hit his stomach and fell to his knees. To his surprise, there was another person standing behind the door. Another strike came, this time to the back of his head. Kobashi felt his consciousness escaping.

''<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">No. <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">He briefly thought of Milena before his vision faded. ''

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