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[center][b][color=556B2F]Location:[/color][/b] Talink Estate (Inside)

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[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyxr9qcQHqM][color=556B2F]- [I]"Free" by Tommee Profitt ft. Svrcina[/I][/color][/url]
	
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	Something deathly stirred within this house that Thalken barely called home. It was almost imperceptible at first, these little out of place noises lofting to his ears as he walked through the hallways of the Talink manor. A shiver went down his spine as he felt a chill breeze brush past him. A nearby candle was snuffed out by it, darkening the hallway. In the next room over, the crystals on a chandelier moved and clanked dully against one another. Something ominous lurked within these walls, something more than the violent threats and plotting of his father. He could feel it within his bones and to his very core. His hand went to the hilt of his Dao, as if that could possibly protect him from what he assumed was a Cargast in his midst.

	His blood ran cold as the sounds of a child giggling came to his ears. The Talink household had no children. This was surely the work of the Soulless. His gaze swung to the side, perceiving the sound to have come from that direction. He made out a short shadow darting around the corner. His instincts were quickly kicking in, and with little hesitation, he followed after the moving shadow creature with long yet cautious strides. He wasn't about to let this little miscreant wreak havoc in his home. No, the hunt was on.

	He stalked it from hallway to hallway and room to room. Time and time again, it evaded him. Each time he turned to follow the sound of its giggles, he would catch it darting around the next corner. Frustration rose up within him, but it did little to sway his determination. He would find it, no matter what happened and no matter how long it took. Finally, he entered a room that had no other exits. The creature was trapped. Or was it he who was trapped? Only time would tell. 

	He stuck close to the entrance/exit as his intense gaze narrowed on the source of this otherworldly disturbance. The culprit was a child, her pale skin contrasting her dark hair and equally dark eyes. She sat on a piece of furniture, giggling at him in an almost gleeful manner. She was nothing like any Soulless he had ever seen or heard about. She wasn't quite a Ryne and was nothing close to a Cargast or a Hraew. What was she? He didn't know. He started to unsheathe his Dao just as she went ominously quiet and the glee drained from her face. She then brought her finger to her lips and let out the most ear piercing scream he had ever heard. And yet the scream was vaguely familiar. It was the same exact scream he had heard in his dream.

	Thalken dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth in pain as he covered his ears. By the time he finally looked back up, the girl had mysteriously vanished.

	[I]Meanwhile[/I], Thalcona glanced between the three Crypts, her gaze softening as it landed finally on the young James. Unlike her father, there was goodness in her, and unlike her brother, she was willing to show it. She arched a dark brow as it became clear to her that James had no idea about the danger he was in. As far as she was concerned, he had a right know, but it certainly wasn't her place to tell him. Thus her lips thinned when James turned to inquire of her presence. She stared at him unblinkingly for a moment as she mentally scrambled to find the right words. She eventually let a small sigh upon realizing that a blatant lie would likely not appease his young mind.

	"There are monsters lurking in the dark--[I]Master James[/I]. I'm afraid their eyes are set on you. I am here to prevent them from taking you," she explained. She walked up to him and knelt before him so they were at eyelevel. "I assure you that my brother Thalken and I will do all we can to keep the monsters at bay," she added, even giving him a small smile. She then stood back up and scanned their surroundings for danger.

	Eventually the Lady Crypt returned, and Thalcona turned to face the woman. Her eyes widened slightly at the woman's statement before a look of seriousness overcame her features. "I am afraid this is not negotiable Lady Crypt unless you wish to set my father's wrath upon you and your family. Back out of this and you will have two threats on your hands, the Soulless and the Talinks. I do not wish to hunt down Master James, and I know with certainty that my brother Thalken will not want that burden placed upon him either," she replied bluntly.