A man with red eyes approached a hooded figure. The person kneeled before the man with blood-red eyes. As they spoke, rustling trees and mountain winds drowned out their voices. Mel focused her magic on the two of them, straining her ear to hear.
"Master Rei," the hooded figure spoke. "Did you find it?"
"No. The boy appeared once more, but he was not carrying the orb with him."
Ma Rei glared down at the hooded figure. "If that Guardian woman hadn't gotten in my way, I would have been able to retrieve it. What about my wife? Have any of your people found her?"
"She was last seen at the High Dragon's Palace two days ago. However, my spies have since lost sight of her."
Rei backhanded the hooded person across the face. "Can you not do one thing correctly?"
"I'm terribly sorry, Master Rei." The person held their cheek. "I'll go look for her straightaway."
"Do it quickly. We cannot let her find the orbs before we do. I cannot let the soothsayer's prophecy come to fruition."
Ma Rei glanced at some nearby brush. "Who's there?"
Mel panicked. "Dispel."
"Mel? How did it go?" A little girl carrying a tray of snacks approached her.
Mel's thick black hair, tied into a ponytail, whipped around as she looked over at the girl. The sun hit her eyes, and she shielded them. Like her grandfather, one of her eyes was like a bloody red orb, but the other was a shimmering gold.
"Once again, I couldn't get past the mountain," Mel stated, then, almost as an afterthought, added, "Grandpa Rei should be back soon, though."
"Should we hide?"
"That's probably best. He seems to be in a bad mood."