The woman who was seated alone at the gazebo was gazing at the beautiful view of the vast, blue ocean. She was sitting with her right leg crossed over her left, her hands on her lap, fingers crossed.
Leon was still seated on the chair facing his table. He was observing the beautiful woman in a black trench coat who was gazing at the ocean. As he finished the chocolate cake, he once again took a sip of his red wine.
He went through the memories of his original body, and remembered the name of the woman at the gazebo.
Sylvia Swan…
Based on his "memories," the original Donovan once completed a mission with her, but it was such a long time ago. With a sigh, Leon contemplated whether he should approach and greet her.
She does seem quite lonely… Uh, she'll probably think I'm hitting on her… No, what am I thinking? She already knows who I am… I need to find out why a fellow Visitor is attending this wedding, and that means talking to her! Get yourself together…
Leon quickly gulped down his red wine, placed the empty glass cup on the table, and stood up. His right hand instinctively went to the wrist of his left hand to check the time, but when he remembered that he gave his silver watch to Benedict as a gift, he instead put both of his hands on his pockets.
Then, he walked towards the gazebo while dodging overweight, "drunk" aliens who were having a good time.
Sylvia Swan was lost in her thoughts. Noticing someone approaching the gazebo, her blue eyes slightly widened upon realizing who it was.
Leon entered the gazebo and got right to the point by greeting her, "Hello, Miss Sylvia. What are you doing here?" Based on the memories of the original Donovan, this was how he usually spoke and acted.
"Admiring the view. I must admit, I didn't know you were here. A mission, perhaps?" Sylvia kept her gaze on the ocean as she didn't answer his question. Upon closer inspection, Leon noticed a small, metal tag that was golden in color on her left chest with the word: AUTHORIZED.
Authorized…?
"No. I'm the younger sibling of the husband who just got married here." Leon said as he took a seat across from her.
He continued, "What are you doing here?"
"A mission," replied Sylvia with her smooth, soothing voice.
A mission…?
Upon hearing those words, Leon suddenly realized something.
If she's here because of a mission, does this mean that Annihiliths will make an appearance…?
Seeing the man in front of her lost in his thoughts, Sylvia added, "Six Annihiliths, Drone-types."
Drone-types…
The corresponding information about Drone-type Annihiliths quickly flowed into Leon's brain:
Drone-type Annihiliths. The most common and numerous form of Annihiliths, serving as foot soldiers. Fast, deadly, but relatively weak alone.
"Want me to help?" asked Leon.
Sylvia finally broke her gaze away from the vast ocean and looked at the man in front of her in the eyes. "It's my mission, Donovan. But I'll ask for your help when I need it, which is very unlikely."
Leon nodded, and turned his head to gaze at the beautiful ocean as well. But suddenly, he recalled a detail.
It's Saturday, yet she's doing missions…? Oh, right, 'overtime' exists…
The two stayed in silence for a while. Suddenly, Sylvia asked with a straight expression, "So you're the sibling of the newlywed husband?"
Leon broke his gaze from the ocean upon hearing her question. "Yes."
"...Since you're his family, I'll tell you." Sylvia leaned back on her seat and continued, "There's actually another reason I attended this wedding."
Another reason…? Wait, were you even invited…? Leon maintained a straight face and he gestured for her to continue.
"The higher-ups want your brother to return to Umbrellas."
Higher-ups… Return to Umbrellas… Wait, is she telling me my brother was once a Visitor…? Why am I only knowing about this now? Don't tell me the original Donovan didn't know either?
Leon resisted the urge to scratch his chin as he asked, "Why?"
"Because he's a 'valuable asset,' they said." Sylvia replied.
Does that mean he's a strong one…? A powerhouse?
"So they sent you here… to try and convince him to return to Umbrellas?"
Sylvia nodded slightly. "Exactly."
Well, too bad, because he's a married man now. I highly doubt he'll return… As Leon was about to ask another question, they suddenly heard a scream coming from the party. The two Visitors turned their heads at the same time towards the source of the scream.
"That's my cue. Don't try to step in, Donovan." Sylvia grabbed the black umbrella beside her, stood up, and walked towards the growing commotion.
It's happening… Annihiliths…!
Leon stood up, rushed outside the gazebo, and headed towards his table where his black umbrella was resting.
Holding his umbrella in his right hand, he quickly approached the source of the scream.
Sylvia went through the crowd of humans and aliens, and she finally arrived at the front. There was some kind of black "tear" in the air, as if reality itself was slashed by something sharp. Green sparks of lightning surrounded it, and it constantly made the sound of a distant black hole. It made one feel as if they were in space, even though there were no sounds in space.
Then, a pitch-black blade emerged from the "tear" as it moved down, the "tear" expanded, turning into a full portal.
Then, three Annihliths walked out. They had pitch-black crystals on the surface of their body, and on their chest was an "x" shape, with yellowish liquid constantly seeping out of it. Their most defining feature was the miniature black hole that acted as their head. It was making a distorted sound of a black hole. Both of their arms were shaped like a blade.
They were quite tall, towering above the black-haired female human in front of them who was holding a black umbrella.
Leon finally arrived, watching in the distance. His brows furrowed upon seeing the Annihiliths.
These are Annihiliths… I've seen them before in my "memories," but it really is quite terrifying seeing them myself.
Suddenly, another tear that expanded into a full portal appeared in the far distance. Three Annihiliths walked out of it as well.
Upon seeing this, Leon's eyes widened. Rosalind, Benedict, and Lillian were near where the second portal appeared!
At that moment, he immediately rushed towards them.
Upon seeing this, Sylvia shouted, "Donovan, those are mine!"
I know, damn it!
As the three Annihiliths approached slowly, Leon swiftly arrived by the side of his three family members and used one of his spells: Barrier!
In an instant, a barrier of blue color appeared, surrounding Leon and the others.
While all this was happening, everyone was running around. It was chaos everywhere.
The three Annihiliths started banging their blade-arms on the surface of the barrier. Rosalind put her left hand on Leon's shoulder. Casting his gaze at her, Leon saw that she was slightly trembling, but she was trying hard to stay strong.
Suddenly, he heard a laugh to his left. Benedict, his older brother, was laughing softly. Lillian let out a sigh as her husband laughed.
Leon's brows furrowed, confusion etched in his face.
Benedict stopped laughing, wiping a tear on the corner of his eyes with his thumb. Then, he said, "That was very heroic of you, Donovan. But you really didn't need to." He reached his hand out and softly ruffled Leon's hair.
Oh, right… Benedict was a former Visitor… And based on Sylvia's words from earlier, he's a very strong one… Wait, I have to remind him not to kill the Annihiliths, or a certain female Visitor will be mad…
Wait, what should I say? "Don't kill the Annihiliths"? He hasn't told me that he's a former Visitor, and if I were to suddenly say that, it'd be suspicious…
Benedict smiled warmly and asked, "Is this barrier strong enough?"
Leon went through his memories, trying to remember if his barrier spell was indeed strong enough. Three seconds later, he said, "Yes."
Benedict sat on the ground with Lillian. With a soft sigh, he said, "Then we'll just wait here for your female Visitor friend to finish her mission. Although I don't like it when Visitors appear uninvited, their presence usually means that an Annihilith attack is nigh."
Upon hearing that, Leon felt relieved. Whew… He's not going to engage.
"By the way, do you know her? A friend of yours?" Benedict asked as he gently ran his fingers on his wife's hair.
"...An acquaintance," Leon answered.
Meanwhile, Rosalind was very angry deep inside. Where the hell is Jacob?!
***
Sylvia put her black umbrella aside, took off her trench coat, put it on a nearby chair, and grabbed her umbrella again.
She was now only wearing a black turtleneck sweater and black tailored pants. With her umbrella on her right hand, she approached the three Annihiliths.
"Let's finish this quickly."