Chapter 7- Arise

Lanie's POV:

“Hey what’s your problem?” 

I looked at Rona while biting my nails, I noticed her just now and I just realized that I’m here in our dorm while pacing back and forth.

I still feel restless. I know there’s something wrong going on because Page is acting strange, there is really something about the link that he sent me and I can’t just stop thinking about it just like what he told me to do so.

Curiosity is eating me up and I know I can’t stop myself to not feel this way until I get the answers that I need.

“You’re making me dizzy, Lanie,” she said and held her head.

“I’m sorry,” I said in a low voice and roamed my eyes around our room. 

“Anyway, where’s Lovely and Jasleene?” I asked when I didn't see the two here.

She shakes her head in disbelief and closes the book that she’s reading. “They left a while ago to go to the library and they told you about it but you seem preoccupied that you didn’t even realize it."

“You’re acting weird lately.” She then exaggeratedly moved backwards and crossed her arms around her chest as if I’m going to do something bad to her.

“Are you crazy?” I told her. “Where’s your laptop? The one that you’re using for deepdiving.” 

She turned serious and got her laptop on her secret cabinet under her bed.

I didn’t need to plead for her to let me use it, she automatically signed in and went to our group chat, she then gave it to me and I backread the conversation in our group from the last time I visited it.

Their conversation is normal, from Roleen’s silly remarks, Rhosean’s never ending rants and just like the usual Master’s short replies or just him seenzoning the conversation, there’s no something strange in it.

“Rona.. what is this?” I asked with my forehead creased and pulled her beside me.

Her forehead also creased because of confusion about what she just saw. “I don’t know.” She said and snatched the laptop from me, I saw her search about the things that Page and Master are exchanging in their conversation.

It looks like a symbol that’s been put together or some code that needs a decoding. Some letters look weird, some are numbers that are turned upside down and some symbols that I can't understand. Those are just a few symbols they have in their conversation and I know they are only ones who can understand it. 

Roleen and Rhoseann didn’t suspect anything about it, they may think that it’s just a decoration for those two hackers in our group.

“Did you find it?” I asked Rona who’s busily typing fast and finding answers.

This is one of the skills Rona have, she can easily find things that are not really easy to find, that’s why she got accepted in DWD, but that’s her limit she also can’t do hacking just like me.

She cracks her knuckles that get tired from typing too fast, then she faces her laptop again, spends almost half an hour scanning and finding any clues that would give us an idea about what Master and Page are talking about.

“I give up, I can’t do it anymore.” She said with a defeated look on her face. 

“Looks like it’s a conversation that only Master and Page can understand, there’s no symbols like that in any decoding sites, I’m pretty sure they are the ones who came up with that code.”

I just sighed deeply, what Rona said is possible.

“They know that if they talk using the common codes that we can find on the internet, we will search for them and we won’t stop until we get the answers that we want, so they just come up with their own codes that only two of them can understand.“ She continued.

I silently backread again the conversation of the two in our group chat. I know there’s something more to this conversation, maybe they also talked privately, I don’t have the ability to hack their accounts since I’m not like them who have monstrous hacking skills.

I repeatedly read their conversation until I can see any clue that would give me an idea on what they are talking about. I have a hunch that it's somewhat connected to the article that Page sent to me, I just really need to find a solid proof so I consider doing him the favor he asked me or should I dig more about it.

“Did you find something?” Rona asked and gave me a glance.

I shook my head as an answer and scrolled. My forehead creased when I saw the date that the two started exchanging some weird codes. 

I hurriedly got my phone and looked at my call history before looking back to the date the two started exchanging their weird code conversation.

“I think my hunch is right.” I absentmindedly said to myself.

“Huh?”

I showed her the last conversation I had with Page. “They started exchanging code messages one day after me and Page talked.”

She put her hands on her hips as she started thinking. “Are you sure? Is your conversation with him really that important? Maybe it was just a coincidence."

I shook my head. “I’m sure it's not a coincidence, Page even purposely came here just to get and destroy my tablet.”

“Page came here?” She asked with a loud voice and she even got up on her seat.

“He came here in the afternoon and left after getting my tablet.”

“Why? What did you two talk about and how important is in your tablet that he even came here just to get it from you.” She asked with her doubtful eyes. 

I didn’t answer her. If I’m right, the link that Page sent me is sensitive and confidential. And if I based it on the way he acts earlier, I’m sure he doesn’t want me to get involved with this, so am I with Rona.

“You can trust me Lanie. You never know I might be of help and also even if you don’t tell me, you know that I won’t sit still here while waiting for you to tell me, you know I can find it out on my own and even if I need to study hacking I’ll do it.” She seriously said and held my hand.

I bit my lip as I’m thinking if I should tell her or not. 

“He sent me a link, two articles to be exact. The first one is about Hespheria, I’m not sure about the second one, but I have a feeling that it’s still connected with the first article.”

She sat down and looked at me with her forehead crease. “What did the articles say? Did you read it?” 

I pouted my lips. “Nope, before I could read it my tablet fell in the fountain, I didn’t know that it was important because Page said that there’s no proof that can verify that, he said that it could only be defamatory.

“... And it could also be true if we base it on how Page acts right now. I’m sure it's sensitive and confidential and there’s a big person behind it.” She said.

I nodded as I’m also thinking the same. 

“But for Master, what is Master Recoon’s relation to the article?” She looked at me and shook her head. “I forgot that they’re a team when it comes to entering and digging about undefined surfaces.”

I nodded, I agree with her, those two are partners in crime when it comes to that thing. 

Undefined surface is a code for us in the dark web. 

Dark web is the darkest and deepest part of the internet or commonly known as the dark net.

But before that there is a surface web or the sites we regularly open like google, bing, Wikipedia and such.

Then next to it is the deep web, it contains legal documents, academic records, scientific reports, multilingual databases and such. I can say that it’s still somewhat safe to enter and dig, but it’s also a place for criminals and syndicates for their illegal transactions, and there’s sensitive information about them too, there’s a big chance that you can interact with them and if you’re new to deep diving you can get into trouble.

Rhosean, Rona, Roleen and me can enter the deep web but we’re trying to avoid stuff that can get us into trouble, like accessing information and digging on someone that we shouldn’t.

That’s our limitation, Master always reminds us that we shouldn’t go beyond that.

But not him and Page. Page told me many times about his plans in entering the darkest and deepest part of the net.

And that’s the dark web, all the illegal records/transactions are there, TOR encrypted sites, private communications and drug trafficking sites. 

Dark web also means danger, because of the things that you can see there, and most of the people there are either criminals or syndicates and people who have big names are also there. You can also see there the Silk Road or the Online Black Market where they make illegal transactions like selling drugs and such. 

“Don’t tell me… Master and Page already entered the dark web?” Rona asked and her face became pale. 

I look at her, if the article that Page sent me is on the dark web what she just said is possible.

“Don’t you remember anything from those articles? Maybe we can find some clues,” Rona asked. She looks restless and curious too, looks like curiosity is eating her up too.

“It’s about how cruel and fake Hespheria is.” I answered and I’m trying to remember the title of the second article. “The other one is about the missing heiress.”

Rona stopped. “The missing h-heiress?”

I looked at her with a confused look and nodded.

She stood up and opened the door, she checked left and right if there’s someone near our room before locking it.

She came near me. “Do you mean Wilemna Salazar?” She asked with a super low voice, like she’s whispering.

“How did you know?”

She swallowed and looked at me. “It’s been three years since the news came out that she’s missing, until now she’s nowhere to be found. Her disappearance is a big mystery, there’s no evidence that can help to track where she is.” And just like earlier she’s whispering again. 

“Why are you whispering?” I asked her. 

She heaved a sigh before answering me. “If that’s one of the articles that Page sent to you, then you’re correct, that is a confidential information and there’s no news that is allowed to be released about it. If someone tries to talk or tries to investigate it, that person also disappears, that’s why no one brings up that issue again, I’m wondering how Page found that stuff.”

“Confidential?” I repeated. “Why? Is that really a big deal? Who is Wilemna Salazar anyway?”

She looked at me for a few seconds. “If the Aronzaga’s are the owner of almost half of Hespheria now, the Salazar’s are the original owner of almost half of Hespheria and also the other towns near here. They’re also Aronzaga's number one enemy, be it in politics, connections or wealth.” She said that made me speechless.

I can see a picture of one man in my mind.

The picture of the man with the most beautiful and yet the most cold eyes I’ve ever seen. 

Yshmael Marco Aronzaga. 

❤