Kairo and Nyx's arrival didn't pass unnoticed. Wounded and barely walking, Kairo allowed himself to be helped by his allies. The entire card mage group was located further away from the others in the south of the line of fire.
Close enough to notice any change but far enough to stay safe in case things went out. Kairo dragged his feet to the center of the group, where all the elites of their group stood. In front of the captains, two mages stood blocking his path.
"Let him in," Mirelle said.
The mages nodded and stepped out of the way, allowing Kairo into the inner circle. Here David and the others were discussing their strategy. All had questioning gazes observing Kairo's state but no one broke the silence.
"She can't openly show worry for me. With all these people around here, I understand. Mirelle, I'm fine," Kairo said inwardly. As the second in charge, Mirelle had more important things to handle than worry for Kairo, especially given he was her son.
"How about the fire? Is there no other way to go around? We can't stand here and just hope, can we?" Danzan said, fingers cracking in his palm. Like most, he was getting bored with all of this waiting.
"The fire eats everything that dares to get close to it. It would be suicidal to charge blindly. Even if we ran into it all at once, most of us will get burned," David explained. Although he wasn't showing it, Kairo could feel impatience in his voice too.
"Those are card mages in the fire. All those lights represent old versions of people like us," Fabian spoke slowly, attracting everyone's attention. "What if we could communicate with the mages in the fire? We could get them to open the path for us," he proposed.
Kairo took a deep breath, teeth tightly sealed against each other. The mage healing him tapped gently on his forearm and said, "Take it easy. Your wounds are severe." His earlier intention had only been to listen carefully without interrupting them, but Fabian's words caught his attention. Remembering what Nyx told him, a wild thought was born in his mind.
"Have any of you ever heard about the Card Graveyard?" Kairo asked.
"Card Graveyard, you said…" David frowned slightly. "I once heard a story of a mage…" he started, his voice getting lower as if he was intentionally trying to keep what he wanted to say restricted to the group.
"Before the card mage police was formed, several mages like us today had organized an excursion towards the castle. A castle said to be visible only by a selected few," David said, mimicking an old man telling a story of legend. "It is said that very few came back alive from that castle. But the excursion had brought back with it someone who was no more…"
"Someone who was no more? ...You mean brought back to life?" Mirelle asked, her voice laced with skepticism. Over the centuries, many have sung the good deeds of card magic, but bringing back the dead was a line that had never been crossed.
"I can't be certain of what it was. But at that time, many spoke of a graveyard where the souls of the mages resided. Residue of them left from the cards they had awakened," David finished.
Kairo fell silent, listening to the story. Deep in his thought. "Awakened cards are part of our innerself. Thus they can be said to have part of us or what we were at one point in our life. Could it really be possible to bring back the dead via the graveyard? And if it was the case, how is Nyx connected to that?" Kairo's mind rattled so much he held his forehead.
Given how important this information was, Kairo could not hold it to himself and thus told them what happened with the Collector.
"You must have had quite some fun, Kairo." Danzan's fingers cracked under in his palm. Everything that had happened at the fountain was still fresh in their mind; now that the Collector was gone, he could only swallow his frustration.
"It's not impossible that Nyx is related to the Card Graveyard. In that case, she might have the possibility to open a breach in the line by communicating with the souls of the mages. This will give us an edge over all the other groups," David made it clear he wanted chosen destiny to go back with them and was willing to do anything. Hence Kairo wasn't surprised when he proposed his plan.
"We will hold the other groups in a direct clash. A group of reapers with Danzan and Fabian will lead the rest into the breach. Bring back chosen destiny to the card mage police, no matter the sacrifices," David's voice held no hesitation nor fear. Even if he had to face all the other groups, as long as his people had a chance, he was willing to take it.
Kairo felt a tinge of pride grow in his heart. David wasn't like his father; he wasn't as mighty nor as influential as Mirelle. But of all, he was definitely the most daring. "Then it's settled. I will inform the others of the plan. You should be getting ready, Kairo," Mirelle said. Her eyes lingering a tad longer on Kairo's wounds. Despite her resolve to stay professional, Kairo could clearly see worry in her eyes, although it was silent.
The news spread like wildfire among the card mages. Among them, they murmured and chatted in low voices, wondering if this plan had any chances of success. Moreover, all of that rested on the shoulders of someone who wasn't even a captain. The doubts on Nyx's abilities had long dissipated after the fountain. But for something of this level, many were worried. If Nyx failed to open the breach after the confrontation was initiated, they would be crushed by the alliance of the other factions. It would be the end for them.
On the other camps, Sam and his people felt something was off and stood on their guard. Selis and her card masters checked their cards while the freelance card mages stared like hungry wolves. Each and every group radiated with malice, ready to claw at their enemies.
In the card mage police group…
Kairo and Nyx got ready. Their group was composed mainly of card mages with offensive cards but few had supportive ones. Nyx's wounds hadn't disappeared, but now she could stand on her two feet thanks to the healing boosters and the other mages.
"How do you feel?" Kairo asked, well aware of how heavy the task at hand was for her shoulders. The survival of their entire group would depend on how she communicated with the graveyard.
"Scared," she said. This was the moment she had always hoped for. The moment where she could finally prove to everyone she was right for this job. Nyx took a deep breath, holding her head high. "I will do it."
"We won't burn in that fire…" Kairo said, placing his palm on her shoulder. No matter what would happen now, they would face it. "I'm not ready to burn now. This wouldn't end here," he declared inwardly.
"Then let's move."
The movement of their group didn't go unnoticed. As Kairo and the others got closer to the fire, so did the other mages.
"David and Mirelle will hold the factions while the rest of the captains move in. Stay safe, captains," Kairo said, hastening his footsteps. As they approached, the fire got agitated, flickering like waves in water.