"How could three cities be destroyed!" Father roared.
"Is it an attack from another kingdom?" Crow bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Of course, this is an attack!" Dark Star gritted her teeth so hard they cracked.
Once more, all the captains were having a meeting. Not even a day had passed since three cities were discovered to be wiped out. Even one city losing half its population would be grounds for an immediate meeting, so with three fully gone, the entire kingdom was in an uproar. It had been impossible to hide such an incident from the media, which were all going wild with their speculation and putting the blame on the Knights, who should have been protecting them.
The Knights did their best, but how could they stop such an attack? There had been no warning. No signs that something was wrong. One moment, they were all living their lives, and then, in the next, the kingdom became aware that three villages and three cities had ceased to exist.
Many small noble family members had also gone missing, a fact the Knights only learned about too late.
That about sums up the entire situation.
They had all been too late.
"Surely some traces must have been left over," Paragon suggested. Her body was shaking, and her knuckles had turned white from how hard she gripped Green's chair.
"You know I'm a master of detecting and finding things." Gorgon slammed her fist down into the round table that was in front of her hard enough to crack it. Her hair lifted, wildly flowing like dozens of tendrils. "I couldn't find anything. My guild searched each site, yet we saw nothing. It's like these fuckers just vanished off the face of the world! Haru, what is going on?"
"I lost a guild member." Myth's voice thundered through the king's chamber. "I won't rest until I avenge Snow. Not to mention they stole one of my recruits! I need to rescue Ashley! Please look again, Gorgon!"
Dye bit the bottom of his paintbrush hard enough to crack it. For once, he wasn't painting. "So three attacks. Each one dealt with the city in a different way. One burned it to the ground, another slashed it apart, and the last flooded it in blood and curses. That last city had all its victims turned into headless zombies, meaning that the group responsible has a curse user. We also know two of the members are mutants. Perhaps this is a rebellion? I hate to say it, but we haven't been the kindest of folks to the mutant kind."
"Fuck those monster bastards." Dark Star spat out. "If this is their way of wanting our attention, they'll get it in spades. If I find out this is a mutant uprising or some terrorist attack, I'll kill every mutant in this kingdom."
"Doing that will just cause more problems than it'll solve." Crow shook his head. "Besides, just because two of the targets are mutants doesn't mean they are all working for whatever this group is. We don't even know what this supposed group wants. We can only make speculations. We're assuming they're a group because the three cities all died silently. So far, no demands have been made to the kingdom. It's been silent, and there hasn't been any other mention of another attack. If this were a terrorist attack and this was done for shock value, they would have made their demands before or attacked with threats of doing it again. The fact that hasn't happened…"
"You think they achieved their goal?" Father summarized.
"I don't know what their goal could have been, but perhaps they did what they set out to do." Crow sighed. "In the end, we just don't know. This situation was shocking, to say the least. I think the first thing we need to do is learn how they stopped the other cities from sending a distress signal out. The connection couldn't have been cut out; otherwise, the king would have noticed. That means the people could have called for help, but didn't. Why?"
"We need to figure out how to deal with the media also." Dark Star grunted, and the old lady folded her arms. "They're all in an uproar about what happened."
"They're scared it'll happen again." Myth gave a weak nod. "I can't blame them. It could."
"It won't," Father promised.
"Oh?" Crow raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of bringing out the Holy Saint?"
"No." Father shook his head. "It's gotten harder and harder to keep her sealed. She's been slipping out a bit lately. I don't know how long it'll take to fully seal her again the next time she gets out. We don't need her yet. I am confident I can still handle the situation at hand."
Laerton Eman remained silent as she watched the Knight meeting. No one had said anything to her; all of them were too caught up in their own problems or theories. While she watched them bicker, she gazed toward the throne near the back of the room.
A veil of darkness hung in place like it always did. This made it impossible to see the figure that sat upon the throne, but she could see a pair of bright golden eyes that gazed back at her and the others.
Then a voice filled the room. One that was a mix of a man, a woman, and even a child.
[Are you all done?]
All the captains grew rigid, and the shadows in the room seemed to grow darker. Father composed himself and spoke. "Yes, my king. What would you have of us?"
[My core did not sense any disturbance. Each city was unable to call for help. This means the enemy does indeed have a way around this. Perhaps the people did not call for help because the story did not allow it.]
"I don't understand?" Father frowned.
[In a novel, if an author wanted to write the destruction of a city but didn't want to come up with an excuse for why its people weren't able to stop it, a lazy writer might simply say, 'It did not happen,' and be done with it.]
"Right, but we're talking about real life." Father scratched his chin awkwardly. "In a fantasy novel, such a thing would be a terrible plot. In the real world, it is baffling and makes no sense."
[...Our first order is to prevent any future attacks. Pantheon, your guild does patrols, correct?]
"Y-Yes, sir." Myth nodded and looked emotional for a moment. "We sent Snow and two Squires on a patrol mission. It should have been standard… Snow was strong also. A Title Knight. For him to be defeated…"
[All guilds will be conducting multiple patrols daily from now on. Cities, towns, and then villages. All cities will also have an increase in natural guards, and guild presence should be closely tied to cities. Interact more with civilians to put them at ease. Make a show that you aren't going to let something like this happen again. All cities will also be required to send in a callsign every hour from now on. We won't let an attack like this happen again.]
This kingdom had received a scar. A wound that wouldn't heal any time soon. Whatever group picked a fight with his land was going to rue this day. Nier Sini would not stand for any more needless violence, for the kingdom of Esteria was him, and he was the kingdom.
He would do whatever it took to keep himself and his people safe.
Outside of the king's chamber, all the vice captains had been requested to leave, save for Paragon, who spoke on Green's behalf. All the vice captains had elected to wait around somewhere else for their captains. All but one, that is.
Tori rested against the wall and kept her arms folded. Her lips were formed into a thin line, and several thoughts raced through her head. She was right next to the chamber door and could hear the conversation that went on with all of the captains and the king.
The Helios family was the first-ever branch family ever created, being the first children of Nier Sini. They claim that he lay with an entity from the sun, and so all members of the Helios family were said to shine with the brilliant light of purity. They were the first shields of the kingdom, and so Tori refused to leave and wanted to hear everything that was said. More than that, she also noticed something—a small fact that confused her.
"You know, you don't need to wait out here?" A sly voice called out from above. Tori lazily looked up and stared toward Evelyn, the Dragon Slayer herself, who sat atop her flying staff and peered down at Tori. "You must be bored, waiting out here all alone." Evelyn giggled and floated down, getting low enough to where she could look Tori in the eyes.
"Not really." The Lance of Victory kept her arms folded and turned her nose up at the other woman. "I was actually content being alone."
The Helios family was known as the Sun Shield family. By contrast, the Lunar family was known as the Moon Spear family. Like the Helios family, it was said that King Nier Sini spent a night with the woman who watched from the moon and created the Lunar family from that union. The existence of the Lunar family was meant to serve as the spear for the kingdom.
None served that role better than Evelyn Lunar. The Witch of White had been granted the title of Dragon Slayer, for it was said she had been the one to see the last living dragon.
Of course, dragons were extinct now… Many people also doubted Evelyn's claim, yet the king himself still decided to give her the title of Dragon Slayer.
She was the spear that would slaughter any dragon that ever dared to appear.
Evelyn floated closer, and she got off her staff. Without warning, Tori felt herself being pinned to the wall. Her body stiffened as she felt Evelyn's hands caress her face, and her armor suddenly felt heavy and hot. "W-What are you doing—"
"You noticed it also." Evelyn purred, and her finger tapped against Tori's skull. The blonde's eyes narrowed, and Evelyn continued. "Something about the conversation in there isn't right. They're all so busy contemplating what happened, they failed to notice something very interesting."
Tori thought about shoving the silver-haired beauty away, but she didn't and simply remained standing in place. "If you have something you want to say, say it. Otherwise, get the hell off me. I'm not into witch girls."
"One of the mages that attacked a city possessed blood magic." Evelyn giggled. "This isn't the first time that a blood mage has come up when it pertains to an attack."
Tori's hands grew into a tight fist, and the metal of her glove creaked. Indeed, she had noticed that fact. At the last meeting, Laerton Eman, captain of the Phoenix Flight guild, had mentioned that one of her members had been attacked by a blood mage who also happened to be a mutant. At the time, everyone had brushed it off. After all, Phoenix Flight was an unlucky guild. Their bad luck caused all sorts of crazy nutjobs to come after them, and Laerton herself had a ton of enemies, so it wasn't shocking that someone had attacked the Phoenix Flight guild.
None of the captains had cared to remember that detail or take notice and planned to let Phoenix Flight deal with it on their own.
Now, another attack had occurred, and one of the reports claimed that the attacker was a blood mage who was also a magical mutant. That little detail went mostly unnoticed by everyone because during the meeting, Laerton Eman had kept her mouth shut. Not one word came from the captain.
Tori knew why.
Why was Davi Hawker attacked by the same person who wiped out three cities? Why was Davi Hawker not killed? It was inherently suspicious. What connection did Davi Hawker have to the attack? Not to mention, she had been keeping an eye on the man, and one of the villages that was attacked happened to be a village Davi Hawker had set foot into…
Tori had pieced all of this together and kept it to herself because if word about this got out and the captains learned the truth, then there was a chance that they might arrest Davi or even assume he had some part to play. Perhaps the Curse of Life reacted differently, and it was he who caused the cities to be destroyed.
It was, after all, an unfortunate event.
If Davi were found to be tied to it, then it would be bad for her and him. Her Knight, her beautiful ebony warrior, would be taken away from her! She wouldn't be the one who got to take him out! The glory would all go to Father or the Holy Saint, who would no doubt be picked! She couldn't let such a thing happen!
She was fated to be the next Haru! She was the one who would stand over the next coming of the Ebony Knight and plunge her lance into his heart. She would do what Haru was unable to do!
It was even better for her if Davi was somehow the one tied to the destruction of the cities, also! If a few more cities went, and fear and tension filled the air, the amount of praise and glory she would get for ending it all would be unheard of! She'd practically be a god in the eyes of the people!
The next coming of Haru! The Lance of Victory! The hero who saved the kingdom and killed the second Ebony Knight!
Tori's face burned a deep shade of crimson, and she was practically drooling.
"Did you go into heat? You're literally panting? Geez, girl." Evelyn's words snapped Tori back to her senses, and she came to with the witch giving her an odd look.
That was right. Evelyn also noticed the connection. She wasn't the only one who knew the same blood mage had attacked Davi.
"Yes, I noticed that the blood mage mentioned here is likely the same one mentioned before." Tori let out a sigh, and this time she pushed Evelyn off her. "So what though?"
Evelyn's smirk came back. "Ah, wanting to see where I stand? Let's cut to the chase. We both understand that the blood mage attacked Davi, and he lived."
"Yes…" Tori's jaw clenched, and she felt a bit angry that Evelyn caught on so quickly. It was mostly flooded by thoughts of Davi. The blood mage destroyed an entire city, yet Davi survived a fight with him. Her Ebony Knight was growing! At this rate, he'd be cultivated to the level needed for her to make him the main villain of her personal story, then she could swoop in and kill him!
Tori's face became red again.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "I've heard a lot about you, Lance of Victory." Evelyn leaned forward and batted her eyes. "I think I know what you want."
Tori snapped back to attention and stared at the silver-haired witch. "Do you?"
"Your plan won't work the way you think." Evelyn floated into the air again and looked down on the armored woman. "Davi Hawker isn't the type of person to be the villain you want him to be."
"You act as if you know him?"
Evelyn's smile didn't change. "You know the tale of the Ebony Knight, do you not?"
"Of course I do." Tori snapped. Everyone knew the story of the Ebony Knight.
"So, then you know that at one time he wasn't a bad person." Evelyn cocked her head to the side. "They say he was Haru's most loyal Knight. A warrior who went out of his way to help everyone. And then the love of his life died in his arms. Something caused him to snap, and he betrayed Haru, stabbing her in the back and using the blood that spilled from her as if it were ink, birthing something upon blank pages of this world. He created the demons." Evelyn waved her hand and shrugged. "Can't you see your plan is flawed? The current Davi that you're so thirsty over does not yet have the mentality needed to become an Ebony Knight."
"I know that." Tori rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I still allow him to live in my world? He doesn't have the power either. That'll change, though."
The image of a girl with snow-white hair came to Tori's mind. All she needed to do was recreate the events that led to the birth of the Ebony Knight. Of course, that would require Davi and that white-haired girl becoming close enough for the death to truly matter and for him to be pushed over the edge.
It was like a good meal. She couldn't act too soon; otherwise, the meal wouldn't be done enough. She also couldn't wait too long; otherwise, the meal would be burned. She needed him to be perfect and for the bond with that little girl to be at its peak, so when he fell into the Abyss, he'd have no hope of crawling out. His only salvation would be the death she gifted him when she rammed her lance through his heart.
Davi Hawker would make for a meal she'd gladly devour.
"And your face is red again…" Evelyn sighed. "Either way, it seems like you understand."
Tori frowned and got rid of the bundling emotion that was filling her. "You act as if you want me to turn him into the Ebony Knight." Her eyes studied the witch, seeing her in a new light. Perhaps Evelyn wasn't so bad after all.
Evelyn began to float away. "Well, what you do is what you do. I don't particularly care. I do think if you are going to go through with this, you should do your best to ensure it works out. Oh, and remember, suffering often creates bonds."
"Suffering builds character?" Tori muttered and watched Evelyn fly off fully. "Oh!" Tori suddenly got it.
Evelyn suggested that to bring Davi and that other useless girl closer and fuel their bond, they would need to suffer a bit more. Suffering naturally brought people closer together, and when that all went away and those bonds were destroyed, it would make the snap even better!
She had a good idea of how to cause a lot of suffering. She just had to make sure she did it right. She couldn't overplay her hand. Not yet, anyway.
She was going to be the next Haru. She would be the one everyone looked up to and respected!
Tori gave a grin. "I'm going to be number one."
"What an arrogant bitch." Evelyn floated down the hall, getting away from the disgusting being that was Tori. "Still, even with how much I might despise such a lewd and grotesque creature, I must admit she does have her uses."
Tori was quite brilliant for thinking Davi had a way of becoming the next Ebony Knight. In truth, Davi Hawker was not of the same bloodline as Du'Lac, for Du'Lac had no kids, but that didn't mean he didn't hold 'a connection' to such a being.
Where Tori was wrong, however, was in thinking she herself was the next Haru. It was an arrogant and foolish thought, one that she had come to because she assumed she was the greatest, when in reality, Tori was nothing more than a stool meant to be used and stepped over. Tori was never the one meant to be on top, nor was she the one who would defeat the next coming of the Ebony Knight.
Yet, Evelyn still egged her on for a straightforward reason.
If Tori actually attempted to go through with such a plan, Evelyn was willing to bet that a particular dragon would show up to get revenge for the thing that killed his daughter. She herself couldn't harm Olivia or use the girl as the proper bait she was because doing such a thing would surely gain the wrath of Davi, but if Tori did it…
If Davi found out that Tori brought an end to Olivia, he would snap much like Du'Lac did, and the lovely meal that was Tori would be gobbled up by him just in time for the dragon to arrive, and together, both she and he could slay it as they were meant to.
The pieces were all lining up.
The story she wanted to tell was going to begin when Tori Helios finally made her move.
Back in the throne room, the other captains left, finally leaving the king alone. In the darkness, a hand brushed back a strand of blonde hair, and as he spoke, the distorted nature of his voice faded away now that there was no one here to comprehend him.
"Could these attacks be your doing, Great Dragon of Roads? For what reason would you declare war on me? Oh well. It matters not. You're just a beast, one who we will slay. Just as always, humanity shall stand at the top."
This kingdom was built by humans for humans. Nothing would stand in his way of reaching the path his mother once walked toward.