It all happened in a blink.
One second, I was still chuckling under my breath about Norphie's insane ability to get the Empress of Rome to agree to a photoshoot. The next, an explosion ripped through the hall.
Heat slammed into me like a flaming hammer, and the entire table erupted into a cloud of flame and debris. My ears rang. I couldn't hear screaming, though I knew people were screaming. My vision swam as I stumbled to my knees. My shoulder burned, my suit was shredded and there was a sharp metallic taste in my mouth.
Then a voice cut through the haze after the ringing subsided.
"Phaser!"
Norphie was beside me, grabbing my arm. Her normally perfect hair was a mess but her eyes were perfectly calm.
"Are you alright?" she asked, loud enough for those nearby to hear. Then, as her hand squeezed my arm, her lips barely moved.
"Play along."
I blinked once. That was enough.
The lights flickered, then went out completely. Darkness swallowed the hall. A single spotlight suddenly cut through the black, illuminating the upper chandeliers.
That's when I saw them.
Five silhouettes were standing effortlessly atop the chandeliers, draped in black assassin garb, their masks obscuring everything but the faint glint of their eyes. A dark mist coiled at their feet like smoke.
I didn't even need to guess. I knew that stance.
My Null Handmaidens.
Oh, perfect. Of course it was them. They must have talked with Norphie about this without me noticing.
The crowd erupted into chaos. Nobles stumbled over each other, tripping on their extravagant outfits. One fainted outright. Others screamed for the guards.
The Imperial Guard, Legio Solis, rushed in instantly, surrounding the Empress in a perfect formation. Spears of light crackled to life. The five assassins dropped from the chandeliers like falling shadows. The mist that followed them devoured the light around the landing spot.
The leader stepped forward.
Her dress was dark. Her face hidden by a sheer veil. Her voice was calm, melodic, and far too composed for the scene around her.
"We placed a bomb infused with Flux Corrosion to harm the Empress. Unfortunately, you were saved by the heir of Argemenes."
All eyes turned to me.
My head spun. My body actually hurt. The explosion had really done a number on me. My ribs felt cracked, my arm burned and my left ear was still ringing like a dying bell.
"The Flux Corrosion will now consume his body. The heir's sacrifice shall mark the beginning of Rome's fall."
Oh, right. That part of the performance.
I slumped slightly, clutching my side. I groaned a little bit for effect. If I was going to be a victim, I might as well sell it. Not that I needed to try too hard though. The pain was real. But the "Flux Corrosion" part was a bluff.
Members of the Abyssal Houses, especially Argemenes, are immune to that kind of corruption. Flux Corrosion was just spicy air to me. Although the bomb did have Flux Corrosion on it.
Still, I coughed up some blood for dramatic flair.
The Empress looked furious and terrified all at once. Her guards took defensive stances, ready to strike but before they could move, the leader blurred.
She was right was in front of us.
Norphie screamed and was thrown backward by an invisible pulse, her guards barely catching her before she hit the floor. I staggered to my feet, breathing heavily, trying to keep up the act. Up close, I could see her eyes through the veil.
"Enheduanna," I murmured under my breath.
The leader of the Null Handmaidens, my assassin, was now the one leading them. She turned her head slightly, not enough for anyone to notice the recognition, but enough for me to hear her voice in my mind.
'Forgive me, Master Phaser. This was the plan.'
And before I could brace myself, her fist slammed into my chest.
Every nerve in my body was in agony. I stumbled backward, coughed out blood. This time for real, and fell to one knee.
She stepped back and faced the Empress.
"Rome is no longer untouchable. The Null Handmaidens already disabled the Geneva Fast Travel Building days ago. Now, we stand in your heart. And we are ready to burn it. I am the second in command of the Null Handmaidens."
The crowd erupted again. Someone shouted to protect the Empress. Enheduanna lifted her hand and snapped her fingers.
In that single instant, dozens of explosions rippled through the hall. The floor cracked, chandeliers shattered and flames roared through the grand chamber. Bodies fell. Smoke thickened. The once-glorious palace became a storm of fire and ruin. A lot of guests stared to become Fluviums because of the Flux Corrosion in the explosion. Through the haze, I saw the other four Handmaidens vanish into the mist as they laughed.
They were gone.
All that remained was fire, smoke, and the sound of the wounded and the silence of the dead. I coughed, leaning against a broken column, blood dripping down my chin. The Empress was shouting orders. Guards were trying to put out fires. And Norphie, standing at the far side of the hall, surrounded by her bodyguards, locked her eyes with me. For just a moment, her calm mask cracked, replaced by a flicker of genuine worry.
Then she straightened, her lips curving into that ever-composed Phoenicia smile.
I exhaled, grimacing.
"Great. Guess this counts as my debut, huh?"
The world was burning, and my assassins had just declared war on the Roman Empire. Damn. They really nailed the performance. Now they will never suspect me as their leader when I made my debut as the leader of the Null Handmaidens.
My vision blurred again when a familiar voice pierced the chaos.
"Phaser!"
Hinesia sprinted toward me. Her once-flawless evening gown was torn and singed at the edges. She dropped to her knees beside me, ignoring the blood splattered on the floor. Her hand went straight to my cheek, brushing away dust.
"Are you okay? Can you hear me?"
Her eyes had that rare flash of warmth I'd seen only a handful of times. She was acting of course, but there was real worry behind the practiced panic. I could tell from the way her voice trembled slightly on the last word.
"Yeah. Still in one piece."
She exhaled sharply, glaring around at the chaos.
"One piece, my ass. You're bleeding, your ribs are bruised, and that bomb—"
"—wasn't supposed to hit that hard. They might have overdone the dramatics this time."
Before she could retort, Norphie appeared, looking immaculate somehow, despite the inferno that used to be her gala. I suspect she must have made some kind of emergency wardrobe enchantment just for moments like this. She crouched next to us, holding two black masks, their filters glowing faintly blue.
"Flux Corrosion is still in the air. Put these on, both of you. Phaser, I know you're immune to Flux Corrosion but do it for theatrics okay?"
She slipped one mask over Hinesia's face, then pressed the other into my hands. Hinesia looked at her sharply.
"You think we can still breathe without—"
"Just do it, princess. This place is compromised. Medics!"
Like clockwork, a group of paramedics rushed forward. Two of them lifted me carefully onto a stretcher. Hinesia gripped my hand. Even though I didn't tell her the plan and knew the Handmaidens did this to ensure their debut to the world, she was worried about my injuries. Unfortunately, I can't heal them here.
"I'm coming with you."
Norphie shook her head immediately.
"No, not now. Stay. We need to manage the optics of this."
Hinesia looked ready to punch her but then her eyes flicked to mine. She saw what I was silently mouthing behind the mask.
'It's fine.'
She reluctantly let go.
As the medics wheeled me out, I caught a final glimpse of the hall. Corpses and injured people turning to Fluviums due to corrosion was everywhere. The Empress's golden guards were shouting orders over the chaos. A few hours ago, this was a glittering dream. Now, it looked like the gates of hell had been opened.
I slumped back on the stretcher as the doors of the ambulance closed behind me. The sirens kicked in, the lights outside flashing red and blue.
The driver glanced at me through the mirror. He was the same limousine driver who'd taken me and Hinesia to the gala. He smiled faintly.
"Good evening, Master Phaser."
I sighed. "Had to punch me that hard, huh?"
From behind the divider curtain came a familiar voice.
"I'm sorry, Master," said Enheduanna, now dressed in a nurse's uniform, her veil replaced with a medic's cap. "It had to look convincing. You did say 'make it realistic.'"
"Yeah, not crack my ribs realistic!"
She looked genuinely guilty, folding her gloved hands together.
"Apologies… I may have miscalculated the density of your current human form."
Before I could reply, the rest of the Null Handmaidens emerged from the back of the ambulance, each dressed in matching medical outfits, somehow managing to look like they stepped out of a professional drama series. Syraleh crossed her arms, smirking.
"You were the one who said we needed shock value, Master."
Naelle nodded earnestly, handing me a water bottle.
"We even timed the explosions for maximum emotional impact!"
Iserra gave me a thumbs-up. "The fall looked amazing from where we were standing."
Rielinne, the quietest of the five, tilted her head.
"Do… we get graded for performance?"
I just stared at them, then rubbed my temples.
"You're all insane. Every single one of you."
Enheduanna bowed slightly. "We are your insanity, Master."
I let out a long exhale and leaned back against the stretcher. Yeah, I really am insane to go this far just to introduce my assassins to the world.
"You've got that right."
They all stood awkwardly for a moment like a bunch of schoolgirls waiting for me to scold them. Enheduanna even fidgeted a little, something she never did.
"Alright, enough guilt trips. You did good. Rome will think I'm half-dead and the Empress will be too busy securing her capital to question much."
Naelle grinned. "So… we're officially villains now?"
"Not villains. Just… very dedicated actors."
I closed my eyes and summoned my Flux. Thorned crystalline tendrils wrapped around my arms and torso, pulsing once with light before sinking back beneath the skin. In twenty seconds, every wound sealed. My ribs popped audibly as they reset. The burns vanished. Even the blood on my shirt faded like it had never been there.
Syraleh blinked. "Okay, that's creepy and hot at the same time."
"Mostly creepy," Iserra muttered.
I stood up, brushing imaginary dust off my now ruined suit.
"There. Although this suit was expensive, I'm glad it's gone. Can someone give me a shirt please?"
Enheduanna handed me a shirt. "You healed faster than expected. Your mutation has advanced."
"Yeah. Guess I'm catching up to Xaessia's level. She's not the only one who can make fancy Flux tricks now."
The Handmaidens exchanged looks. I leaned against the ambulance wall.
"So here's the plan. The world thinks I'm bedridden from Flux Corrosion. Perfect cover. That gives us room to move freely. You five can now act publicly as the Null Handmaidens. You'll be Rome's newest nightmare."
Naelle chuckled. "We already killed a few people tonight, injured more and turned a few into Fluviums. They'll get the message."
I sighed, but couldn't help the grin tugging at my lips.
"Right. Try not to overdo it. I like chaos, not genocide."
Rielinne nodded solemnly. "We'll limit the body count to... manageable levels."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Syraleh snickered. "Too late, boss."
The ambulance hit a bump, jostling everyone. For a moment, the tension broke, and even Enheduanna cracked a faint smile. I leaned my head back, closing my eyes, letting out a deep breath as the sirens wailed outside.
"Rome's in flames, the Empress is furious, Norphie's going to kill me for ruining her fifty million dollar party, and my faction officially become public enemy number one. Guess that's one way to make a debut."
Naelle clapped softly. "Ten out of ten, Master. Genius as ever."
"Next time, we start with a dinner party that doesn't end in arson and mass murder."
The five laughed quietly.
The world outside burned with political fallout, terror, and confusion but inside that speeding ambulance, it felt oddly calm.