'How do you know them?' Ethan asks himself. His hair rises along his neck – a rare and disturbing sensation. What if she does know of the criminal network he took from Viktor? Could it be a trap? Ethan calms himself and reviews the fact. 'The only way she could have crafted that vision, if such an ability exists, would require extensive knowledge of my own abilities and goals. Plus, she found me by chance unless she lied and has total control over her own visions. On the other hand, her knowing the men guarding her father is way more likely."

The smell of rot grows stronger as they approach the guards. Though, only Ethan seems to notice it. It doesn't come from them, but rather behind them. A small staircase with deep steps leads to them. Behind stands a short corridor, ended by large stone gates.

One of the guards moves down towards them, shield forward. His armor bears the most decorations – golden sea snakes and edges and a cobalt-blue cape. Like his underlings, he hefts a halberd, its head imposing and thick. No normal man could hold that with such ease. His steps echo in the corridor, his armor weighing hundreds of kilos.

'He has a remarkable range of motion for someone wearing a car's worth of metal,' Ethan notes. He spots the joints only covered with mail and cloth, exposing weak points at the arms and knee pits.

"Let us through, captain," Thea commands. She steps towards him, climbing a single step, her hands to the sides. "I know my brother is inside."

"Your father ordered that no one is to disturb them," the captain says. His helmet's slit turns towards Ethan. "Wait for their return on the side, you and your new friend."

Thea approaches the captain. Whispering to him, she pleads, "Bertram, please. My father brought him here to open his family's vault, our dead king's vault. His killer wants whatever is inside, and it's possible he came here today."

"Another man I never saw was with them," the captain whispers back with none of his earlier authority. His new tone makes him seem like a conspirator. "One seventy-five, pale, glazed eyes."

'That doesn't fit at all,' Ethan notes. The lingering anger of imagining Caelum so close dies down. He scans the seven other guards, seeking any sign that they are eavesdropping or reacting. 'An ally of the regent? One of Caelum's subordinates? Or a third party?'

Thea says, "Then he, or the man who's with them, plans to deliver the vault's content to our king's killer. It's our chance to stop them. If we don't, millions could die."

'Billions,' Ethan mentally corrects.

"We don't have enough proof yet," the captain whispers. His heart is accelerating. "If we act now, we'll be branded as traitors. Eirlys' wife will not testify, leaving me as the sole witness. Kasper has been terrified since his assistant accountants have been killed. Emberlain will never side with us unless she's sure we can win. And –"

"And someone tricked the rebels into attacking the prince to ambush them," Thea cuts in. It seems they have been trying to stop the regent for some time but have nothing thus far.

'Blackmailing Emberlain into doing what you want is nothing impossible,' Ethan thinks. Thea must want to keep her father alive; even if he's guilty of conspiracy of regicide, he's still her father. She probably intends to have him locked up if she's seeking proof and witnesses.

The captain looks over his shoulder at the other guards. He whispers, "Then we have nothing. Wait on the side; find a lie to tell your father once he gets out as to why you are here."

'No matter how dense they are, whispering with her like that will make them suspicious,' Ethan internally comments.

"You don't understand," Thea whispers. "It's now or never. Whatever plan he has for the kingdom is linked to whatever is inside. If we stand idle today, there won't be another chance to stop him."

'A bit of an extrapolation,' Ethan thinks.

"Are you certain?" the captain asks. "Whatever we see when these doors open again will be reported as it seems. And I will plead mind control to justify my actions."

Thea's breath catches as her heart races. She looks briefly to the side and answers, "Yes."

The captain turns around and waves his halberd to the side. He commands, "Let them through."

The men glance at each other, and the second most decorated steps forward. He says, "Sir, in virtue of the lord regent's orders, you are relieved of duty and placed under arrest for treason. I didn't believe it would come to this, but there is no other explanation. Surrender yourself or face the consequences."

Ethan bursts forward, grabbing the guard's helmet by the top as he spins into the air. The piece of armor comes with a snap of the strap that held it, revealing a mail-covered head. Still in the air, his speed too fast for them to react, Ethan summons Phantom Reaver. He twists his entire body, hurling the blade at the man's neck.

A flash of golden light sparks at the impact point, and the sword bounces back. Ethan's feet grind against the ground as he lands, stopping against the door.

Three of the seven guards turn towards him, lowering their halberds in his direction.

'Vanguards,' Ethan realizes.

"Stand down!" the captain orders.

Three of his own men move to circle him, splitting from each other in an arc. The last of them walks towards Thea, halberd leveled at her chest.

Ethan snaps his fingers, casting a Silence spell. A golden mist forms from their armor and descends to the ground. It doesn't break their focus or formation; they don't even exchange a word.

The guards facing Ethan thrust their halberds forward, aiming to stab him with the spear-like tip.

Using his stored Ether, Ethan triggers Strengthening and swings at the weapons. He strikes them on the flat from below, deflecting them upward. The way cleared, Ethan moves into the shield wall's reach and shoulders the helmetless man. Pushing with all his might, Ethan sends the man rolling into the stairs, breaking their formation.

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Thea dodges attacks one after the other, deflecting her opponent's halberds with her blade. She doesn't try to counter; instead, she attracts him further down the corridor, nearing the end of Silence's range.

The captain charges into the guard on his left. Their shields connect, sending the guard to the ground. Capitalizing on it, the captain hurls the axe head of his halberd like a hammer, striking the guard's helmet. It doesn't cut through, but the guard's arms fall to the sides. The impact, at the very least, knocked him unconscious.

Ethan thrusts his blade at his right opponent's armpit. Phantom Reaver digs through the mail, impaling him ten centimeters deep. The guard's flesh and bones resist the blade, as if Ethan was cutting through Kevlar.

Ethan's victim falls to the side, his body pulling Phantom Reaver out of Ethan's grasp.

Ethan's remaining opponent hurls his shield at Ethan. The hunk of metal slams into Ethan's shoulder, but he opposes it, pushing back against it.

Out of Silence's range, Thea coats her thin blade in translucent flames. She moves behind her opponent's halberd's reach, exposing herself to a shield bash.

He falls for her trap and extends his arm to slam her with his shield. Expecting the blow, Thea sidesteps the attack and moves behind his shield. She steps on his knee guard, rising above his head, grabs his armor collar, and stabs her blade into his neck. Golden dust descends from around the wound, her blade's enchantment dispelling Sanctuary.

The helmetless guard rises to his feet, roars, and charges towards Ethan.

The captain's second opponent sweeps his superior's legs with his halberd, sending him to the ground. He continues the motion to bring the halberd above his head, arming a beheading strike.

Ethan cancels Silence and alters the runes he envisions to cast Lightning Bolt. The electricity runs through the shield he holds, burning the guard as it courses through his armor.

The captain restores Sanctuary in time to stop the blow that strikes his mail-covered neck. The halberd bounces back, and the captain rolls to his feet, blocking an attack from his other opponent.

Ethan extends his hand as he dashes to meet the guard charging him. He vaults over the guard's shield and summons his scythe. The blade catches the man's neck but grinds against Sanctuary in a series of golden sparks.

Gravecall (Scythe)

Sculpted from the bones of a Blighteros, this scythe decays flesh and matter. Infusing it with death Ether will enhance its sharpness, durability, and decaying power. It feeds upon each defeated foe, growing stronger for a short period of time.

This weapon has been enchanted with [Slaughter's fervor (B)].

Ethan snaps his fingers to restore Silence and twists his entire body; the scythe cuts through the guard's mail and throat. Blood pours out from the wound as the flesh around it withers away, widening the cut. Ethan turns the scythe and hurls its tip into the electrified guard's armpit. It juts out by the shoulder pad before Ethan pulls it out.

Both guards fall to the ground, clutching their expanding wounds. The second screams as if burned by acid; his arm falls off, his armor rusting and falling apart.

Gravecall's bone blade hums as they expire, a bending of the light coating its edge. Cracks along its shaft, filled with an obsidian matter, take on a greenish hue.

The captain sweeps a guard's legs off, sending him to the ground, and barrels into the other man. The impact sends him rolling to Thea's feet.

Thea grabs her blade with both hands and slides it into the guard's helmet's slit. It pierces his skull, killing him instantly.

Ethan wrenches Phantom Reaver out of its victim's corpse and bursts towards the last, fallen guard. He sweeps the man's arm as he tries to roll to his feet, keeping him on the ground. Stepping on the guard's helmet to expose his neck, Ethan rams his blade into it, ending the fight.

Thea joins them as the captain removes his helmet, revealing a sweat-drenched face. He seems on the older side of life, looking in his mid-fifties despite his muscled physique.

Silence ends, and Ethan unsummons his scythe. He pries his blade out of his victim's spine. Cleaning the blood with a flick of the wrist, he asks, "Any other guards inside?"

"No," the captain answers. He passes his gauntleted hand over his face, drying the sweat, and puts his helmet back on. "Only the prince, the regent, and his guest."

"Melee Weapon (Long sword) leveled up. Unarmed Combat leveled up. Melee Weapon (Scythe) leveled up (x3)," the system announces.

Thea sheathes her blade. "There is no coming back now."

"I guess so," the captain confirms. He straightens himself and walks up the stairs towards the gate. "We can hold your father in the undercity for a few days, but you need to find proofs to charge him with."

"I know," Thea says. She looks to the side, apprehending all that is to come. Succeeding here today means a lot of change for her country, but probably more importantly, for her.

The captain places a hand on each door and pushes with his entire body, slowly opening them. Stone grinding against stone accompanies the languid action.

They enter a circular room. Its floor is moving down, leaving only a bridge leading to a central platform. Three figures wait there, the regent and unknown man looking back at the three of them as they enter. The prince looks away and doesn't react to their arrival. He's immobile, staring at the far wall, dressed in a blue, priestly gown too long for his short frame.

"What is the meaning of this?" the regent demands. He turns with force, lifting his mantle.

While the prince's aura is the one disturbing the Ether, Ethan can feel the third man hiding his. The faint stench of rot comes from him, and wouldn't he be standing, anyone would take him for a corpse. His opened coat, itself made of human-looking leather, reveals a chest plate made of bones held by tendons.

The captain looks bewildered by the sight, as if he only now realized how evil-looking that man is.

The man clears his throat of mucus that obstructed it. His voice is like stone grinding together, as tolerable as chalk screaming against a board. "It looks like your daughter convinced your captain to betray you, bringing a stray with them."

"Captain, drag these two outside," the regent commands. He adds a hand motion to emphasize his words. "I'll deal with my daughter meddling when I am done here."

Thea steps in front of them. "I know what you want, and I won't let you give it to the monster who killed our king."

The regent and the man look at each other with accusing glances. The man comments, "I doubt you know what we are after, but I find your knowledge worrying. I'm afraid we'll need to take more drastic measures regarding your limited freedom."

Clenching his jaw, the regent turns back to Thea. His heart is accelerating as he unconsciously shifts away from the man, scared. "Do not try anything stupid, Thea."

"You left me no choice," Thea barks.

'Prescience,' Ethan thinks, sensing the tension rising.

The man glances at the prince, and the little boy's head snaps to him. The man commands, "You are free."

The prince's absent-minded state turns to surprise and fear. He glances at the regent and falls to the ground. His eyes darting to Thea, he rises, and he runs towards her.

A bone blade held by a serrated bone chain slices through the prince's neck, sending his body and head to the ground. Warned by Prescience, Ethan bursts past the running prince and parries the blade. It bounces off Phantom Reaver, away from the prince.

The chain links, jutting out of the man's sleeve, curve unnaturally, as if it were an articulated skeleton. The blade hurls towards the prince's head, aiming to stab through it. Ethan catches the chain's teeth with his blade and bursts forward to put the man into his reach. The chain comes with Ethan, pulling the blade away from the prince.

Ethan frees his blade and swings at the man. Ethan's opponent's body moves to the side, as if dragged like a puppet. His last moment movements show only a fraction of a second early in Prescience, making them unpredictable.

The blade comes at Ethan's back. He spins around, deflecting the blow. The chain curls, forming whips that spring at Ethan. He swings at each attack, deflecting the chain up and to the sides.

The prince reaches Thea, grabbing her leg, terrified. She grabs him by the shoulder to push him towards the exit.

"Kill him," the man commands, looking past Ethan.