image [https://i.imgur.com/SGppYqB.png]

Night fell in the Arista Empire and the magnificent imperial palace illuminated the fairly compact cityscape below. Drawing visual cues from ancient Arabic architecture, its large domed roofs towered over the neighboring buildings. Sandy colored pillars playfully reflected the flame lamps hanging from them, lighting up a long pathway towards the entrance.

Inside the massive structure, A man with a white cap and dignified, white robes was seen walking down the multicolored tile steps. It was Leo Vaux’Hallah and he had arranged a meeting with the Empress, needing to discuss a very interesting matter with her. As he was being escorted by soldiers dressed in black and red armor, he pondered a few thoughts.

'I know that she was expecting my visit today, but why's there so much security? Is there something going on?'

He couldn't help but notice the unusually high amount of soldiers walking around. The High Priest eventually arrived at a room with a fairly small round table and two long, lounge chairs. The chairs were lavish and trimmed with a glistening gold, highlighting the immense levels of wealth presented in this palace.

As the High Priest approached, he saw the Empress of Arista, Gabriella Ramos, casually laying on one of the chairs. She was being fanned by a thinly dressed female while getting fed cherries by another.

Gabriella looked over with her alluring, lilac colored eyes and smiled at the High Priest. Even though the Empress was someone of a very high position, her clothing was incredibly provocative for the occasion. The loose purple dress had a plunging neckline and was fairly see-through in many areas, showing an ample amount of her caramel colored skin. No matter how you looked at her, Gabriella's appearance was not very becoming of royalty.

“Ah, High Priest Leo Vaux’Hallah, welcome to my humble home. Please, take a seat.” She greeted, with her fairly harsh voice.

“Y-Yeah, thank you.” He replied, looking disgusted by her scantily clad display as she motioned for him to take a seat on the other chair.

Leo sat down and cleared his throat, wanting to cut right to the chase.

“Your Grace, if it is not too much to ask, could we please have this conversation in private?” The High Priest asked, not accepting fruit from the Empress' slaves.

Gabriella sat up slowly and adjusted her golden tiara, her long black hair draping over her bare shoulders. She slightly waved her hand in an annoyed manner, signaling for everyone to leave the room. The slaves and soldiers bowed before leaving, closing the door behind them. Gabriella averted her gaze towards Leo and shifted her demeanor, now feeling irritated by his presence.

“So.. What is it that you wanted to discuss with me?” She asked deeply, crossing her arms and waiting for a response.

He began to tell her about his wild run in with Azhane Belouis and how humiliating it was for him.

“She made me look like such a fool and in front of my people no less. That girl needs to be put in her place.” He said with an angered expression.

“As much as I dislike the Belouis family, I’m not in the mood for gossip right now. Please, get to the point already.”

Leo was taken aback by her snarkish attitude, clearing his throat again.

“Right.. Well, the person that caused this situation, Richard Allmark, told me quite a lot of information. I think you’ll find this rather interesting.”

When Leo locked eyes with Gabriella, she began to look more engaged and waited for him to continue his story.

“Apparently there has been a lot of movement going on behind the scenes. He and his partner had been gathering various ancient Manifests to perform some kind of ritual. Deacon Allmark said that the outcome of this ritual could be highly beneficial for us in the future.”

“This ritual, in what way can that help us?” Gabriella asked, her interest now fully piqued.

Suddenly, the two heard a deep voice filling the room.

“Allow me to explain the details further.” Said a hooded man, emerging from the shadows.

On his black robes was a symbol with long, intertwined white lines. Gabriella stood and quickly summoned forth her Manifest, a black and red sensu fan named Cinder’s Gale. The fan glowed a dull red while small embers of fire danced in the air around it.

“Who are you and how did you enter this building?” She questioned, glaring at the mysterious man.

“Woah, woah, stop, Your Excellency. He’s on our side. I asked him to attend this meeting. Please, stand down.” Leo loudly requested, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

She glanced over at the High Priest and back to the robed man before reluctantly putting away her weapon. The man stepped forward and greeted the Empress.

“Greetings, my name is Karris and I wish to outline the details of what is going on. Please, take your seat again, Miss.” Karris said with his deep voice, disembodied behind the darkness of his hood. Gabriella sat back down and nodded, allowing him to continue.

“The outcome of this ritual will forever change the landscape of Alaira and I think it would be in your best interest to be on our side.”

Karris proceeded to explain in further detail why they stole the five objects and how this moment had been years in the making.

“You people keep talking about this ritual as though it's something special, yet you refuse to explain what it is. Why should I care? How exactly does this help me?” Gabriella rudely remarked, still not convinced by their pitch.

“My master will be ready in two weeks time. You will know when he makes his appearance and when he does, your decision should be easy. Please look forward to it.”

Karris turned around and descended into the shadows again, disappearing from the room. The two sat there in silence, picking apart Karris’ words in their heads.

“Ahem, well then. I suppose we'll wait. I trust that we’ll learn more in due time.” Leo said, standing up from his chair.

Gabriella laid back down and looked up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes as she loudly sighed.

“Wait, indeed...”

“Ah, I’m curious about something though. Why have you increased security so much? Seems out of character for you.” The High Priest asked, remembering a thought from earlier.

“One of my men saw someone snooping around my palace. Nothing was taken, but I heightened security as a precaution, pay no mind to it.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Gabriella rolled over on her side in an annoyed manner, now facing away from the priest.

“I see.. Well, I shall take my leave then. Have a splendid rest of your evening.” Leo replied, now heading towards the door.

Gabriella responded with a slight motion of her hand, silently urging him to leave her presence.

image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]

The sky was purple and black, air getting increasingly cold with each passing minute. Carmen was seen standing in an empty field all alone. She frantically looked around, yelling and asking if anyone was there. No response could be heard. Carmen then heard faint whispers in the distance that were just barely loud enough to understand. She hesitantly followed the unknown voices for a while, navigating the dark terrain until eventually finding their source. She stepped over some ruins and saw her Manifest floating in the air, emanating a deep sinister energy.

The black and silver rapier pointed upwards and slowly spun in place, providing the only significant light in this dark place. Carmen approached it and reached out, wanting to take hold of the handle. Before her hand could touch the Manifest, she was pushed back by an intense burst of gravity.

She landed on her back and as she slowly looked up, the rapier glowed a deadly black before taking aim at her. It fired off at incredible speed, piercing her chest with tremendous force.

Carmen quickly opened her eyes inside of the healing pod, waking from her long slumber. The upper half of the pod started to open and she lifted her head, sitting up in the pod. Carmen scanned around the room and saw Rivell asleep in a chair across the room. As she looked down, she noticed Sarah asleep as well, with her head laying at the bottom edge of the pod. With a soft, tired whisper, Carmen spoke.

“S-Sarah?”

Sarah shifted her head and opened her eyes slowly, hearing the voice of someone close by. She then quickly sat up and widened her eyes.

“Carmen, you’re awake!!!” She exclaimed, happy to see her alive and well.

Rivell got awoken by the commotion and quickly rushed over to the pod, joining in on the hug that Sarah was now giving Carmen. Confused by the current events, she wondered what had happened to make them so appreciative of her presence.

“We thought you’d never wake up!” Rivell said, wiping a tear from his face.

“How long was I out for?” Carmen asked, readjusting herself to get more comfortable.

“About three days.” Sarah responded softly, trying to break the news slowly.

“What!? But why?!?”

Carmen looked beyond confused, not understanding what they were saying. Rivell explained everything that happened back at the ambush and before he could finish his story, Carmen recognized the room and noticed that her hair was silver instead of brown.

“Oh no!” She squeaked, worried that her secret was revealed.

“We already know everything. It’s fine, don’t worry.” Sarah replied with a smile. “Besides, I think the red eyes are a cool touch. Total edgelord vibes.”

Sarah gave Carmen a cheeky thumbs up and grinned. The two shared a laugh before someone entered the room. Nadine stepped towards their direction and dropped her tray after seeing Carmen.

“Oh, My Lady!! You’re awake!!” She gleefully yelled, giving Carmen a warm, motherly hug.

She patted Nadine on the back, feeling happy to see her as well.

“I will alert everyone right away!”

Nadine bowed and quickly left the room. Shortly after, Azhane and Zalthia came into the infirmary and rushed over to the pod, embracing Carmen tightly.

“Well isn’t that just precious.” Sarah said, admiring the sight of the three sisters hugging each other. She then silently motioned to Rivell.

“Let’s go get some breakfast and let them have some time alone.”

Rivell agreed and followed her out of the room.

“So how're you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?” Azhane asked while gently placing her hand on Carmen’s forehead.

“No, I feel fine. Maybe a little weak, but fine overall.” She responded, looking up at Azhane’s hand.

“You really had us worried there for a second kiddo. Didn’t think you’d be out for three days. That fight must’ve done a real number on you.” Zalthia added as she leaned against the wall.

“Sarah and Rivell said you awakened during that fight. What did your Manifest end up being? Can you summon it?”

Azhane grew curious as Carmen held up her palm, causing an intense, void based energy to shoot outward.

A black and silver rapier materialized in her hand, sparkling in the window’s light. Just as she showed it to her sisters, a sharp jolt was felt in Carmen’s chest. She started forcefully coughing up small traces of blood and the weapon began fading away.

“Carmen! Are you alright?!” Zalthia asked with great concern, rubbing her back gently.

Azhane stared at the fading Manifest with a deep glare, sensing that something was incredibly off with it.

“Yeah, *cough* I'm fine. I think I’m still too weak to be using my weapon.” Carmen replied while wiping her mouth, slowly starting to feel a little better. Zalthia backed away and relaxed her tense body, looking at Carmen intently.

“Geez, don’t scare us like that. But I will say, a rapier makes sense with your fighting style. Fast and graceful. I’m interested to see what all it can do. Judging by all the damage you did at Lake Oth, I'd imagine it's pretty powerful.” Zalthia said, thinking of the many possibilities a gravity manipulating sword could do.

“Now that you’ve got a Manifest, be sure to learn everything you can about it. These aren’t anything like weapons crafted by a blacksmith. They have feelings, desires, and costs associated with them. If you’re not careful, they can tear you apart before you even realize it.” Azhane added as her expression shifted to a more serious one.

“Yup, Manifests are an extension of your abilities and thus an extension of you. So their characteristics all depend on the individual that wields them. You’ll know soon enough what your Manifest will require of you to function properly. Hopefully it’s not too much for you to handle.” Zalthia chimed in.

“Woah, I didn’t realize they would be so ‘human-like’. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Carmen glared at her empty palm, wondering what her Manifest would ask of her in combat.

“Well, we’re going to let you get some more rest. Take a few days to get your strength up and when you’re up for it, you should go to the Ability Clinic here in Ariana City. I know you’re eager to know where you stand, resonance wise.” Zalthia softly said as she prepared to leave.

“Yeah, I can do that. Thanks for everything!”

The three ended their conversation and Carmen watched as her sisters left the room. She slowly laid her head back down and sighed, staring at the ceiling while deep in thought.

image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]Two nights later, deep in the evening hours, Jordan of Five was walking the long halls of Castle de Belouis. He couldn’t quite fall asleep, so he instead decided to take a stroll, hoping to clear his head a bit. Jordan hobbled along with his thin, branch-like staff in hand, stroking his medium length white beard.

As the longest standing member of The Six and the oldest at age seventy-one, Jordan Castell was certainly getting up there in years. The awkward cadence to his walk definitely proved this.

“Maybe going for a stretch wasn’t the greatest idea. My knees aren’t quite what they used to be. Feels like I’m walking with bricks for legs ho ho ho!” He heartily chuckled, fixing his gaze down the hall.

As he rounded the corner, he caught a quick glimpse of someone he didn’t recognize. Jordan stopped and looked intently, squinting to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him in his old age. It was a maid coming up the final step that led down to the royal archives.

“You there! What business do you have in the royal archives?? Surely you know that area is strictly off-limits to all.” He called out, quickly approaching the maid.

She paused and slowly turned around, showing him a charming smile. Jordan stared at her and took notice of her incredibly pale skin and dark eyes, thinking she looked quite peculiar.

“Terribly sorry sir! I was trying to find the sleeping quarters but got lost along the way. I’m new to this castle and Miss Nadine hasn’t fully given me the tour yet.” She softly replied, bowing her head to him.

“Hmm, I see…. Well, let me be the first to tell you that you are never to go down there ever again. The royal archives house important and classified information for the Belouis family only. It is not for some maid to be poking around in. I'll let this slide for now.”

“Yes, understood. It will never happen again sir. My deepest apologies!”

After seeing that she seemed greatly apologetic and regretful, Jordan let her go.

“Well, run along then..”

The maid glanced up at his response and smiled, walking past Jordan with a quick pace. He turned his head toward the long staircase that led down to the lower area of the castle, pondering a thought.

'Nadine really needs to get a handle on these new maids… But, I suppose it’s an honest mistake. Besides, it’s not like she could get to the archives without a Belouis present anyways. Too many locks and seals in place.'

Jordan glanced over his shoulder to get another look at the maid, but to his surprise, she was nowhere to be seen.

'Huh!? There’s no way that girl got down the hall that fast.'

Jordan scratched his head and eventually shrugged it off, not wanting to be bothered by it anymore. He continued to patrol the halls into the late night hours.