Melucard opened his eyes and looked around the interior of his quarters. As the living quarters of a man of his rank, they were both sizeable and luxurious. Not entirely to his tastes, but nevertheless, a view that he had seen countless times before. He stood in the middle of the room, a tall and tidy bed behind him and an ornated desk in front of him, with a cabinet filled with papers and scrolls next to it. There was next to no dust on the desk or cabinet — the servants were far too efficient to let that happen — but they were more for show than actual use. The only furnishing that saw any regular use in the room was the bed, the dark-wooden chest that stood by its feet, and the closet where a couple of uniforms were stored.
Everything in the room looked in order, exactly like it always did. Yet, something felt different.
Melucard was a resident of Lemuria. One of its original residents, to boot. At least if you went by his true age. It was a completely different matter if you went by his actual age. Nonetheless, he was an inhabitant of Lemuria, a vast and fantastical world that consisted of several different realms that were created by a group of all-powerful beings for their own enjoyment. These beings had different names. Gods. Heroes. Devils. Creators. There were many of them and there were some to fit all categories. But generally, these beings could be split into two different groups.
The first were the administrators, who were directly responsible for Lemuria and could mold and shape it however they wanted. They were the architects of this world and stood above any and all gods, yet they never showed themselves directly.
The second group consisted of the so-called players. There were millions of them — almost more than there were ordinary residents of Lemuria —and they could all enter and leave the world as they wished. They grew in strength quickly, and no matter how many times they died, they would always return to life not long after not much worse for wear. If the administrators were the architects, then the players were the inhabitants.
All of these players had different classes, abilities, and races. The strength of the players also varied greatly. It was common for these players to gather together and form guilds, striving for a common goal as they fought and grew stronger.
Ouranos Asteria was one of these guilds, not to mention one of the most powerful guilds in all of Lemuria; several of its members being amongst the top ranks of the players.
Ouranos Asteria was also the guild that Melucard was sworn to; and which he protected and served with his life. The lords and founders of Ouranos Asteria were both wise and powerful, and some of the most experienced players around. They were superior beings, after all. Their base was the floating city of Agartha, which they had conquered during what was called a 'raid-event'. It was the envy of many guilds and powerful beings, and many had tried usurping it. Of course — none succeded.
Using a currency called 'fame' which they earned from raids, guild battles, and various other means, Ouranos Alteria and the other guilds grew even more powerful. By exchanging 'fame' with the administrators they could obtain precious resources and items, gather followers, and in certain circumstances, they could even use it to petition the administrators to create powerful champions. Melucard was one of these champions.
A level 200 Obyrithian Knight, Melucard had fought countless battles for his masters, defending Agartha from those who dared thinking of invading it, and attacking those who did. The lords of Ouranos Alteria had created him, of that he was fully aware. That also meant that — technically speaking — he wasn't that old. But even though that was true, he had lived on Lemuria for a long time. It was paradoxical and contradictory, but that was the power of the lords and the administrators. However, despite having lived for that long, he couldn't remember ever feeling like he felt right now.
It was as if all of his memories from before were nothing but a dream. A very long, but realistic, dream. And in that dream, all that he did, all that he thought and all the previous actions that he took, were ruled by nothing but instinct. As if he'd been nothing but an automated golem following commands. But now — now he was truly alive.
Is this because of another of lord IAmFragile's experiments? Melucard thought to himself as he glanced around the bright room. Sunlight entered the room through a large glass-paned window, small motes of dust particles floating about in the rays of light. Evidently, the servants couldn't get rid of all the dust. He considered the possibility of this being the effect of an unannounced experiment for a moment, before shaking his head. There weren't many kinds of mind magic that could affect him, and of the ones that could, he knew of nothing even remotely similar to this. Perhaps some of the mind-enhancing magics, but no... Something else had to be the cause.
If there's a risk that I've been compromised, I have to report it to the lords.
He made to stand and hurried to the door. As the head of the Ptolemian guard and one of Ouranos Asteria's champions, Melucard's living quarters were located in one of ten towers that encircled the castle that was situated in the middle of the floating island of Agartha.
Leaving his quarters behind, Melucard moved outside onto the elevated walkway that connected his tower and the main castle. The castle itself was enormous, shining a brilliant white as the sun reflected off the Brimazite surface of its many spires. Connecting all of the ten towers and the main castle structure were several elegant walkways of the sorts Melucard walking over. The main castle had many smaller towers with beautiful windows and several large buildings with arched ceilings made of tiles that shone almost gold when light reflected off of them. it was a breathtaking view. Even though this was far from the first time he'd seen it, Melucard couldn't stop himself from feeling a bit of awe as he gazed at the structure. It felt like he was seeing it — seeing it truly — for the very first time. It took many years and countless efforts from the members of Ouranos Artera to build it up to this point and it was magnificent. In his opinion, not even the Seventh Lord of Hell's Obsidian Fortress or the Heavenly Peaks of Olympus was its equal.
Surrounding the large castle was the city of Agartha. Unlike the castle, the buildings of Agartha looked much more diverse. The various rooftops of the city painted a compelling picture with their vibrant colors, the colosseum and Eltharuim Workshop making for recognizable landmarks as they stood out amongst the buildings. A small patch of forest bordered parts of the city, with the end of the island just beyond that. The city wasn't very large. There were many cities larger than Agartha in Lemuria. But there weren't many that were as prosperous as Agartha.
Melucard took in the view when his gaze went beyond the city and onto the land below, and he froze.
The land beneath Agartha was filled with nothing but forest for several miles. If he looked even further he could see mountains, lakes, and plains — but not what he was looking for.
Where are the Summerset Falls?!
The floating island of Agartha and the city which shared its name was located near the Summerset Falls, a large gathering of waterfalls that cascaded into and gathered at a point where three major rivers met. The Summerset Falls were also magical in nature where many valuable resources existed and had been an important source of income for the guild. Yet it was nowhere to be seen now.
Melucard stopped watching the surroundings and hurriedly crossed the walkway towards the main building of the castle. He had to hurry to the throne room. Not long after he'd entered the castle, he heard a loud voice call out to him.
"Captain!!"
He turned in the direction of the voice and saw a familiar face running towards him.
"Orion. What's happening?" Melucard asked immediately.
Orion, a well-built youth with bright red hair who wore a light set of armor and a white cloak, stopped in front of Melucard with a panicked look on his face.
"Captain, I woke up in my quarters just recently feeling weird, and when I looked ou--"
"You too, huh?" Melucard interrupted Orion and started moving through the hallways of the castle. Orion hurried to follow with a surprised expression.
"The same thing even happened to you, captain? What could have..." Orion's words trailed off. There weren't too many possibilities. This was Agartha, after all. "Are we under attack?"
Melucard merely shrugged his shoulders. "It's possible. But that doesn't explain our condition or why Agartha's moved. Even with a Vestige, they shouldn't have been able to get through Agartha's defenses this easily." He paused for a moment and looked at Orion. He'd been his vice-captain for years; despite that, it felt weird seeing Orion walking beside him. Why did everything feel as if it was the first time he experienced it? He sighed as he kept walking. "Damn it, this is bothersome..."
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Orion grimaced at his words but quickly recovered. "Captain, what are your orders?"
Melucard merely quickened his steps.
"Captain..." Orion's voice trailed behind him.
"You're the vice-captain. Don't you know what to do?" Melucard asked with an irritated tone.
He was met with silence.
Melucard stopped walking and sighed again, this time much heavier than before. "Fine." He said and turned to look at Orion. "How are the rest?"
"I only ran into Draco and Gemini, but they were the same," Orion answered. "I instructed them to gather as many of the guard as they could while I found you, captain."
"Go back and gather them all in the Order hall, and have them get ready for battle. Who knows what might happen." Melucard said as he turned around and started walking again. "Oh, and tell Andromeda and her mother to scry the surrounding area. We need as much information as we can get right now."
"Understood, captain." Orion moved his fist to his chest in a salute. "Are you heading to the throne room?"
Melucard didn't bother turning his head as he answered over his shoulder. "Yes. I'm going to ask the lords about what the hell is going on."
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Darna Tozrial, one of the ten champions of Ouranos Alteria, was currently in the Agarthan throne room. Currently, the throne room was almost empty. Darna had hurried over as soon as she had woken up in the infirmary ward and noticed that both she and all her subordinates had been affected by some unexplained phenomenon. She'd been hoping that the lords would know what was happening but hadn't expected to find the throne room completely silent — not a single lord in sight.
Massive braziers — attached to each of twelve marmoreal columns that protruded from the walls — lit up most of the throne hall and coated everything in an orange glimmer. The gemmed runes on the terraced ceiling danced in the flickering light while various stone effigies and sculptures looked down upon the limestone floor of the elegant hall.
A crimson rug ran in a circle around the room — with two paths at the throne and the main entrance — while forked dark purple banners with the embellished logo of Ouranos Alteria swung gently from the walls.
Massive, stained glass windows depicting awe-inspiring battles were concealed by veils colored the same deep purple as the banners. The curtains had been adorned with decorative tips and intricate embroidery.
A regal throne of silver sat beneath an impressively decorated baldachin and was adjoined by several similar, but smaller, seats reserved for the foundings lords of the guild. The throne was covered in gilded illustrations and fixed on each of the broad legs was a gem-encrusted sun.
In the middle of the large, circular rug stod an enormous round table with the guild logo on it. The table was surrounded by several dozens of ostentatious chairs. One for each of the 54 lords of Ouranos Alteria — the top-players of the guild.
In the throne room, there was currently Darna herself — her tall stature and the elegant pair of wings that protruded from her back making for an impressive figure. Her wings consisted of graceful, large brown feathers that hung lightly behind her. Her hair had the same golden brown color as her wings and was in a bob cut while her face was dazzling enough to strike most mortals speechless, her bright gold eyes only working to boost the effect. Her appearance was the very image of what an archetypical angel should be, at least according to her creator SusumLin.
A man in a clean black suit and an out of place black hood that covered everything but the face stood close by to Darna. The man's face itself was concealed by a bright white mask with no facial features at all except a dark red smile. He was Jeneck Hearth, a champion of Ouranos Alteria and the guild's steward. Except for them, there was also a woman with long black hair in a black cloak present, as well as a slim female figure that was covered dusty bandages. Kassandra Feast and Zune Kozudz. All of the people currently in the throne room were champions of the guild, and they had all rushed over here for the same reason.
"So, what's going on here Jeneck?" Kassandra asked as she flicked a stray piece of hair from her eyes. As always, she had an annoyed expression on her face and her tone was far from pleasant. But that didn't seem to bother the steward of Ouranos Alteria even slightly.
"I am as uninformed about this situation as any of you, Ms. Kassandra," Jeneck answered in an amused voice. "I was also hoping to find the answers by inquiring with the lords, however, for them to be missing in a situation like this was out of my expectations. But, like you, I also woke up feeling quite odd and perturbed."
"Tsk," Kassandra clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Then what are we supposed to do? And where are the others?" She glanced at Darna as she asked, almost as if she was expecting her to know the answer.
"I conta—" Jeneck had barely started as the large double doors to the throne room opened with a bang and a man entered the room with quick steps. Blonde, short hair clumsily hung over a furrowed, friendly-looking face with deep green eyes. He wore a white overcoat with accents of deep purple and gold fillings and a pair of brown undershirts and pants. Darna smiled slightly when she saw him arrive.
The man stopped when he saw the people in the throne room.
"Ah, Mr. Meluca—" Jeneck began.
"Where are the lords?" Melucard interrupted, his eyes glancing around the throne room.
Jeneck, unfazed by Melucard's rude behavior, simply nodded. "We do not know. All traces of them have seemingly disappeared." He paused momentarily. "I have already contacted the others. Ms. Genie and Ms. Oris are on their way. However, Mr. Hjulur is currently refusing to leave his workshop and the A.S.S.D.A is busy looking for lord Gnogepeppetto. But I have, at the very least, confirmed that none of the champions are missing."
Melucard looked over the others. "Have any of you looked outside yet?" He asked
Jeneck shook his hooded head. "I have not had a chance yet. I have been busy trying to locate the lords. Is there anything important there?"
"Agartha has moved." A hoarse, scratching voice butted in. The figure in bandages, Zune, crossed its arms. "My subordinates are searching the area right now. There doesn't seem to be any enemies."
"Agartha's moved?!" Darna couldn't stop herself from exclaiming in surprise. "That shouldn't be possible without any of the founding lords acting."
"Indeed," Jeneck pondered as he scratched the bottom of his mask, which had now changed into a neutral expression. "This is problematic. I do not recall any of the lords doing anything of the sort." His head bent down, almost as if he was talking to himself. "We seem to all have been affected by some strange occurrence. It is possible that the lords performed the move while we were recovering from it. But would the lords perform such an action? I am just a mere servant, so I wouldn't dare to presume to know the lords' thoughts, but..."
"Strange occurrence?" Melucard ignored Jeneck's mumbling as he turned to Darna and the others. "All of you felt weird when you woke up too?"
"Yes," Darna answered. Zune and Kassandra simply nodded their heads in assent. "It was like a veil had disappeared from in front of my eyes and everything was clear. Like mind-enhancing magic, but much stronger. I've never felt this much before. It's amazing!" A bit of fervor had found its way into her eyes. "This has to be the work of the lords."
jeneck finished talking with himself and interjected. "That is one possibility, yes," He clapped his hands once. "But that is not the most important matter currently. As we do not have more information at present, We should assume that all of this is due to the plotting of an outsider that is against Ouranos Alteria. We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Our priority is the protection of Agartha, but without the presence of any of the lords, I fear that we are severely weakened." Jeneck looked at Melucard with a meaningful look after he finished.
"...What?" Melucard asked after Jeneck wouldn't stop staring at him.
Jeneck shook his head. "Nothing much. I merely thought that in a situation where we are this vulnerable, it might be necessary for us to make use of some of the higher tier items that we have in storage."
Kassandra gawked at Jeneck. "...Bastard, why are you pointing out the obvio—"
"—And perhaps we will need the Vestiges..." Jeneck added.
Everyone fell silent.
"...Shouldn't we prioritize finding the lords first?" Melucard finally spoke after a while. "And what about the normal players?"
Jeneck simply shook his head. "We have no information as to where the lords have gone. We are still waiting for confirmation about the other members. They could have simply gone back to their realm, never to return to Lemuria again. If that is the case, focusing on the protection Agartha takes precedence."
His words had some truth behind them. If an attack against Agartha was imminent and they were busy looking for the missing players instead of preparing their defense, it would surely spell disaster for them all. But...
"What you're suggesting is heresy," Darna hissed through her clasped teeth. "Going against the rules of the lords and the guild, it's unacceptable. Only the founding lords can use the Vestiges."
Jeneck chuckled, his white mask once again bearing a wide smile on it. "Heresy? Is it not more blasphemous to let Agartha fall to ruin when we have the power to prevent it? I do not know the thoughts of the lords, but they are wise and discerning. They would understand such use in an emergency."
Darna clenched her fist and was about to speak when she saw Melucard taking a step forward.
"It doesn't matter. Coldriarth won't let us enter the vault without any of the lords present anyways."
Darna's expression relaxed slightly and she unclenched her fists.
Jeneck turned to Melucard. "...While that is certainly true, there are ways. For example, you cou—"
"Not happening," Melucard countenance immediately changed as he cut Jeneck off. "Without any of the lords present, we're not using any Vestiges. Understood?"
Jeneck said nothing for a few seconds before he bowed slightly. "Very well." He assented. "We'll adhere to your orders on this matter. The absence of any of the lords temporarily makes you the highest-ranking member, after all." He chuckled. "However, I did not expect you to fulfill that role. Does this mean that I can also expect you to fulfill your administrative duties from henceforth?"
Melucard's eyes opened wide and he let out a heavy sigh.
"...I see. I feel sorry for that underling of yours." Jeneck added. He then looked up and focused at a point in the air in front of everybody. "Ah, it took her some time." He mumbled.
The space in that spot bent in on itself, and a crack formed that quickly widened to reveal a void as black as obsidian. A slender hand, mostly covered by a blackish blue robe, emerged from the gate. Soon after it was followed by a person.
The person's robe was uniform in its blackish-blue color and its length covered the figure's feet entirely, dragging behind the person's feet on the ground. The robe had a collar that reached up to the person's chin, and on their head, they wore a tall oblong-shaped hat of the same color as their robe. The hat was adorned with a few black gems and almost stretched down far enough to cover their eyes. Beneath the hat a young woman's face, with brown hair and bangs, looked straight forward with eyes that seemed to pierce straight through you. She brandished a vaunting smile as she looked over the people present.
"Oh? Am I disturbing something?" The young woman said almost flamboyantly.