“Borealis! What have you done to me?” The Lord shouted in anguish. “This… this isn’t what I remember…”

He held a book in his hand, desperately flipping through the page, the thin paper tearing at the seams.

“What have you done…” he whimpered.

Borealis gritted his teeth. This Lord is more troublesome than he imagined.

The Lord loves books too much. No matter how firmly he rewrites them, he always somehow remembers.

“My Lord,” Borealis announced, dropping to one knee. “You’re panicking, my Lord. Please… calm down…”

“Silence!” He boomed. “Don’t you speak to me… What have you done…”

Borealis knew he was pushing it a little too far. But his plans will be complete soon, and this Lord would no longer be needed. The Emperor was still waiting for him, and this Lord was but a puppet.

“Answer me, Borealis!”

Borealis sighed, then got to his feet. The Lord looked at him with fearful eyes.

“What… what are you doing? Stay back!” He cried as Borealis approached.

In three broad strides, he was at the Lord’s face, eye to eye.

“You…” The Lord began, but his words never came out.

His eyes glazed over and the terror in his eyes faded. Borealis stared through his soul, burning his memories and rewriting them with new history.

The Lord staggered a step backward.

“Borealis! Back so soon,” said the Lord, his panic all but gone. “How are the final preparations going?”

“Well, my Lord,” Borealis sighed. “My messenger is working from within, telling me all I need to know. They're on edge. I sent them a message.”

“What sort of message?”

“A dead one,” replied Borealis. "Their lines are cut... It'll be war on two fronts."

“Good…” the Lord smirked, slowly nodding his head. “Where are you headed now? Kingston?”

“Yes, my Lord. The next contract will be soon.”

“What will you do?”

Borealis smiled. “I’ll destroy them.”

*****

Andrei

The bell tower rang twelve times.

Bruno, crouching next to him on the rooftops, looked down at his pocket watch.

“Midnight,” he muttered. “Contract hour…”

From afar, the dimly lit venue appeared no different from the ordinary. Faint orange glows emanated from the curtained windows, the overgrown garden swaying gently in the breeze.

“What do we do?” Andrei asked.

“We pray…”

Kana and Nina were on an adjacent building, and Raina was across from them, coordinating their movement with her telepathy.

They had asked to be included in the contract, but Julius refused. Still, they decided to take part anyway, not for the sake of the contract, but to catch the perpetrator who was sure to strike.

A shadow darted across the dim street, then another, and another. The night shimmered with movement as the assassins of Rose got to work.

Their second contract of the year had begun.

Julius and Izzy led the infiltration, creeping silently through the shadows of the garden before arriving at the front doors.

They had black cloaks, the same worn during most contracts, covering them from head to toe, the hood draped over their faces.

Julius had a crimson rose in his chest pocket, one which would soon be used to murder another.

The darkness of the night gave them protection, but the silence of the streets left an uneasy feeling in Andrei’s chest. Something felt out of place, the usually busy streets were unusually empty.

He watched as Julius and Izzy nodded to each other before the latter held up his hand to the lock. Without a sound, the creaky door gently swung open, just enough for the two to slip inside. Leo and Yelena followed, leaving the door open for any backup to enter through.

Andrei desperately wanted to cast his clairvoyance over the venue and see all that was happening, but unauthorized use of magic at contracts is strictly forbidden. Doing so could not only alert their target, but it could also leave a trace for their enemies to find.

As the minutes passed, all seemed to be going well.

Most of the home’s occupants are asleep, but navigating the labyrinthine rooms would still take a while.

The follow-up group had made their entrance through a back door, ready to pounce into action at the first sign of trouble. Several master apprentices had swiftly scaled the walls, waiting outside windows, ready to break through if needed.

Bruno looked at his watch again. “Ten minutes… they should be done by now…”

“Has Raina said anything?” Andrei asked.

Bruno shook his head.

Everything was as it should be, and in a moment, the follow-up group would exit the building, the master apprentices would leap down from the rooftop, Julius and Izzy would emerge triumphantly and they would be on their way.

Something’s happening.

Raina’s voice spoke in his head.

He and Bruno exchanged glances.

“You notice anything?” Bruno asked.

“Nothing…” Andrei replied.

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There’s magic in the air…

Then he felt it. It made his eyes water and his ears ring. He grabbed his head and ducked, the searing pain pulsating through his scalp, digging deeper and deeper.

He heard Bruno growl in pain.

“Mind control…” Bruno grimaced. “Fight it, Andrei, it isn’t too strong…”

Heeding Bruno’s words, Andrei allowed his mana to surround him, forming a protective shell that blocked away any weaker spells thrown at him.

The pain disappeared quickly, and he once again looked down towards the venue.

Still, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then the orange glow in the windows flickered, and a little flame sprang out from a crack in the wall.

But no one reacted.

Andrei felt the ground tremble as the windows exploded outward. Fire erupted from the shattered glass as the blast wave hit him like a train, throwing him backward and almost off the roof.

He felt Bruno grab the end of his cape and haul him back up as the crackling of fire filled the air.

This was like nothing they’d ever faced before. They knew something was coming, but nothing could prepare them for this.

“We need to meet up with the others,” said Bruno, quickly recovering from the shock of the explosion. “It’s happening…”

Without wasting a second they began leaping from roof to roof, the tiles rattling below their footsteps.

The fire grew quickly, snaking up the wooden pillars and billowing from the windows.

“Bruno! Andrei!” Nina called out as they landed on their building, Andrei rolling to a stop next to her.

Kana was there with her, looking at the horrific scene with bleak eyes.

“Nina, where’s Raina?” Bruno asked.

“She’s heading over right now,” Nina replied.

“Kana…” Bruno began but was cut off by another rumble.

The little estate wobbled on its supports, the upper floors twisting and warping. The explosions and fire had weakened the supports, and the old building could no longer stand.

With a great roar the structure folded in on itself, wood splintering and stone shattering as the walls caved in. The falling structure puffed a tremendous plume of fire, blindingly bright in the moonless midnight.

Andrei had to shield his face from the flames with his arm, the heat too intense to look at without it burning his skin.

Then the collapsing debris snuffed out the flames, leaving only dying embers glowing red in the darkness.

Kana gasped, holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her horror.

The falling floors threw up a cloud of dust, which billowed and swirled before quickly being cleared away by the breeze.

Julius and Izzy stood at the center of the rubble, unscathed. Yelena and Leo were between them, on their knees and shielding their heads.

The collapsing building was nothing against Izzy and Julius’ telekinesis, the tumbling stone easily batted aside by their powerful force field. Still, Yelena appeared hurt, her head held between her trembling hands.

But Andrei could see bodies in the rubble, some moving, some not. At this distance, he wasn’t sure if he recognized any.

Then someone stood up from the edge of the fallen debris, dagger in hand. It was Kaen.

His clothes were in tatters and blood covered his face.

He stepped towards Julius, wobbly on his feet.

Julius shouted something, but Kaen seemed to not hear.

Then he stopped, raised his hand, and sent a dancing jet of yellow flame straight at Julius.

Julius stood his ground, the flames easily deflected away by his telekinesis.

“What’s he doing…” Andrei whispered, looking on in horror.

“Mind control…” Nina replied. “It’s him… our enemy…”

More figures rose in the darkness, their weapons glinting as they advanced on Julius.

Kaen let his hand fall limply to his side, light whiffs of smoke rising from his fingers. Then he continued forward, dagger raised, ready to attack.

Julius backed away but bumped into Yelena, still on her knees. He looked at Kaen, then at the others behind him, all advancing with weapons drawn. Izzy was keeping them at bay with his telekinesis, but fighting against the mind control was taking up much of his power.

He had his back against his own family. There was nowhere for him to go. The enemy had truly driven him into a corner, and he had no other choice.

He knew he made a mistake. He knew he should never have underestimated him. He had his doubts about his death all those years ago but fooled himself into believing it was real. Now this was the price he had to pay.

Andrei couldn’t quite tell what expression Julius wore. It was a mix of anger and hate, but great sadness and desperation, and Andrei was certain he saw tears in his eyes.

Slowly, Julius drew his sword, the white steel orange against the dying embers.

Izzy looked at him with questioning eyes, unwilling to draw against his own family.

Julius sighed. He grabbed the rose from his pocket, paused for a moment, then crushed it in his hand.

If he had to do it, it would not be as the head of his House.

Then he raised his sword, and as Kaen leaped toward him, brought it down upon the young apprentice.

*****

Julius

As the dust settled and the noise subsided, all Julius could see were red embers billowing from the ruins.

Pain gripped his chest.

He didn’t know how many were hurt, or how many were killed in the collapse. Just the explosions alone would have injured many.

He should never have let this contract happen.

“Julius! You alright?” Izzy asked from beside him.

“I’m fine…” He replied softly.

There was a lot of magic in the air, he could feel it.

It rippled in the air, burrowing through his power field, and he had to put quite some effort into stopping it.

He knew the master apprentices, let alone the young apprentices, would have no chance of fighting against it.

It was him. It must be him.

“Julius,” said Leo. “It’s him, isn’t it…”

“Who?” Izzy asked.

Julius didn’t answer.

A figure stood up from the edge of the rubble.

It was Kaen, but Julius could tell it wasn’t him.

His eyes were empty and dull, his movement uncoordinated and without the delicateness expected from an assassin of Rose.

Kaen wobbled on his feet, then began walking towards him.

“Kaen! Stay back!” Julius boomed.

The well-disciplined apprentice didn’t respond.

He raised his hand, and a jet of flame blasted towards Julius.

With the immense pressure of the mind-controlling magic, it took great effort to deflect the flames.

The situation was dire.

“What do we do?” Izzy asked as more of what used to be their family rose from the shadows. “We can’t get away, this magic is too strong…”

“We’ll need to fight…” Whispered Julius.

“We…” Izzy bit his lip in frustration. “Who is behind all this…”

With a heavy heart, Julius drew his sword.

“Julius?” Questioned Izzy, hesitant to draw his dagger. “Are you sure?”

“No fatal injuries, Izzy,” Julius ordered.

“I know…”

He would have to fight through his own family.

A family he had once sacrificed everything to protect.

“Is this your revenge, Aurora?” He mumbled under his breath as he reached for the rose in his chest pocket.

The delicate flower crumbled between his fingers.

Kaen leaped towards him, dagger pointed.

He raised his sword.

I should have made sure.

He thought as he slashed down.

Damn you, Aurora.