“Stop, you don’t know what will happen!” The concerned voice of the mother cried out as she chased behind the young man stomping towards the door. She reached out to him with her hand, but was repelled by the youth’s quick jolt of his arm.
“I do!” he erupted. “YOU don’t know what will happen,” he continued while pointing his finger at his own mother. “This knowledge... this power belongs to me!” he turned his back towards her once more in a burst of rage. “You don’t understand what it’s like,” he concluded as he stormed his way out of the house.
The mother tried to chase after her distressed son, but her weakened body was too frail to resist the strain of the situation. Losing the sensitivity in her legs, the woman collapsed to the floor while her consciousness slowly faded. Unnoticed by the youth who stormed through the door, she slowly dragged herself towards the door as her vision became absorbed by darkness.
At Kaldstein’s hospital, one day after...
The youth sat in a small wooden stool beside a light green hospital bed, his pale face looking down with furrowed brows and clenched teeth. His mother lied on the bed with her eyes closed as she slept peacefully, a serene and gentle smile on her face as she breathed calmly.
Directing his gaze away from the floor and towards the television installed in the room, the young man stared at the screen as the news of a recent specter outbreak was broadcasted to the public. The group of reporters toured the remains of what once was a peaceful secluded village somewhere in Heildin, showcasing the barbaric deeds of the specter horde.
Burned houses and tress was all that remained, paramedics moved back and forth transporting body bags as the reporters continued to record the events. While the specters remained in the Deadlands for years, this was the first time the public witnessed the brutal reality of what the threat could bring to their lives—were the specters finally break free from their prison.
The young man continued to stare at the television for a few more minutes, his eyes filled with fear, regret and anger. The footage cut to the pictures of the only survivors in the village—a middle-aged man with black hair and amber eyes, accompanied by his young daughter of similar features. Their names displayed on screen under their picture: Sebastian Lionheart and Claire Lionheart.
Cerberus HQ, CEOs Office: 936, February 7th, Wednesday, 3:00 PM.
His left hand on his pocket, Sovereign stared at the calm red fog of the Deadlands as it drifted peacefully with the wind. The thumb on his right hand quivered near the green ‘call’ button on the screen of his phone, his mind battling against itself in an attempt to justify either option.
“Sovereign,” Yeon walked through the office door and into the room. She silently stared at Sovereign’s back for a few seconds—understanding the position he found himself in. “I won’t tell you what to do,” she sighed as she looked at him with great concern. “But you have to understand the risks you’ll put yourself in if you say the wrong thing.” Yeon shook her head slowly. “Not just you, but her as well. You can’t allow your emotions to get the better of you.”
Gladean Empire, Voyin Province: 936, February 7th, Wednesday, 3:00 PM.
“Why not!” Claire leaned forward on the tea table sitting in the middle of the room.
Having dealt with the dragon and the belfry, the Gladean Knight of name Ninigi brought Bloodhound to his house to help them recover from their injuries. To everyone’s shock, Ninigi turned out to be the hermit living in the grassy fields that Gaspard told them about. He prepared tea for the group as Tori and Gaspard treated the injured, gathering the group to sit beside the tea table at the center of his home.
“I’m sorry, but I simply cannot go with you.” Ninigi apologized with a saddened expression, placing six tea cups on the table. “My presence is not needed in the Deadlands just yet.”
Having a Gladean Knight in front of her, Claire didn’t waste time in asking for his assistance against the specters. “B-but with you...!” she stuttered a little, losing control of her emotions. “We can win, we can get rid of the specters once and for all!” her fists shook with a mix of emotions she herself couldn’t understand.
“Lieutenant...” Tori whispered with concern.
“You could kill them all!” Claire continued hastily, her voice quivering slightly as she shook with angst. “A world without specters... there is no reason to wait...” She clenched her teeth.
Ninigi sat down on the floor beside the group after serving them tea, taking a sip from his cup. “I know how you feel, trust me... there is nothing I wish more than to avenge the deaths of those who suffered because of them.” a glimmer of sadness could be seeing in his eyes as he explained his situation. “But getting rid of the specters will take more than mindless battles against them, it’s a lesson even we knights had to learn eventually.”
Claire exhaled loudly and dropped her shoulders in resignation, stopping herself once she realized her unfair treatment of the knight.
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“If I may ask, Mr. Ninigi.” Gaspard interjected. “Wouldn’t eliminating the specters from the Deadlands rid of our troubles?”
Ninigi sipped from his cup and shook his head slowly. “The only way to eliminate them is if their maker himself is killed,” he began to explain.
“You mean Specter,” Eric mentioned as he attentively listened to the knight.
Ninigi nodded in response. “Correct, Specter utilizes the lifeforce from his own core to bring them to life.” he took another sip from his cup. “Every time you kill a specter, the energy they were given will return to him, increasing his power further.”
Bloodhound tensed up at the knight’s claim and the room filled with silence for a moment. “W-what are we supposed to do then?” Scott directed his question towards the knight.
“Your situation is not as hopeless yet,” Ninigi expressed calmly. “We don’t know where Specter is and his army isn’t as strong as before,” he paused for a moment in contemplation. “I would suggest you don’t put yourselves in danger any longer. However, it is not my place as a knight to interfere in the choices you make.” he concluded.
While full of frustration inside, Claire decided to remain quite during the rest of the peaceful meeting with the knight. Instead, focusing on how to report the situation to Cerberus once they return. Ninigi convinced the group to simply relax at the moment—serving them more tea and sweets as they took a break from their troubles. The minutes passed and Bloodhound enjoyed a friendly conversation with the knight, delighted by Ninigi’s calm and positive attitude.
Their idle chatter was suddenly interrupted by Claire’s phone however, vibrating in her pocket with an incoming call.
“Is it the boss?” Scott asked.
“Sorry...” Claire apologized as she picked the device and stood up.
“Please, go ahead.” Ninigi expressed with a smile.
Claire looked at the incoming call and promptly pressed the answer button once she noticed the name displayed on screen: ‘The Boss.’
“Yes, sir.” she said with her usual militaristic tone. She waited a few seconds for an answer, but received none. “Sir?” she attempted to call out a second time. However, the person on the phone did not answer back. “Please respond, sir.” She looked at her phone in surprise as the call was immediately cut with no warning.
Tori’s phone suddenly rang with a vibrant romantic song that brought everybody’s eyes towards her. “Aah! Sorry! Sorry!” she panicked as she picked the device from her pocket. “Uh?”
“Don’t tell me...” Claire pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I-it’s the boss, lieutenant...” Tori laughed nervously. “He has a message for you.”
Receiving the phone, Claire promptly pressed the ‘read’ button as the whole group squished together around her, waiting for her to read the message out loud.
“Sorry, I called by accident! :0
I was doing some CEO stuff on my desk when I accidently called the wrong number, I hope you understand. Anyway, how’s your day? Anything interesting? I actually have great news for you and Bloodhound, but won’t ruin the surprise just yet! ;)
I instructed Yeon to send the details to Eric’s phone, he’ll receive it soon enough.”
Eric’s phone rang all of a sudden as Claire finished reading the current message, taking him by surprise. “What the...!” he looked at the screen and noticed a new notification from an unknown number. “Why does your boss have my number?” the noble growled.
“I gave it to him,” Claire shrugged.
“And who gave it to you?”
“I provided the young miss with your telephonic address, master Eric.” Gaspard bowed. “In case of emergency, of course.”
The noble instinctively handed his phone over to Claire, who opened the message as the group squeezed together around her once again. The text informed the group of their boss’ decision to bring them back to Hemel, providing duke Albury with fire support from a different branch in the meantime. All under the pretext of a short ‘vacation’ for Bloodhound to enjoy after their successful operations in the Empire.
Gladean Empire, Voyin Province: 936, February 7th, Wednesday, 4:00 PM.
After a long stay at Ninigi’s home, Bloodhound prepared to leave for Stadtra and return to the Albury’s manor. They walked out of the door and thanked the knight for his hospitality. Claire bowed to him deeply with a regretful expression, ashamed by her behavior during their conversation.
“Sorry for the way I acted before...” she apologized. “I thought I had my emotions under control after all these years of training and yet...”
Ninigi simply smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, you did nothing wrong.” the knight bumped his chest with his fist and kept it still on top of his heart. “Just know that my oath as a knight has remained unbroken,” he said with a calm yet confident voice. “My duty is to protect humanity and I will carry that promise to my grave if I have to.”
Claire exhaled softly with relief, like a hefty weight has been lifted off her shoulders. “Thank you,” she returned the smile.
“You weren’t this eager when I said I wanted to join,” Eric crossed his arms. “Here I thought you didn’t have a need for more allies,” he said with a sarcasm that is hard to read due to his serious way of speaking.
“Shut up.”
Tori giggled at the lively situation, filled with relief at the success of their second operation “I can’t wait go back home, maybe we’ll see the blue lobsters again!” she expressed enthusiastically.
With a last farewell, Bloodhound left the hermit to his own matters and proceeded to return to Stadtra; expectations filling their fatigued minds as they imagined what type of vacation awaits them back in Hemel.
Cerberus HQ, CEOs Office: 936, February 7th, Wednesday, 4:00 PM.
“It is for the best, Sovereign.” Yeon claimed as she sat in the chair in front of the office desk. “How are you feeling? Any funny sensations?” She asked with a soft smile.
The young CEO kept his expressionless gaze on the fog, his mind wandered with memories of the past and ‘what if’ scenarios. He held a ring of solid amber in his left hand covered with a black glove, spinning the small object around with his fingers.
“I can handle it,” he responded with a voice that matched his expression. “We’ll just have to wait and see how much I can take.”
END OF CHAPTER