16 | Emissary

THEODORE STOOD MOTIONLESS BY the tall, narrow window, his face an inscrutable mask as he clutched Isabella's hand. A torrent of thoughts and emotions raged within him, each vying for supremacy in his mind. He glanced over at Vincent, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the city below.

  The sunlight blazed down upon Vincent's face, casting stark shadows beneath his furrowed brow and chiseled features. He is an Emissary, but not just any Emissary. A direct envoy of Archon Aelius Salacia of the Aetheric International Council.

  Vincent's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Have you both made your decisions?" he asked, his gaze never leaving the view of Edares at war.

  Theodore frowned, his eyes following Vincent's to the smoke-filled horizon, where the screams of the wounded mingled with the roar of the battlefield. He had anticipated this, had prepared for it, but he had not expected it to erupt so soon after Isaac's execution. It was almost as if their enemies had known in advance.

  As he watched the carnage unfold, a sense of guilt and shame washed over him. Why wasn't he out there, on the front lines, leading his troops into battle? He is the Governor General – a Grand Sorcerer. It is his duty.

  "My son... Cassius. You promise he'll be safe?" he asked, turning his gaze back to Vincent.

  He should have been happy and should have felt relief that the AIC had taken an interest in his son. After all, how many infants possessed peak-rate soul cores, let alone survived? But instead, a deep unease gnawed at him. He suspected this day would come since Cassius broke through the first realm less than a month ago.

  Lucas told him it was not unheard of for infants with peak-rate soul cores to cultivate instinctively, but it was rare. Only a few had ever survived the process. Theodore's mind then drifted back to a precedent hundreds of years ago when children as young as five had been forced to cultivate to fight against the Blight. Almost none had survived the process.

  Indeed, children can start cultivating, but after the Blight was pushed back, the practice was banned. He has forgotten about that.

  He took a deep breath as he looked out the window. He had a duty to both the people of the colony and his country, in addition to his duty to his family. But as he watched the city at war – he wondered if he could bear the weight of it all.

  “I can’t promise you anything,” said Vincent and looked at him. “But do you think you can keep him safe?”

  Theodore hesitated.

  Isabella said, “Pardon my disrespect, Your Excellency, but we don’t even know if my baby wants to cultivate.”

  Vincent lit a cigarette before opening the window. “He has already begun walking the Aetheric Path,” said Vincent.

  “But… why is it necessary for the AIC to take him?” asked Isabella.

  “There is an ancient threat far beyond the petty squabble of men, and Inar requires Sovereigns now more than ever,” Vincent said as he looked back through the window.

  “The Blight…” Theodore managed to utter.

  Vincent nodded. “We’re not forcing you to give up your child. But. Are you certain you can keep him safe? Can you keep him stable if he is on the verge of breaking through again? Without Lucas informing us, we wouldn’t have been able to help out in time.”

  Theodore and Isabella looked at each other, widening their eyes in surprise, before looking back to Vincent. “You mean…”

  Vincent nodded, “It was the AIC who helped Cassius' breakthrough. Lucas omitted this information because we didn't want you to learn of our involvement. But with this revolution… everything has changed.”

  Isabella clenched her jaw, her grasp upon Theodore’s hand tightening.

  Theodore saw a single tear run down her cheek before heaving a sigh. “Could you give us more time to think?”

  “Time…” Vincent said with a pause. “It's not my place to give you time. Cassius is still your child. But in a fortnight, I will take my leave. Until then… he will be under my protection.”

  “Thank you, Your Excellency,” said Theodore and Isabella at the same time as they watched Vincent disappear in a blink.

  Isabella began to sob and held him in a tight embrace.

⁂

Vincent stood atop the roof of a building, his black overcoat whipping around him in the wind as he watched the city of Edares in chaos. The sound of explosions and gunfire echoed through the streets as the Civil Guards clashed with the rebels. Smoke billowed from buildings, obscuring his view, but he could still make out the flashes of steel and the glint of guns in the sunlight.

  He was looking for Lucas because he could not shift back into his original form without his help.

  As he watched, a movement caught his eye. Down a narrow street below, a little girl was being dragged toward a house by a group of six rebels with an evil grins.

  “No! Stop! Mommy! Daddy! Anybody! Help!” yelled the girl.

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  Vincent's heart clenched in his chest as he saw the terror in the child's eyes, and he could not help but choose to act.

  He blinked and appeared behind the group. "You all piss off," he said with a cold tone, yet his voice echoed about.

  The rebels turned, sneering. One of them said, "And who are you to give us orders, Atharian?”

  'Atharian?' thought Vincent. Oh, right, he has blue eyes. Meanwhile, the Alardi has green.

  The rebels raised their hands, and Vincent could see the telltale signs of aether gathering at their fingertips. They were sorcerers. All of them were.

  "Die!" they shouted as they unleashed a barrage of Aether Bolts in his direction, each one more powerful than the last.

  “No elemental spells. They’re not Highs… second realmers at most,” thought Vincent.

  He had no long-distance offensive spells, so he used [Vanish]. His surroundings turned all but gray, and he ran directly through the barrage of spells. He phased through the aetheric projectiles and saw the surprise in the rebels’ eyes. “I need to kill them while they’re on cooldown… Six seconds… Should be enough.”

  Then he also phased through the group of rebels before deactivating [Vanish].

  Vincent immediately unsheathed his blade, his sword slicing through the air. A rebel had no time to react before Vincent's blade struck true, killing him instantly.

  Meanwhile, the girl took the opportunity to run inside the house, slamming the door behind her.

  “Smart,” thought Vincent.

  Then the five remaining rebels immediately responded with their own and attacked him at the same time with their swords.

  Vincent met the onslaught, their blades echoing with a metallic ring. Vincent dodged and weaved, his sword striking true with deadly precision. “They’re good. Looks like I can’t kill them within six seconds.”

  When he tried to [Blink], it did not work, and if he did not leap back in time, one of the rebels would have stabbed his heart. 'Already? I still have plenty of aether left… but looks like my body can’t keep up,' he thought.

  The rebels did notice and sneered before upping their tempo. They were skilled fighters, and they knew how to work together. They attacked in unison, their swords coming down in a coordinated assault.

  Vincent felt the sting of their blades as they grazed his skin and was forced to leap back to widen the distance.

  The rebels did not pursue and instead unleashed another barrage of aetheric bolts.

  Vincent activated [Heightened Sense], a less physically demanding spell, and dodged their attacks with quick, nimble movements. He felt his heartbeat going faster as if it were to explode – but he did not deactivate his buff spell.

  Instead, he dashed toward them, seeing the rebels move in slow motion, then struck his blade with deadly accuracy, taking down one rebel after another.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the last rebel fell to the ground, his sword clattering against the concrete. Vincent stood alone, panting and sweating, his sword at the ready.

  Vincent gritted his teeth and felt his muscles burning with exertion.

  For a moment, the only sound was the crackling of flames and the distant sounds of battle. Then, Vincent heard a sound that made his blood run cold. The sound of rushed, heavy footsteps arrived. They were civil guards, and there were a dozen of them. They had a couple with them with worry etched on their face.

  'Must be the girl’s parents,' thought Vincent.

  “Halt!” one of the civil guards said and immediately surrounded him, pointing their spears at him.

  He fell to the ground in exhaustion, stabbing his blade against the concrete to keep himself upright.

  Then the girl from earlier came out of the house. “Stop! Stop! He saved me!” She pointed at the corpses of the six rebels before rushing before Vincent. She opened her small arms wide open, defending him from the guards.

  “Anna!” said the couple at the same time and rushed to hug their daughter.

  “Put down your weapons,” one of the guards said, and her companions did. She must be the leader of the unit. “Identify yourself, sorcerer,” she said.

  “Vincent De Lu–” he said and coughed up blood. 'Two spells… that’s my limit? Tier IVs are really no joke,' he thought.

  As he was about to fall on his face, the guard immediately rushed to support Vincent, quickly wrapping her arm around his waist to keep him steady. “We’ll take you to the infirma–”

  “Thanks, but I’m fine. Take me to Lucas Morgan,” said Vincent as he was helped to stand up.

  The girl and his parents thanked him profusely, and Vincent only smiled at them in response. Half of the guards escorted them away, and half remained with Vincent.

  “Lucas Morgan… are you with counterintelligence?” asked the guard as she helped him sit on a nearby bench.

  Vincent tried to come up with an excuse. Previously, he chose to lie that he was with the AIC to his parents. While he did consider lying as part of the Atharian Intelligence Service or the AIS, it would be difficult for him to keep up the lie. Meanwhile, lying to be with the AIC would at least allow him to negotiate with Aelius. Not mentioning the AIC operate with minimal attention.

  Lie for now... come up with a solution later... was his frame of thought.

  However, after seeing his parents’ reaction, he decided not to overuse the lie. At least, not until he talks to Aelius.

  “No, but I’m working with him. Governor General Aramdale can also vouch for my identity,” said Vincent.

  “I understand, but you can’t even stand up,” said the guard.

  “What’s your name?” asked Vincent.

  “Lisa.”

  “I’ll be fine in a few minutes, Lisa,” said Vincent as he slowly stood up. He did not lie. He felt he would be fine. “But I need you to–” Then his words were interrupted as he coughed up blood again. 'What’s happening?' he thought.

  Lisa looked at Vincent – terrified. “Your veins… they’re black.”