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Everything felt different and strange now, even completely alien. The halls were no longer filled with Temple Guardsmen. Instead, they had been sparsely replaced by the heavily armored Holy Knights from the Order of Silver. Save for the occasional clang of a metal footfall, an unearthly silence permeated the entire interior, despite the fact that the murder investigation was ongoing. There were no whispered conversations, no background sounds of routine activity. It was as if the whole city was holding its breath, waiting to see what tragedy would befall it next.
I need to clear my head…
It was almost too easy to make my way to the highest balcony, but deep down, I was thankful that no one felt the need to question me. After dragging myself up the endless stairs, I first leaned on, then melted into the warm stone parapet as I overlooked the city. It was evening now, and while the barrier still sparkled above, a thick, smoky miasma clung to multiple areas within the Periphery, fueled by small, sputtering fires of angry protest.
At least none of the buildings have gone up in flames yet…
I folded my arms on the short wall and rested my head on them, closing my eyes. After a few moments, I relaxed and yawned several times, noting that in my mind, I could see Silver speckled throughout the city.
We’re so lucky to have them here in Chairo, the center of Chaos, even if recent events have spread their Order a bit thin…
Lucky?
Maybe we're unlucky. Maybe if I hadn't set foot here... Then, perhaps none of this would have happened...
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Oliver dropped from an overhead tree branch, landing soundlessly on light feet. “You seem a little more melancholy than usual, Captain.” Not bothering to wait for permission, he sat beside me. “I take it your leash has been shortened again?”
I sighed, glancing forlornly toward the destination I yearned to see. “Relias has decided we should avoid Chairo entirely and proceed straight to Porta.”
“Oh? It sounds like he’s doing you a favor for once.”
“Did you just… compliment him?”
“You make it sound like I’m incapable of agreeing with him,” he replied, a slight smirk tugging at his crooked lips. “Just because I find him insufferable doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge his occasional good sense when I recognize it.”
I stood up quickly and started to storm off. “I thought you, out of everyone, would understand. How ignorant of me.”
“Pleasant dreams,” he called after me, utterly unfazed at my antics.
With clenched fists, I paused and turned. “Why do you think he’s doing me a favor? I wanted to see the famed Holy City just once more before I…”
“Famed Holy City? Are you still speaking about Chairo?” he scoffed. “It’s a gilded, foolhardy place where the gravest sins are always up for auction. May you never find yourself there again, Captain, because you'll spend the rest of your life cleaning up after it.”
I gave up trying to guilt him into pitying me. “Don’t tell me you’ve been there.”
“Mmm… Once, a while ago, on business,” he admitted. “I didn’t waste any time trying to see the sights, not that there was any true splendor to speak of.”
“Nothing is ever sacred to you, is it?” I muttered, sitting down again beside him. “I hope that someday you’ll find the true value in others that make up this world. Maybe then you’ll realize that not everyone and everything is beneath you.”
He placed his hand dramatically against his chest, his rarely seen emerald eyes wide in fake shock. “Chastised by the Chosen One! Truly, I am humbled by your words…”
After ensuring no one was watching, I punched him solidly in the shoulder. “Now, that was most assuredly a lie.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Just a jest since you caught on before I even finished," he chuckled, leaning back against the tree, his fingers idly rubbing his arm. "Though it seems I've incurred your divine wrath as a result. But believe me, you wouldn't be safe within those walls now. It's only a matter of time before General Ragnerus’s vendetta turns him toward Chairo again—and far quicker if he learns you’re there."
I uttered an unprofessional oath. “I guess I hadn’t thought of that… I’d rather avoid him entirely, if possible.”
“Interesting…” I felt his gaze narrow. “You hold no grudge against him? He killed you in your second life, stopping your journey in its infancy. Doesn’t that stir anything in your blood?”
I clenched my teeth and replied carefully, “It’s nothing I can’t suppress.”
“Then you’re a better soul than I, Captain,” he concluded with a smirk. “If I were you, I’d want to pay him back in spades for pulling such an underhanded trick.”
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Well, that’s a first.
I had fallen asleep on my feet, though technically, my head was down, and I was probably leaning most of my weight forward into the wall. My upper back shrieked in protest as I straightened up.
And there’s drool on my sleeve.
I exhaled slowly and covertly wiped my mouth, knowing that even though I couldn’t see anyone, I was sure I was being watched.
So, General Ragnerus has a particular vendetta against Chairo? He’d target it… again? Most importantly… he killed me in a past life?
Maybe I should be taking all this personally…
“Captain Lightbringer?” a nervous voice called from behind.
“Oh, good evening, Father Irijah,” I greeted him with all the fake enthusiasm I could muster. “What brings you way up here?”
“Holy Sage Relias wanted to ensure you had something safe to eat tonight,” he explained. “He asked me to direct you to him so that he may check any and all meals before consumption.”
“Oh… ” I'm not feeling hungry today, all things considered.
He frowned, turning his gaze off to the northeast. “The flashing’s different now… perhaps they were able to start repairs on the crystal earlier than expected?”
“How do you know it’s different?” I asked, my muscles instinctively tensing.
He looked around with a nervous, flitting gaze. “I’ve been watching it every chance I get since the Director informed us of all the problems. It used to flash quickly, but now the pattern alternates… see?”
Three fast flashes, then three slow ones, in an infinitely repeating pattern. The nagging worry resulting from this odd observation was going to take all my brainpower to tease out.
“It emits its own light and has six long sides in total, yes?” I asked.
He nodded.
“If the crystal is always rotating at a steady speed, well, more or less,” I continued, putting my hands on my head to help focus my thoughts. “Then, it's most likely that three sides with worse fractures would cause three quick flashes, right? I mean, the light refracting through its surface would be altered depending on the severity of the…”
“Captain, I’ll believe anything you say.” Father Irijah frowned.
That doesn’t make it true, though! Where’s Nora when you need her? She’d have already figured this one out by now. “I’m not sure of this, but… I think the sides with less severe fractures would cause the three slower flashes.”
Once again, he agreed, and more unfiltered thoughts spilled from my mouth. “That’s why you said you thought they started repairs, right? Because some of the flashes are slower now. Yet it makes no sense. I just saw Master Landon, and I’m pretty sure his expertise was necessary for initiating repairs.”
He took several moments to consider my jumble. “Captain, the crystals wouldn’t repair themselves. Perhaps someone else is acting independently to—”
I gasped. “It's a code! The flashing is a message to someone far away! Whatever the message was before, it’s been purposefully changed now!”
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Captain Corwin closed his notebook with a loud snap. “There is no corresponding entry in our code book. I know not what it means.”
“I was afraid that might be the case,” Relias replied softly. “Kaikias’s Eye… Such an ill omen…”
Once again, I couldn’t help but paranoidly think about the dream I just had. “Relias… when’s the last time anyone heard from the holy knights in Porta?”
“You mean from Captain Sonea of the White?”
Oh, I like the sound of that Name! “Yes. Has she been in touch lately?”
She would be the one in charge of holding the frontlines and keeping the General at bay.
Relias began to dig through the packets of parchment on his desk. “I was told we’ve been receiving reports from her weekly,” he murmured. “Though I have yet had the chance to review them myself. Ah. Here is the latest.” He handed it to me, though I was smart enough to have Corwin read it in my stead.
“Is that her handwriting?” I asked.
He read through the report carefully. “It appears so… And nothing is out of the ordinary… I think. However, Your Holiness, do you have any other ones to compare to?”
Relias pushed a large stack of pages toward the far edge of his desk. “There’s everything from the latest quarter. Please help yourself to them.”
Corwin read a second, then a third report, his scowl deepening. “Except for the dates, their contents are exactly the same! Captain Sonea would not shirk her documentation duties like this. She knows the importance of accurately capturing her activities!”
Just like in the movies… the security feed’s on a loop! How long have we been watching reruns for?
“I think…” I swallowed heavily, catching their horrified expression as they reached the same conclusion I had. “We should prepare for an imminent invasion.”
What better time for the General to pay us a visit than when we've turned against our neighbors and buried our heads in the sand?
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