Elliot had mentioned earlier that he was going to a meeting with Nyra Blackwell, a dear friend and one of the few people he had personally recruited for The Scribes. Vas had seen Elliot in a good mood earlier that afternoon after a round of lessons, feeling lighter than usual. But now... now that calm felt ominous.

At that very moment, Elliot arrived at Nyra's opulent home. It was grandiose, far larger than necessary for one person, but Nyra had never been one for subtlety. She lived extravagantly, using her lifestyle as a smokescreen for her other ventures. As Elliot approached the door, an odd sense of foreboding settled over him. He let out a long sigh, knowing in his heart that the time he had been preparing for had come.

"Figures," he muttered to himself, stepping inside without hesitation.

Elliot walked through the lavish corridors, paying no mind to the art and décor that screamed wealth. His expression was calm but stern, his thoughts already racing ahead of the moment. When he finally entered the room where Nyra waited, she was dressed in a luxurious purple silk robe, lounging on a chaise like a queen awaiting her court.

"You're a bit overdressed for a friendly chat, aren't you?" Elliot remarked, his tone dry but his eyes sharp, analyzing every detail.

Nyra chuckled, her voice light as she swirled a glass of wine. "Why not? I'm ready to celebrate after our little meeting." She took a sip, her eyes sparkling with something far more sinister than joy.

Elliot exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "You won't be celebrating tonight, Nyra."

Her smile faltered, only slightly, but enough for Elliot to notice. She set the glass down on the table beside her, folding her hands in her lap as her expression turned serious.

"Why haven't you taught me everything yet, Elliot?" she asked, her voice low but laced with frustration. "All these years, and you still keep things from me."

Elliot met her gaze, his eyes darkening. "There are things I can't teach you yet. You're not ready. And your impatience... it's going to cost you more than you realize."

At that moment, a faint purple hue began to fill the room. Elliot glanced around as the walls seemed to shimmer, and then a large sigil materialized, glowing with an eerie light. He recognized it immediately—Nyra had set the stage.

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"So this is your move?" Elliot said quietly, his voice calm despite the gravity of the situation.

Nyra stood, her robe trailing behind her as she stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "I want answers, Elliot. Why are you spending so much time with that boy, Vas? You've known him for, what, a few days? Yet you let him into your home. Your sanctuary. Something you never did for me, even after decades."

Elliot sighed again, his eyes unreadable. "With time, you'll understand. But tonight isn't that time."

Nyra's face twisted with anger. "I'm done waiting! I want answers now!"

The sigil on the floor flared, glowing brighter and pulsing with raw energy. Nyra's impatience had taken control, and the sigil was responding to her fury. Elliot stood firm, watching her with a calm that only seemed to infuriate her more.

"This," she said, gesturing to the sigil now glowing intensely between them, "is a sigil of the highest order. One I've been perfecting for years."

As she spoke, several figures began to emerge from the shadows, stepping into the light of the sigil. Elliot's eyes flickered over them, recognizing Sarah and Robbie, two other members of The Scribes, along with others he had mentored over the years. They were here, too, their expressions grim as they channeled their Anima into the sigil, fueling its power.

Nyra smiled, triumphant. "See? Even your precious students are here, helping me. This is their power now, Elliot. They believe in me. And still, you refuse to give me what I deserve. Why?"

Elliot's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. "I taught you well," he said softly, glancing at the others, "all of you. But that doesn't mean I gave you everything."

Nyra's smile vanished. Her patience was at its end, her voice now a sharp command. "Stop playing games, Elliot. Tell me why Vas is so important! Why him? Why now?"

The tension in the room was palpable. The glow of the sigil intensified, filling the air with a hum of power that made the very walls vibrate. The others stood silent, their focus locked on maintaining the sigil's integrity, waiting for Elliot to break. But he remained quiet, his gaze steady on Nyra.

For a long moment, there was only the sound of the crackling energy filling the room. Then Nyra took a step closer, her voice low and dangerous. "You think you can walk away from this? From me? You owe me, Elliot. And you'll give me what I want, or I'll take it from you."

But Elliot didn't flinch. He knew the sigil was powerful, stronger than anything Nyra had used before, but it didn't matter. He had made his peace with this long ago. His silence was his answer.

Nyra's eyes blazed with fury. "Fine," she spat. "Then we'll do this my way."

The sigil flared again, and the power in the room surged to its peak, ready to be unleashed. But Elliot remained unyielding, his eyes locked on Nyra's, calm and resolute.

In that moment, everything hung in the balance.

Nyra's voice echoed through the room, her frustration growing with every passing second. She demanded more answers, her tone sharp, but Elliot remained as silent as ever, standing stoically in the center of the glowing sigil. No matter how much Nyra pressed, no matter how many accusations or questions she hurled at him, he said nothing.

Her patience, already frayed, began to unravel. The glowing sigil, which had once radiated with power, started to flicker, its strength wavering as Nyra's desperation increased. For a brief moment, she felt a twinge of panic—the realization that things were not going as she had planned. The sigil was weakening, and Elliot was still withholding everything.

Her mind raced, but just as she began to lose hope, an unexpected surge of energy bolted through the room, causing the sigil to blaze brighter than before. A dark smile curled at the corners of Nyra's lips. Her new allies had come through for her after all.

The Light Cavalry.