Aenios Abna. Son of the revered Amell Abna. He was born into a life of wealth and power, always getting what he wanted. You’d think a child would get spoiled like this right? Well, in Aenios’s case, he wasn’t. In fact, he was generous. Always giving gold to those in need, never wanting more than what he needed and was ridiculously polite.
Always kind and caring, handsome to a fault. He truly is, prefect. I should know, I follow him everyday.
Aenios: “Skye! Hurry up! We’re going to be late!”
His voice called out from inside the mansion. While I’d love to continue just sitting in the garden, I doubt he’d let me stay here forever. Besides, school is important! I think…
I get up and put on my helmet.
Skye: “Coming!” I call back out and rush over. Aenios was waiting by the doorway. Arms crossed and leaning and the wall. He wore his usual silver robes, Moonglade by his side. That sword always scared me…
Aenios: “We’re definitely going to be late now…” Aenios spoke angrily.
Skye: “Well, its not like you want to go either, you always complain that school isn’t advanced enough!”
Aenios walked out of the doorway and into the mansion beckoning for me to follow. Which was strange. Aenios really doesn’t like school.
I follow behind him, my hand on the hilt of my sword. A bodyguard should always be ready, even inside your own home.
We walked through the mansion. Tall marble pillars with a floor decorated with a gold border. The mansion truly showed how much wealth and power the Abna family held.
The servants bowed as Aenios walked past, guards saluted. Everyone respected the Abna family, for obvious reasons. Power, wealth and their good-hearted nature. It’s hard to find nobles who are kind.
We walked to the front foyer and out the main doors. A carriage was waiting for us and we quickly got on. I stared at Aenios… as this was my job. My eyes darted around the cart multiple times, just checking for anything suspicious before returning to Aenios.
Aenios was visibly uncomfortable when I did this but he never said anything. I wonder, would he feel more comfortable with my helmet off, or would he feel less comfortable?
The carriage sped through the forest. The Marn carrying the carriage ran at fast speeds. Despite being a common creature around the world, Marn are used by both the commoners and the wealthy.
Through the town we went, and deep inside the forest. There lay the grand magic institute of Chē, the school Aenios currently attends.
Aenios get out of the carriage, I was right behind him. We walked closer to the school before he suddenly stopped, making me bump into him.
I wondered what he was doing until I looked past him.
This isn’t going to be good.
---
Aenios’s POV
Guards and military officials were running about. There are always guards at prestigious schools but these guards came from the Station, they were the law enforcing type of Guard. The military officials too. They would never be here.
Something big is going on.
They rushed around the courtyard, carrying documents that seemed to be from the Station as well. It all seemed so disorganized and rushed. Maybe I have an excuse for not being in class?
???: “Hey you! The kid!”
Beside me, a guard wearing a bronze badge walked up to me. He looked very grouchy.
Junior Constable: “We’re conducting an investigation here, get to your class! Seriously, what’s up with these kids. They should be grateful they even get to go to a school…”
He walked off, quite angry. That in turn made me quite angry. I’ll have to kill him later, but he revealed some important information to me.
An investigation was going on, and this amount of personnel? It meant the incident was big.
This was slightly worrying considering my past few endeavours… but they couldn’t have found me out yet? Right? They aren’t looking for the midnight murderer… right?
Anxiety building up, I decided to clear find information about the matter. Which criminal are they searching for, and how did they know said criminal would be here?
I looked for someone in charge. I pulled out my silver badge. It gave me command over all units of a lower rank than me, the only people I couldn’t command were the Head Constables. There were three of them if I remember. So, its unlikely that one of them would be heading the investigation.
I asked around for where the head of the investigation was. I was relieved as I found out that they weren’t looking for the criminal that killed those poor people, but when I asked them what they were looking for before, I came up blank. It wasn’t until another deputy constable told me that the temporary operation headquarters was located inside the school.
I walked in, determined to look for answers. A stream of guards going through and out of the door to the auditorium clearly indicated where the constable meant. Some students were walking in and out as well.
I walked in, bypassing the line, getting some angry and confused glares as I passed by. Tables were set up everywhere. Stacks of papers were weighing down their makeshift supports. I picked one up and realized these were all testimonies. Student testimonies.
Something had happened. Or someone found something out.
I continued into the building and at the very back found the head of the investigation. A shiny gold badge embedded in his armor, a bored face surrounded by many constables. He was lithe and his armor was custom fit for his skinny figure. He had a gaunt face and looked as if he hadn’t slept in ages.
I walked up, looking for answers.
Head Constable: “What’s this kid doing here? Get him to where we’re doing the testimonies! Mistakes like this cost us precious time!”
I presented my badge. He looked at it, trying to determine if it was real.
Head Constable: “Arrest this child! He has taken the badge of a deputy constable!”
I shook my head. “Sir, my name is Aenios, Aenios Abna, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on.” That’s what I said but what I really meant was, ‘Hello fucktard, I’m the son of your boss so if you keep disrespecting me, I’m going to have you and your family publicly executed. The males by castration!’ but of course, I couldn’t say that. I waited for his response.
He stared at me. “So?”
That slightly ticked me off. “Look, it seems important is happening, and I want to help figure this out.”
Head Constable: “You said want, not need. Did your father send you here?”
My mouth twitched.
Head Constable: “If he didn’t send you, then you’ve no business here. Get back to class, these orders are from a head constable! You’re also prevented from ever trying to investigate this again! Furthermore…”
The Head Constable got up and most of the guards turned around, looking at him. “Aenios Abna has graced us with his presence, however, to make sure he keeps safe, do not reveal any information about the investigation around him! Thank you.”
Those who listened to the Head Constable saluted, and told those who were too busy or thinking too hard to listen.
Now I was stuck. I couldn’t get even the measly hints from the guards without badges. Sighing I called out for Skye, turning around and expecting her to be there.
But she wasn’t.
Head Constable: “What are you waiting for… young master. Get back to your class. Your education determines the outcome of Chē.” He talked impatiently and his hidden message telling me to get out was clear.
Aenios: “Skye? Skye? Hello?”
I looked around for my bodyguard. It seems… I lost her…
This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. The situation has worsened even farther.
I hesitantly walked out of the operation room and walked down the nearest hallway. After walking for a bit, I realised I was completely lost.
I looked around, but the halls looked exactly the same to me. I may be excellent at academics and may be blessed with a noble’s life, I may just enough be the luckiest person on our world! But despite all that, I often find myself unable to simply find my way around my own home.
I stumble through the halls looking for my classroom. If I don’t find it quickly, I’ll be put under suspicion for wandering the halls randomly. No one expect Skye knows about my disability. Whenever I’m forced to go to class, I just follow her around until we reach there. Without her, how am I supposed to find my way? There isn’t anyone in the halls to help me!
I was completely lost until I felt a strong bout of dark magic being emitted from a nearby hallway. An amount of magical power that shouldn’t be available to the students here.
My senses heightened instantly, and I became extremely serious. Now this… this I know is wrong.
I walked closer to the source of the magic. The air was so mana heavy that I could probably taste the mana if I wanted to.
I was lead to a black wooden door, one I hadn’t seen in the school before. While I may not have the best sense of direction, I do have a good memory. This door wasn’t here before. In fact.
I turn around.
This entire hallway was created very recently. The walls too must be magic.
I stop in front of the door. The magic was so intense that it almost made me sick.
Aenios: “Greater Magic Armor.”
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An invisible barrier of powerful mana surrounded my body, the disgusting mana repelled for some time.
I guess nothing will happen unless I go in.
I opened the door.
Instantly, I was hit with the smell of rotten flesh and some rather abominable sights.
Corpses were scattered around the room, flesh torn, sliced and bitten? Wounds causing by teeth covered their carcasses.
The sight was quite disturbing, especially since I didn’t do it… I walked up closer and started to examine the bodies. They all wore the uniform to our school. It seems they are in my school.
After inspecting a bit more, I found two more things. Someone had defiled the corpses by committing sexual acts, not matter the gender. The second thing was much more disturbing.
All their eyes were closed which I found strange. I walked over to the corpse of a girl and lifted her eyelid. A stream of maggots rushed out into the darkness from her empty eye socket.
I retracted my hand. Hmm.
I looked at the corpses a bit more until I noticed something similar about all of them.
My eyes widened. All of these people are photomancers! Magicians of the light! Not just that, all these people are the son’s and daughter’s of very powerful business magnates. They were all in my photomancy class!
I checked the rest of the bodies. They too were in my class, it seems everyone from my class was here expect for…
???: “It took you long enough.”
I turned around. The door closed and disappeared into the darkness. Standing in its place was a boy around my age, wearing the same uniform. Behind him was a creepy looking old man who I recognize as the professor of the alchemy class. He didn’t wear a robe so I could see his unsightly features. He had a terrible hump in his back, his arms and legs were long and spindly, with long nails that seemed to resemble claws.
The student flipped his hood. Dark hair and grinning face looked back at me.
Aenios: “Who are you?”
The student got annoyed at my comment. “You really don’t remember me?!?”
Was I supposed to?
Robed Student: “You absolute, arrogant, disgusting, goody-two shoes. Back when we started school, they held a tournament to determine where the student’s strengths compared to their peers laid.”
I remember that tournament, I got first. I didn’t even use my magic against my first opponent!
…
Wait…
Aenios: “You’re the first guy I faced, right?”
Veins started to pop in his forehead. “This is why… everyone thinks that photomancers are so cool! WELL THEIR WRONG!! THIS IS WHAT THEY DO. THEY PUBLICALLY HUMILIATE YOU, RUIN YOUR LIFE AND THEN FORGET YOU EXISTENCE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!”
Aenios: “How does that have anything to do with this?” I pointed to the corpses. But really I was looking around the room for an escape route. While I am strong, my strengths don’t lie in one on one fighting, the people behind me however, they have some powerful fighting skills. Even though I won that tournament, if its in a dark room like this.. my magic will be weakened.
The robed student took deep breathes, the creepy teacher behind him just kept staring at me, looking at me up and down. I think I found who desecrated those bodies.
Robed Student: “When I went back home and my parents learned about how I humiliated myself against an enemy who didn’t even use magic, they severely punished me. I was treated worse than a slave for months! It was after they replaced me with another son did I start to plan my revenge. Not just against you though. Against all those who favour the light!”
Hmm?
Robed Student: “I murdered my parents.”
Well… that escalated quickly.
Robed Student: “And I took their bodies to my professor over here. I’ve known him for a long time you see, and he has certain… interests which he would fulfill requests if I could deliver. We made a deal. He would help me create a weapon that would destroy any photomancers without fail, and I would trade him the bodies of the victims. My plan is perfect!”
Robed Student: “As you saw, it was quite successful and my favourite professor here got want he wanted as well.”
Robed Student: “Now… all that’s left is you!”
He pulled an orb out of his robes, now I know what the robes were for.
Robed Student: “I bet you still don’t even remember my name. If you did… this probably still would have happened. Professor!”
The teacher looked up and bounced towards me. He drank a potion attached to his waste, instantly, the mana around him flew to the other corners of the room. An anti-magic shield!
I drew my sword and braced myself. He crawled on the floor heading straight towards me, moving at a frightening pace. I have to dodge his attack then strike him!
I tumbled to the right as he passed, his hands and claws outstretched, confusion imminent as he didn’t draw any blood.
I dashed to where he fell and slashed his back. But instead of drawing blood, a black liquid came out and quickly closed the wound. He turned around and grinned at me.
Robed Student: “That won’t work. Our professor here can only be hurt using magic. I heard you weren’t very proficient with offensive type magic, so I wonder… how did you win the entire tournament?”
The beast of a man leaped at me, I brandished my sword in a desperate attempt to ward him off, but instead, he grabbed my blade and threw it into the wall, embedding it in the rock.
Robed Student: “Poor Aenios. The most popular kid in school. The kindest, most gentle person according to the rumors and also, the next head of Chē! Oh, the horror! What will he do now! Hahahaha!”
Aenios: “Ha. Hehe. Oh man, I didn’t think I would be pushed into a corner by a mere lunatic and a necrophiliac.”
Robed Student: “Did you finally crack? Have you turned insane from the promise of death? YOU HAVE NO REASON TO BE LAUGHING.”
I clasped my hands together, the mana around me starting to purify.
The student’s eyes widened. “He’s casting something big! Stop him! The orb hasn’t charged enough yet!!”
The professor bound towards me as quickly as he could, but it was too late. With an explosion, the darkness of the room was dispelled as a beautiful woman with wings too its place. A full suit of silver armor and wings that shimmered like the moon, she brandished a sword exactly like mine. A silver blade with a black handle.
The student stepped backwards… “A-an angel?! How the hell did you get an angel?!?”
I smiled. “Oh, angel of the heavenly moon, strike down the evils before me! Bring justice in the name of the stars!”
She hefted her long sword and glared at the professor who suddenly looked a bit worried.
She slashed downward, creating an arc of raw power, blasting through the corpses and obstacles, headed straight for the professor.
He leaped to the right, crashing into the wall, narrowly avoid the beam of moonlight that destroyed everything behind him.
She flew over to where he was, white energies surrounding her.
Robed Student: “What is that… thing. That isn’t sunlight I’m seeing, That’s moonlight!” He turned to me.
Robed Student: “What are you?”
I pointed my hand toward him. A beam of moonlight fired directly at his head. He ducked and narrowly avoided the beam of death.
He desperately clutched onto the orb in his hands as he kept running around the room, trying to dodge my attacks. I pointed my hand towards the angel while firing beams with my other hand.
Meanwhile, the angel had started to corner the professor. He was stuck in a corner with a vindicator flying right in front of him. In a desperate attempt, he jumped at the angel, aiming for her neck. His hopes were in vain as his body just simply bounced off the mana shield around her.
Aenios: “Slash his throat, don’t use too much magic!”
She nodded and quickly ended his life. The power of the moon able to bypass his healing, his original crimson blood seeped out of his neck. His body slumped and the angel flew to my side.
Aenios: “Corner him!”
She flew up to the student who did the best he could to doge both my, and the angel’s attacks. His wounds only consisting of seared scars coming from her blade.
At last, we forced him into a corner. He was panting and surely unable to move any longer.
Aenios: “It seems this is the end. I guess you weren’t the all-powerful villain you appeared to be.”
Robed Student: “Hehehe, HAHAHAHHAHAHA.”
It seems it was him who turned insane instead of me.
Robed Student: “Yes… this is the end… FOR YOU!!” He pointed his orb at me and the angel.
Robed Student: “BRING DEATH TO THOSE WHO FAVOUR THE LIGHT. RIP OUT THEIR HEARTS. BREAK THEM FOR CHOOSING GOOD OVER EVIL. END THEIR LIFE!”
Suddenly, a beam of energy burst out of the orb. It hit the angel, who, despite her own defenses and my mana barrier, died. The energy ripping out her force and entombing it inside the orb. Her body disappeared, no longer having the soul of an angel inside it.
The orb rocked and burst with even more dark energy. Even the student was surprised.
Robed Student: “That angel must have been extremely powerful, the orb has enough energy to fire again!”
He pointed the orb at me, not letting him do what he did again, I fired a beam of light at him. The orb automatically consuming the magic.
Robed Student: “Did I not tell you that it absorbs light magic? Maybe I should have… well it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die anyway.”
He pointed the orb at me.
Robed Student: “Goodbye.”
The same stream of energy rushed at my body. I put as many mana barriers around me, but it just passed through them.
Robed Student: “Mana barriers huh? I’m afraid to say that it won’t work. Mana barriers only work against physical and mana based attacks. This orb right here does neither. All your silly barriers can do is slow it down.
The energy passed through the first barrier.
Robed Student: “I guess we have some time then. Only two more barriers left. I really wanted to brag about this to someone. I guess since your going to die anyway, I can tell you.”
Robed Student: “You see, I wanted to create something that would kill all photomancers no matter what. So, I researched many forms of magic that countered the light, yet none of it had a one-hundred percent chance of working. I knew that if I failed, I would die, and my dream of seeing a lightless world would never be fulfilled. I was about to give up until I met the professor wandering around the streets.”
Robed Student: “We talked for a bit before he presented an idea to me.”
Robed Student: “Instead of aiming for the element, aim for something else all magicians of the light have in common. When you figured out what else they have in common, come back to me.”
Robed Student: “I spent nights trying to find another similarity between photomancers. It was only on the third day that it dawned on me. The answer was right in front of me all along. The cliché that was true to all those who favoured the light.”
He smiled evilly. “They’re all goody two shoes. I presented the professor my idea. The professor said that it was true, while photomancers were all good, there wasn’t anything in this world that could destroy a moral aspect of a being. He told me to think of something else.”
The second mana barrier was bypassed.
Robed Student: “Disheartened, I walked back home until I was approached by a man completely covered in darkness. He had heard about my predicament and gave me this crystal. Saying it was the answer to my problems. After I took it, he disappeared. I told the professor about the crystal and he was astonished, asking me where I had got it from. I told him about the strange man. The professor said that the crystal had the unique property to find the very same moral aspects he was talking about.”
Robed Student: “It was then when we started researching. I used my family’s funds to power our project until it was finally complete. This orb, it will rip out the souls of those with good hearts, entrapping them forever inside the orb, making it even more powerful.”
Robed Student: “And now we’re here… with you about to die. The energy is almost past the last barrier. Any last words? I want to here you beg for mercy.”
I stood silent. Processing what he had just said.
Robed Student: “This is the end then. Now die, Aenios of the house of Abna, meet your eternal suffering inside this orb!”
The energies blasted through the last barrier and swarmed around me. Yes… this was the end…
I fell to the ground and shut my eyes… goodbye…
---
I walked up to his corpse. Those silver white robes caressing dead body. Damn, if only the professor was here. Then he would ruin it his peaceful looking corpse.
John: “I did it. I finally did it! Haha! Finally! Thank you, professor…”
Then I heard a coughing from the other end of the room.
Professor of Alchemy: “I’m not dead you idiot. I was just playing dead. To think that your rival was actually a lunamancer. His body is way too valuable to waste.”
John: “You’re… not dead? Wait... what’s a lunamancer?”
Professor of Alchemy: “I’ll tell you later. For now, use some of your parent’s money to get us a safe way out of this town and into Nuvea! We’ll be safe there. We can continue slaughtering people when we’re there.”
John: “Right… right…”
Professor of Alchemy: “For now, hehe, I’ll just enjoy myself with the parts of his body I can use…”
Ugh, it was that disgusting habit of his again. I canceled the shadow magic, the shadows on the walls disappeared and the original Alchemy classroom returned. A glint of metal caught my attention.
I walked over to the sword. The work on it seemed ancient, yet it shines even when embedded in the wall. There’s something about this sword…
*HUUk*
The sound of someone being chocked took my attention away from the sword. The Professor was being held around the neck by the corpse of Aenios, a glowing white energy similar to the angel’s surrounding his eyes.
Aenios closed his grip around his neck, whilst emitting constant magic through his hand. The professor’s next exploded and his head (with the same look of terror on all these other corpses) landed right in front of my feet.
Aenios smiled, a smile so cruel. He started to walk towards me. Each step taking more and more time.
I blasted him with dark magic but it simply disappeared as soon as it got too close to him.
John: “No… STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!!!”
Aenios: “Hahaha.”
He walked past the corpses, the magic pressure in the air was immense enough to bring me to my knees if the orb wasn’t absorbing some of it.
John: “How… how are you still alive?!?”
Aenios stopped and he smiled, a smile so cruel. The smile of a murderer.
Aenios: “I never said… that I was a good person…”
I looked at the orb. His soul wasn’t taken! But that’s impossible! This orb will take your soul even if you have the slightest amount of good in your heart. Both me and the professor would die if this was pointed at us… how???
I looked at him. He was right in front of me. His smile said it all.
Aenios: “Ha ha ha…”
He put his thumbs on my eyes.
John: “Wait… please… NO!”
He jabbed them in, an immense pain seared from my head, I collapsed to the ground.
John: “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
My head was full of pain. I could hear him talking to me, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying. I wanted death, the pain was unbearable.
His thumbs fished around deeper into my head, forcing its way through my flesh, but to ensure I didn’t die, he was constantly healing me. I could feel the magic.
Finally, his entire hand ended up somewhere inside my head. He plucked somethung uot end E stertad ti leso my trin uf thut aend i…
My body fell to the ground. I could feel myself separating from it and being sucked into the orb. In my last moments, all I could see was his smile.
What can you do against an evil like that...
End of Chapter Two