The four remained silent.

Lucian subconsciously shivered at the voice. There was no particular reason why, as it was very soft and polite, but something about it was sinister.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦!

The safest place was his room; but he needed a distraction. Taking a secret glance down the hall, he saw that the three intruders were confused. He then heard the displeased voice of the first intruder.

“Hey, that wasn't part of the plan. Don't tell me, kid...are you expecting any late night visitors?”

“Yes, my father's acquaintance.”

Lucian lied through his teeth as he tried to act natural.

𝘔𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱.

The intruders were talking amongst themselves, ignoring him. Suddenly, Lucian tensed when the second intruder pull out another knife.

“From what I can tell, it's a woman.”

“Hmm, I thought that he was still obsessed with his wife?”

“Maybe she's trying to get a taste of the high life? Haha, she chose the wrong day to try this, right Anguish?”

“Indeed.”

𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦!

As Lucian cursed his weakness, a loud explosion came from below—followed by another in front of him as he saw the first intruder now embedded into the wall.

“Grh... GAAAH!!”

“Mirth! Who could have... ARGH!”

The second intruder called out to her motionless colleague, only to be swiftly taken out as well.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵... 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥?

Lucian was stunned by how quickly the situation had changed.

Only the third male intruder was left standing.

In the midst of processing what had just happened, Lucian turned to the woman who easily knocked out the first intruder and dismembered the second. Despite the large diagonal scar cutting across her face, her striking beauty was undeniable beneath her long, dark brown hair.

Yet, it was her eyes that captivated him the most. Only the right one was visible due to the concealment of the other by her hair. However, the one he could see was a deep, blood-red that seemed to hold something unnerving within.

𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴.

At that moment, the woman's chilling voice broke his trance.

“Now that I've incapacitated them, you can take them away. Your boss will surely understand if you return empty-handed. Oh, and relay to Odius that this city is off-limits.”

“....” the man glared at her silently.

“Hmm? Unless... you want this to be your final battle?”

The man exchanged a glance with Lucian briefly before lifting his fallen comrades and departing without a word.

In the end, he was left alone with the red-eyed woman, which wasn't much better.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰?

Upon further reflection, Lucian realized a crucial oversight: no alarm had been sounded, something he had initially overlooked.

Considering the mansion boasted top-tier security systems, the total lack of any response indicated a issue with the power. Luckily, there were three emergency power boxes located in the mansion: one in the basement, one in his father's study, and one in his room. Activating the one in his room should restore a bit of power, explaining why there were no blaring alarms to notify him.

That also explained why there were no holms to stop the intruders!

𝘈𝘩, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮...

Remembering the unease he felt in his bedroom, Lucian hesitated. However, faced with the woman before him, he opted for the lesser of two unknown dangers. Without warning, he swiftly pivoted, flung open the door, and entered, slamming it shut behind him in one fluid motion.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Spotting the box by his headboard, he dashed across the room and eagerly opened it.

“Here we go!” he exclaimed, seizing the lever and pulling it down, a childish grin forming on his face.

His room was suddenly bathed in a crimson glow, accompanied by the clatter of whirring gears all around.

𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨! 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨! 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬!

A metallic sheet blocked the door with a resounding thud, followed by mechanical footsteps echoing from the hallway.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘮𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

Lucian was aware that the holms in the mansion were state-of-the-art security automata. These advanced sparkcraft creations were beyond the reach of the average person, as their modifications allowed them to operate independently.

But Lucian's attitude towards them wasn't always positive. When he was young and saw a Holms for the first time, he found it utterly terrifying. The mere presence of one being in the same room as him nearly brought him to tears.

𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.

𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘳.

As the gears whirred and gunfire erupted, Lucian's tension eased. He silently thanked House Grandfell for contributing to the advancements in modern sparkcraft.

Moments later, the commotion outside abruptly ceased.

𝘐𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳?

After a brief pause, he cautiously approached the door.

Pressing his ear against it, Lucian listened intently for a few moments, hearing nothing. Stepping back, he exhaled a long sigh of relief.

“The thick iron plate makes it hard to hear but I doubt—”

𝘒𝘙𝘙𝘙𝘙𝘒! His words were interrupted by the harsh sound of bending metal.

Lucian's eyes widened.

𝘒𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘬! 𝘬𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘬! The noise continued as he took a few steps back. Suddenly, the door gave way, revealing a calm figure bathed in crimson light who stood in the doorway.

“That attack surprised me. Now I understand why those pests chose not to fight head-on. That would have been difficult even for them.”

Lucian glared at her, muttering:

“Who are you people? And what do you want from us? If it's money, just take it and leave.”

“I am but a simple Harbinger who has come to aid you. And as for those three, they are just part of a group who get in the way. Do not worry, they won't come back here if they're smart.”

“Harbinger? Group? I don't...”

“It's a lot to take in, I know. But either way, you're better off thinking of me as your savior. We don't have the luxury of time as the situation is not ideal, so, would you kindly follow me to your father's study?”

“From how you're talking, I don't think I have much of a choice, do I?

The woman only smiled mysteriously in response.

Following that, Lucian could only let out a resigned sigh before nodding. He was alive but not out of danger, so his best option was to listen for now until he had a plan.

After seeing his agreement, the red-eyed woman turned around while gesturing for him to follow. He took a long glance at the doorway before stepping out of the room. He then surveyed the carnage as the holms lay inactive on the floor.

To Lucian's surprise, most were in relatively good condition. About half of them could easily be repaired, for a costly fee of course.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥.

𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴.

At the top of the stairs, Lucian saw the ground floor which was littered with corpses. Some lacked limbs, others were torn apart, and a few were mutilated beyond recognition.

A few, however, were untouched and wide-eyed. Their irises were gone, with bulging red veins across their milky surfaces. Their eyes darted around wildly, as if in the throes of madness.

Lucian involuntarily retreated back into the hallway.

As he did, the red-eyed woman continued her descent, seemingly undisturbed.

It took him a moment to regain his composure. But he soon followed her down, quickly reaching the bottom.

𝘈𝘸𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳...

He had been repeatedly told by his father that the mansion was a gift from the first Emperor. Essentially, this meant its architecture was very outdated and had remained largely unchanged.

𝘜𝘨𝘨𝘩, 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴.

Lucian stared at the shattered door that allowed the night's chill to seep in. He then quickly refocused on reaching his father's study. With each step, his gaze drifted to the red-eyed woman, yet hers remained forward.

Arriving at the door, she immediately went inside. The study was one of the largest rooms in the mansion. Rows of bookcases lined the walls, along with display cases housing a fraction of a vast range of items.

In the centre of the room was a wide oak desk. However, instead of the solemn figure of his father behind it, the room was eerily vacant.

The only thing of note was a small mahogany box resting atop a brown leather journal.

The deck of dreams.

After taking another second to scan the room, he noticed Hector lying unconscious. He was crumpled in a pile of books with a still bleeding head wound.

The butler appeared older than ever before.

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

Lucian turned his head and saw the red-eyed woman behind the desk, examining the journal.

“Not only can I not sense it nearby but all these pages are written in a way I can't understand. Your father truly is a foolish but awfully cunning man.”

𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.

He did not respond, maintaining his silence.

The red-eyed woman lifted her gaze to meet his and smiled strangely. “It would be a shame if one of the five Great Houses fell so easily, would it not? I think we can be of help to each other, but you'll have to prove your worth to me first.”

As if to urge him to respond, she gently tapped her finger on the mahogany box. The rhythmic sound matched his racing heartbeat. Lucian saw this and clenched his fists.

“Prove my worth you say? So how much my life is worth?”

Despite his attitude, he had already made up his mind. He needed to know who those people were and what he felt in his room.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴.

But he first needed to survive.

“Alright, what do you have in mind?”