The Cilan family lived in the Royal District of Seven City. It was an estate hidden by a cluster of trees not far from the protective wall near the rear of the district. Cypher had been here many times in the last few months and was very familiar with the area. However, given that familiarity, something about what he was seeing didn’t make sense.
The gates were the wrong color, the air seemed to shimmer around them, and some of the trees that hung over the front seemed to be dying. Their branches which were usually tipped with bright green leaves were barren and somewhat charred, but as he looked on, the rest of the branch seemed to be just fine.
He took a step closer and now he could really notice that something was amiss. “What the fuck?” he said aloud as he noticed the shimmering grow more intense. “No….” His senses shot into overdrive as he dashed forward and his battle pressure shot up to its maximum. His Saber appeared in his hand and as he passed through the gates, the illusion covering the estate finally shattered around him.
Their normally perfect garden was trashed. The fountain lay in pieces, and water flowed everywhere. Burn marks from spells painted the ground black and even a few broken weapons could be seen scattered about.
Several of the guards had been slain, be it by spells or weapons, and their body parts had been torn from them only to be scattered about. All around the garden pools of blood mingled with the running water and the entire area had been turned into a battleground. Cypher’s mind went numb with worry as he took in that sight and he made his way further in.
The front doors were blown off their hinges, and several windows had been shattered. The paneling of the house was torn out of place and a dark aura filled the air all around. The inside of the house looked no better than the outside had.
Papers were flung everywhere, burn marks littered the walls where spells had no doubt struck, the riches inside had been destroyed, and several vases and expensive paintings lay on the ground broken and ruined. Even the furniture was upturned and destroyed, likely used as a barricade.
More dead guards were in here and the carnage led up the stairs to the upper floors. In here the aura of darkness was even stronger and Cypher scanned the room for any remaining intruders. He found none despite expanding his mental energy to search and soon headed upstairs.
He took the stairs three at a time, now wasn’t the time to be slow, as a feeling of dread encompassed him. Bodies were strewn all up the stairs and in a few places, blood had pooled up with no sign of a body. If the attackers had been vaporized, there wouldn’t have been any blood, so obviously the attackers had wanted to remain anonymous.
Cypher dashed around the banister and headed straight for Melodi’s room. As he arrived, his breath caught in his chest. Stubbs was laying, eyes open, on the floor in front of the door. His wounds had been especially gruesome and his internal organs had spilled out. It had obviously been a few days, he guessed, since this attack had happened. The stench of decay filled the house and left Cypher feeling queasy.
The door leading into Melodi’s room had also been destroyed, and it hung on its broken hinges at an angle. He reached out slowly and pushed the door open, his saber held aloft. The destruction hadn’t spared even this room. Her bed was overturned, also used as a shield for a moment, since it had a large gaping hole right through the middle.
Her belongings were scattered everywhere and Cypher even spotted a chunk of Stubbs’ torso on the ground near the entrance. Until then he hadn’t known who the attackers might be. Thieves? Rogue Conductors? Maybe it had been an inside job?
However, his mind went blank again as he looked upon the wall. There, in bright crimson letters was a note, and it was obvious that it was for him. Cypher fell to his knees in shock and slowly read the message that had been left.
“Hello there dear Cypher, I am sure you know that we have been looking for you for quite some time. We are most displeased that we have had to resort to such measures simply to get your attention. However, you’ve forced our hand in this matter. You’ve remained inside the safety of this little cocoon for far too long. It’s time to spread your wings and leave the nest little butterfly.”
“We had to expend a somewhat decent-sized force just for this operation, and thanks to you, our spies inside the city have now been all used up. We’ll have to replace them later if we want to maintain a decent grip on that location. However, you can understand why we had to do that. Getting inside the city is quite difficult for our organization after all.”
“We tried being patient, however, our master has run out of lenience and as such we have taken your two friends in order to draw you out. Under the assumption that you aren’t willing to risk their lives, we’ll give you a chance to save them. On the Northeastern edge of the kingdom is a little fishing port known as Pire Allario. You will travel there and head towards the docks. There you will find a warehouse labeled GZR-368. We will be waiting inside for you with your allies.”
“They are still alive Cypher, but for how long depends entirely on you. Since we wouldn’t want our little reunion to be ruined by any annoying professors from the Academy, you’ll be a dear and come alone, won’t you? Yes, that’s a good boy. Now, we wouldn’t want you to feel rushed to make a decision. After all, this is a serious turning point in your life, isn’t it?”
“Our master has graciously decided to give you ten days to think this over and to get your affairs in order. In the meantime, we’ll take good care of your friends. You have our word. It would be quite a shame if we expended all those resources for you to just not come out and play. Remember Cypher, come alone or they die.”
A red, murderous haze clouded Cypher’s vision as he read the last line, “Signed, the Order of Eternal Night. – Usurper sect, Thenin Zeroski, Ladea.
He hadn’t expected the Order to make such a bold move. How had they even infiltrated the city to begin with? A million questions rushed through his mind, however, all of them were overshadowed by his rage and he punched the floor as hard as he could sending cracks through the wood around the impact.
His eyes flashed to the message again and he gritted his teeth as his reason returned slowly to him. He had ten days to prepare, and he knew exactly how he would spend them. He would master his new skill, storm in there, and rescue his friends. They had fucked with the wrong person and they would soon regret their decision.
With his fists clenched and gritted teeth, Cypher rushed out of the house and headed back to Elaine’s.
