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QUINTON HAD BEEN COUNTING fingers until it was eight o’ clock. He couldn’t bear to lose the sight of her sister, the last family member he ever had. It was one of the reasons he had constantly kept her under his surveillance. He didn’t want any danger to befall her, because if she died, there was no point in fighting this war.
Currently he and Travis had booked a room in the Bakes Motel, which was only a few blocks away from the alleyway that led to the Mary Cathedral. Spies were placed everywhere around the cathedral so if anyone enters or exits it, they would immediately notice.
So far the plan was simple. Meet Ace, Travis will do the talking. The spies will then make their move and amid the chaos Quinton will grab Diana and run away while Travis provides them some cover to escape. Quinton didn’t know Ace’s power yet, so they had to be extra precautions, but Quinton was confident that Travis would be able to take the upper hand if he and Ace went on a head to head battle.
He didn’t care about Ace nor the spies sent by Father, all that mattered was Diana. He had to save her. He’ll only begin to breathe normally when she’s tucked away inside the safe house. And after that, no matter what Father says, he’ll never let Diana keep a step outside the house. Not until the war was over.
Quinton startled as someone opened the door.
“It’s me,” Travis said. “Just contacted one of the spies. There are some Innercast military students near the cathedral, they say those people will soon go away. It’s night after all. Military academics will never stay in the Outcast during night.”
Travis removed his cap, revealing his rather shiny blond hair. Quinton at times felt zealous about how Travis managed to keep his cool even in tough situations. He knew Travis loved Diana the same as he did, but still Travis managed to hide his anger while using his attention on the mission.
“Why do I feel like Ace has a trick under his sleeve?” Quinton said.
Travis looked at him with fiery crimson eyes. Unlike most other people, Travis eyeballs had a faint color of orange. Most of his crew mates assumed it was because of his power, but as the boy’s best friend, Quinton knew how much of a tragic back story the boy carried. And that was why he was ideal to be the leader. Unlike people like Quinton who had someone they should protect, Travis had no one, and that meant his ideas weren’t restricted to emotion. But recently he had developed feelings for Quinton’s little sister. Quinton didn’t dislike that, but he as a person who knew Travis for many years, he knew he wasn’t the type of person whose attention was focused on dates and bed time napping with a girl.
Another knock was heard on the door and Angelica – the spy leader – entered. From the look of her face, she wasn’t carrying good news.
“The military academics haven’t gone yet,” she said, sitting beside the bed with Quinton. “At first we thought they had arrived there for some survey or some inspection stuff but they seem to be wandering aimlessly. Then after a few minutes two other boys joined, then another girl. What’s worse, they don’t seem to be leaving.”
Travis calmly picked up a wine bottle and crocked open the lid.
“Are you sure they are academics?”
“They are from Viribus and the costumes show they are novices,” Angelica said. “White vest, black jeans and dark military overcoats. Yup, those are the clothes of novices.”
Travis poured some contents of the wine bottle to a glass and began to sip it. Quinton got irritated.
“I think we need to change our strategy,” he suggested. “We will surely be outnumbered.”
“We cannot consider academics as a threat,” Travis handed the bottle to Angelica, who gobbled up the rest of its content. “How many are there?”
“Seven.”
“Any specifically distinguishable individuals?”
“I saw the boy of the Kalides family, apart from that I didn’t recognize anyone special.”
Travis nodded.
Angelica motioned the bottle in front of Quinton’s eyes.
“Want some?”
“No, thanks.”
Unlike for normal people whose visions got dulled after drinking liquor, the mages visions heightened after drinking the substance. But Quinton didn’t need any vision enhancement, all he needed was to hold his little sister in his hand.
“You haven’t been eating or drinking for all these hours,” Travis pointed out. “Are you sure you can handle a mission—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Quinton snapped. “You know as much as me how I always wanted to keep Diana inside the house. But it was you and Father who decided to let her out. If you had listened to my advice none of this would’ve happened in the first place.”
“Quinton—”
“You know she’s special. If something happens to her crest—”
He stopped himself and looked at Angelica who happened to be suddenly interested in the bottle she was holding.
“Angelica,” Travis said. “Could you give both of us a moment?”
She looked at the both of them with a mixture of hurt and pride.
“Fine,” she replied in a monotone. “I’ll inform you if something happens.”
After they heard their crew mate close the door, Travis walked and sat beside Quinton.
“She’s special and I know that as well as you,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we can keep protecting her inside a house forever. Besides, you know how stubborn she can be. Heck, it’s one of the reasons I like her so much.”
Quinton didn’t reply. The clock stroke eight o’ clock. The deal was supposed to happen at eight o’ clock, but everything should have proceeded smoothly if the military academics weren’t there. Ace wouldn’t make his move in front of military soldiers, even if they are academics.
“I’m sure as hell Ace didn’t kidnap her because of her seal,” Travis continued. “Only you, me, and father know about her special seal. He captured her because she was a girl, and girls had the least resistance. And when he attacked, you displayed your power but Diana didn’t, which made him to assume she had only a weak power.”
Quinton wished his sister had her crest activated. Then Ace was going to wish he never existed.
“I just don’t want to lose her you know,” Quinton muttered. “She’s the only one—”
The door banged open, with a panting Angelica beside it.
“S-She’s i-inside,” she stuttered.
“Talk straight,” Travis said, standing up. “Who’s inside?”
“D-Diana. Her location signal just appeared.”
Travis glanced at Quinton. “Check it.”
Quinton nodded before vigorously activating his senses. He knew Diana’s location code, it was only a matter of seconds before-
“It’s active,” he exclaimed, releasing a relaxed breath for the first time after all these hours of tension. “She’s alive Travis! My sister’s alive.”
Travis’s expression didn’t change. Instead he moved his glare to Angelica.
“What’s the situation?”
“Every Seeker confirmed Diana’s location is inside the Cathedral but the military academics are inside there as well.”
Quinton’s expression darkened. “Is Ace working with the military?”
Travis crouched and pulled something from under the bed. A regular sized sword, with its hilt gleaming with serrated edges. He unrolled his sleeves, where a singular sewn cut extended from his index finger to the elbow. As he closed his eyes, his scar gleamed and the sword ignited – tendrils of fire bursting from its hilt.
Travis turned towards a really intimidated Angelica.
“Are you sure the only threat we have are the academics?”
“That’s what my spies confirmed,” Angelica replied. “We also sense eight people inside the building, with a new boy in their crew. And here’s the mystery, one of them is emitting huge amounts of hex.”
“A boy or a girl?”
“Girl.”
Travis and Quinton looked at each other.
“But Diana’s crest is disabled,” Quinton muttered, questioning his own theories.
“It’s a trap,” Travis stated the obvious. “But we have no time to spare. Angelica, follow Plan B. Quinton is going inside with a man we disguised as Father. You and your spies will be closely examining the situation, and when Quinton gives the signal you go all offense. Your target is Diana, so it doesn’t mean we have to be the victors of the battle. You take her and then retreat. After all of you are gone, I am using Bloodscream to blast that whole damned Cathedral to shreds.”
Quinton looked at Travis for a moment.
“What?” the latter asked, a little indignant.
“You really like her don’t you?”
Travis smiled from the corner of his mouth. “Of course I do you idiot. And I assure you, Ace will regret kidnapping her. I am going to burn that son of a bitch alive.”
Quinton smiled and followed after Angelica, recalling how Travis’s confidence was one of the reasons why he allowed him to date his sister.
*
BRAUN HATED HIS FATHER. Sometimes he cursed his own fate for having born for a father like him. His family were nobles, direct supporters of the prince, and yet he had to work in the military like another normal commoner. What’s worse, they were led by a low born boy a few years younger than him. He was reaching the limit of his patience.
Now he was with Olsen, in the freezing Outcast with no lights except for a small lamp the boy called Jay carried. In the Innercast they had fireplaces to prevent the cold night weather, but the low born of the Outercast didn’t seem to have those facilities.
“Sometimes I really do want to kill myself,” he muttered to Olsen, who was suffering the same as him.
After a few seconds he saw Adrian walking towards them. He was the last, but he was punctual. It was right eight o’ clock in the night, and the boy hadn’t changed his word. Seeing his walk, Braun had a strange feeling of irksomeness resonating within him. No matter how lowborn that guy was he had confidence, anyone could see it from his face.
“Everyone’s here,” he commented dryly. “Our plan is simple. Divide and conquer.”
And the guy gets straight to the point, Braun thought. Not even a single how are you?
“Each team will have two academics. I hope everyone got maps of the whole area from the military.”
A few people nodded while the others remained silent.
“There are four specific buildings the soldiers might plan to attack, so all we have to do is to defend those four points. Now I would like if you all could take out your maps.”
Braun pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. Olsen loomed over him.
“The houses that you should deal with are marked in numbers,” Adrian continued. “Iato and Minerva will be number 1. Jay and Katherine number 2. Braun and Olsen number 3 and finally I will guard number 4 along with Natalie. Any questions?”
Braun looked at his number. House number 3 was a little far away from the rest of the houses, but he didn’t dare to complain. His pride would be harmed if he chickened out now.
“I will stay with you,” the girl called Minerva stepped forwards. “Iato, you can managed with the medic right?”
Iato looked at the blue haired girl sulking in the corner.
“I can manage it myself, but if anyone doesn’t want to accept her she can tag along with me.”
Braun glanced at Minerva. She was an Adaiya, a hidden royal family that rarely made an appearance. He wondered if her parents forced her onto this, or she volunteered herself. From the looks of the girl, it seemed like the latter was truer. Adrian on the other hand, gave her a slightly annoyed look before addressing the others.
“its better we move out now. General Talon said the soldiers will be sent fifteen minutes from now. So it is better if everyone could survey the area and get a general idea of its structure.”
“Man, this is going to be a drag,” Jay complained but followed Catherine. Others began to clear out as well, and Braun motioned Olsen to follow him. Soon, they left a slightly annoyed Adrian and a expressionless Minerva alone to themselves.
Their house was indeed far away from the rest of the others. Braun thought this might be Adrian’s idea of a payback. That little asshole......he was going to give him a few extra punches after the training was over. But now he couldn’t afford to pick a fight. Then the military soldiers would arrive and make a farce.
“I should be sulking at home you know,” Olsen said. “Why did you have to drag me here?”
“Because you are my friend, and my family directly supports you. So stop complaining and move your sorry ass over to the house.”
What the boy Jay had told was true. There was never a family called York to begin with. It was killed during a city rebellion a few years ago, and the only remaining son, Olsen, was adopted by Braun’s father. One of the reasons Braun’s friendship with Olsen continued was the latter’s obedience. Olsen always followed Braun around and never questioned his orders. It’s been that way for ten years and it will be the same.
Besides, Olsen was the only one Braun could call a friend. He wouldn’t say it out loud in front of Olsen, but he was the only guy who managed to withstand Braun’s attitude so far. It’s not that Braun didn’t want any friends. He simply needed them to acknowledge him in the correct way. He was a son of a higher noble. Sure, they might be from noble houses as well, but the Kalides family was of much higher status than other families with only exceptions like the Adaiya House.
The inside of the house reeked of foul breath. And Ryan swore he smelled a faint scent of urine in the air. This was a house for beggars. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like the bastard should pay.
“I think I need to throw up,” Olsen muttered.
Braun sighed. “Could you stop crying like a baby for a second?”
Olsen opened his mouth to speak but then closed again.
“What?” Braun asked after witnessing his reaction.
“Nothing.”
Braun looked directly at his friend’s eyes.
“Just fucking say it. What the fuck’s wrong?”
“I think you need to calm down,” Olsen said without piercing his glance away from him, which pissed Braun off.
“You seem to be getting a lot bold lately you know,” Braun said, advancing towards him so they were nose to nose. “You didn’t seem to be cocky back in the days.”
Olsen kept looking him in the eyes for a few fleeting seconds before finding his own voice.
“What can I say? I’ve got tired Braun. All of this about following you and being with you. I need to meet other people. Heck, I don’t even have a girlfriend. I can’t always be with you—”
Braun pushed him to the wall.
“Don’t forget whose spending money for your goddamn education.”
“I know man, but I feel like I am not enjoying this anymore. You know-”
Braun took a few steps back from him. He needed to rip himself to shreds along with Olsen. The people around him have been pissing him a lot lately. First Adrian then Olsen, even his father seems to be angry about him not heading out to the university.
“I’m sorry man,” Olsen said, as if reading Braun’s thoughts. “I’m trying hard not to piss you off these days. But I think I can’t sacrifice myself anymore.”
Braun fisted his arm to aim a punch strong enough to break the boy’s nose when the door of the house creaked open. Both of them froze.
A blond haired boy with a blazing sword in their hand were staring at them intendedly.
“Are you one of the people who are supposed to train us?” Braun asked, keeping a slight step back from the door. “As I recall the rule was no weapons.”
The boy kept staring at them for a few seconds before raising his voice.
“Where’s Diana?”
“Who?”
He advanced forwards, dragging his sword along the dried wood, leaving a trail of fire behind him.
“I’m going to ask you rich blooded motherfuckers one last time,” the boy pointed the sword at them. “Where is she?”
“L-look man, we don’t know what you’re talking about,” Olsen was struggling to find words.
Braun had heard rumors about people with special powers living inside the Outercast, but he never thought myths like that would turn real in front of his own eyes.
The blond boy lifted his sword up in the air to strike.
“Then why is her location signal being emitted from this hous—”
He stopped and lowered his sword as if he realized something.
“Drop all the equipment both of you have.”
Braun and Olsen didn’t hesitate to follow his instructions. Braun dropped all he had - his purse, a pocket knife and a pistol. From Olsen’s side came a pistol and a few drawings of some nude girls.
The boy raised his eyebrows after seeing the drawings.
“Seriously?”
Olsen knelt down. “That’s all I have. Please don’t kill me.”
Braun felt a bead of sweat tickling from his forehead. The small fire around them wasn’t the only reason he felt so hot. He knew his life was about to end one way or the other. He could say it from the look of the boy’s eyes. But if he had a weapon......
The blond glanced at the fallen materials.
“Nothing as I suspected,” he muttered to himself. “Just what the heck-”
In the dead silence around them, a high pitched scream echoed around the area. The boy seemed to recognize that voice. His head automatically turned to the exit and Braun took the chance.
“Die, you low blood!”
He gripped the pistol and aimed it at his attacker. His aim slightly wavered, but he gripped it hard and pulled the trigger.
Braun waited for a second, but nothing happened. It took him a few moments to realize the gun wasn’t loaded, or something was blocked in the barrel.
It’s fully loaded, he heard Adrian’s voice in his head. If something happens, all you need to do is to pull the trigger.
“He lied,” Braun muttered, barely conscious.
What followed his muttering was a painful scream. The boy brought his sword down, cleanly cutting through Braun’s arm - blood spurting and the lifeless pile of meat falling to the ground.
Braun screamed and frantically moved backwards until his body hit the wall. As he fell down, his hysteria overcame his pain.
“Adrian, Adrian!” he yelled frantically waving his blood spluttering hand. “Adrian you dog! Adrian you lowborn scum!”
Seeing the situation Olsen dashed to the exit. But before he could reach the door the boy slashed the empty air from his sword and the fire around him grew and twirled until a column of fire sped towards Olsen, burning the boy alive, his screams dying along with an ashen corpse.
“Fuck! Fuck!” Braun screamed. “I want to live! I want to live!”
The boy turned towards him and lifted his sword; ready to hand him the same fate as Olsen, but just at that moment a dead body came crashing towards Braun’s attacker from the door. The body was slashed and cut open from multiple areas.
“Angelica?” the boy sent an alarmed cry seeing the misshaped dead body of a girl.
As Braun watched with his fading vision, Minerva emerged behind the door, two swords in her hand, her skin and clothes tattered with blood.
“She’s dead,” Minerva smiled. “It’s your turn next you piece of shit.”
Braun’s eyes began to close, and his last sight were the two of them clashing swords as the blazing fire environed around them.