The smell of roasted venison and herb-glazed vegetables still lingered in the hall as Ethan and Ceris were led through the second floor of a restaurant nestled in the capital's merchant district. Despite the fine decor and clinking glasses below, this place wasn't just a restaurant it was owned and operated under House Duskmere.
They reached a polished wooden door at the far end of the hallway. The attendant gave a subtle nod and opened it, revealing a private meeting room dimly lit by floating rune-lamps. Duskmere crests were subtly carved into the walls, and at the center stood Carter, waiting.
The door opened behind Ethan and Ceris. Sylviane and Sayo entered silently, flanking the room's edge with their usual composed grace.
He gave no greeting.
Instead, he pulled a smooth, palm-sized stone from his coat etched with softly glowing runes and pressed it against the wall beside the door.
A quiet hum rippled through the room.
"Soundproofed," Carter said, stepping toward the center table.
From a small, boxy device resting atop it, he adjusted the embedded crystal core and activated it. With a low pulse, the device projected a soft blue glow upward.
Within seconds, a lifelike arcane hologram of Arthur Duskmere flickered into view, arms clasped behind his back, his expression as calm and sharp as ever.
"This operation will be quick and precise," Arthur began, his tone leaving no room for interpretation. "We suspect there may be more enemies than previously reported. Because of this, guard units have already been positioned at every possible escape route."
He glanced toward Ethan and Ceris, his voice softening just a fraction. "I don't want anyone getting hurt. Your coordination will be tested here."
He gave them one last look. "Do not disappoint me."
With that, the projection flickered and dimmed.
Carter stepped forward and placed a scroll on the table. With a tap, it unfurled and glowed to life, an arcane map hovering above it.
"Now that you've heard the official message," Carter said coolly, "let me give you the real details. Here's what we're walking into..."
Carter tapped a glowing glyph on the map, and the projection shifted revealing the twisted network of underground tunnels beneath the capital. The sewers had been repurposed into a multi-layered smuggling operation. Faint red dots pulsed in several corridors, marking known patrols or hostile activity.
"This is no simple ring," Carter said. "These bastards have been trafficking arcane-innate children through the sewer system. The further in you go, the more fortified it gets."
He pointed to the edges of the projection.
"Lady Sylviane and Lady Sayo will enter from the front access point here. They'll be accompanied by a full unit of Duskmere soldiers. They'll engage and draw attention."
He swiped again, shifting the projection to another route that branched off near the western flank.
"Lady Ceris and Master Ethan, you're flanking from this auxiliary path. Narrow, tight, minimal light. But you'll be in prime position to cut off escape routes and reinforce the center when the time comes. You'll be accompanied by the shadow units of House Duskmere; they'll move with you, unseen, and eliminate any hidden threats along the way."
The glowing center of the map pulsed faintly, revealing a round structure labeled 'Nexus Room.'
"At the heart of this den, they're performing minor arcane experiments on the kids they've taken. That room is our priority target."
He gave them a hard look, especially the Candidates.
"Expect resistance on both paths. These aren't thugs, they're trained and well-coordinated. Don't hesitate to kill. Understood?"
Carter then reached into a reinforced satchel by his side and pulled out two small cases, each one etched with Maelin Duskmere's crest. He opened them to reveal five slender, silver syringes inside each glass tube glowing faintly with a soft green liquid.
"Five per group," he said. "Healing syringes developed by Lady Maelin herself. They'll recover fatigue, close wounds, and restore your energy in the field. Use them only when necessary."
He handed one case to Ceris and the other to Sylviane.
The two girls exchanged a brief glance, not cold, not overly warm but respectful.
Ceris gave a subtle nod. "Stay alert."
Sylviane replied calmly, "Good luck. Wait for the signal, you'll hear a loud blast when we start."
Before they moved out, Ceris handed Ethan two of the syringes from her case. "You'll need these more than I will," she said simply.
Carter took one final look at both groups. "The operation begins the moment you reach your designated entry points. Move swiftly. Strike hard."
— — —
The air in the auxiliary sewer tunnel was damp and thick with the stench of moss and rusted iron. Ethan crouched low near a cracked stone wall. Ceris stood a few paces ahead, her back straight, eyes fixed forward into the shadowed corridor ahead.
They hadn't started the assault yet.
Ethan exhaled slowly, trying to calm the nervous tension building in his chest.
Omen's voice slithered into his thoughts, quiet but sharp. "Don't hesitate this time. Weakness in a place like this gets you killed."
Ethan's hand shifted over Omen's hilt. "I know," he muttered.
Ceris glanced back at him, her voice quiet but purposeful. "When the fighting starts use your technique. Strike their vitals or at least cripple them. If you can slow them down, I can finish them quickly."
He gave her a short nod, jaw tightening. "Got it."
The only sound for a moment was the distant drip of water echoing through the tunnel.
Any second now, Sylviane would make her move. And then… all hell would break loose.
A distant explosion rocked the tunnel walls, dust raining down from the ceiling as a muffled boom echoed through the underground.
Ceris looked toward Ethan, eyes sharp. "That's our cue. Let's move."
They advanced into the corridor, shadow units slipping ahead in near silence. No guards yet but the echoes of shouting and hurried footsteps told them enemies were mobilizing.
They reached a large, rusted metal door slightly ajar. Ethan stepped forward and pushed it open.
Inside, the room opened into a wide loading chamber. Crates stacked high, lanterns swinging slightly from the impact of the distant blast. Multiple guards stood within, arming themselves with enchanted batons and shortblades, unaware of the two figures watching them from the shadows.
Before Ceris could command him Ethan moved.
BAM!. Ethan's boots scraped the stone floor with a hesitant step.
Adrenaline surged. His body acted before his mind caught up, pushing off the ground with a burst of speed.
FWOOSH!He dashed through the room like a blur, Omen's chain coiling around his arm. In a breath, he was among them.
Every guard's weakness lit up in his mind open joints, off-balance stances, blind spots.
He struck.
CRACK!One guard's knee buckled under a sudden blow.
THUD!Another collapsed as Ethan's elbow slammed into his throat.
SLASH! A third stumbled as his weapon arm was torn at the tendon.
The guards howled in confusion, disoriented.
And then Ceris was among them finishing what Ethan started.
SHNK! SHNK!
Her blade flashed with ruthless elegance, slicing through the staggered guards in a flurry of clean, efficient cuts.
In moments, the chamber fell silent again only the echoes of distant alarms remained.
Without wasting a breath, Ceris wiped her blade and motioned forward. Ethan nodded, and they moved quickly, the shadow units reforming behind them in perfect silence.
The second chamber was just ahead, a heavy door with rusted bars across its frame. Ethan pushed it open, and the sight that met them froze his steps for half a second.
People. Dozens of them ranging from children to young adults crammed into cages along the walls. Dirt clung to their faces, and the stench of rot and fear filled the air. Some looked up with hollow eyes, others shrank back from the light.
They'd found one of the holding cells.
But they weren't alone.
Five guards turned at the sound of the door creaking open. One of them shouted, "INTRUDERS!"
Ethan didn't hesitate.
Again, he charged Omen's chains trailing behind him like shadows.
But this time, he didn't go full force. Mid-sprint, he stopped. Abruptly. Dust kicked up around his boots.
The guards tensed, confused. One raised his weapon. Another hesitated.
Ethan took a step forward casual. Measured. His head tilted ever so slightly.
They couldn't read him.
Then he moved.
It wasn't fast. It wasn't flashy. It was sudden.
FWOOSH!
One step turned into a lunge. A flick of the wrist. A burst of motion like lightning snapping through still air.
By the time they realized what was happening, it was over.
All five guards collapsed, some clutching their legs, others their wrists, weapons clattering uselessly to the floor. Tendons severed. Balance stolen.
Ceris moved through them with precision, cutting down the disabled foes with clean strikes. No wasted movement.
Silence returned once more but now, the captives inside the cages were stirring.
Ceris lowered her blade slightly and turned to Ethan. "Wait here," she said quickly. Then she signaled the shadow units. "Free the prisoners quietly."
Ethan didn't respond.
He turned away from the cages and stumbled toward the wall, one hand bracing himself against the cold, slick stone.
Then he vomited.
The stench, the piled corpses, the caged, hollow-eyed children, it all hit him at once. The reality of what they'd walked into.
He heaved again, coughing into his arm, chest shaking.
When it finally stopped, he reached into his pouch with trembling fingers, pulling free one of the syringes Carter had given them. He didn't hesitate; he pressed it against his neck and injected it.
A faint glow pulsed across his skin as the formula took effect. Strength returned to his limbs. His head cleared.
He straightened slowly, eyes a little colder now, breath steadier.
He was ready to keep moving.
He looked over at Ceris, managing a breathless nod. "Sorry about that. I'm good."
Ceris studied him for a moment, her expression unreadable in the dim light. Then she said quietly, "The first time always hits too hard. But you didn't freeze. That counts."
As the shadow units worked quickly to unlock the cages and escort the prisoners out, a sudden voice rang out from one of the cells.
"Old man! Is that you?!"
Ethan blinked, confused. He didn't react at first.
"Hey! OLD MAN! It's me,Kite!"
Ethan's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned toward the voice and stepped closer as one of the shadow operatives opened the cell door.
Kite rushed out, grime on his face, his eyes red and raw. He barreled into Ethan, gripping his arms tightly, voice trembling.
"You've gotta help her—please! They took Lynn! They're experimenting on her! She's still inside!"
The desperation in his voice struck harder than any blade. Kite was still crying, tears flowing endlessly down his dirt-streaked face as he clung to Ethan's arms.
"She's my only family! Please—you gotta help her before it's too late!" he sobbed, his voice breaking apart between gasps.
Ethan stood still for a moment, stunned, his jaw tightening as the weight of the mission suddenly felt much more personal.
He drew in a breath, then slapped both his cheeks with his palms hard. The sharp sting woke him from the daze, grounding him.
He turned to Ceris, eyes steady. "We need to hurry. We have to get to the Nexus Room now."
Ceris gave a sharp nod without hesitation.
With the shadow units in formation behind them, they pressed forward.
The third chamber was just ahead narrower, more fortified. They could already hear it. Screams. Steel clashing. Magic tearing through stone.
Sounds of a battlefield echoed from deeper within the complex distant, but loud enough to rattle the air. The clash of steel, sharp cries, and the hiss of magic told them the front entrance team had made contact.
This room, though, was still ahead of them.
More guards. More danger.
But also more reason to push through.
They opened the door to the third chamber and stepped into what looked like a barracks: rows of bunk beds pushed aside, weapon racks raided. Waiting for them were several well-armored soldiers, shields raised and spears pointed forward, forming a disciplined front line. Behind them stood a collection of less-armored criminals, clearly rattled by the distant sounds of battle.
Without hesitation, Ceris took command. "Ethan, flank them. We'll hit from the front."
She didn't wait for a reply. Her voice rose in a commanding roar that echoed off the stone walls, a rallying cry that surged through the tunnel like thunder.
The criminals behind the shield line flinched, glancing at one another nervously. Some stepped back. But the armored soldiers? Unfazed. Unmoving.
And then the charge began.
Ceris led the vanguard with blinding speed. Her longsword swept through the air in a fluid arc, cleaving through the front line with terrifying ease. Shields split. Spears cracked like brittle twigs. Her mark shimmered with light on the back of her hand, casting a faint glow as she tore through their formation.
Ethan watched for only a second before his own Kingmaker mark hissed to life faint light sparking along the side of his neck. The air around him felt clearer. Time stretched. Focus sharpened.
With a swift breath, he slipped into the enemy ranks, flanking unseen. While Ceris and the shadow units engaged from the front, Ethan slipped behind enemy lines like a phantom.
The criminals didn't even realize what was happening.
One by one, they dropped knees shattered, wrists twisted, pressure points struck with perfect precision. They screamed in pain, clutching limbs that no longer responded.
It was chaos from the outside.
But to Ethan, it was clarity.
He moved like a mirage here one second, gone the next. And behind him, only broken men remained.
As they broke through the ranks of soldiers and criminals, the corridor ahead narrowed, leading to a steel wall etched with glowing runes. Arcane smoke simmered from its surface, pulsing faintly with dangerous energy. It was a trap clearly rigged to explode or trigger something far worse if forced open.
They hesitated.
Then, like a shadow, Carter appeared from behind them, his presence barely audible.
Without a word, he pulled a strange, slug-like object from a protective container. The creature shimmered with iridescent scales and squirmed faintly in his grasp. Carter pressed it against the steel door.
Instantly, the runes flickered. The slug pulsed once, twice and began to absorb the arcane energy, dulling the glow and neutralizing the trap.
When the runes faded entirely, Carter stepped back.
"You're clear. Continue onward with caution," he said.
He turned to head back the way they came. "I'll return to the prison and assist the prisoners. Move with haste."
As soon as they opened the door beyond the steel wall, the stench of chemicals and burned mana filled their nostrils.
They had reached the target room.
Rows of arcane-innate children were strapped into mechanical chairs, their arms injected with glowing fluids and mana-threaded tubes. Some twitched weakly. Others didn't move at all. The chamber was lined with magical instruments and crystalline monitors, softly pulsing with unstable energy.
A maniacal figure stood at the center of it all, a doctor in a stained coat, wild-eyed and snarling as their presence interrupted his work. "My research! You dare interrupt it?!"
Two elite guards stood near him, their armor sleek and embedded with dark arcane runes.
One of the guards stepped forward. "Take the doctor. I'll buy time."
The second guard nodded and produced a palm-sized device. With a twist, it emitted a violent surge of light, forming a swirling dimensional portal behind them.
Before Ethan or Ceris could act, the retreating guard aimed an arcane pistol toward one of the strapped-down children it's barrel glowing dangerously.
A silent threat.
The doctor and his escort slipped into the portal.
And just like that, they vanished leaving behind only the flickering energy of the portal's collapse and the slow, terrified breathing of the children they'd experimented on.
The remaining guard didn't so much as flinch.
His tattoos lit up glowing with a sickly green hue, almost chemical in color, that pulsed like a toxic heartbeat. He inhaled sharply, the sound rattling from his chest in a slow, sinister hiss, as if drawing in power from the very air around him.
Ceris' eyes sharpened. "Don't let him escape!" she barked. "Shadow unit, restrain him! Keep him alive for interrogation!"
The shadow operatives moved instantly, dispersing and circling the guard like wolves preparing to strike.
But it wasn't enough.
Though outnumbered, the guard moved with terrifying speed and force. With a single motion, he unleashed a concussive blast of energy that flung two operatives against the far wall. Another lunged at him, only to be caught mid-air and slammed to the ground with a sickening thud.
Ceris' eyes widened. "How… how is he this strong?" she muttered, her grip tightening on her sword.
The guard's breathing deepened, tattoos glowing brighter, his silhouette pulsing with poisonous energy like a living curse.
before the first strike echoed through the sewers…
At the front of the underground entrance, Sylviane stood with calm authority, her pale silver hair flowing slightly as the damp breeze of the tunnel brushed past. Her eyes scanned the dim corridor ahead before she turned to face Sayo and the gathered soldiers of House Duskmere.
"We are the vanguard," she declared, voice sharp and unwavering. "Our purpose is to draw every eye, every blade, and every spell to us. The others will strike from the flanks so we will give them their moment. Loudly."
Sayo gave a silent nod, and the soldiers around them shifted, gripping their weapons in anticipation.
Sylviane raised a hand, signaling one of the front-line soldiers who stepped forward holding a bulky arcane launcher. Runes etched into its barrel glowed with condensed mana.
"Now," she commanded.
BOOM!
With a deep thrum, the launcher released a glowing orb of magic that shot forward and smashed into the front gates. A thunderous explosion followed, sending debris and arcane light scattering in every direction.
The shockwave rattled the tunnels.
From within, guards scrambled in confusion some dazed, others already on the ground from the blast. The sound of their shouting echoed frantically through the stone halls.
Sylviane pointed her rapier forward. "Charge!"
The soldiers of House Duskmere surged into the tunnels with a mighty roar, their collective battle cry shaking the underground.
And thus the raid began.
While the soldiers surged ahead, cutting through enemy guards and disorganized criminals, Sylviane remained composed amidst the chaos.
"Sayo," she commanded, her voice sharp through the thunder of clashing blades, "take down their elites. Trim their ranks. Release Shura just, make sure she doesn't target our own. Let her go wild."
Sayo gave a slow nod. "Understood."
She calmly drew her blade and, without hesitation, sliced her own palm. Blood dripped steadily to the ground, glowing faintly as it soaked into the stone.
A figure emerged from the crimson pool, a perfect clone of Sayo, expressionless but poised with killing intent.
Sayo addressed her doppelganger. "Avoid friendlies. Go wild."
Shura's laugh echoed from the dao's spirit, a low and manic cackle that spilled into the air like twisted bells.
"Finally," the Shura hissed, delighted. "Let's play, then…"