"𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶-
-𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
-----
Houvdon tore his gaze away from the marching army, and looked at Kirva. "Hey, why would they be walking in Achen?"
Kirva shook his head, his red eyes filled with disbelief and confusion. "I don't know. They just suddenly appeared in a flash of light. Shouldn't you know why?"
The prodigy narrowed his eyes at the steadily approaching knight army. He crossed his arms, his amber eyes turning cold as he watched them for a few more moments. "No...there shouldn't be a reason for the [DELUSIONAL] Knights to be here. They should be on the border of our territory. The Knights are chosen specifically by the Council of Nobles and are deployed on the edges of our influence. They should have no reason to be so deep within the heart of Achen."
Meanwhile, Kryva had no idea what was happening. She had barely been introduced to the nobles four weeks ago, and now? Only a few days after she had been blessed by the Greater Beings to partake in their world-saving quest, knights supposedly from the highest of all noble rankings were marching towards her home.
The Council of Nobles gained their position not just by their power and nobility, but also their wisdom and experience. Such was the reason why Houvdon was only a candidate despite his immense power that radiated off of him in waves whenever he used his magic.
He lacked the wisdom and experience the current Council held. He only held a superior magnitude of power.
The Council made no mistake, and had never been wrong. Not a single point of history did the Council have a slip of judgement and cause disaster.
For such a large force to be sent within perhaps one of the safest areas in Delusional territory, meant there was an enemy in hiding. It was a decision made due to collective information, not due to any of the councilman's whim.
But for an enemy so close to the heart of their home...
Kirva stood from his chair, finally moving his eyes away from the window. He rested a hand on Houvdon's shoulder and spoke in a calm voice. "Houvdon, I'll go see what they wish. I'll speak with their commander and get to the bottom of this."
Houvdon tilted his head to the side so he can just barely see Kirva in the corner of his vision. "What makes you think that the leader of the knights will bother listening to you? Their presence here clearly means they know what they want."
Kirva made no reply as he seemed to go deep in thought. The wielder of light uncrossed his arms and clenched his fist as he continued from the lack of a response from the young Lord. "The Council makes no mistakes. They want something that is located here. For all we know, they could want you."
"Should I not give myself up to the Knights then? If they want me, who am I to disobey the law?"
Houvdon narrowed his eyes, facing Kirva completely. "Why would you submit to the wishes of the Council without a single ounce of defiance? Do you really want to leave your fate up to others?"
The girl looked between the boys, their mentalities clearly differing from each other's, not knowing who to agree with. She chose to remain silent, waiting for them to solve the issue themselves.
The young Lord and future Lord locked eyes, a sort of telepathic communication going between them.
For them to have such a strong understanding of each other to the point of communicating without words, they must have known each other for quite a while. How had Kryva not known about their relationship? Kirva had never hinted at having any sort of connection with Houvdon and had never spoken about Houvdon.
"𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰��� 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴?"
Kirva's voice echoed in the young girl's mind as her eyes widened.
Why would he ask her that question when she had only known Houvdon for mere days if he had already known him prior? If anything, he would be the one to know the answer.
"I will go speak with them." Houvdon stated in a voice that left no disagreement. His amber eyes never moved from Kirva's as he continued to speak with authority. "You, 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 Pellemeur, will remain here. Kryva will go with me."
Confusion filled her body at the Prince's decision and wording.
This time, he spoke Kirva's title with spite. He was no longer friendly and had given orders to someone with higher authority than him. Even if he was a Candidate for the Council, it was only that. A Lord had a higher place in the hierarchy than a Candidate.
Yet, even with this defiance of social standings, Kirva held no contempt for Houvdon. Rather, his face turned into one of pondering rather than offense. Kirva scratched the underside of his chin, where the flesh of his neck connected with his head.
Kryva looked back and forth between the two.
"If it is as you say." Kirva relented after a few moments of thought.
Houvdon gave him a nod, before turning to Kryva, who hadn't moved from her spot since moving to the window to look outside.
"Come with me."
Without even turning to see if she was following, he exited the room hastily to meet the rapidly approaching knights.
Kryva look at her brother, but he shook his head at her. "Follow him. I know that look in his eyes. Right now, he is Candidate Archelio, not the normal Houvdon Archelio."
"Why are you obeying him? Your rank is higher than his is, even as a Candidate. You are Lord Pellemeur, you are the ruler of a noble house. Why do you concede to his wishes?"
Kirva gave her a small gentle smile, akin to what one would give to their naive child.
"It is because he is a Candidate that I am listening to him." His red eyes gazed out into the horizon. "I must do what I can to ensure our safety. Our family's safety."
Kryva frowned at his words. The way he spoke...it was so similar to the words he spoke of when he first became Lord Pellemeur, putting the family first and foremost.
It was just like Kirva to listen obediently.
"I understand that you are trying to keep Mother and I safe." She sighed and finally moved from the spot she had glued herself to for the past minutes. "After all, that is your duty as Lord Pellemeur and your desire as my brother."
She left the room after giving him one last look over her shoulder.
Kirva remained seated in his chair gazing out at the sun that was just starting to set. It had been a long day, from the delivery Houvdon's message in the early hours of the morning to the marching of their land's protectors in the evening.
Suddenly, Kirva froze. Not a single part of his body so much as twitched as he turned inhumanely still. Only moments after he turned still, his body convulsed.
His red eyes glowed brightly until they were replaced with crystallized glowing purple. They were so bright despite being such a dark shade, it looked solid. Kirva's body stilled moments after the spasm.
It spoke in a voice far beyond the mortal spectrum. 𝙎𝙤...𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚?
The being that possessed Kirva's body stood slowly, almost as if it was agonizing to perform such mundane actions.
It took a step as it clutched the right side of his face. 𝙋𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡, 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚��𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚.
It turned and looked at the setting sun. Its fingers reached outwards and touched the window, so its fingers would be caressing the face of the sun through the stained glass.
𝙈𝙮 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙...𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙨 𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧. 𝘽𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙪𝙨.
Kirva's body convulsed as the crystallized purple faded from his eyes, leaving behind a pair of dazed red eyes.
He collapsed against the window, sliding down slowly as he pressed as much weight as he could into the glass with his back.
Only moments passed before he drifted to sleep, his hazy mind clouded with confusion.
-----
"Houvdon, wait up!"
Kryva called out to the rushing male. The golden-haired male slowed his pace enough so Kryva would be able to catch up to him within a few seconds.
When she fell into step beside him, his pace increased again, attempting to meet the legion of knights as far away from the manor as he could.
"Houvdon, please wait."
His head tilted and she was able to see the disinterest in his eyes, exactly the same as it was the day of the banquet where she had bid a shaky farewell to him.
She recoiled, slightly hurt that he held such disdain at her presence despite him being the one to request her presence when he went to meet the knights. He was the one that asked for her while ordering her brother to remain.
What caused him to change so suddenly? What was with his unpredictable mood swings?
"What is it now?" He said in a single tone, as if already knowing what her next line was going to be. His voice had spoken in such a way that made it seem like he already knew what she was going to ask.
Even still, Kryva will deal with his coldness. She had seen enough of him within three days to know that he was simply different from what she had ever imagined anyone to be like.
She knew behind that cold facade there had to be a warm heart. That was why he had offered to train her when he didn't have to. He wanted her to succeed.
A nobody, a girl who had only been to the outside world for four weeks. What value would she have to a Candidate?
"What are you going to say to the Knights?"
His eyes narrowed as he turned to fully look at her. "Why does it matter to you 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴?"
Disbelief filled her as he pulled the you-aren't-important card on her.
Again and again, in the short time that she had known him, he would always get under her nerve in order to stray her away from the topic or question she wanted answers to. He would constantly avoid the topic and shift her attention into something that ignited her emotions.
His way of words was truly capable of ascending beyond a Candidate, perhaps even becoming the Veritas of the Council.
Such was the highest position on the Council of Nobles, the wisest and most experienced of all Nobles. With his words would he be able to bend the rest of the Councilmen to his will.
Even she was able to see the power that resided within Houvdon's words.
"It matters because while I may only be a Princess, I am still next in line to Lady Pellemeur. You were the one who told me that I have to be prepared to take the spot anytime. You gave me a message to pass onto Lord and Lady Pellemeur. It will be the same, I will listen and deliver your words to Kirva as well as my Mother."
His eyes narrowed at her, challenging her to say anything else. Her own stared back, defiance shining within the red depths. She may be inferior in all aspects of tradition and customs, but she wanted to learn. She wanted to be apart of the bigger scheme.
She would not tolerate his harsh words any longer, even if he was her teacher.
He let out a sigh, knowing that she wouldn't back down.
"I am Candidate Archelio. With my authority, I will find out just what exactly they are doing on the outskirts of your manor."
He turned, his robes flowing in one smooth motion behind him as he walked with determination. He walked slower than before, waiting for Kryva to walk alongside him.
She fell into step beside him as they eventually made it out of the main house. Despite still being a respectable distance between the legion, she was still able to hear the sound of their steps from their march.
"All Councilmen have a scribe with them." He spoke to her as he opened the gates that locked the Pellemeur house secure. She walked out beside him as the gates remained opened. He turned his head slightly so he can see her out of the corner of his eye. "You will be my scribe."
"What?" She had never heard of a scribe before. Granted, she did not study the entirety of the Council of Nobles because neither her brother nor her mother would ever be selected for it. She found no need for it if she herself was never going to use the knowledge.
She would much rather spend her time studying her family magic or the traditional performances of Phantasma.
"As a Candidate, it is crucial I appear to a majority of the Council meetings to slowly gain experience within matters in the council." He explained despite his clear impatience as the knights grew closer. "You will be my scribe, Kryva Pellemeur. I will meet with the Council tomorrow to discuss the events of today, and you will be coming with me. We head to Reveria after this. Only on the first hour of sunlight will the gate to Reveria open. It is crucial we start heading there as soon as possible to not miss the gate opening."
Without even letting her voice her opinion, he turned away facing the knights as they finally stopped at least over a dozen meters away.
The silence was eerie as a single figure easily identified as a male stepped forward. His armor was more decorated than the rest of the knights', his pure white plating covered in small intricate cracks forming the shape of the sun on each individual square plate of armor.
He bore the symbol of a large Sun in the middle of his cuirass. His entire plating was the color of pure white, not a single other color or shade besides the etchings in the armor that created the images of the suns.
His helm was a single faceless mask that wrapped around his head via an armored strap that wrapped around his entire head, not a single spot of his head being uncovered by the armor.
At first glance, it should've been impossible to even put the helm on, let alone the armor itself due to not a single hinge in the plating. The entirety of the figure's body was covered, not a single gap between any part of the white armor. The helm was not an exception, not leaving a single part of the head unprotected, covering from the front around to the back.
A fully armored knight stood before Houvdon and Kryva, stopping just a couple feet away. Both his hands rose and pressed against the side of his head, a small sound being released from the material as the inner mechanisms of the helmet worked. When the helmet loosened its hold on the wielder's head, the symbol of a Sun glowed in the center of the mask.
The man finally pulled the helm completely off, revealing a rather handsome face with bright golden eyes. His rather long black hair was tied into a loose pony-tail that ended in his mid back.
"I am Verilius." He extended his armored gauntlet to Houvdon in greeting. "I am the Vice-Commander of what is known as the [DELUSIONAL] Knights."
Houvdon extended his hand, and shook Verilius's hand. "I am Houvdon. I am known as Candidate Archelio or the Prince of Etherstorm."
His golden eyes hardened as he released Houvdon's hand. He lowered his arm so it would rest near his hip, where a sword would have hanged. "I have heard many great things about you. My Lord talks speaks much about you, but he has never called you by those titles that these things call you. He refers to you as-"
Kryva saw Houvdon's eyes darken as he interrupted Verilius. "You will speak no more Vice-Commander! You will answer my question. Why are the [DELUSIONAL] Knights stationed here?"
Verilius let out booming sound as his head tilted upwards, his shoulders shaking with laughter. "Do you truly believe you can order me around 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦? I am the 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦-𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 of an army that belongs to beings even higher than you can ever dream to be. I do not heed to your demands."
He rested his left hand right where the pommel of a sword would have been had it been by his hip. "You may have been spoiled by those around you, but I will not court you. I will do my duty, whether you oppose me or not."
Houvdon narrowed his eyes as his fingers twitched, the veins near his temple pulsing as he tapped into his magic.
"I will humor you just this once, 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳." Verilius stated. "Try as you might, but you will not be able to stop me. You simply aren't strong enough."
His eyes darkened further as rage flowed out of his body. "Strong enough? Do you not know who I am? I AM-"
"-not the strongest magic user of this generation. There are bigger things. Existences bigger than you can ever think about being." Verilius's golden eyes gleamed with insight, knowledge no being should ever attain. "You are simply the Retainer for one such existence. Do I really need to tell you what you already know?"
The Prince of Etherstorm gritted his teeth in anger as his fingers stopped twitching, and instead curled into a fist as his arm shook in anger at the continuous insults that were hurled at him.
Kryva merely stood there, not knowing how to intervene.
Verilius glanced at her as her body shifted a little to adjust to how long they have been standing facing each other. His eyes turned lidded as his eyes glinted with more knowledge. "You know what you have to do. You have always known ever since the day you were granted the your 'gift' as you like to call it. Do you want to know what other people call it?"
"A curse." The Vice-Commander practically spat at Houvdon in disgust.
Houvdon took a single step forward threateningly and the Vice-Commander looked downwards at the rather tall male, his height giving him the advantage over Houvdon.
"If you would calm yourself, Retainer, I would enlighten you seeing as that is what would satisfy your current desires. Fret carefully, the life of the one you are protecting behind you and the one beside you are only alive because of my will."
Houvdon let out a snarl that caused Kryva to look at him in confusion, fear, and worry. She didn't know what either of them were talking about.
Houvdon's step backwards was taken as a confirmation to continue. "We are here to take back what is rightfully my master's. He is looking for-
-𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐦 𝐑𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐫."
Houvdon froze while Kryva merely looked confused. She nudged Houvdon, wondering if this was another one of those things he had kept secret.
She didn't expect to know anything from Houvdon since she had only known him for a short period. But she wished she would know at least know something due to him constantly ordering her around without waiting for her opinion.
"It...is not here." Houvdon mumbled out, his face going pale.
"My master expected to hear that from you." Verilius sighed. He waved behind him, as if telling them to look upon the forces that would be able to cut them down with ease. "Know this Houvdon Archelio. It is only by my master's whim that you remain alive despite your contradictory existence. You will hand it over to us within one sun cycle. If you don't-"
He put back on the helm he had taken off, its mechanisms fusing together as it once again, formed a solid piece of armor that covered every part of his head without a single spot of exposure.
He turned, his cape flowing behind him as the wind blew gently. It should've been impossible to move with how his armor was designed with not a single weakness. Yet, Verilius still moved as swiftly as one would have without the armor.
He turned so he would look at them over his shoulder. His faceless helm glinted as it reflected the moonlight from the recently risen moon as well as the last rays of sunlight from the setting sun.
"-𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮."
With a single wave of his hand, did Verilius and the rest of the [DELUSIONAL] Knights disappear, almost as if they had never marched for minutes on their land.
They could have simply appeared in front of the manor.
It was a warning, telling them that he didn't need to march in the first place. The entire time they were marching, it was to give them time to worry, to let them know how outnumbered they were.
Kryva looked at the spot Verilius once stood on, before turning to Houvdon.
His eyes were unfocused, almost as if he were looking into something else entirely. For the first time, Kryva saw uncertainty in his eyes.
For Verilius to cause even him to second-guess himself, it must be important, but at the same time, a secret.
The Vice-Commander had called Houvdon "Retainer". But...a retainer to what?
"This changes nothing." His eyes refocused, and he was the confident and cold Houvdon Archelio he once was. "We set off now to head to Reveria. We'll finish the meeting with the Council then we will rush back here. Verilius will come back."
And there was the thing called 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐮𝐦 𝐑𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐫.
What was it? And why would the [DELUSIONAL] Knights want it?