REALM OF ETHUARIA
City Of London
7696 AGR (After Gaia's Reign)
"Ғeąr ιѕ noт vιlląιnoυѕ."
Avery Reinhardt had come to understand the incredible power behind those words. Fear was never a word to be accommodated in her vocabulary, but that had changed when she had stared in the bloodied faces of her parents. They were silent, too silent for her comprehending. Crushed beneath the smoked remains of the carriage wreckage, so why had she been alive? It would be a normal thing to shed tears, but instead, she feared something unexplainable. It was not in her nature to cower away, despite her young age. She was merely a child, one with a legacy and inherited values of a knight that reigned wildly in her blood.
A foreign sound echoed in the distance, much too piercing for the comfort of her keen senses. She observed the rain cleanse the crimson substance off her hands. It stole the last warmth of her beloved ones that embraced their death before her. There were no final conveyances of affection, a cruel parting indeed. Was this a judgemental fate for the sin of a past life? She had not known what to think and nor what to do.
The spears of cold that descended upon her had now become the symbol of eternal sorrow and heartache. Avery awaited the tears to the surface, and then she reached her breaking point. She released a cry of horror and agony that masked itself with the foreign sound that grew louder...A dark red hue compromised the vision in her left eye. Her screams of pain faded with the arrival of strangers in foreign mechanical contraptions that meant well. In particular, one stranger brewed a forgotten nostalgia despite the despair and dilemma that enveloped her heart.
His approach was swift but gentle as he removed his black coat and encased Avery in its warmth. She no longer understood the scenery before her and could not grasp what the fates had ordained for her. She allowed the stranger to take her into the possession of his arms, an underlying familiarity in his embrace. She knew it all too well, and she was not alone.
The stranger's subordinates surrounded the crime scene within mere seconds, and one reported their findings within the next minute.
'Sir, we've detected a trail of magical forces, but the essence is fading uncontrollably. The carriage wreckages are remains of an intricate aristocratic design, supposedly the property of Alvgard,' The subordinate informed with composed discipline.
'Archid, have the maegi unit pursue and capture,' The stranger ordered casually, shielded her under the coat, and transferred her into the care of his subordinate, 'Escort her safely back to headquarters.'
'As you wish, Sir.'
The stranger directed his approach to a fellow officer who kneeled beside the accident's remaining two victims.
'What is it?' He enquired sharply after examining the expression on the officer's profile.
The officer moved away to reveal the victims' identities, and the stranger's expression darkened with rage. He clenched his fists and kneeled beside the little girl's father. He swore revenge, and he would make the bastards responsible for his agony dread every second of their wretched existence.
They would pay in blood and flesh; he would make them writhe in turmoil's grasp and flee at the screams of their kin's suffering. No, what right was he given to direct his anger at the culprits? Had he been here in the first place, nothing of this sort would have occurred, and the lifeless victims before him would have been happily embracing their daughter. He knew what duties now laid before him, and he would dare not allow his weaknesses and incompetence to serve as an excuse to blame himself.
The officer beside the stranger placed a hand on his shoulder and the fierce arrival of rain-drenched his companion's hair. The doused strands now served as a shield for the horrified expression he bore. A hollow emptiness throbbed within, like a fire whose flames tested the determination of those who sought to distinguish it.
'We cannot allow this investigation to proceed,' The stranger stated to his companion.
'What do you plan to do, Seb? Whatever decisions you make now will no doubt have to be well orchestrated. Whatever actions you take, are you willing to bear the risk?' His companion questioned with a pained and yet severe tone.
'There is no turning back or fleeing from it, this is a declaration of war, and we will heed to its call; however, we will forsake our current positions and authority.'
'Forsaken? Merda!What significance does a title of 'detective' hold in our regard, Seb? Our Lord and Mistress lay dead before us. There is nothing that should hinder us in avenging them.'
The stranger rested his forehead on the little girl's father's and a scourge of pain burned around the ice shield that encaged his heart. The warmth he once knew laid only within his heart that was confined even from himself.
'Rest well, brother...' With the final words of sorrow conveyed, the stranger fortified his will and discarded all petty grievances. He could hardly bring himself to accept the fate before him and what pestered him more than anything else was the matter of his brother's presence in the Ethuarian realm. Why had he not been notified?
The realm he had chosen was a curse in comparison to his homeland. Ethuaria was foul despite its superiority and development. The humes did not care for the land. They monopolized it's resources and reshaped it into wicked things, depleting the natural environment. How had he survived? The answer was unclear.
The humes sought entertainment in strange athletic events and despicable sexual displays of the opposite gender. The indecency was far beyond one could comprehend. The vices that ran wild in Ethuaria made their developments and superiority seem menial. They did not understand the way of nature and nor could they nurture the land.
'Andreas,' Sebastian roused and confronted his companion,' Will you lend me your strength?'
Andreas smirked, 'I chose my path when I followed you into exile Sebastian, there is nothing that would influence me to stray from it now, amico.'
Sebastian lowered his gaze and bid final words of respect to his brother and sister-in-law.
'Sebastian, what of the young mistress?'
'She is safe in Archid's care; his order was to escort her to Galrik Headquarters in Rivaille.'
'There will be complications with the standard investigation procedure, amico. They will question her, child or not.'
'I will handle that matter. Well then, as an investigative officer, how would you like to execute your first criminal offense, Andreas?' Sebastian smirked.
'And what would you have me do, Signór?'