General Hellebore stood before the mirror in the central chamber of the Wildheart, hands clasped behind his back. Though the room was small and bare aside from the mirror, one might very well call it the most important location aboard the skycraft.
After all, only through this mirror could Hellebore contact the Infernal Lord.
Down on the island, a crew overseen by Veratrum was busy repairing the machine. According to him, it wouldn't take more than a day or two to restore full functionality. In the meantime, Hellebore had a report to make.
Smirking to himself, he reached up and pressed his fingertips to the mirror. Power rippled across it, a heavy Levia that raised the hairs on Hellebore's arm. Spidery black lines spread beneath his hand, crawling across the glass to weave into an intricate diagram.
The Infernal Lord's Levia rushed through Hellebore's body, then a low rumble reached his ears as if coming from far away.
When he looked back at the mirror, the diagram was gone. Instead darkness flooded the glass as if he was gazing at a starless night sky. Yet something even darker was gathering in its depths, formed of a blackness so deep that beholding it made Hellebore feel like he was going blind.
This pure blackness resolved in a shadow – huge and hulking, but beyond that Hellebore could make out no details. This was as close a view as he had ever gotten of the Infernal Lord.
He sank to one knee, fist pressed over his chest. "My Lord. General Hellebore reporting."
The Infernal Lord's Levia pulsed in icy waves from the mirror, thickening the air until every breath became a laborious effort. Still, Hellebore didn't tear his eyes away from the mirror. As a Grand General, he had the right to look upon the Infernal Lord's form. As much of it as the Infernal Lord allowed him to see, of course.
"Welcome, General Hellebore." The Infernal Lord's deep voice reverberated through the tiny room. "It is not time for your scheduled report. Has something happened?"
"You could say so, my Lord," Hellebore said smoothly. "You see, just last night we had a little run-in with a certain skycraft crew. Prince Darian's, to be exact."
He drew out the name, slow and satisfied. When the Infernal Lord's Levia deepened with interest, triumph sparked inside his chest.
The deep voice, however, sounded stoic as ever. "Tell me everything."
"Of course, my Lord. At approximately midnight, Prince Darian's skycraft engaged the Wildheart in combat. However, it was only a diversion to allow a crew on the ground to attack the extraction machine."
"I see. Did you defeat them?"
"Well, they did succeed in damaging the machine," Hellebore admitted. "But I stopped them before they could get any further. Personally destroyed one, some scrap heap of a homunculus."
"The homunculus knight?"
"No. It was another homunculus, an archer. That's right, Prince Darian seems to have picked up a few new crew members. Including wizards, it looks like."
"Wizards?" the Infernal Lord asked, stoic as ever. Only a faint quiver in his Levia betrayed any hint of surprise. "So the prince's time on Earth proved fruitful after all. Has she found one of her own?"
"I don't think so, my Lord," Hellebore said, rummaging through his memories of that chaotic night. "She wasn't among the ground attackers. And the wizards didn't seem like much, if you ask me. Mostly a bunch of kids."
He snapped his fingers, and the Levia rustled in his veins as a vine stirred behind him, lifting the mirror he'd brought into the room earlier. "The quality isn't great, but we managed to record some of the attack. Hopefully it'll give you some idea of their strength."
With another snap of his fingers, images appeared inside the mirror. They flickered across the glass, dark and blurry, illuminated only by chaotic flashes of Levia along with the machine's sickening glow.
Still, enough details jumped out. The homunculus knight dodging Hellebore's blows with breathtaking grace, cape swirling behind him. His sword ablaze with light, slamming into Hellebore's fist.
Watching him fight, Hellebore couldn't keep a smirk from spreading across his face. A ferocious heat pounded in his blood, something he hadn't felt in years. Oh, yes. How long had it been since he'd had a fight like that? One where the opponent didn't go down after a couple hits, but kept coming back for more?
A pity they hadn't been able to finish their fight, but the next time they met…. Hellebore's blood burned hotter than lava. If it weren't for his masterful self-control, he might have started quivering in anticipation.
Nonetheless, he couldn't resist gloating to the Infernal Lord, "The homunculus knight's even tougher than they say. He makes quite a formidable opponent, doesn't he?"
"Yes, perhaps," the Infernal Lord said, though he almost sounded distracted. "Wait. Pause the recording."
Nerves prickling, Hellebore obeyed. What could've caught the Infernal Lord's interest? When he saw the image the recording stopped on, confusion stirred inside him. It was a boy whose hooded cloak nonetheless didn't hide the shocking pink streak in his hair, standing atop a diagram glowing almost the same color.
In his hands he held a staff tipped with a jagged blue crystal, inside which glowed a point of pink light like a tiny star.
"Who is this?" the Infernal Lord asked, low and measured.
"Hm?" Hellebore tilted his head. "Think this kid's the homunculus knight's wizard." Yeah, that pink diagram did match the light he'd seen glowing beneath the knight. "Some scrawny human. Is that really the best he can do?"
He chuckled to himself, but the Infernal Lord did not speak. The dark silhouette within the mirror remained still and wary, like a predator observing its prey from afar. His Levia quivered through the air, almost choking Hellebore with its intensity.
Hellebore had no idea what the Infernal Lord was thinking, but it wasn't his place to wonder. So he stayed down on one knee, patiently awaiting his commander's next orders.
When the Infernal Lord finally spoke, his voice rolled through the room like thunder. "Bring this boy to me."
"My Lord?" Hellebore couldn't help it; he reeled in surprise.
"It is as I said." A stern note hardened the Infernal Lord's voice. "Bring this boy to me, alive. Along with the prince, of course."
A protest rose in Hellebore's throat, but thankfully he managed to stuff it down. So what if he didn't understand what the Infernal Lord wanted with the human brat. All he needed to know was he'd been given a direct order – and to that, there could be only one answer.
Fist to his chest, Hellebore bowed low. "As you wish, my Lord. Right away."
Even as he spoke, a smirk tugged at his lips again. Not only would capturing this kid be a breeze, but it meant he'd get to face the homunculus knight once more.
He could already see the knight swinging his sword, feel it straining against his vines. And after a battle well-fought, his fist would plunge deep into the knight's chest with a screech of shattering metal, just like he'd done to the other homunculus. But even more satisfying.
Yes. This time, nothing would keep him from his triumph.