POV of Lucian Voltier:
As everybody began leaving, I took a moment to scope out the damaged remains of the area. Hundreds... no, thousands of bodies piled across the ground–maybe even tens of thousands. Sadly, the casualties extended far beyond that. Whatever bodies weren't visible here were either buried underneath heaps of broken rocks, walls, and debris or incinerated beyond ashes by our heaven's stardust. Even then—I looked up, staring into the distant view of other cities from what was visible to my eye—the whole kingdom lay in ruins. At least hundreds of thousands of people died. To what extent? I don't know...
"Wait!" I called out, projecting my voice loud enough for everybody to hear me. I turned around and looked at the remaining mages from the Adventurer's Tournament who had stayed and fought with us. "I want to say, thank you to all of you who stayed behind and fought. I know some of you are probably worried about your family right now, but it'd be best if we could have you join us at the royal palace." I turned away from them.
***
POV of Aaref Fayeworth:
We arrived outside the palace, standing promptly in front of the large gold and white titanium gates. More guards than usual surrounded the palace gates.
"Is something the matter?" I asked the gate guards. All six of them looked at me with a hesitant glare. I caught one of their eyes peeking past me, focusing on the citizens behind me.
"No," he said, clearing his throat. "Sir Harrison has asked of us to increase security around the palace for the meantime."
"I see," I responded. "If you'll excuse me," I said, walking to the gate, "I have some business to attend to. If one of you may alert the king or any of his advisors of my presence and escort us inside, that would be greatly appreciated."
"Yes sir," one of them said. He walked in front of me, entering the gates as his comrades opened them. Another guard entered as well and went ahead of us.
We walked through the enormous halls of the palace, going up countless sets of stairs until we had finally reached a large room fancied with red carpet, pearly white walls, and portraits of the royal family and their lineage throughout the room. One painting in particular caught my eye. In the portrait, the king stood powerfully with his arms in the air, exalting his glory. In one hand, he held a staff with a beautiful, semi-translucent red jewel on top of it. In the other hand, he extended an open palm into the sky. A prideful smile stretched across his face. The Savior of the World, I thought. King Leonares I.
The palace was extremely quiet; the only sound I had heard since entering it was the echo of our footsteps throughout the palace halls. The palace also appeared empty with nobody in sight besides the multiple pair of guards stationed at every corner of the palace.
"Aaref Fayeworth," Harrison spoke. "It's been a while since you've last set foot in this palace. I hope all is well."
"Sir Romochron," I greeted him, kneeling before him.
"No need to bow or kneel. We're on a first name basis here, aren't we?" He extended his hand out to me. "And what may I do for you?" he asked, assisting me off of the floor.
"For starters, I'd like to inform you that the threat within the kingdom has been subdued or at least no longer exists for the time being. In addition, I come bearing news regarding the attack. Lastly, I'm here to begin my resignation from the Adventurer's Society."
"Hmm, your resignation?" he asked, one of his eyebrows raising.
"Yes," I answered. "I'd like to offer my services back to the royal family and the kingdom during these times."
"How noble of you," he said, smiling. "I'll speak to Kalvin and the other advisors about it."
"Thank you."
"And who are they?" Harrison gestured to the people I brought into his chambers.
"Citizens caught up at the scene during the raid. It appeared two of them were active in combat before I arrived. The older of the three arrived towards the end."
"Very well," he said. "Most of the kingsmen had also returned with mages nearby who helped fight." He began walking away. "Come," he said. "Let me take you to them."
We walked, following him until we arrived in an open room with white tiles and tables everywhere. Some of the tables were full with the faces of familiar mages from the tournament. They weren't chatty or noisy, perhaps sinking in grief; the room wasn't fully quiet either.
"The three of you may wait here for the time being," Harrison said. "As for you," he turned to me, "we can discuss the following matter in a more secure location."
***
POV of Harrison Romochron:
"So, what exactly did you uncover during this attack?" I asked, gently stirring my cup of tea with a long spoon.
"For starters, the boy that I brought to you may be connected to the attack," Aaref said, cuffing his hands together on top of the table.
"And how so?"
"While fighting in Arslo, I sensed the presence of another golem. For a while, there was a massive spike of a darker presence in that same area."
"A dark magic user?" I asked softly, pulling the tea cup away from my face.
"I think so," he answered. "By the time I got there, all traces of that mana signature were gone. Instead, I caught a glimpse of the boy facing off against another mage. Afterward, a mysterious man wearing nothing but dark clothes and a cloak appeared. I couldn't sense his mana at all. Even worse, my attacks against him were ineffective. He just regenerated from them."
I sighed.
"Two golems, a potential dark magic user, and a mage who can regenerate?" I asked rhetorically. "Seems like we had quite the threat on our hands." I placed my cup of tea down and stared at my reflection in the dark liquid. "Even worse... an attack inside the palace."
I could see Aaref's face lifting with shock from my peripheral vision. His lips parted open slightly for a moment before he pressed them back together firmly, dismissing his shock.
"An attack?" he questioned. "On whom?"
"The king is dead," I said, still peering down at the nearly full cup. I got up and turned my back from him, looking directly at the door instead. "The coronation of the new king will be taking place soon."
"New King?" Aaref asked.
"Yes," I answered. "Prince Alfour will be inheriting his father's throne. All I ask is for you to keep this information confidential for the time being. I will speak to the other advisors and adhere to your request of rejoining the royal forces."
"Come," I said, exiting the door and walking back to the large room everybody else was waiting in.
"You," I said, pointing to the older boy with his long hair tied back. "Come with us." I nudged two guards in his direction. They cuffed him by the arms and forced him up from the table.
Smaller bursts of chatter erupted during the ordeal. I could hear the quiet murmurs of confusion spreading from table to table. The younger boy beside him watched silently, attempting to get up and chase him before another guard tackled him to the ground and pinned him there.
"Romeo!" the captive boy shouted out, trying to squirm from out of the grasp of the two guards.
The old man that accompanied the two of them bolted from out of his seat to the side of the young boy. He knelt beside him, looking angrily at the guard holding him down before turning his upset gaze in our direction.
The captive boy squirmed more against the guards, swinging his arms as much as he could within his limited range of motion. Somehow, he managed to knock one of the guards with an elbow, freeing the right side of his body. He began running, dragging his feet at the resistance of the other guard as the guard pulled tightly.
I took a deep breath and sighed.
The guard who had got knocked away, quickly tackled him to the ground. The boy landed head first against the floor and was knocked out.
"Please," I said, looking at the boy and the older man, "don't make this difficult."
"Where are you taking him?" the old man asked.
"Away... for the moment," I replied, turning my back toward the door. "Until we can figure out more about what happened today."
***
POV of Ares Pridelyn:
Waking up, I felt the familiar coldness of stone floors. It was dark and silent except for the trickling sound of water hitting the floor. I placed my hand on the side of my head. The tension swelled at the front of my head, pounding every then and there causing me to wince.
"Ugh," I groaned.
My stomach grumbled as my body began to adapt to its new surroundings. The air was stale and warm; it was more difficult to breathe than usual. A slight sweat coated my body. I searched the floor with my hands, trying to detail the area in my mind as my eyes began to adjust to the darkness. Finally, the room rendered in my vision. I was in another dungeon cell. Old iron bars stood before me, blocking me in but allowing me to see outside of the cell. I grabbed the bars in front of me, peeking my nose through two of the bars. A strong metallic smell filled my nostrils.
Nobody was in the cell across from me. The two cells beside me also seemed vacant as if I was alone. I heard small chatter across the long halls in front of me, indicating that I was not the only prisoner but perhaps isolated from the others.
"Didn't you hear?" I faintly heard. "The kingdom's in ruins." the voice continued. "Our time is coming. I can feel it."