The four of them, Hugo, Lithea, and Viv were surprised at the sudden appearance of the person in front of them. And by how he's dressed, they assume he is the eastern region's council.
"My Lord," Verin immediately kneeled and saluted.
And despite being stunned, the three followed him.
"You are sharp, boy," the man on the chair said.
The council stood and walked to them, circling them and studying them.
"You are the ones sent for the mission, are you not?"
The four remained silent, they all were confused. He does not emit a strong sense of authority like Lady Edrei. He seems like an ordinary person, a mischievous one at that.
"Will I remain unanswered?"
He looked up and sighed before raising his arm, inhaling slowly as he took off his porcelain mask. His is plain but more glossy than Lady Edrei's.
As soon as he took it off, he used his power to have those kneeling before him to raise their heads and look at him properly. One of his many pet peeves is being ignored.
His long lashes enhance more of his deep blue ocean eyes, his features are soft and he looks very young. His faded blue hair matches his hair and it did not look weird, if anything, it complemented his warm skin.
Verin unconsciously looked at Viv and compared him to the council before them, the council looked way younger than Viv, even Lithea. It made him wonder about his age.
"No way he's older than Lithea," Verin whispered, unfortunately, this council's hearing is pretty good.
"What?" He gritted his teeth, "I, Eric Kade, council of the East Region, son of an Earl!"
Verin gulped and felt his mouth go dry.
"You dare look down on me just because of my age?!"
The room was completely covered in dark clouds, thunders and lightning filled the lighthouse; he's mad.
"My apologies, my lord," Hugo spoke before Eric starts attacking them, "my team was surprised at how young you looked and was truly amazed that you have reached such a position at a very young age."
Hugo observed how Eric is starting to calm down, "if it is not a hassle, do you mind sharing with us your training to become this admirable?"
Although Hugo wanted to sugarcoat his words to avoid his tantrums, it is true that he is surprised at how he easily used illusion.
Illusions are one of the hardest acquired skills to learn. Most of those who want to learn the skill use it for entertainment purposes and earn money through it. But to use it in battles, this is the first time he's heard of this.
This skill is even foreign to the Kingdom of Meadow but normal to the Marahuyo Island.
The Marahuyo Island is a home of people with great enchantment users of all sorts, this is how they got their name. They were once known as the Exile Island, those who were cast out of their homes ran to the island. After a few decades, during the King's assembly every five years, they found out the Island is filled with magic users when they sent some people to have a look at the island with the intention of claiming it for military purposes.
'Could he be from the island?'
Lord Eric tilted his head and sighed, relieving the storm illusion he's covered the tower with.
"You must be thinking I am a *Hiyara," Lord Eric sat on top of his desk and moved his fingers, moving four chairs towards them to let them sit.
*a word which means the fruit of one's dreams, wishes, and aspirations.
'Hiraya?' the rubies wondered what it was he was talking about, except Hugo.
"Have a seat first."
The four checked the seat if it was real or an illusion before obeying him.
"My name is Eric Kade," the others looked confused as to why he had to repeat his name, "but my birthname was Laon Hiraya."
"You're a Hiraya," Hugo uttered.
"My adopted parents took me in when my birth mother was dying during their annual inspection in the Island. Since they have no children and cannot produce an heir, my mother begged them to take me in."
Eric looked at them one by one, "they agreed. Since it is the Earl's duty to maintain the peace, to carry out justice, and to strengthen the military defense as well as raising armies. And being a Hiraya, naturally born within the Marahuyo Island, my future powers could help them carry out their role as the Earl of the East."
"Shouldn't Jade's Investigation Unit be led by an Earl?" Verin asked curiously, since he doesn't know how nobility works, he's wondering why a Duke's nephew is leading the unit.
"It is not necessarily carried by the Earl," he chuckled, "and since the Jade is part of the capital's system, it is not a surprise for any Duke and their family to take on whatever role it is available."
"Oh."
Eric used his telekinesis on them and had them stand, "enough idle talk, you still have a mission to fulfill for us, rubies."
The four of them stood straight and put their hands on top of their left chest, "ha!"
"You must, by all means, not kill this man. All you have to do is figure out what's going on with him. He is one of our men, he's a skilled fisherman and had never had any issues before this."
They can see the sincerity in the council's eyes. It must have been hard for him to keep such a gentle person in prison, but as the one who governs the region, he must not break his own rules. After all, they put importance in love, harmony, and peace above all else.
Just like how the whole kingdom used to be before everything fell because of him.
"Well then," Lord Eric cleared his throat, "the scroll?"
Hugo stepped forward and handed him the scroll that was given by Edrei, "here, my Lord."
He bowed his head a little as a sign of respect. And when he stepped back after Eric got the scroll, it immediately burned into a cerulean color as soon as it touched his palm.
"It is all set, I'll have the guards escort you to the dungeon."
Lord Eric raised his arm and made a motion to open the doors; four large guards quickly stepped inside his office with facial expressions as hard as a stone. This had got them thinking, when did they come? Have they always been outside all this time?
"Dungeon, my lord?" Verin asked.
"He's held captive there," Eric turned to one of the guards.
"Krim, I'll leave them to you."
"You can trust me, my lord," Krim, the tallest and more muscular soldier, saluted before he exited the room.
"Follow me, rubies."
Right after the last one left Eric's office, the door immediately closed and the doors disappeared. Viv who witnessed it, being the last person, was startled. The hair on his nape stood and he felt abnormal shivers all over his body.
Krim led them to a very long hallway, Hugo thought this must be one of his many illusions. On the other hand, Lithea had gotten used to illusions when it comes to the higher ranked person. This is just like the meeting room of the councils inside the guild, and just like Lady Edrei's crystal hall's entrance and passageway.
The guards stopped and pressed something on the wall and the bricks opened, just enough for one person to enter.
'They're all the same,' Lithea concluded.
The portal is a teleportation one, the same one the rubies had in their rings. But this is different, unlike the rubies who are able to transport long distances, the portals used by the councils and the royals can only be used for short distances; mostly just within the radius of fifteen miles.
And this particular portal they are using leads them right at the entrance of the dungeon. The thick metal scent is so strong as soon as they arrived, they needed more time to get used to it.
Two soldiers guarding the entrance became alert when they saw them, one of them stepped forward and talked to Krim.
"By the lord's order, we are here to see the menace."
Lithea's ears rang with the word used, 'menace?'
She remembered what Lord Eric said before in his office, he was a gentle person, yet the guards refused to see what their council saw. They're completely different from the person who puts importance on the region's number one rule.
Lithea clenched her fist.
The guards were rolling something and pulling some metals, they clinked and echoed through the halls, and in a moment, the entrance opened.
'What kind of lock is this?' Hugo wondered, 'this has such tight security for a region which claims to have a harmonious land.'
When they marched down the hall, they felt an eerie feeling from each cell. They seem to hate the people who have put them in this suffocating dungeon. But what's alarming is, Viv seems to be affected by the energy of the prisoners.
His hand kept twitching, and he had his head down. Viv kept breathing in and out heavily, he wanted to keep in control of his emotions. Without Thenea by his side, and when she learns he's lost it again, she would be very disappointed with him.
The moments he was taken care of by her and her family flashes through his mind, but, "You good for nothing brat!"
Sweat started rolling down his temple and his nape, his fingers curled and formed into a fist, his palms turning red with the nails digging in.
"You can't do anything right, you fucking bastard!"
His happy memories were replaced by the nightmare he's been through in the past, being beaten up, deprived of food, being looked down upon, and how he's used as a tool by those people; his rage grew every second.
They all stopped at the end of the hallway; a thick metal door with only two small holes in it that could barely fit a finger separated them from the person they're looking for.
"The person inside is the offender, Marcus Dulle," Krim informed them, "in addition to the letter sent to you, he has now harmed a total of fifteen people."
They all were surprised, if Marcus had been captured, how was he able to harm more? Had he escaped?
"Fortunately, they were all minor injuries."
Hugo's face turned grim, "additional five?"
"Yes, sir."
In that very moment, as they were discussing his deeds, Marcus had quietly escaped his cell. He has been secretly planning another escape the whole time, he slipped through the hole he made on the blindspot of his wall.
"Open it," Hugo ordered.
Krim took out the keys and pushed it to the keyhole, as he was doing the exact movement to open the door, the alarm went off.
"THE PRISONER HAS ESCAPED!!"
A guard from outside of the dungeon shouted and chaos was heard as well.
"Could it be?" Krim stopped, he was stunned and could not move.
Hugo took a peek inside the bars through the two small halls and saw nothing but debris from the bricks he secretly dug and immediately kicked the metal door open.
Viv who had been trying to keep himself from getting taken over by his past snapped at the sound of the siren. His eyes sunken deep as his drool trickled down his chin.
His breathing rumbled.
"He's not here!" Hugo shouted.
"DULLEEE!!" Krim's thunderous voice echoed. It is unreadable if his rage is from being tricked by Marcus again or fueled by his own incompetence as a soldier personally tasked by Lord Eric.
The guards immediately run back to the entrance to run after Marcus, leaving the rubies inside. But Viv acted on his own and slipped to the hole, not listening to Hugo's voice calling to him. His mind is completely covered by darkness.
His past had awakened, the feared bloodthirsty maniac ruby had set himself free.
Verin activated a portal and called the other two, "come!"
The portal teleported them on one of the house's roofs and they immediately ran after both Viv and Marcus.
"We have to get Viv snap out of it!" Verin shouted. He's worried, after all this will be the first time they have to tame Viv without Thenea with them. And none of them had asked her beforehand how to do it.
Hugo gritted his teeth, "now we have two to take care of."
Verin closed his eyes for a second, "let me go after, Viv. You two take Marcus."
"No," the two guys were surprised at Lithea, "I will go after Viv."
"But–"
Hugo was about to protest when Lithea jumped on another roof, he can't argue with her and he knows it. But he's just happy to know she's not completely changed, she's still the stubborn Lily he knew as a child.
Viv saw the soldiers running about to capture Marcus, his vision went red and he was driven to create chaos. He couldn't stop himself.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"
He ran faster and faster and hopped on top of a roof to overtake four soldiers in pursuit.
"What the–" one of the soldiers said when Viv landed in front of them with a mad gaze glinting in his eyes.
"Who the fuck are you?!" the other one spat, "get out of our way, boy!"
Viv cracked his neck before heavily dropping his head to the side with a sinister smile on his face.
The soldiers before him felt their body gone cold, they couldn't explain what they're feeling. It felt like they were not facing a person but a monster.
"HARRRGGGHHHHH!"
Viv put pressure on his feet and ran towards the soldiers, taking his sharp knives, slashing their thighs as he slid on his knees.
"ARGH!"
Both sweats and saliva dropped on the ground with Viv's sudden attack.
"You creepy bastard!"
Viv swiftly changed his position and dashed again towards them, his hands ready to strike again. But the soldiers were nailed where they stood, they have never felt this much bloodthirst from someone, not even in battle they have encountered something like this.
They knew he was different.
"Viv!"
He heard Lithea but it went past his brain, all he could think of was blood. He wants to see them drip and flood the ground. A world of red, that is his vision of the world; nonstop war and hatred.
Lithea had finally gotten closer for her to release her thread and hold down Viv, she managed to tie his waist and his wrist.
Sting.
Lithea halted when she felt a sting inside her, she wasn't sure which part but it's near her heart. That was when she realized she foolishly released her mana without putting the stabilizer into consideration, now it has eaten more of her mana, leaving her with almost nothing.
'It will come in handy.'
At a very crucial time, she remembered Leon's words. She needs a sword to fight in this situation and not be a burden to others.
Viv felt the threads around him loosened and he quickly cut them with his knives, he had forgotten about the soldiers in front of him and turned around, running towards the person who bound and tried stopping him, Lithea. He can feel her strong presence, and being a mindless cutter, it will be a satisfaction if he gets to see blood on her body from his knives.
"You have to snap out of it," Lithea struggled to speak. The stabilizer is still eating some of her mana. She's in no condition to fight, her body is trying to keep it together from the pain the stabilizer is giving her.
Raising his knives, he screamed on top of his lungs as he was about to strike Lithea's head.
Slash.
Hugo and Verin who was still in pursuit of Marcus couldn't see properly from where they are, but since they're still on the roofs, they can somehow make out the figure from afar.
"LILY!!!!"
Hugo shouted when he saw Viv was about to strike her, he was ready to neglect the mission to save her but Verin stopped him.
"What are you doing?!"
Verin did not say anything, his eyes are only fixed on the small figure of both Viv and Lithea.
"Lily," Hugo's shoulders dropped at the sight of blood flowing down Viv's knives.
Lithea winced, the sight of blood scared her. It keeps bringing her back to when their parents were slaughtered by the wild wolf. But now, all she can think of is to keep Viv out of trouble, that Thenea still needs him.
"Viv, you need to calm down."
Viv pushed his hand to wound Lithea more, he's not hearing anything of what she's saying.
Lithea knew it would be bad if he had successfully struck her, luckily, her reflexes saved her. But she's in doubt if this much blood can still give her time to save him. She's thinking if stopping him by grabbing on his knives blades were the only solution.
"Listen to me," she grunted as she felt the knife pushing deeper on her palms, "you don't want to see her sad, right?"
Lithea looked straight into his eyes, it was dead and cold. She can't stand it but she had to.
"Thenea won't like this, Viv!"
Viv's eyes remained the same but what's surprising was, tears started to trickle down his cheeks.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAACCCKKKK!!"
Verin ran towards the direction where the people were screaming and Hugo followed, although he was still worried for Lithea, he knew she could handle it. He just couldn't help but make her his business.
"What the hell is he doing flipping and throwing everything in sight?" Verin scratched his head.
"Let's go," Hugo jumped down and moved forward. They have to make it quick to avoid more casualties. It will be hard for them to repair everything instantly.
Marcus noticed them and knew he was in trouble if they were to catch him, he threw away the table he carried at another house's window and climbed to the roofs to escape.
"I'll go up," Verin jumped while Hugo remained on the ground. If Marcus would think of jumping down again, Hugo will be there to tackle him.
Just as Marcus is struggling to keep his balance while running on the slanted roofs, a spear went past him.
'Soldiers!'
He felt another set of energy being injected inside him, he's gotten more confident as he felt stronger. Marcus grabbed one of the spears flying before him and hopped down, striking three soldiers at once.
Hugo's eyes widened in surprise, 'How did he suddenly get stronger?'
He unsheathed his scimitar and lowered himself to run faster, he sprinted towards Marcus, blade ready to put him to sleep. But he didn't know Verin was also going to attack from above, he's going to jump on Marcus.
Without proper plan, they will be the ones going to crash on each other, giving Marcus a chance to escape.
Verin quickly grabbed the edge of the roof and swung himself back up, but Hugo also had the same thought, he used his scimitar to stop himself from running. Instead of giving the other the chance to capture Marcus, they both have the same thought and stop themselves from their attack.
Suddenly, knives started raining on Marcus, avoiding his vital spots.
Verin smiled seeing the familiar knives, "Viv!"
Hugo wanted to ask where Lithea is but he can't have Viv distracted.
Marcus deflected all of it by rotating the spear, some of the knives were thrown back to Viv and scratched his cheek. He could not believe he just witnessed his knives getting deflected and in the result, he was hit with it instead.
Viv lost his focus and lost his footing and fell from the roof.
Marcus was readying his spear to stab Viv with it, fortunately, Hugo was there to distract Marcus. He swung his scimitar at him and cut the spear's blade in the process.
"You!" Marcus groaned and jumped back, taking a barrel and throwing it at Hugo before fleeing again.
Lithea who was positioned at the end of the block was concentrating on gathering some of her mana to create a time freezing spell, but since the spell needs both mana and mind to be stable, the stone ended up sending a static all over her body.
"Argh!"
"Lithea!" Both Verin and Viv moved to run towards her to catch her falling body but Hugo summoned a wind through his scimitar and caught her just in time, gently setting her down.
She was gasping for air. Everything in her body hurts.
"Urgh."
"Are you hurt? Can you stand?"
Verin asked her questions.
"I'm fine," she kept one of her eyes open, she could still feel the sting from the static.
"You must stay here," Verin suggests, she's about to protest but he shook his head, "just stay."
Lithea doesn't want to be a burden, she wants to help, she's eager. She can feel her mana troubling her, the stabilizer is creating chaos inside her body. She's worried to just stand by and watch her friends take on the mission. She chose to become an adventurer, she wants to grow stronger as a priestess but all she could do is stand aside, all she could be is being useless.
'It's just like that time.'
She looked up and saw her friends fighting the possibly possessed human on the roofs, she felt so helpless. Lithea had her fist clench the whole time.
Viv tried to pin down Marcus with his knives but each time, he deflects them with every item he picks up while running away from them. He's becoming visibly irritated.
Hugo found an opening and glanced at his team, "sandwich him!"
Marcus heard his plan and tried to escape but Viv was already up in the air, kicking him down but he quickly got up. Next, Verin faced him and kept attacking forward, not minding his defenses just to make Marcus take steps back.
Hugo coated his blade with wind to protect Marcus from its edge, their mission is to have answers, not eliminate the person.
He appeared behind Marcus and started tapping his sword at every part of his body, 'Where the fuck is this stone.'
The golden stone in the middle of his scimitar is able to sense the dark energy by turning white, and it will turn back to yellow once he had taken it out just like the one he did in the Land of Scorpion. But the person they're dealing with now is different, they're having a hard time taking him down.
"Did you see it?" Verin asked.
Hugo was trying to focus, but he couldn't leave Verin unanswered, "No, I'm afraid it's either this is a new technique to control them, or it was buried way deeper."
Verin's eyes widened in surprise, they can't kill someone. As much as possible, they avoid killing people. That is what Lance asked them to do when he became a commander. They're allowed to do some damage if there's no other way, but killing is out of option. But in this mission, he was tasked to act as Hugo's second in command. Both he and Hugo must make decisions.
Verin unconsciously took a glance at Lithea who's struggling with her mana on the ground, carefully watching them with worry and guilt.
Hugo noticed Verin and immediately had an idea what he was thinking.
"NO!" he growled, "you will not force Lithea into this!"