The day started out like any other. Endyr and Sia were playing together in the nursery, the sun was shinning and the servants went about their duties. Well, it was more like Sia was trying vainly to get Endyr to play, who instead was more focused on reading books.
"C'mon Altair! Drop the stupid books and come play!" Sia shouted. Endyr merely spared her a glance before going back to reading. "These books are not stupid sister, they are highly educational and fundamental for my neurological development".
"What does that even mean?!" Sia half-shouted.
Ever since Endyr gained proper control over his motor capabilities, he had gained a thirst for knowledge akin to the one he possessed as a Denizen of Infinity. He read any book he could get his hands on, devolving his understanding of the world he inhabited. Of course, all these books were either scientific or based on intriguing myths, with little fiction mixed in.
His actions naturally made him reclusive, interacting only sparingly with his family. While his mother was too busy to properly notice, it left Sia feeling awful lonely. Rumours had also spread amongst the servants that "Young Master Altair" was strange and unnatural.
Upon seeing Endyr ignoring her for the umpteenth time, Sia angrily stood up and stormed out of the nursery in a huff. Endyr watched her leave before sighing and bringing his focus back to the book he was reading. He stayed there for another few minutes, before looking up.
"That smell...blood?" Endyr's eyes widened and he got up. "Something's wrong"
Thanks to his Privileges, Endyr had highly advanced senses that were almost animal-like in nature. His sense of smell and hearing was heightened, and he possessed strange instincts that were sensitive to danger. According to the System, it was a type of boost that was used by C Rank Ascenders, meaning it was far above his paygrade. To balance it though, his eyesight and other senses were slightly duller than normal.
It was his greater sense of smell and instincts that warned him about something off. Endyr left the nursery and walked down the corridor. The nursery was soundproofed so he was unable to hear anything wrong while there. After leaving it however, Endyr heard...nothing
There was no noise. The usual hub and bub of servants working was no where to be found, with the whole mansion being cast in a bubble of silence.
With each step Endyr took, his instincts began to blare. He turned the corner only to freeze on the spot. In front of him lay a servant girl, a cleaner from the looks of it. A guard lay beside her, his weapon still in its sheath.
Both of them were dead, their throats slit. The attack was likely sudden and swift, as both victims only had a look of slight surprise on their faces. Endyr shook himself from his stupor and the cogs in his head began to rapidly turn.
'I have to get out of here. But where do I run? Guards patrol the hallways at regular intervals, but there is no alarm. Has everyone in the building been killed already? But how could they do it?!'
Endyr was panicking. The fact that the assailant(s) had the power to silently kill everyone in the building was terrifying to him. 'I'm only an E Rank 4 year old, while the guards are at least D+ Rank.'
He didn't know their Level, but Levelling in this world was seen as secondary to Ranking, so it was certainly in the Mortal Tier. 'Around Level 60 perhaps?'
For reference, a top athlete on Earth, reaching the human pinnacle in all aspects, would classify as a Level 80 to 90 Mortal Tier. So these guards were not weak and could be professional sportsmen on planets without Mana.
Realising he had to move, Endyr searched his memories to see if his mother had ever mentioned a safe-room or something of the sort. 'Her office!'
Endyr remembered overhearing a conversation between his mother and Sia. She told Sia that in case of any danger, she and Endyr should enter her office and activate the defensive formations. 'Her office is in the west wing, while the nursery is in the north...I can make that'. Now with a plan, Endyr resumed creeping towards the office.
He had only gone a few metres however, before a realization hit him brutally. His sister was somewhere in the mansion! Endyr gritted his teeth and he was struck by a moral dilemma on what to do. Endyr was under no misgivings about his relationship with his family: he was not close to them.
His mother was away for the majority of his life at this stage, and he found Sia more annoying than endearing. Yet the thought of seeing her like the guard and maid, crumpled on the ground in a pool of her own blood, left his insides squirming. 'Damn it, damn it all!' he swore inwardly before adjusting his course towards his sister's room.
'Since Sia hadn't raised the alarm after leaving the nursery and seeing the bodies, they could have only been killed within the last minute or two. Their bodies were also quite warm, almost the temperature of a living person.' Endyr could only hope the killer was more focused on taking out the armed guards then a young girl like Sia.
Endyr passed through the corridors and more bodies, all of which suffered a slit throat bar a few. Those one were usually guards in special armour, likely marking them as men of higher standing. They had weapons drawn, but it didn't seem to do them much good as they all died with a look of shock on their faces.
'It's been at least 10 minutes by now. I sincerely doubt anyone is alive in the mansion, I must hurry up' desperation urged Endyr onwards, ignoring the carnage around him with cold and detached apathy.
At last, he reached Sia's room and hurriedly opened the door. Before he could speak however, the words froze Endyr's throat. Sia was not in the room, but it had been ransacked. Drawers were pulled out and furniture slashed, but there was no sign of his sister nor the assailant.
"She must be in the office already" he muttered, ignoring the whisper in his head that stated his sister was likely already dead. Thankfully, Sia's room was close to the office and wasn't that much of a detour from the nursery.
Endyr moved hurriedly but with the finesse of a cat. He never relaxed, straining his senses to the limit to catch any sign of the killer. There was nothing to be sensed however, which filled Endyr with a foreboding chill.
'Has the killer left the building? No, they wouldn't bother leaving with me and Sia unaccounted for. Killing all the servants and guards shows they are either meticulous or sadistic, both of which means they would want to finish us off'
By the time Endyr had contemplated the situation, he had arrived at the office. He placed his hand against the door handle and waited. After several seconds, a click was heard and it opened. "Magic technology sure is convenient" he mumbled. The lock worked by reading the Mana signature of anyone who touched it and and unlocked if it was recognised.
After making sure the door was locked behind him, he advanced deeper into the office, which also served as library for their mother. Because of this, Endyr was very familiar with the layout and knew where the safe-room was located: at the back, hidden behind a bookcase. Endyr arrived upon said bookcase and frowned at the sight.
The hidden door was ajar, and the lights were on. Tension squeezed his heart and Endyr ran into the room. In his moment of panic, he didn't notice the shadow watching him from the corner nor did he close the bookcase behind him. After he saw gone, the shadow extended and stretched, entering the room after Endyr.