A sigh escaped Linares as he stared outside at the clear night sky. The goddess moon and her crown of stones shone in a pearly halo, with stars twinkling like crystals set upon a dark curtain. Below him, a cold breeze whispered past the trees and through the window, caressing his guilt. But on this night, the comfort he yearned for would elude him just as swiftly as the seasons. Even after weeks had already passed, he was still suffering the consequences of that fated day, and now he had a responsibility he couldn't escape from, one that he dreaded the most.
It was through the domed glass above that silvery light spilled in, lighting up the room with a soft radiance. The unlit magelights were uniformly set on the curved walls, with large windows overlooking the town below on the east and southern sides. The clear glass above was carved in the likeness of the full moon, while down below, a circular basin was placed on a raised platform with stairs on four sides, filled with glittering water that sloshed around, seemingly absorbing the pale light from the moon.
On any other day, Linares would have spent the time admiring the arcane markings etched on the rim of the basin with pride. To him, those markings were the height of his house's achievements, a visible proof of the many years his family had spent to recover the glory they had once possessed. But now it seemed as if history was doomed to repeat itself. Except this time, the repercussions threatened to destroy the foundation of whatever legacy remained within the House of Lunar.
Was it worth it?
That question haunted his dreams. With wounds still healing all over his body, Linares couldn't help but sigh at the weight such words carried. Was there anything he could have done differently? he wondered. Ever since the Forefather's disciple, the famed spellmeister, was murdered all those years ago, everyone on Shorelands knew it was only a matter of time before the peace the Forefather fought for would crumble like a house built on sand. Dark times were ahead, he told himself, and he had only done what he could to make sure he and his family could survive. The House of Arius wouldn't be the first or the last family to fall in the upcoming times, he tried to reassure himself. And yet, the heavy pang of guilt deep inside of him still lingered.
Leaning on the table, out-fitted perfectly to fit the curved walls of the room, his eyes shifted to one of the artifacts on the table. It was a dried, wizened hand, deeply engraved with marks that shone in a sinister light. In all of the years he had spent dabbling in some of the darker magics, Linares had never seen an artifact so abhorrent. The crackling skin on its fingers and back was painted in a black so deep that it absorbed ambient light. Linares had no doubt that the artifact was probably dipped in a cauldron of tar in order to obtain the gloss finish that practically glimmered in the dark. In fact, even after all this time, he still had his qualms about what he must do next. After staring at the artifact for several minutes, Linares shook off his indecision and then proceeded to walk towards it. From a quick glance, one would have thought the artifact was fashioned from a dead man's left hand, a thought Linares decisively let pass as he quickly thrust his opposite hand and clutched it, intending to get over with it as quickly as he could.
"The Hand in Darkness, come forth and heed my plea." He chanted.
The moment he was done, a cloud of darkness exploded out of the artifact, quickly engulfing him and showering him with a cacophony of bird cries and the flapping of several wings. The deluge of darkness coiled and boiled around until a raven of the same nature burst forth from the cloud and flew into the air. It cawed as it circled the room for several seconds before abruptly shooting to the floor, seemingly destroying itself, only to roll and rise into the silhouette of a human female, one that immediately peered at Linares with its dark red eyes.
"We have been waiting for your call, Linares," a seductive voice rolled out of the form.
Despite being unsettled by what he had just witnessed, Linares instead snorted before taking a huge swig from a goblet beside him.
"I bet you all were," he said after he wet his throat, his voice still raspy even after weeks of healing. In addition to nearly killing him, the resulting explosion from the mansion of Arius also decimated everything in its path, leaving him with nothing else other than grave injuries and more than a few men short. It had taken days until he could heal enough to speak, and even then, the potions and draughts and the continual baths at the basin full of moonlit waters were barely enough to bring him back to his current health.
The female silhouette moved slowly, almost as if it were fully observing him for the first time.
"You don't look good, Linares." At first, her voice seemed as if it were full of motherly care, until a mocking chuckle soon followed. "But that's a price most have to pay for rushing headlong into things." Its hands shifted to her back.
Just from the obvious form and stance, Linares could tell he was definitely talking to a lady of certain elegance. He could infer she was probably a noble of certain pedigree, but why such a person was tied to such a dangerous organization was something beyond even him. Perhaps she was just like him, searching for other opportunities to advance no matter the cost, something he could definitely relate to seeing as he was in the same boat, but it was her words that reminded him that he was dealing with people of certain strength, powerful enough to clock themselves against a household that can practically read the stars.
"Oh Linares," the walking dark cloud dramatically intoned, "if only you had been a little patient, you would already have had everything in your grasp. But now it seems it was all for nothing. Tell me, was your brashness worth it in the end?"
There were those words again, this time taunted from someone who was supposedly on his side. Unable to take it anymore, Linares took another swig from the goblet and then exploded at the female shadow.
"What would you have me do then, huh? Should I have waited for another full moon to attack a mansion full of astrologers who would have surely seen me from a mile away by then? There was never a guarantee your cloaking spells could have lasted that long, and the only way we would have possessed enough strength to take them head-on would have been on that night. The hunters you helped hire proved to be nothing but incapable; it took my presence to even make sure everything didn't fall apart." His heated gaze stared at the silhouette. "Tell me then, what would you have done?"
The female visage raised her hands in a mock defense, chuckling. "Now now, Linares, do not be angry with the messenger... but you should also know something. Do not think the cloaking spells you heavily paid for were something cheap. True, they might not have lasted that long, but they would have at least afforded you enough time to infiltrate. Or at least collect enough information about the strange formation that had previously stumped you." She unexpectedly sighed, "I mean, no one could have expected such a noble house to have such deep foundations. Well, no one but you. You were their most trusted ally after all." She smirked.
Linares's heart went cold.
"You were there," he whispered. "You knew what they were capable of."
The dark silhouette shrugged, almost as if it were obvious.
"Well, what were you expecting? Did you think you could have asked for such complicated spells without our following? We might have provided you with the opportunity you sought, but we always prepare for contingencies. And it's obvious now that we made a poor choice. You nearly sacrificed all for nothing, as the one thing you desire the most flitted away from your grasp."
Frozen where he stood, Linares pulled back his memories of when he had first heard the light rumors sweeping through his town about the House of Arius possessing a secret treasure in their grasps, one that could ensure a full breakthrough in higher stages. At the time, he was nothing if not desperate, as if it weren't for that rumor, one that he had meticulously followed despite his suspicions, then he was sure he would have resorted to even darker means in order to push through this slump that had held him back for many years.
Linares immediately schooled his expression.
"Then what do you want?" He stonily asked.
Even though her face was filled with shifting shadows, an almost giddy voice could be heard.
"The good question, dear Linares, is: What can we do for you?" The silhouette chuckled before she continued. "While we still appreciated the deal we made at first, you should know there is so much we can offer. In the spirit of our future partnership, I will leave you with this little tidbit of good news."
The female form gracefully stood up and then walked up to him.
"While you were busy floundering if the hunters you sent after him were still alive, we performed some auguries into the cosmos and got an answer. The one thing that you absolutely need is still with the child, and the child somehow still lives within the depths of endless glades. I would never know if it's his luck or something that allowed him to keep his life despite the fair share of monsters within the glades, but our diviners couldn't derive further truth than that." She seemingly bit her lip before she continued, "There is something strange going on with the forest—something that can deeply camouflage itself from the tapestry of the cosmos. So if you ever decide to take a step inside the forest, I can only leave with a warning." She stared directly at him. "Be extremely careful in your venture, lest your life also become forfeit, just like so many others."
With that said, the female shadow snapped her fingers, and her silhouette slowly started degrading.
"Oh, and another thing, make sure the next time you summon us, there are not uninvited guests lurking around unless you desire they lose their lives. We are trying to be clandestine after all. Until our next summoning Linares."
The female handler sent a contemptuous smile at the door before the shadows that formed her silhouette fully collapsed and then retreated into the wizened hand in a flourish. When it was clear that the shadows had retreated and that the silence had stretched on for more than a few minutes with Linares doing nothing but staring at the artifact, the only door into the room finally creaked open, reveling a dainty figure that took down the stairs with trepidation.
"Father," a soft voice faltered, "is s-she gone?"
Hearing her steps, Linares could only force a smile as he turned towards his only child.
"Selene, my daughter, what brought you here?"
A maturing girl with the height of two-thirds of her father stood on the floor, staring at the wizened hand with an expression that bordered between terror and surmounting sadness.
"I was forced to come and see you, father, after the strange rumors... " She shook her head as she turned towards him with a desperate look.
"Is it true what they say? That we…that the fall of the House of Arius was done by our hands?"
Linares's fake cheer faltered at her words. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes, his right hand subconsciously riffling through his short locks, unable to say anything to fill the void. He knew the rumors wouldn't take long to reach his daughter as a result of that damned child spreading those accursed papers all over the place. Adding to the fact that he didn't know how much she might have heard of the conversation between him and the shadow, it made him realize he had no grounds to lie or even defend him. But then what could he say to his precious daughter so she could understand that all he had done and every course of action he had taken was for their family's benefit? All of these thoughts and more were immediately shattered by her next words.
"R-regardless of whether it's true or n-not," she stammered, "the only thing that's important is…what can we do about it?"
Linares abruptly opened his eyes, only to stare at her daughter's determined expression. He could still taste her terror, something that she couldn't hide from him despite her efforts. But as he stared at her resolve, a hint of pride and sorrow soon blossomed inside of him. Pride at how much her daughter had grown and sorrow as he realized from that moment on the road he and his daughter would be forced to walk upon.
** ** **
On a lonely night, several miles away, a man cloaked in darkness stood on a hill, overlooking the ruins of where his home once stood. The once clear skies were now filled with heavy clouds with a promise of rain and the once boisterous wind had become almost still, slowly carrying the whispers of the bitter souls that had unwillingly met their end on such land.
Like many of the smaller noble houses, the House of Arius carries a part of its heritage from a time long past. But unlike most, the house of Arius possessed far more secrets than most; some were lost to the harsh current of time, while others were carefully hidden away even from its members. And he was the secret carefully treasured. While many only saw the astrologers lumbering around the walls of the manor, obsessed with stars, there was another side to the family—a secret aspect only the head of the house knew existed. Ever since he was covertly chosen while young, the man had been kept in darkness in order to amass enough strength to fulfill his destined duties: to be a protector, to watch over the manor in times of crisis, and to fulfill a generational-old grudge, one that could be traced back to their origins. But in this case, in witness of the loss of life and family that had stood as a pillar in his heart ever since he was favored out of all others, his duties transformed to one of a sharp blade, meant to avenge those who had anchored him, borne him, clothed him, fed him, and gave him the rare opportunity to practice the house deadlier arts.
The lonely man stood over the dilapidated ruins and silently cried. He shed tears for the family he had lost. He shed tears for the lives that were unfairly cut short. But most of all, he shed tears of blood for failing to fulfill his responsibility to protect those he was meant to protect. The deluge of water began falling in earnest from the heavens, and the man watched as the drops of rain washed away his pain, his loneliness, and his shame. Where once stood the house of Arius, tall and proud, watching over the town of Astra, now there was only a skeleton of its grandeur, standing as a mark of dark times, a desolate watcher over a shadow of a town, and a shattered reminder of what his responsibilities next lay.
The man allowed the rain to soak him completely before he slowly pulled an ornate artifact from beneath his dark robes. A round dial marked with strange markings filled its surface, but most importantly, when he bit his finger and let a drop of his blood drop into the surface, the arcane markings on the artifacts awakened only to reveal a gleaming spot of light on its surface. Deciphering its meaning at a careful glance, his heart jumped when he realized that not all was lost. There was still a surviving member of the family, which meant the head of the house had managed to pull off the contingency plan before everything was destroyed. His once-deadened heart became alive, and he instinctively wanted to search for him right away, but he forcibly stopped himself. If the survivor was still alive after all this time, then there was nothing else to be done. Looking at the glowing mote of crystalline blue, he could infer that his family's remaining legacy was most probably in the hands of the one who still lived. As much as he wanted to chase after them, he knew he first had a job to do.
And that was to search for the truth left in the walls of where his home once stood. And deliver a reckoning on those who dared spill the blood of the ones borne into the House of Arius.
** ** **
On a chapel more than a thousand miles away, a whole strata apart, a young girl stood before an altar seemingly dedicated to the unseen gods. Her white robes were long and immaculate, and her eyes were shrouded behind a thick cloth, one that wouldn't have let even a shard of light slip in.
But that did not concern the young girl. Even if she appeared calm and collected, humming to herself as she stood below a grand statue of the Forefather himself, slowly lighting up the candles meticulously arranged around the edifice, their flames shedding light on the large mural that spanned nearly half the room, her heart thrummed in waves of vengeful glee and satisfaction.
When she was finally done, each candle was lit and burning under the stormy night. She laid down the magical lighter on the altar in front of her with almost a fervent zeal before raising her head, letting the disparate, swirling visions of blooded nights and scorching kingdoms swim through her sight.
"Can you see my sister?" She whispered in the air, almost as if she were talking to someone nearby.
"Can you feel it?" She continued, her lean face cracking into a rare smile. She felt for the edges of her gift, teasing, pushing, and willingly immersing herself in the tide of things to come. Long has she learned to embrace her terrible gift despite the many sacrifices she has been forced to go through; long has she learned to discipline herself enough to not give away any signs that came with horrible visions. But this time, though, even without the help of Mother Confessor, she could infer the telltale meanings of the visions that came to her.
And what she saw set her heart ablaze with vengeful glee.
"It won't be long now." She softly spoke to her far-flung sister, whom she missed with all of her heart. "It won't be long before scales shift and they are found wanting." She uttered with barely concealed madness.
"And when that time comes, dear Liliana..." She uttered her name with so much emotions that her eyes watered, wetting the small, thick of fabric that enclosed them.
"I will be there to witness...and set it all in flames." She harshly swore with the thunder rumbling outside, rain falling in sheets of echoing frenzy. It didn't take long for her face to abruptly become placid, leaving only a slight smile on it, one she was most known for in the chapel.
"But until then, I will wait." She muttered to herself. She would wait as the blood storm converges from afar and set chaos on to the shambling foundations of the Monarchy of Shorelands.