Twenty years ago…
In the small village town of Sylvanwood, lived a woman named Hisako Hilten. She lived an understated life, to the best of her ability. Her husband was Lukas Hilten, an Oracle officer ranked third in the Offense Corps. Lukas was in and out of Sylvanwood, constantly commuting to Dawnvale for work, and their relationship was strained.
However, they aimed to fix their falling apart marriage. They decided the best course of action was having a child, and so, soon Hisako ended up pregnant. However, Lukas was still a rolling stone. Despite taking time off from work, he never seemed to be able to stay in one place for long.
Hisako was already a few months pregnant when Lukas returned to Dawnvale. In the wake of Ulrich's death, the Oracle had increased all safety measures, fearing another cultist attack would yield a similar outcome. Since a vacancy was now present in their group, they scoured to promote someone. And a new ranking officer was placed, Khiara Al-Zaydan as number four, while Lukas took Aldegar's spot of three, and Aldegar became two.
All seemed somewhat peaceful, until the Oracle began destroying itself from the inside. Lukas had noticed the suspicious behavior of one of his allies, and began investigating. Figuring he shouldn't alarm everyone yet for the sake of being unnoticed, he began searching for clues on his own. But, his greed had gotten the better of him. He had already collected enough evidence, following the man throughout the darkened alleys and gloomy lights of Dawnvale. Officer number six, Agostinho, was conspiring with the Cult of Nyra.
His wish was for a promotion, some recognition, as he had a hard time accepting that he was only ranked as number three. So, he took the entire load upon himself, trying to prove that he was greater than who he was. And so, instead of giving his evidence to his higher ups, he wished to confront Agostinho himself.
Months of researching his movement patterns, following him and lurking for the shadows. Lukas was finally where he wanted to be.
As the sun was calmly setting, and darkness soon began descending on the coastal city, Lukas had initiated the final standoff. A hue of orange spread throughout the sky, and Lukas was firmly planted in the courtyard, stopping Agostinho from leaving.
"Nice seeing you here…" Lukas said with a glare of determination in his eyes. "Would you mind chatting for a bit? I hope I won't disrupt any… plans you might have."
"What are you saying, Hilten?" Agostinho was attempting to his voice slow and calm. "I am heading home to my wife."
"Wife? Are you certain this wife actually exists?" Lukas had gently placed his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, preparing himself for the fight he knew would come. "I've been following you, Agostinho. I know the wife you speak of is no more than a cover, and I know of your allegiance to Nyra."
"Those are some bold claims." Agostinho took a step forward, almost to provoke Lukas into attacking first. "I hope you have some evidence to back that up?"
"It was hard to find, but not impossible." He had now pulled his sword out, assuming a fighting stance. "You're a mystai, but don't know how to keep yourself hidden? You ought to watch your back sometimes."
"I see… Well, I am but to blame here." Agostinho quickly opened up his coat and threw it to the side, revealing a large saber attached to his hip, before quickly drawing it. "However, I'm giving you a chance to back off. Neither of us needs to die over such trifling matters."
"The integrity of the Oracle is something all members need to help uphold!" Lukas now quickly dashed at him, attempting to slash him across the chest, but Agostinho dodged.
This wasn't going to be an easy battle for Lukas. Not only was he much smaller and physically weaker than Agostinho, but his katana was much lighter than his saber. Alas, his smaller build compared to Agostinho allowed him much quicker movements. He was dashing around the courtyard like a madman, trying to catch Agostinho of guard. However, slowly, he began catching up in speed despite his much larger build. And then, Lukas withdrew for a fraction of a second, wanting to analyze the battlefield. In that moment, he noticed a large Roman "II" across his forehead.
"You bastard…" Lukas gasped for air, exhausted from such hasty movement. "Swiftstride."
"Never underestimate your opponent, Hilten." The inscription faded from his skin before Agostinho extended his hand towards Lukas, and a large, almost transparent arm appeared in front of him, attempting to strike. The arm's movements were dodgeable, but it still nicked Lukas across the arm.
"I hope you don't think Phantom Limb can match my speed." Lukas threw himself back into action, cutting the ghostly arm across, before it disappeared.
"Speed?" Agostinho grinned slightly. "Why would I need speed when I have an opponent with poor focus?" And in that moment, another arm appeared, this time behind Lukas, slashing him across the back. He reacted in time, so the blow wasn't fatal, but his guard was down.
"Your power is annoying, I have to say. Hard to predict." Lukas now returned his sword back, before his index finger began glowing.
"Shadows descend, safety we crave.
We seek a shield from peril's grave.
Protective seal, ward of fleeting light.
With your embrace, repel the blight!"
Lukas pointed his finger at Agostinho, before a orb of blue light flew outwards from it. It quickly hit him, however, no damage was dealt.
Suddenly, a short sense of incredible dread descended onto Lukas, a feint voice whispering 'Purgatio' in his ear. He knew what using this spell meant - a month in purgatory, but Lukas wasn't intending on dying yet.
"You play filthy, Hilten." Agostinho extended his hand once more, but his power didn't seem to activate. "You know you'll get an earful from Fornicus and Aldegar for using Cor Clausum."
"If I kill you, I certainly won't."
The two kept clashing, running at eachother, yet neither could hold their ground for much longer. "Form 1 is weak, it only stops powers for a few minutes. I need to hurry!" Lukas was losing his cool. A battle which he thought he'd easily win is now on his enemy's side.
"It's hard to keep up, no?" Agostinho laughed. "Wounds infected by Phantom Limb only stop bleeding if you ram Essence straight into them, which is something you can't seem to do."
Lukas' composure was running thin, and all that was left in his mind were thoughts on how to end this fight as quickly as possible. "I guess I'll have to use my power." He said as he retracted his sword, and his fists became enveloped what seemed to be electricity.
"I can't believe I was pushed to this." Lukas ran at Agostinho again, attempting to electrocute him. To his surprise, Agostinho didn't try to dodge, instead, he purposefully took the hit to leave Lukas' guard down. Now open to attacks, he couldn't react in time, and Agostinho stabbed him in the chest. Both of them now fell to the ground, one bleeding profusely, and one electrocuted and burned.
The duel garnered much attention, but no one dared to intervene. The sun had now set long ago, and the two men laid motionless on the courtyard soil. Soon, Aldegar and Fornicus swooped in, their faces painted with disbelief at the scene they were witnessing.
Aldegar noticed Lukas bleeding profusely, before running over to his side and attempting to stop the bleeding by surging his body with Essence. It helped, but Lukas had already lost too much blood. Aldegar screamed as loud as he could, calling out for help, and the injured pair was quickly taken to the Medical Corps emergency unit. A solemn beeping of the EKG machine rang thru the area, signaling Lukas' slow heartbeat.
Aldegar was by his side, wanting to make sure everything went well and that Lukas survived, for his sake, and for Hisako's. He was trying to remain calm, until Lukas' weakened voice reached him.
"Aldegar…" He slowly began, to the best of his ability. Agostinho's saber had pierced his left lung, and the machines were the only thing keeping him breathing until he regained enough Essence to heal his wound. "My left pocket… a key."
"My office locker… everything is there." He barely composed enough strength to grip Aldegar by the arm, clutching him as tight as he could. "If I die… you tell Hisako. You'll do it best."
Aldegar slowly reached his hand in Lukas' left pants pocket, gently pulling out a small key with a label reading "1807". With a nod of his head, Aldegar acknowledged Lukas' words.
"It's alright, Lukas. Me and Fornicus will handle everything. You only need to rest." Aldegar stood up, contemplating whether he should stay by his side a little bit more. Deciding to respect his wish, in risk of his untimely death, he decided to head to his office, taking Fornicus with him. With a quick darting glance at Agostinho, who seemed to be either sleeping or knocked out, his promise hung like a low hanging fruit. As the solemn beeping continued, Aldegar's vow to tell Hisako. He wondered, would he really have to fulfill it?