Ryn sat silently in a chair by the window, slowly rocking her son back and forth in her arms.
"Ryn are you going to at least say something? I know that this is hard to take in, but eventually you'll have to make a choice with what's happening." The man said sitting across the table in front of her.
He stood up and walked around the table towards her, landing a hand on her shoulder, with a deep sigh he continued. "You and Teiryn must leave tonight before anymore danger comes towards the Chieftain's family. I promise you that I will not rest till Tayaire and Trayner is found, but you must leave."
Ryn looked down at Teiryn, rubbing a hand gently through his curly hair. Tears began to form in Ryn's eyes,
"How am I supposed to just leave them out there, they're alone and probably…" Her voice began to crack profusely as her tears became heavier. "I don't know what to do without them Noir."
Noir stood deadly still, not knowing how to comfort someone who feels as if they are losing everything all at once. This wasn't an ideal situation for him, knowing he went through the same phase for himself, he was
barely able to keep his own emotions in check let alone someone else's. Noir was a tall, and slender white man with a scar over his right eye, from a wound that also left him blinded in that same eye. He had long yellow hair with black at the tips, that cut off at his shoulders.
"Being a foreigner in a country that doesn't truly accept my kind has taught me a lot of things, and some of those lessons weren't pleasant at all."
Noir looked out the window thinking back to the time he had first arrived in Neuvaria, he was on an expedition to scour the lands for a rare mineral that only formed in the cave network based in the center of the country. Upon reaching a small entrance, he was captured by the Morguni tribe and subjected to tortures that were not only physical, but mental as well.
"I'm pretty sure you are aware of my life's story since you were there to bare witness to it, but your husband had saved me at a time when I felt that all else was lost, Your family were the ones that gave me a sense of purpose, and I hold on to that purpose everyday that I am still on this earth." Noir spoke as a single tear dropped from his blinded eye.
Noir felt that a huge debt was owed to the Zibiru's royal family, and he owed them more than just his life.
"With that being said, Ryn I promise you that I will do whatever is within my power to reunite you with your family. I just need you and Teiryn to leave and not look back." He said as Ryn's heavy crying subsided and became a shallow whimpering.
A knock was heard on the council room's door as Ryn began to collect her belongings,
"Lord Noir open up, I have a message of extreme importance to deliver to you!" a man shouted at the top of his lungs, he sounded panicked and out of breath.
Noir lifted his hand, as a black shadow appeared, twisting and opening the door, causing the man who was leaning against it to stumble into the room. The abilities possessed by Noir were much different from those belonging to Neuvarians, while the Neuvarian people's abilities were always imbedded in their genes and came from spiritual evolution, Amourian abilities came from a long line of experimentation done by scientists on the human body causing what is known to them as super powers. The man who was knocking on the door was an average looking individual, normal short black hair, normal dark brown eyes, and an average body posture, he was plain in all sense of the word. The man kneeled on one knee towards Noir and Ryn, not daring to make eye contact.
"Lord Noir and Great Wife Ryn I come with unsettling news!" the man said in a loud voice.
"Watch your tone, don't be too loud there's a sleeping child in here. Now out with it Sil." Noir spoke in a low but commanding tone that made Sil's whole body tremble.
"My apologies, I'll get right to it then. The enemies have finally made their presence known by setting off the alarm grid at the west wall, as well another group were spotted attacking the South gate. While our men are holding them for now in the south, their group is a force of over two thousand men and we won't be able to hold off for that long." Sil spoke earnestly.
Noir stood without moving, shocked at the words that the young man had spoke out of his mouth.
"Was it really necessary for an army of that size to be attacking the small Zibiru settlement, that only held at max six hundred
people." Noir thought.
The Zibiru tribe was held as one of the strongest tribes in Neuvaria due to their high spirit energy capacity and the abilities they were able to create using spirit manipulation, but it was also one of the smallest and newest tribes in their history, so many didn't accept them as originals. The Zibiru tribe had a large amount of political backing because of its past dealings with other tribes from the older generations, but alliances began to wither as they became more and more secluded and not trusting some of the other
tribe chiefs in the council.
"Ryn we don't have much time! Get Teiryn ready and I'll have two of the men escort you through the underground tunnels." Noir said as he pointed at a large bookcase that covered a hidden pathway.
He felt that this would be the safest and most discreet route to take, with all of the fighting
taking place outside no one would suspect to search for an emergency exit that leads several miles away from the village. Tayaire had a feeling that something like this would happen due to his clairvoyance, so he had the path built to ensure the survival of his wife and sons. As Noir moved a book from the shelf, the bookcase began to slightly snap open and move as a hidden door. Behind the bookcase was a staircase made from a crystal-like silver material that had a radiant glow.
"Sil, I need you to go retrieve another guard to help escort the great wife and young heir to the end of this tunnel. After you reach the end of the tunnel continue to walk north till you reach the river bed, then you are to depart and return here."
Noir went to the corner of the room and retrieved two swords, one was his custom made blade that was made to mimic a modern day Katana, it was black with a pure yellow edge. The second blade looked as if it was an exact copy of the first, the only difference was that instead of a yellow edge, it was a dim orange color that mimicked a flame. He passed the sword to Ryn as Sil returned to the room with another guard by his side.
"We're ready to head out on your orders sir," Sil said as him and the other man knelt to one knee.
Noir gave a quick head nod to Ryn, then the group began to make their way down the tunnel.
As Ryn walked down the stairs with Teiryn and the other men, runes began to glow in a bright white as they walked down the tunnel.
"I can't believe that Tayaire had the idea to build this all on his own," Sil spoke admiring the foundation and landscape of the wide-shaped tunnel.
"Is this all made with Corzium?" The other man asked in disbelief.
Corzium is a rare mineral that was mainly used as a power source for most of the technology in Neuvaria. Just one pound of Corzium was enough to power a small city for up to six years, and with the amount seen in the tunnel, if sold would grant anyone a fortune that would last many centuries.
"It's not all just Corzium," Sil replied looking at the man with a bit of confusion.
"I'm not sure if you know this but Neuvaria isn't only home to one rare mineral. Corzium on its own is a pure white crystal that can only be used as a power source, but when fused with another rare mineral called Kritane, which is a powerful black metal, It creates a whole new element called Alphium." Sil spoke with excitement.
The creation of Alphium was a secret only passed down through the top Zibiru tribe members, it was the strongest known element in the realm according to the previous Chieftain's of the tribe.
"Alphium? Never heard of it." The man said as the group made it to the half way point of the tunnel.
Ryn began to have a suspicious feeling about the man walking with them,
"All of the council guards in the Zibiru settlement knew of this element due to it being the main component of their weapons, so how could he not know of it with him being one himself." She thought to herself while walking.
Teiryn was tied up in a sling around her back, while the sword that Noir had gave her rested in a sheath on her hip, leaving her hands free of restraints for easy movement. Ryn began to turn around while speaking,
"To think about it, I've never seen you around the palace. How long have you been a guard for my family.".