The night enveloped Cogspark Mansion like a cloak of deliberate silence. The defensive runes, carved into the black stone walls, glowed with a violet radiance that illuminated the shadows of patrolling guards. Meanwhile, Tomas hid within the night's shadows, which contrasted sharply with the light of a full moon.
In the darkness, Tomas waited for the perfect moment to launch his attack, as the moonlight cast a subtle gleam on his Cryotum dagger, and a cold, penetrating aura emanated from his hands. He was poised to execute his plan while, inside the mansion, Darius felt an ominous premonition.
Tomas (whispering to himself):
"Violet runes... and a great formation surrounding the place... Just as the Red said, there must be a core to all this."
Tomas' eyes began to tremble as he noticed the guards shifting. He moved silently toward the mansion, using the chill radiating from his dagger to shroud his body in a thin energy field that masked his heat—rendering him as lifeless as a corpse, so that the runes would not react.
"Smooth movements... slow breathing.
Not a sound. Not a sigh. That's how you survive."
Meanwhile, Tomas kept his senses alert and thought to himself, "Fifteen minutes of patrol—this will be enough time to slit Darius' throat."
(His fingers caressed the dagger's edge, releasing a cold vapor.)
But as he neared the stairs leading to the second level where Darius was located, he was suddenly caught off guard by the powerful attack of Thargan Duskbreaker—a half-ogre mercenary positioned in the Iron Gauntlet rank of the Iron Legion.
Thargan (surprised):
"Incredible! And to think you not only noticed my attack, but also managed to defend against it."
After watching Tomas rise following the blow, Thargan grew somewhat displeased.
"It seems that even the Blood Moon's rats have the fangs to defend themselves against me."
Tomas dodged every obstacle in his path, using his exceptional speed to maneuver behind Thargan.
Tomas (thinking):
"This is over."
At the very moment Tomas landed his attack, Thargan reacted with unreal speed—blocking the blow with his armor, crafted from an alloy of iron and carbon. Due to its dark hue, the metal was known as the Iron of the Night—a material that, while not matching Cryotum in power, offered excellent defense and was light for its bearer.
The clash between the Cryotum dagger and the Obdurium armor rang out like a sinister bell. Instantly, the air filled with frost, which enveloped part of the armor that met the dagger, crystallizing the sweat on Thargan's face.
Thargan (grunting, as his armor creaked under the extreme cold):
"A little ice knife! Do you really think that's enough to…?"
He didn't finish his sentence. Although the Cryotum dagger hadn't pierced the metal, it had managed to create cracks, causing frost to form at the impact site. Realizing his predicament, Thargan discarded the damaged section of his armor and, in that area, enveloped it with the aura of his Nivora to lessen the damage. On the torn part of his armor, the frost spread rapidly—soon covered by a thin layer of bluish ice that began to shatter into thousands of fragments, as if it were snowing.
Tomas (whispering):
"Armors are like their owners... rigid until they break."
With a swift twist, Tomas hooked Thargan on the left side—a move the ogre couldn't counter in time due to the lingering effects of the first blow—receiving Tomas' strike squarely. Thargan was hurled against the walls by the impact, and as he receded, the traps set by the runes scattered throughout the mansion were triggered. A variety of attacks erupted from the ceiling and floor, and numerous small yet formidable stone golems emerged. Tomas continued to slice through them with his dagger without pause, all the while searching for an exit, knowing that the clamor would soon summon more guards—or even the Solar Sword of the Order of the Radiant Dawn.
To his surprise, however, Tomas saw Thargan approaching once again. He could hardly believe it; the blow had shattered several of Thargan's ribs, and while Tomas knew such an attack wouldn't kill him outright, he assumed it would at least render him unconscious.
Thargan (laughing in broken bursts):
"Good hit, rat! But you forget one thing..."
Suddenly, Tomas noticed Thargan discarding his armor, revealing a medallion of the Kar'Vash Clan hanging around his neck (a clan of ogres serving one of the five great clans—the Skjaldmor Clan). The medallion began to glow with a deep, reddish hue as it seemed to embed itself into Thargan's body. His veins bulged and his body swelled with a dark fury, as if the Kar'Vash medallion had awakened a ferocious beast within. With a roar that echoed through the mansion's corridors, Thargan bellowed:
"Clans will not fall to a Blood Moon dog! I will turn you to ash!"
As he advanced toward Tomas, his fists pounded the ground, cracking the slabs and unleashing waves of dark fire. Tomas leaped back, narrowly avoiding the flames that incinerated the stone golems. The ice on his dagger began to evaporate on contact with the heat, but not entirely—the Cryotum held on, gleaming with a glacial blue.
Tomas remained on guard, holding his Cryotum dagger forward and ready for attack.
Darius Cogspark's mansion trembled under the clash of two opposing forces: Thargan's dark fire, fueled by the corruption of the Kar'Vash Clan, and the icy aura of Cryotum in Tomas' hands. The violet runes on the walls flickered, as if the building itself were agonizing from the battle.
Tomas (thinking, while retreating):
"The medallion... That thing fuels him. If I destroy it, I'll weaken him. But how can I get close?"
Thargan charged again, his brutal yet predictable movements laid bare. Tomas noticed that in his fury, the ogre stepped on a defensive rune inscribed on the floor. The violet symbol activated, unleashing a beam of energy which Thargan deflected with his arm—burning his skin in the process.
"His attack pattern has become simpler." Tomas observed, continuing to evade the blows while assessing his next move.
"Although his power and speed have increased, it seems it's too much for him to control."
Tomas sheathed his Cryotum dagger and, with a concealed silver dagger, began to inflict shallow cuts across Thargan's body as he dodged.
Thargan (bleeding yet laughing):
"Pathetic! And to think that even in this state you'd resort to a weaker weapon."
Yet, as Tomas continued landing cuts without allowing Thargan to connect a single strike, the ogre's rage only escalated.
"Damn it! You haven't even broken a limit—don't underestimate me. Use everything you have and fight head-on."
The mention of "limits" resonated with Tomas. He recalled Lyrion's words: "Only those who break limits survive." Concentrating a large portion of his Nivora into his dagger, and in line with Thargan's challenge, he launched a direct assault—a blow that was blocked by one of Thargan's arms.
"Ha ha ha... That was your last chance."
Thargan prepared to counterattack, his weapon now lodged in his arm. But his body failed to respond as desired, and he collapsed to his knees while Tomas stepped back a few paces, drawing his Cryotum dagger once more.
Thargan couldn't grasp his situation until the flames burning in his body began to subside and a cold crept in. He initially thought it was because Tomas had redrawn his Cryotum dagger, but soon realized that wasn't the case. His numerous, albeit shallow, wounds were bleeding abnormally.
It was then that Thargan understood why he now knelt before Tomas: blinded by rage, he had tapped into a resource his body wasn't ready for. His blood had surged uncontrollably—a force that, while granting him great power and speed, also left him extremely vulnerable.
Tomas slowly approached Thargan, channeling his Nivora into the dagger. The blade became sheathed in black ice, so cold that the very air crackled as it shattered. The black ice emanated a chill that froze even the surrounding air, crystallizing every drop of moisture into deadly frost. Kneeling and gasping, Thargan attempted to raise an arm in defense, but his muscles—worn out by the medallion's corruption—barely obeyed. Dark blood flowed from his wounds, freezing on contact with the Cryotum.
Thargan:
"You... understand nothing! Clans... no longer serve mortals. True power comes from the shadows that you fear to name!"
The Kar'Vash Clan medallion on his chest pulsed with a sinister red glow, like a demonic heart. With eyes as cold as the ice on his dagger, Tomas drove the blade into the center of the medallion. The cursed metal creaked and resisted, but the Cryotum encrusted it in a layer of black frost.
Tomas (in a glacial whisper):
"Shadows only win if you let them frighten you."
With a sharp strike, the medallion shattered into a thousand frozen shards. A supernatural shriek reverberated throughout the mansion, and Thargan collapsed—his body reduced to a mere shell, consumed by corruption.
The destruction of the medallion destabilized the mansion's violet runes. And Tomas, though exhausted, uses a large amount of Nivora on his dagger—spreading the cold air it emitted to halt the runes. Tired, he conceals himself on his way back to the stairs that would lead him toward his objective, silently eliminating as many guards and lower-ranking knights as he can.
But upon reaching the stairs, the runes reactivated, and Tomas was surprised that the layer of cold aura surrounding him was no longer effective at fooling them.
—Perhaps I'm more tired than I thought… Why isn't the aura of my dagger working?—
The symbols shone with frenetic intensity before exploding, collapsing part of the ceiling. Amid the rubble, a golden figure emerged: Gavriel Thandros, Solar Sword of the Radiant Dawn, wielding his Emberium sword.
Gavriel (in a resonant voice):
—Profane one! The light of the Dawn will not allow you to defile this fortress. 0ù
Tomas, exhausted but alert, jumped back immediately at the sight of the knight's silhouette—a figure brandishing a sword engulfed in flames.
Tomas (thinking):
—That sword… That must be Gavriel.
As Tomas retreated, Gavriel extended the aura of his Nivora, enveloping him in flames that resembled the color of gold, overwhelming Tomas's cold aura. This was due to the difference in levels between them; although both wielded weapons that were evenly matched—being forged from the rarest and most difficult metals to manipulate in Ethalios—it was the level of the user's Nivora that made all the difference.
Gavriel (arrogantly):
—Do you think your ice will be enough against the fire of the chosen? The clans and the Dawn will purge your darkness!
Tomas (thinking quickly):
—The difference between our energies is enormous... so then...
Tomas hurled his dagger at an intact rune on the floor. The Cryotum froze the symbol, and when Gavriel stepped on it, he became trapped in a burst of ice. The Emberium sword crackled, its flames wavering between cold and heat.
The vapor generated by the burst of energies concealed Tomas, who had also minimized his Nivora to avoid detection by Gavriel. However, after expending such a vast amount of energy, Tomas was utterly exhausted, so he first planned to take refuge in one of the rooms to hide while he recovered some energy and tended to his wounds.
Tomas manages to enter a hidden room he'd been using as a refuge while stumbling through the corridors due to his exhaustion.
Tired, he collapses to the ground and controls his breathing for a quick recovery before Gavriel finds him.
After a few minutes, Tomas has regained enough strength to continue his mission, but he also begins to investigate the books in the room. There, he notices some files and a book with a golden cover, featuring the World Tree Eryndor at its center, which is the core of Ethalios and is located on the continent of Eldarya, a land primarily inhabited by Elves, Fairies, Ents, Elemental Spirits, and more...
Upon opening the book, he discovers information about the five great clans, which, after the great holy war between demons, angels, and the original races of Ethalios, became the guardians of the seals that demarcated the territories of the world, divided among the three factions as a peace pact overseen by the dragons.
He also saw the files next to the book, which contained information about the Order of the Radiant Dawn. This puzzled Tomas because, even if it was necessary to know about their guardians, investigating them so thoroughly was unusual.
It is then that Darius slowly approaches Tomas, catching him off guard.
Darius (In a soft voice):
— Was it an interesting read? —
Tomas (Surprised, he thinks):
— How did I not sense him?
Darius:
— It seems your target was indeed me, ah... Who would have thought that the little boy dragged away by those assassins would now be after my life.
Tomas:
— How do you know me?
Darius (Calmly):
— That's because, like you, I am from Karthun. But I left that village when I was very young with my family and returned as an adult, hoping to change the place for the better by promoting its development and expanding my vision as a merchant. But what surprised me most about that place was hearing a great commotion and seeing two hooded men dragging a child away, and no one did anything to stop it. —
Tomas remains silent as he listens to the words of Darius, the Gnome merchant.
— It was your eyes, still holding a flame of resistance against your fate, that inspired me to stay on my path. But who would have thought that the eyes that once captivated me now have me as their target. —
Tomas (Observing Darius):
— It was a good talk, merchant, but each of us followed our own path, and mine currently follows the order to bring your head. —
Darius (Calmly):
— That is true. —
Meanwhile, Darius pulls out a book from his coat with a green cover, red stains, and the image of a dragon in the center.
— One does not reach my position by being careless. Especially when so much is at stake. —
Tomas frowns as he sees the cover of the book, noticing the image of a dragon and the red stains that look like dried blood. The glow of the violet runes, unstable after the battle with Thargan, illuminates Darius's eyes with a somber gleam.
Tomas (Serious, with his dagger in hand):
— That book... doesn't seem like something a simple merchant should have. —
Darius (With deceptive calm):
— My ambitions have led me to many doors, boy. Some more dangerous than others. And the Order of the Radiant Dawn… is not as pure as everyone thinks. —
The book in Darius's hands opens with a crack, and faint magical currents emerge from its pages, snaking through the air like emerald smoke ribbons. At that moment, a loud crash echoes through the hallway: Gavriel Thandros, the Solar Sword, appears after part of the ceiling collapses. His eyes lock onto Darius with a mix of surprise and fury.
At that instant, a loud noise is heard behind Tomas. The ceiling cracks, allowing Gavriel Thandros, the Solar Sword, to enter, his Emberium sword crackling with golden flames. The knight looks bewildered at the scene: the gnome with a forbidden book, Tomas with his Cryotum dagger at the ready. A tense air fills the room.
Gavriel (Looking first at Darius, then at Tomas):
— What kind of game is this? Darius, get the assassin out of your mansion and let me purge him in the name of the Dawn! —
Darius (With a sharp look at Gavriel):
— The Dawn? The one who takes hostages to enforce its 'justice'? You, paladins of the Dawn, took my daughter to force me to fund your grand plans of purge and conquest. I gave you my gold. You kept my blood. —
Spitting with disdain
— You are no better than the Blood Moon. —
Tomas (Thinking):
— Hostages…? What does he mean? The Order of the Dawn kidnapping someone to force Darius's support? That explains his nervousness and why he funds his supposed protectors. —
Gavriel's sword glows with a more intense golden light.
Gavriel (Severely annoyed):
— Silence, wretch. The Order of the Radiant Dawn must carry out its justice, and if you… —
Darius (Raising his voice, interrupting him):
— Justice! You call it justice to steal the only thing that matters to me to use my wealth? —
He turns to Tomas with a glint in his eyes
— I am not a saint, Tomas. But neither am I the monster they paint me to be. So… if the Order of the Radiant Dawn wants my life, you two will take it as well. I would rather sink with this mansion than serve them any longer! —
— Now, boy, watch as this paladin is torn apart. Your mission to kill me will come to nothing when he perishes… and everyone believes it was you. —
With a quick movement, Darius chants a spell from the book. A wave of energy crackles around him, feeding on his own life force. His eyes take on a reddish glow, and his veins glow crimson. The ground shakes; the nearest rune explodes, releasing emerald fire that crackles throughout the room.
Gavriel (Steps back, disbelieving the situation he finds himself in):
— What are you trying to do…? —
Tomas (Surprised):
— What… the hell are you doing?... That power... you won't survive it. —
The energy emanating from Darius forms a whirlwind around him, tearing the walls and chunks of the ceiling apart. In an instant, with the power granted by the spell, Darius points his hand at Gavriel and Tomas. A trembling smile forms on his face: ten seconds, unimaginable power.
Darius (With a voice filled with fury and desperation)
— Ten seconds… ten seconds of absolute power at the cost of my life. Enough to rip Gavriel's head off and yours, if you get in the way. —
The emerald fire condenses in his palm. Gavriel, furious, grips the hilt of his flame-wrapped sword tightly and prepares for an inevitable clash. Tomas, with his heart racing, holds his Cryotum dagger, weighing whether to attack Darius directly or let Gavriel become his distraction.
Gavriel (Tense, looking at Tomas and then at Darius):
— The Dawn will not tolerate this sacrilege, Darius. Your betrayal will be paid in blood. —
Meanwhile, the mansion's floor rumbles; the foundations collapse, and what was once an imposing mansion is now nothing more than rubble burning from the energy emanating from Darius.
Tomas, with the Cryotum dagger in hand, debates whether to attack Darius in his fragile moment of casting or confront Gavriel, whose burning fervor could also be lethal.
Tomas (Thinking urgently):
— If I don't stop Darius, he'll blow up the entire place… and with it, my mission, my life, and the possibility of rescuing his daughter. —
He observes the chaos in the corridor, the uncontrolled magic, and feels the mansion rumbling
— I must end this quickly. My target is still Darius. And if the Solar Sword dies in the process, it will be collateral damage. —
Darius quickly throws several arcane runes that surround Tomas and Gavriel and impact the ground, creating a large crater that begins to resonate in the night.
Gavriel (Thinking and alert):
— It's incredible the power he possesses, not only overwhelming that assassin scum, but even I find it difficult to stand under that pressure. His power far exceeds the breaking of a first limit. —
Gavriel remembers Darius's words about only having ten seconds.
— That's it! Ten seconds is all I have to endure. —
Darius (Exhaling a heavy breath, each second of casting costs him his life):
— Damn you… if it weren't for the Order of the Radiant Dawn, I would never have accepted any of this! —
His eyes fix on Gavriel
— And you… if you had returned my daughter to me, we wouldn't have come to this. —
Gavriel (Biting his lip in rage):
— I don't care about your excuses, merchant. You will pay for your audacity with blood! —
Gavriel holds his solar sword in front of him and concentrates his Nivora to the maximum, amplifying the power of his sword, acting as a shield to withstand Darius's relentless attacks.
Only five seconds have passed, and Darius's relentless assault begins to wane, while Gavriel is severely injured from his desperate resistance. Meanwhile, Tomas quickly distances himself after Darius creates the crater where Gavriel is, as they didn't pay enough attention to him during the fight. However, he is not unscathed, with a wound in his abdomen bleeding, using his Nivora to control the injury as best he can.
Tomas assesses the situation, but even with the distance he took, the pressure exerted by Darius was overwhelming, and the heat emanating from Gavriel's solar sword remains constant.
Gavriel (Tired and injured):
— It seems you've given it your all, you miserable gnome. It seems you didn't even last the ten seconds you claimed. —
Gavriel takes a step forward and approaches quickly.
Gavriel (Thinking):
— He's still useful. If I restrain him and take the book, we can still use him and that dangerous book. —
Darius begins to launch attacks in all directions, which Gavriel skillfully avoids as the seconds pass and the speed of his attacks slows, or so he thought.
For when Gavriel entered the three-meter radius surrounding Darius, a rune activated, expelling a pillar of fire with scorching heat, causing burns even though he held a weapon made of Emberium. Although the weapon was unharmed, his armor was reduced to dust, and his body was covered in burns.
Still, blinded by rage, Gavriel lunges at Darius again, who, in defending himself, manages to tear off one of Gavriel's arms, finally collapsing, just as he was about to close the book. Tomas quickly appears behind him, pointing his Cryotum dagger at his exposed neck.
Darius (Tired, smiling):
— Hahaha... How could I have forgotten about you? —
Tomas (Exhausted, he asks):
— Any last words? —
Darius (Looking at the sky):
— Just the request of a dying old man. —
Tomas nods, confirming that he will carry out his request
— My daughter... I want her to be free... —
Tomas (Whispering in his ear):
— Don't worry, old man. Consider that my payment for eliminating the scum lying on the ground. —
Darius gives a final smile as he reminisces about simpler times spent with his daughter, the last memory before closing his eyes forever being the moment of her birth.
Darius (Final thought):
— Oh... my little Lyra, I would have liked to see you reach the altar. Now I can only watch you from the heavens with your mother. —
With his final thought concluded, Darius exhales his last breath.
Tomas takes the book Darius was holding and hides it in his robes, then, still injured, lifts Darius's body and places it on the ruins of his mansion, which he sets ablaze.
As the flames consume the ruins of Cogspark Mansion, an ominous silence settles over the night. Darius's body twists in the fire, a final farewell that Tomas has decided to grant him as a sign of respect and closure. The heat of the pyre briefly illuminates Tomas's exhausted gaze, his wounds burning almost as much as the embers of the improvised funeral pyre.
Tomas (Thinking):
— I didn't expect this job to turn into such a hell… But at least I completed the mission. Darius... I hope you didn't die in vain. If your daughter is still alive, I owe it to you. At least, it's the only way to honor your final request. —
The air is filled with the acrid smell of burnt stone and ash. Tomas turns, aware that Gavriel, the Solar Sword, could regain consciousness at any moment. In the distance, the walls of the ruined mansion creak and collapse, signaling the end of an empire built on gold, lies, and hostages.
Tomas (Frowning, looking at the ruins):
— There's no time for a battle with that fanatic. In my current state, facing him alone would be foolish. —
Holding his side, where blood flows from a deep wound, he quickly retreats down a path winding through the rocks. His steps become more unsteady as the pain intensifies. The chirping of crickets and the cold night wind mix with the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
As he ascends, the full moon casts Tomas's silhouette against the slopes, creating a contrast between the silver light and the shadows of the night. Each breath becomes an agonizing whisper, but his determination pushes him forward. In the distance, a group of flames flicker at the entrance of the mansion, perhaps guards rushing to investigate the devastation.
Tomas (Gasping):
— I have to... reach... some shelter. I can't hold on much longer. —
His mind fixates on the name he read in Darius's documents: Lyra. A strange mix of guilt and determination overwhelms him: now he has a new debt to repay. However, he knows he must survive this night first.
After wandering aimlessly, he notices a faint arch of rock outlined in the moonlight. Tomas, almost crawling, enters the cave, feeling the coolness of the stone against his forehead as he leans against the wall. The interior is narrow but offers respite from the elements. He collapses onto the dusty floor, his vision blurred by fatigue and blood loss.
Tomas (Crawling along the walls):
— Damn runes... damn clans... I just... need to rest. —
The night continues, and the darkness deepens. The wind blows at the entrance of the cave, whistling a melancholic tune. Tomas stares into nothingness, briefly recalling Darius's gaze and the image of a crimson medallion burning on Thargan's chest.
Tomas (In his thoughts):
— This world... still hides too much... in the darkness... —
His eyelids feel heavy and close, and for a moment, the world disappears. A tingling in his wounded arm wakes him momentarily. His breathing is ragged, his pulse weak.
Just as drowsiness pushes him to the edge of unconsciousness, he hears something. A soft voice, as faint as the breeze caressing the leaves of a tree. A voice that, somehow, conveys a warmth his body, chilled by Cryotum and blood loss, cannot produce.
Female Voice (A graceful whisper):
— Is someone there...? Do you need help? —
Without hearing a response, the young maiden approaches and distinguishes a silhouette backlit by the cave's entrance. Though she cannot make out his features, his presence radiates a calm that disarms any instinct of aggression in him.
Tomas (In his thoughts, eyes closed):
— Who...? —
The figure kneels beside him, and Tomas feels a light touch of cold but gentle hands on his forehead. A tingling of energy, soft and comforting, runs through his skin.
Female Voice:
— Relax... Don't speak. Let me see your wounds. —
In the dim light, Tomas glimpses an emerald glow in the maiden's eyes and a faint scent of herbs that reminds him of a home he never had. The heaviness of his eyelids increases, and exhaustion drags him into involuntary sleep.
The maiden holds his head, gently adjusting him. Outside, the full moon slowly descends, and with it, the night seems to yield to the promise of a new day.
Tomas falls into a deep sleep as the sound of the maiden's voice, who tends to him with care, becomes the light that will change his destiny. Meanwhile, in the distance where Darius's mansion once stood, the Solar Sword Gavriel begins to recover with the help of the surviving guards and his knights. A new horizon opens for Tomas: one that mixes vengeance, redemption, and a glimmer of hope he never thought possible.