Gabriel could immediately feel his gut churn as he stepped into the hall.
The grand chamber was stuffed with nobles and Military officials chattering among themselves, oblivious to the danger lurking in their midst.
He had lost sight of the cloaked man, but his instincts hadn't, pulling him through the sea of bodies like fish caught in a hook.
Gabriel didn't put too much thought into it—he just let his body follow the pull of intuition, weaving through the crowd until he found himself behind a small group.
Minister Amadala's sister and her children stood just ahead, their backs turned to him.
He had stood behind them for barely a minute when he saw it—a figure draped in a dark cloak slipping through the crowd.
Gabriel didn't need his instincts to sound an alarm to know he was looking at the cause of his turmoil.
The way the man moved, the way his gloved fingers tightened around something in his hand—it was too purposeful, too deliberate. So, Gabriel moved first, before the assailant could even notice him.
Gabriel lunged forward.
His shoulder crashed into the assailant's ribs, knocking him off balance. A small glass syringe slipped from his grip, clattering onto the marble floor. The man twisted, quick as a snake, regaining his footing as his hood fell back. His face was ordinary, forgettable—one of the many shadows that lived within the capital's underbelly. But his eyes burned with something Gabriel knew all too well… desperation.
The man dove for the syringe, snatching it up before bolting deeper into the mix of nobles.
Gabriel started after him, but the assailant was fast, slipping through the crowd like a rat.
They had barely gotten halfway through the main hall when the assailant came to a sudden stop, then in one swift motion, he plunged the needle into the neck of an unsuspecting nobleman.
The effect was immediate.
The man convulsed, a stifled scream prying out from his throat. His veins bulged, skin rippling as if something was crawling beneath it, struggling to break free.
Then, with a sickening crack, his body twisted—elongating, distorting. His fingers stretched into jagged claws, his jaw unhinging as monstrous fangs pushed through.
The nobleman was gone.
In his place now stood an eldritch beast. Six blood-red eyes on black seething flesh. The creature stood on all fours, its tail breaking through the air like a leather whip.
Chaos erupted.
Screams tore through the air as the creature lunged at the nearest nobleman, sinking its teeth into her fat shoulder. Blood sprayed, staining the pristine marble floors.
Panic spread like wildfire, people shoving and trampling each other in a desperate attempt to flee.
Gabriel ignored it all. His focus locked on the cloaked man as he darted away, vanishing into the corridors beyond.
Gabriel gave chase.
The sounds of battle faded as he pursued the assailant through twisting halls, past startled servants and frantic guards. The terrorist was quick, but Gabriel wasn't letting up.
The corridors tightened as they neared the lower levels. Gabriel skipped a series of steps, leaping from one landing to another as he closed in on the assailant.
The man looked like he knew his way around, leading Gabriel deeper and deeper still until a massive door stood a couple dozen meters away.
From where he was Gabriel could see two guards standing by the massive door.
'The archives? Why would he lead me down here?!'
Perplexed, Gabriel chose to activate his other blessing.
The panicked man meanwhile had just crashed into the door.
"I'm- I'm being chased." He said panting, pointing nervously at the space behind him.
Completely confused, the guards– who didn't seem stunned by the assailant's appearance, offered to go search for the man he claimed had been chasing him.
Once they had disappeared into the corner the assailant entered the room with strained breaths.
He had barely gotten a couple of steps away from the door when Gabriel suddenly appeared behind him like a herald of death.
Gabriel spared him no time, immediately slamming the man into a nearby shelf. Papers and books tumbled to the floor. As Gabriel grabbed him by the collar.
"Who sent you?" Gabriel hissed, binding the man's arm in a gruesome hold.
The terrorist didn't answer. His face folded into what Gabriel could only assume was a smirk. It was difficult to tell through the man's panic and hesitation.
Before he could react though, the man bit down on something hard. A satisfying crunch reverberated through the air and seconds later, the man had begun to convulse vigorously—foam gathered at his lips as the poison worked through his system.
Within moments, he was dead.
Gabriel cursed under his breath, stepping back from the corpse with an exasperated sigh.
The man had been prepared.
After all, dead men tell no tales.
Gabriel's pulse still thrummed with urgency though, and an opportunity had just presented itself.
Right now, he stood in the Sovereign Halls archives, all alone.
Firstly, he had to force himself to breathe, to push past the lingering rush of the chase and focus on the here and now.
His orphanage.
The deed.
The Archives were lined with shelves, each one several dozen meters tall.
Thankfully, they made it easy to navigate through. The aisle labelled 'Landed Properties' was just a couple of shelves away.
It wasn't long before he found the cabinet on lands in and around Pogswood. His fingers moved fast, rifling through documents, scanning names and seals. He didn't know how much time he had before the guards arrived. But then—
There.
A leather-bound folder, stamped with an official insignia.
'Saint Marvel's orphanage home.'
Gabriel grabbed it, flipping through the pages. His eyes darting across the text, absorbing what he could—
Footsteps.
He froze.
The sound was slow, measured, and confident.
Gabriel barely had time to retreat into the shadows before the door opened. Luckily, he didn't have to. All he did was activate his blessing and almost instantly Gabriel had turned invisible. His body blended into the backdrop of high shelves and paperwork.
Then three men walked in.
Gabriel recognized them instantly.
Icarus, draped in his signature blood-red cape and what Gabriel could only identify as a pristine white bodysuit laced with gold embroidery. He looked as dastardly dashing as ever, a lazy smile playing on his lips. And beside him—the robust Minister of Internal Affairs and his aide.
Gabriel held his breath.
The two men spoke in low voices, their words clipped and laced with hidden meaning. But Gabriel's mind reeled as he pieced together what he was hearing.
The minister was uneasy. He mentioned something about "the failed peace talks," about "loose ends."
Icarus listened patiently, nodding along as if humouring him.
Then, without warning—
Icarus's hand flashed.
Slick, precise, straight through the minister's chest.
The older man choked, eyes wide with betrayal as blood gurgled from his mouth. He couldn't even last a second longer, falling lifeless onto the cold marble floor.
Gabriel's stomach twisted at the sight, but he remained still.
The minister now lay in a pool of his own blood, a gaping hole occupying the majority of his chest.
Icarus barely flinched at the sight, his expression untouched by remorse.
Instead, he sighed, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off a minor inconvenience. Then, he turned to the lone security officer still standing in shock.
"Here," Icarus murmured, pulling out a familiar glass syringe. "Hold still."
Before the man could resist, Icarus plunged the needle into his neck.
Gabriel watched in horror.
The same serum.
The same transformation.
The guard convulsed, body reeling in pain as veins darkened beneath his skin. Bones popped twisting in all the wrong ways until the man was gone, replaced by a towering beast with dagger-long spikes protruding out of its skin.
It stood in silence for a while, four beady eyes staring right at Icarus with dreadful curiosity. There was a subtle clicking reverberating off the creature's hideous maw that dripped with saliva.
Icarus stared right back at it, his head slightly tilted. Then unceremoniously the prince let out a yawn.
All the eldritch beast did was twitch, and a gaping hole replaced its upper half.
Icarus had struck it down with a single blow.
What followed was this long sickening silence.
Gabriel's fingers twitched against the wooden shelf. His body pleading to flee, but he was paralyzed, caught between fear and disbelief.
Then—
A sudden, careless movement.
His elbow knocked against a small stack of books. They toppled, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Gabriel's heart stopped.
Icarus turned. A slow smile lined his lips.
Gabriel didn't wait to see what would happen next, bolting out of the hall the very next second.