Nero, Silas and Bael were brought to the camp built outside of Lumina where a great number of soldiers were moving about, brimming with confident and excited energy. Their numbers were not as great as Nero expected, considering the number of Neophytes that entered within the ruins.
But the grinning faces of the soldiers and general buzz that filled the camp led Nero to believe that the others had just been evacuated from the camp rather than lost in the ruins. But considering the obstacles Nero faced within the ruins, he expected the losses to be incredibly high.
So did that mean there was another reason for the excitement? He looked around and tried to listen in to the chatter, but it was not so easy to make out a single conversation within the buzz of the camp.
Nero turned to give Bael a look, as if judging his actions, while the teenager was frowning, lost in thought.
If Bael's father was actually involved in this Unity organisation, it should not be difficult for him to arrange to keep Nero's cards safe. Dagon Thomas was a Lieutenant General in rank, which meant his rank was above Ascendant Oanas, not to mention that she was only assigned a part of the research facility while Dagon was overlooking an entire region.
Despite both being Ascendants, the difference in them was immense.
But if he was not involved, or for whatever reason they wanted to keep his involvement hidden, then it would be tougher to resolve the situation.
The three of them were led into a single story building, and as soon as Nero entered, he saw a number of soldiers standing there, looking towards him.
"Ah, I'm about to be arrested," Nero said out loud, as if he was having a realisation. In truth, he was just waking Bael from his thoughts and letting him know what was going on.
"Very astute, private Nero," Oana said. "But worry not. This is mostly just a procedure. I'm sure your name will be cleared promptly, and you will receive your due honours for your service within the ruins."
The soldiers took a step forward, but paused when Bael suddenly stepped in front of Nero.
"I'm sorry to say this, Ascendant Oana, but the nature of our mission is somewhat sensitive. Before Nero is debriefed and all his equipment and items turned over for examination, he must not leave my sight."
A silent tension suddenly filled the room as the Major General Ascendant stared down at the Private Neophyte who was deigning to interfere with her orders.
"Bael, your father cannot protect you from insubordination. Step aside."
Bael shook his head.
"I'm afraid you misunderstand, Ascendant Oana. This has nothing to do with my father. Instead, this matter is now under the purview of the Demon corp. If you must, then take this matter up with Sage Haiden."
*****
A number of beaten and battered trucks were driving down a broken road in Dolziya out in the open, heading towards the twin rivers that acted as a border between this country and Kolar.
Despite the appearance of the trucks, the truck drivers were grinning and laughing. The war had ended, and with the royal family of New Velariya acting as mediator, no new territories were claimed by Kolar.
It seemed like a massive loss for the country, but the massive tribute that Dolziya and Saint Codale would pay to Kolar would keep both the countries weak for another decade at the very least. That was a win in their books.
But the caravan suddenly came to a halt, much to the distress of the soldiers watching them depart in secret. Were the Kolari's going to break their word?
A single soldier jumped out the back of one of the trucks, and quickly climbed into another before the caravan once again continued, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.
Within the truck that the soldier had climbed into stood a man, looking down on a captive, hogtied and their mouth stuffed. Thin lines of golden flames were being sucked out of the captives eyes, gathering together in the palm of the standing man.
"Edward, I have news," the soldier said with a hint of amusement in his tone. "Word just came in from our man in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Someone is setting up to charge Nero with treason with overnight execution. They won't even banish him to a cursed zone."
The man suddenly crushed the golden flames in his hand, causing the captive to faint.
"Have we made preparations?" asked Edward, his face completely neutral.
If Nero saw his father now, covered in dried blood and carrying an aura of unrelenting slaughter, he would scarcely recognise him as the man who was smitten with his wife, and liked to crack jokes at every opportunity.
"That's the funniest thing. We didn't need to - although I have sent word to do so anyway. The Carver family has stepped in to intercede, and there are signs that the Demon corp is also dissatisfied. That psychopath Hurbert Rodney also made a move to protect the boy. It seems like there are a lot of people with eyes on your son."
Edward nodded, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"He's been undertaking Whisper Guard training since he was born, Harvey - he just didn't know it. It should not be surprising that he's been making friends in all the right places. Do we know who acted against Nero?"
"That's the troubling thing," Harvey said, suddenly losing the tone of amusement in his voice. "It's not the usual suspects. Something must have happened in the ruins, but they're keeping a tight lid on it. Whatever it is, Nero is directly involved."
Edward Grant turned and looked at one of his oldest friends - the man Nero had known as Footer - and frowned.
"I don't care. All our preparations are done, so we don't need to hold back anymore. It's time to send a message to all these old families. You do not touch a Grant without suffering the consequences."
Footer grinned widely, a hint of bloodlust appearing in his eyes. Yet of the two, he was still the normal one, since he kept his bloodlust contained. The world itself started to turn red around Edward, as if rivers of blood were about to flow, all originating from him.
Footer clicked his tongue. He had never seen anyone with a more broken innate ability than Edward. He could not even imagine what it would be like once he became a Mystic.
*****
Marilyn Grant was standing over a corpse. That was not unusual. What was unusual was the fact the corpse was wearing the uniform of the Kolari army and had the badges indicating he was a Lieutenant Colonel. That was one of the highest ranking officers on-ground usually, who usually decided how the on ground battle was fought.
Those of a higher rank did not usually concern themselves with the operations of the on-ground units, but rather concerned themselves with other matters.
"Where is she?" Marilyn asked, her voice oozing with a burning anger.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about. This… this is treason! You'll be crippled and executed!" exclaimed a man, holding the frozen stump that formerly connected to his hand.
"Where is Irene Grant?" she asked once more, and launched another Snowflake at the man, cutting off another one of his limbs.
He screamed, but there was no one around them to hear their screams. All of them were dead, a frozen solid.
"I… I'll tell you! Please… please stop… she… she was smuggled to Saint Codale…"
Marilyn punched the man, knocking him unconscious. Since this man had information, she would bring him to Edward, who would extract the truth from his brain, one way or another.
She had long known that her son got married, but since the couple did not mention it to her, she acted as if she did not know. Yet she kept an eye on Irene, nevertheless.
The young girl was a promising talent, which is why her sudden disappearance attracted Marilyn's attention, as well as that of a few others.
*****
Invictus Hammel, wrapped in a very thick shawl, hiked through the raging snowstorm, climbing the stretch of mountains that divided Kolar and Saint Codale. There were no roads, no paths, no mountain trails for him to follow. Combined with the countless curses in the wilderness, this was a practical death trap.
It helped that he had a secret Mystic level protector, but even Mystics were not safe where he was heading.
It helped that the storm never really touched Invictus. It would come close to him, but then just swerve around him, never entering within one metre of him. It was as if the wind itself was forbidden from coming close to him.
Eventually, though, the storm eased, and Invictus saw a small outpost which was his destination.
"Halt!" a voice cut through the noise of the waning storm. "You are about to enter the outer bounds of the cursed zone, Kalichi. State your purpose."
Invictus simply handed the soldier a letter, which he promptly tore open and read, while keeping a wary eye on Invictus.
"Oh, you're here for the Burning Aegis!" the soldier exclaimed, his mood suddenly easing up and a bright smile painting his face. "Follow me, I'll take you. And remember, whatever you do, don't look directly at Kalichi."
Invictus nodded, and looked towards the ground as he followed the soldier. His protector would stay back, on the off chance that he might be discovered within.
Everyone knew that the cursed zone Kalichi was a frozen abyss - an endless hole that descended deep into the earth, from which countless ghosts, wraiths and other cursed abominations emerged.
No one in Kolar, not even the sages, had the means to eradicate the cursed zones, so all they could do was manage the damage it could cause.
There were soldiers stationed here around the year, from Kolar as well as from Saint Codale, who fought against the monsters and prevented them from wreaking havoc.
But the dangers of a cursed zone were not few. Merely looking into the depths of Kalichi would cause the viewer's soul to be pulled out of their body and dragged into the infernal depths.
Soon, Invictus was brought to the battlefield, where even he was forced to fight a bit, but they did not stop.
Eventually, from the side of Invictus' eye, he saw a massive, yellow flame encompassing a particular soldier right in the heart of a massive fight.
Invictus grinned, and joined the fray, not hesitating to contribute to the battle, bringing it to a swift end.
Then he looked towards the handsome young man who had earned the nickname Burning Aegis - the only source of warmth in this frozen hellscape, literally.
"Patrick Grant," Invictus called out loud, attracting his attention. "My name is Invictus Hammel. I have a letter for you."
"Hammel?" Patrick suddenly said, his head snapping towards Invictus. His bright smile, fueled by the thrill of battle, wavered as he studied Invictus with solemn eyes.
The two did not speak more on the topic of Invictus' background, but there was a silent understanding between them. Invictus held out a letter for Patrick.
"By the way, you know someone called Nero Grant? It just occurred to me that you guys might be related. He's a tough kid - saved my life once."
*****
Nero closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall of his prison cell. Despite being captured, he was not alarmed in the slightest. Things were progressing as he expected.
His hands played with his cards, shuffling them as if they were ordinary playing cards, but his attention was not on them.
Instead, he was studying Virtuous Moonlight, his newest innate ability. On the backside of the card, which usually only contained the cover art of a card, and occasionally carried the personal mark of the artisan, there were a few words printed on the very bottom.
It read: Luminari compendium card 06.