Chapter 62: Lost and never found
"Where is he?''
It was a serious start to the meeting, a meeting that happened way later then he had expected.
Days later in fact, the meeting the youngest had enlightened him off that would happen didn't seem to even come close to coming together.
And now they were in the meeting room but not because of the two holy disciplines, not because of the so-called extortion. For a whole entirely different reason, one he wasn't aware of.
And no one seemed to want to say anything, merely crossing gazes with each other and leaving it at that. "If someone doesn't explain soon, my patience will run out. Lord Hawkings called this meeting and yet he is nowhere to be found.''
Hesitantly life seemed to brew as finally, finally someone spoke up. ''If I may...I heard from my wife who heard from a friend who in her case heard from a shopkeeper who in his case heard fro-''
"Get to the point.''
"My bad! Apparently something happened to his daughter and a close friend of hers.''
Getting up from his slouched, bored position he remembered that little fact.
The moment Cyra had transported him towards her and dragged him away her two companions had rushed for Nigel and Eelerana.
He had totally forgotten!!
Flickering at the sudden drop in movement he rapidly figured out that they suspected him.
It humoured him so much that he couldn't help but let a small smirk blossom on his face as his hands crossed over themselves. ''Do tell me more.''
The sudden intrigue had caused total silence before but now the atmosphere dropped in temperature.
Eelerana had intrigued him but in the end she was just a disposable tool, a means to an end.
The member that spoke first was forced to continue speaking under his inquiring stare, forced to satiate his growing curiosity.
''In..in the city there was a fight. The two teens and some spectators suspect two mages to be the cause of the fight..
Which also brings into the fact that the magic kingdom is deeply seated in ours and that brings up the whole other point of-''
''Enough of that, tell me what happend."
"We all know Nigel and his crew has accumulated quite the attention.''
''Not for the better either.''
Some nods here and there before the story continued on.
"The two mages started a fight late at night, their presence was shocking but what was more was the fact that the two teens managed to keep them at bay."
"We suspect they got a mage for protection, showcasing just how much Lord Hawkings cares for his daughter.'' Some nervous stared and gulps, after all it was difficult to forget he had threatened her not so seemingly long ago.
After some back and forth, the conversation finally went back to the original speaker.
''I heard from a reliable source that spells went flying, causing such a ruckus that the surrounding got evacuated quite rapidly. No one seems to know how the two held the mages at bay, no one was close enough to see the details.
But they were close enough to make out faces, it was hard for them not to recognise the two infamous nobles. Which is why rumours quickly started circulating.
It is how Lord Hawkings found out about the happenings.
He has been asking around and researching every step his daughter made in a way to try and find out what happened.
No one could really help telling him his child's whereabouts, one minute they were there the other the other gone.
It was as simple as that, the only thing left in the spot where the two mages, before even they vanished. The once strong standing building crashed down into nothingness.
Lord Hawkings didn't know or...just swept it away but one building was the most notorious one, his daughter and her friends often picked on beauty's.
Male/ female, they didn't care as long as they were beautiful and successfully piqued interest."
Oh, he was aware, more than aware, how could he forget the little tavern.
"Last I heard they went after some silver haired beauty.''
Alright, awkward.
''The destruction has brought a lot of their actions into the light.
I urge you to search to the bottom of this, Your majesty and help attain justice to all their victims.''
With flickering eyes he took in the other, a member that had rarely spoken.
''I see, that's surprising. They've been doing this for years at this point-'' He had checked after having met them the first time, couldn't know the second time.''-So tell me, why now?"
''A friend of mine had twins, they got ambushed at that very same tavern. Afterwards both male and female never dared to go outside again, permanently scarred.
I got them to tell me but my hands were effectively tied by their father's.
There was nothing I could do except for keeping tabs on them. Never again were there such extreme cases as the twins, the probability of them having been scolded after the extreme handelings of the twins was high."
How articulate, Acacius could never have suspected the silent member to talk longer than he ever has. Showing just how close the matter lay to his heart.
"How come I have never heard of this?"
'Your majesty, the matter was kept under tight wraps. Lord Hawkings having used his power and money to it's fullest. He kept it all on the downlow, besides most of the people and us are scared of him.''
Respect found it's way inside his eyes, after all only a strong person could confess he was scared of something so easily.
"Everyone is scared of something.'' The nonchalance about the statement surprised more than one, although he was quick to distract. Not that they were going to forget the statement.
"If I hear nothing from Lord Hawkings within three days, I will consider this matter as closed.
You-''Turning sharp to the talker of the day, he gave him a task.''-you have a day to give me those tabs you have accumulated. This will be it for today!"
Scraping chairs, rapid bowings and soon he was left alone
* * *
His hands moved in slow motion, carefully tracing around him in a specific manner.
An invisible line getting etched into the ground, the magic transferring to his eyes the only way of seeing if what he was doing was correct.
Flickering to the flying and also invisible papers he checked if he was still following the guidelines in the right way. He spelled it so that even Sophie couldn't see it, no matter if she had blood magic or not.
Though that didn't stop her from trying to interrupt him, which made it even more stressful as he was in fact on a timer.
Having the houses and consequently the red orbs built into them he had finally managed to gather energy from the starts and turn it into mana. Effectively helping with various tasks as he needed to gain a certain control in his power.
A month has already passed since the disappearance of Eelerana and Nigel, his deadline came closer and closer and yet he didn't force it.
No matter the book or the help from Seriwen he felt it deep within himself, this body wouldn't even reach a decade like this.
The magic he had been using wasn't fit for a trained swordmaster in a world of very little magic, especially when it wasn't even in his bloodline.
''What are you doing?''
Just a bit more, he didn't know how long it had been but the room was almost entirely carved out in the needed magic seal.
Walls and floors etched with twirls, signs and even more twirls. All connected, making for a beautiful site.
His power came off it in waves, not entirely gold like he was used to but tainted with red.
Same with his eyes, now red in colour.
With a snap the dozens of candles he tediously prepared lit themselves, making the dark room as if on fire, to then place themselves on the spot he wanted them too.
A spot the system marked for him, before long they were surrounded by them and he could see the danger sparking in Sophie's eyes as she regarded the scene.
Speaking, merely as a mere distraction to both he asked her.
''There were rumours in the past that you liked me more than my brother.
Is this the case?''
"What an unexpected question, you never really wanted to know if your brother and I loved each other.'' Caution, it was the only thing hearable in her voice.
''Did you?''
''Your brother was interested in me, forcing himself into everything I had and as a member of the royal magical family I could hardly say no when my mother decreed for me to marry him.
I accepted it.''
Silence descended as a heavy bell sounded,a s heavy as the tension that was rising ever so slowly.
She had no choice, like many she had no choice.
''You grew up to be such a splendid young man, everything he wasn't. It intrigued me, you were nice and did things he never would do. Foolish and nice, it was something new.''
''Is that why you doused him with something to slow his reaction speed?''
''You knew?''
The answer was enough to stop all his doubt from reappearing, she knew that would happen, that his brother would die and yet she still did it. What hurt the most is that she used his hands to do it.
Coward!
Nicking his finger, he stared into her eyes as blood slowly dripped down in slow motion.
She stared back, refusing to flinch or look away at the intensity of it all.
Not even grabbing for her magic, nothing.
"I don't regret it. I have lived more peaceful within those four walls then I ever did inside his arms.''
He didn't doubt it but as Acacius that was still his brother, no matter the torture he had been put through that was still his brother. Had he not been drugged he wouldn't have killed the other and subsequently he wouldn't have his blood on his hands.
Blood that would be the first of many to come.
His blood had finally touched the ground, , the room turning a vibrant white in reaction.
Blaring black letters forming in front of him, squinting his eyes he could barely read it.
{Please click start to begin The Reprisal of Minds.
Keep in mind your magic shall be drained heavily, if not enough other sources shall be used.
Start }
Pausing at the other sources, he wondered what the system meant with that. Aside from his soul magic, which would exhaust completely, there was hardly anything he had.
Clicking, the world faded entirely, black sprouted from beneath his feet and went on for ages as if he was no longer in a room with his sister in law.
His body strained as he felt his magic siphoning away, his quickening breath unable to be seen much less heard.
Now there were only wisps of magic, first only red but as time seemed to pass gold started mixing with the red.
Magic from the stars and magic from his soul.
So familiar, so magical and yet so painful as the necklace carrying the main orb was burning into his skin. It felt alive, brimming with the promise of the unknown.
Although he could not see anything, he knew his face represented the emotion of shock as a silvery blue suddenly came out of nowhere.
At first it was little but as his own limited pool began to dwindle the silvery blue took up a significant part of the twirling wisps.
It wasn't the only change as his own voice whispered unfamiliar words in an unknown language as magic started swirling heavily around him as it settled.
Settled in the atmosphere, settled in his veins and most importantly in Sophie's mind.
The versions of events started sprouting in his mind the true ones and the new, orchestrated ones.
The changes were small, unassuming stares, implications by usage of certain words.
Especially after his eighteenth birthday, following the already existing rumours the spell made sure there was a noticeable change to her mindset.
The more changes he saw happening before him, the more light headed he became.
More circumstances changed in the other's head, cementing the fact that it wasn't Acacius but her who held the power.
In the new events it had taken years before she started revealing her interest in him, ofcourse he had refused adamantly but alas there was only so long you could refuse when threatened with his nephew's life.
A life he sacrificed his own for, the more he struggled the more she haunted his dreams and made things difficult for him.
She called for him more, made more demands, got angry faster and was prone to abusive moments the longer things went on. And this year her obsession would reach it's peak, together with the succession of the throne.
The last of things that happened was the spell tweaking her characteristics ever so slightly, unnoticeable even for her magic. Before he watched the magic swirl together, making a hole of reality appear in the middle.
Sophie's face, the same as he had always seen it, observant with a flirty remark ready on wet licked lips.
Star magic, his own and the silvery blue started vanishing, body aching as he faltered by the sudden shock of the toll the spell took from him. The effort it took to just stay conscious was enormous and yet he wondered if it had worked. There seemed to be no change in Sophie's facial expressions.
With his last strength he waved away the signs in the wall and floor, candles stayed as her memory would make her believe that she was the one that started a spell instead of him.
Dropping down in exhaustion all traces of magic vanished, his consciousness still not far behind.
Coughing with great difficulty, hand clutching his longs that felt like bursting, he looked up with tired eyes. Just in time to see shocked features morphing into an emotionless one, one that looked as if carved in stone.
A persistent glow in her eyes as she looked down at him, he had done this to himself as now he was powerless in any interaction with her.
The hypnotizing was a clear success as with a snap the door of her cage opened and way sooner than he expected the scarred finger tilted his head high.
Never one to submit to quickly he glared, beginning his act with passion as one by one more candles began floating over them. Their length had shortened quite a lot, showcasing just how much time has passed since the time he started.
Wax drippingly hot fell down and on instinct he pulled his feet away as it burned into the ground.
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