Lord Fitzgerald sat in his garden, his gaze fixated on the early morning sky above as he reminisced on the past.
Images of a younger Lucius crossed his mind, adding further salt to the sense of loss he felt.
Just then, Fenwick approached with a tal tray covered with a cloth.
Placing it on the stool beside Fitzgerald’s chair, he took off the cloth revealing a plate with two sandwiches alongside an empty cup and a jug.
"Master..."
"You know they have recalled the Exarchs." Lord Fitzgerald suddenly remarked.
Remaining silent, Fenwick watched him continue.
"They say that the fight against the Beastn is pointless since the last of the dust people isn’t with them anymore." His voice turned hoarse as he added. "But they forget that those bastards are the reason my boy is dead."
Fenwick’s lips quivered but ultimately, he remained silent.
He knew there was nothing to say that would be new to the man he served and he knew that it wasn’t Lucius’s death that left him hurting like this.
No, it was the fact that he had lost his chance to immortalize himself for another century.
That truth hurt more than the pain of losing the boy.
Lord Fitzgerald closed his eyes as a tear slid down his cheek. "What do I do now, Fenwick?... I have tried to forget but I cannot. Each day my bones grow weary and my eyes get weaker. I have little ti before I have to leave this world. How can I make up for lost ti?"
"I can give it to you." A voice suddenly broke the monotony of sadness in the garden.
Both Fitzgerald and Fenwick turned at the sa ti to find Alex standing with Elena beside him, though she had her face covered by a veil.
"You bastard!" Both n erupted at the sa ti as their Spirituality flared.
Pa
"I hardly have the ti for this so I’ll be quick. I need your vehicle. In return, I will hand over Lucius’s corpse and one vial of NiNe." Alex remarked as Lucius’s corpse appeared on the ground with one small bottle beside his unmoving body.
Both Fenwick and Fitzgerald simred down as quickly as they’d gotten aggravated.
The n exchanged looks, clearly pondering Alex’s offer before Fitzgerald finally spoke.
"Do you think I’d agree like..."
"two vials, no more than that," Alex remarked as he snapped again, causing one more vial to appear. "The only reason I don’t go and get one from the source is that I thought it necessary to close this Chapter on a high note. Now, stop wasting my ti."
Fitzgerald gulped hard. "I will find you soday."
"Until then. For now, hand the keys."
Gritting his teeth, Fitzgerald glanced at Fenwick who nodded before speeding into the manor at a pace barely visible to the human eye.
Alex waited, keeping his eyes on Fitzgerald who inquired after a few seconds of silence.
"How could you mimic him so perfectly?... Did you not feel anything living his life?"
"Anything for the mission, Duke Fitzgerald. If it’s any consolation, he thought about you in his final monts."
"Tch."
Just then, Fenwick returned with the key which he handed over to Alex.
"Nice doing business with you."
Snapping, he disappeared with Elena leaving Fitzgerald and Fenwick the sole occupants of the expansive garden.
"I could go after them..." Fenwick suggested only for Duke Fitzgerald to shake his head.
"That won’t be necessary."
Taking quick steps forward, he neared Lucius’s corpse but didn’t touch it, instead picking up one of the vials and with added precaution, opening it before placing a drop on his tongue.
Instantly, he felt rejuvenated with his appearance losing a few years.
"This makes up for everything." He remarked, a warm smile adorning his lips.
***
Alex drove with Elena seated beside him, utilizing the long dirt road between Cance and the capital to quickly make his way over to the latter.
The closer he got, the more he felt like the city was a bit too isolated to be considered the capital.
No tracks were leading to the city nor was there a bustling area about it.
Instead, everything stood eerily silent with even insects and animals absent from the area.
Soon, after almost four hours of constant driving, the capital was in sight with high walls and mighty golems that reminded one of a dieval city.
"We are almost there, is there anything you wish to say?" Alex inquired as he glanced at Elena.
After the incident at Evernight, she’d been noticeably silent.
"Nothing really, just thinking if I’d be able to pull this off."
"You feel you won’t?"
"I guess."
"Just follow my lead and you should be fine."
"Mn." Nodding, Elena inquired, feeling a bit more comfortable. "What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"Not too long ago, you looked rather exhausted. Are you sure you’re okay?"
"Of course, if anything, Evernight is incredible when it cos to rejuvenation and healing. Even though I’m not completely there yet, our part of the mission doesn’t hinge on fighting."
Tapping his temple, he added. "It hinges on how well we can use our brains."
"I understand."
"Good. Now then, get ready, we are almost there."
***
Stopping at a walking distance from the capital, Alex got out of the car before helping Elena off as well.
The gates of the capital were closed as they approached but Alex had a feeling they’d be opened at so point and as expected, they did open, like invisible hands had moved them.
Taking a deep breath, Alex glanced at Elena who was also sowhat unnerved by this.
Reaching a hand out, he held her own before taking steady steps into the city.
Once in, an unnatural chill perated their skin as a literal utopia unfurled before their eyes.
The buildings and streets were clean, the people were happy and the sky was clear.
Even as it was ant to elicit a good feeling, Alex couldn’t help but feel instead that it all looked too good to be real.
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