Sneaking around the city, covered by the deep, midnight darkness, Avalon’s best was moving surprisingly silently through the narrow streets. Even in their armor, they were fast and nimble, making sure that the route rlin was taking was clear of anybody who would see him. Of course, they weren’t doing it alone, as Kiwi, lon, and their company were following suit, making sure that any stragglers or holess were ushered out of the way without arousing suspicion, dressed in the local guards' garb.
“We are close,” rlin muttered, stopping, pocketing his little compass. Instead, he was using his own body and senses to get a feel for it. “He has suppressed all of his magic perfectly.”
“Then how can you feel it?” Pion asked curiously.
“I don’t. But I feel the thing... things that suppress it. It is also faint, but I am good enough to know what to look for!” He smiled, pointing towards one of the nearby houses. “We should get up to the top of it.”
“Roger.”
rlin wasn’t surprised when Pion simply picked him up, putting the Pri Minister on his back, before scaling the windowless side of the building next to them. Luckily, the dark and narrow alleyways of Aldrim were the perfect cover for them and for the others around the block, following their major’s orders echoing in their helts. A mont later, they were lying on old, dirty, and probably the kind of roof tiles that were never cleaned before. Not that it mattered to either of them.
“The third building from the left before us,” rlin whispered while Pion relayed his words so everyone knew where to look and ensured that if they were discovered, they would be able to take the target down. "Whoever the Ishillian mage is, they live there. Do we have any information on who owns it?”
“A mont,” Pion replied, asking through his helt’s radio.
“We have sothing.” lon’s voice ca through the radio. “It is the ho of a man going by the na of Kaelis Zerath. He is working under one of the Chairn… A mont... Ah, yes, Chairman Baldrin. By the data we have… he is a long-ti citizen of Aldrim.”
“Data can be faked. mories, too, with a proper spell.” rlin muttered after Pion relayed the report from lon.
“Maybe he is a dummy.” Pion offered an idea, “None of us can detect any spells around his residence, unlike what we found around the city.”
“I wouldn’t have done it either; a well-fortified, magically defended building would stand out like a sore thumb. It will be him… I am a hundred percent sure. Do we know what he looks like?”
“Yes.” Pion nodded, listening to Kiwi’s comnts.
“The man was also at the banquet that the fake Eira Shastan attended." She explained. "So he is a mage, huh... Lucky we didn't get closer."
“Yes. And we should keep an eye on him from a safe distance.” Pion warned the agents, “Even if he uses an artifact or so kind of spell to suppress his magic, it is still there. Our guess is that he has the expertise to influence the mind; don’t take that lightly. If he manages to use it on you before you can achieve any self-defensive thods, he wins.”
“Acknowledged.” Kiwi and lon repeated at the sa ti while Pion looked at rlin, who was in deep thought, scratching his chin.
“Maybe…” He muttered, “We can use him to push Atuvia to our side. Permanently.”
“Pri Minister?” Pion asked, surprised as nothing like that was in the plans when coming to Atuvia.
“Let’s go back! I need to think…”
…
….
……
Kaelis, unaware that his ho was being watched at that mont, sat hunched over his desk, a single candle flickering weakly beside him. His hands trembled as he dipped his quill into the inkpot, his mind racing with the events of the day. The guild’s grand council chamber had been stifling, to say the least. It was not from the crowd within it but from the sheer presence of Avalon’s Pri Minister. As a mage, even with his natural gift being suppressed by the rings he was wearing, he could still feel this Avalonian mage’s powers. And his age… He was so young. This was the worst news he had ever discovered, but at least he had a na.
rlin.
Kaelis had never heard of him before but didn’t need a formal introduction to feel the power radiating from him, marking him soone who would be a top-level mage within the Empire. The boy’s calm deanor, his sharp gaze when he dropped the kind act, and his aura of magic amplified by his weirdly alien staff had been suffocating for him. Kaelis, who had trained since knowing how to walk, being taught to remain unnoticed, had felt as though rlin’s eyes had already found him when scanning the crowd. He feared that the boy's eyes pierced directly into his soul, stripping away his carefully constructed facade.
“I have to get this out,” he whispered to himself, his voice breaking, taking a deep breath to stop his hand from trembling. He hastily scribbled a report detailing everything he had witnessed and felt, recalling them to the best of his capabilities. His words painted rlin as a threat on par with the traitor, Mirian Ishillia. Next, he described Avalon’s delegation, their dreadful soldiers, and their weird-looking armor that felt weirdly magical. Avalon was worse than they thought, and he realized the Empire was underestimating them… greatly. So significantly, it would cost them everything.
His handwriting grew sloppier as he reached the end of the parchnt. His mind conjured images of rlin discovering him, undoing his magical suppression, exposing him, and killing him… which he didn’t realize was an actual warning from his suppressed powers because rlin, indeed, was watching his ho from not that far away.
After finishing, he sealed the letter with quivering fingers, stamping it with a generic guild insignia to avoid detection. He stood, his legs feeling weak, as he moved to open the window of his personal study. From a small, hidden cage beneath his desk, he retrieved a carrier pigeon, trained to head straight to the drop-off point within Ishillia. The bird cooed softly as he tied the letter to its leg, putting another magically enhanced ring on it, providing the animal with ample energy so it would keep flying until arriving at its destination.
“Go,” Kaelis whispered, releasing the bird into the night sky. He watched as it disappeared into the darkness, his heart pounding. Looking around, he swore for a mont he saw soone on a rooftop nearby. Refocusing his eyes, rubbing them… he saw nobody there. “Damn it…” he cursed, trying to force himself to remain calm. He was fine. If he had been discovered, it should have been pointed out already, right before the Chairn and dooming all of Ishillia’s efforts in one swift move.
What he didn’t know was that his senses weren't tricking him, and the pigeon didn’t make it far...
…
….
……
Not even half an hour later, a faint shimr appeared in the sky outside of Atuvia, about five kiloters away, invisible to all but the trained eyes and to those who knew where to look. The soldiers within the darkness moved quickly, catching the poor animal in a net and retrieving the pigeon and its ssage before retreating into the shadows and heading back towards Aldrim.
Before the first light of the sun appeared over the horizon, the ssage was in rlin’s hands. He was sitting in his temporary quarters, without any sign of being tired, as he broke the seal with a flick of his fingers, scanning the contents. His lips curled into a smirk, whistling.
“Well, he is good. He even guessed so of the Mark II’s functions. Nice, Kaelis,” rlin murmured, holding the letter to the candlelight. “It is ti to take you out.” Turning to Pion, who stood guard at the door, rlin handed him the letter. “Prepare the team. Tomorrow, when I et with the Atuvians again, prepare for battle. We will take our friend back to Avalon.”
“Alive?”
“Alive.” He nodded, scratching his chin, “He is talented, and we need mages. I want to see if we can turn him.”
“That’s dangerous.” Pion protested, “Way too dangerous!”
“I am just going to try!” rlin shrugged, “I didn’t say I would succeed. If it can’t be done, then we will find a use for him otherwise. Try not to kill him… Ishillian mages tend to blow up when they die.”
…
….
……
The grand council chamber of the Goldlight Guild was as crowded as the previous day, though the tension in the air was at least four tis thick. They could almost taste it. Chairman Alvor sat at the center of the raised dais, flanked by the other chairn or their delegation from both guilds. Their conference kept going until sunrise in private, and… it was still nowhere near finished. Alvor couldn’t help but feel his stomach tied into a knot as the guild representatives murmured amongst themselves while Avalon’s delegation entered the chamber to continue where they had left off yesterday.
Yet… Today, rlin was not alone. He walked in, his staff tapping the stone floor with every step, flanked by three soldiers in full black armor, making everyone break out in sweat and loud complaints. Their tall and bulky figures, with glowing red eyes and bone-white skull-like faceplates, drew uneasy whispers from the crowd. They moved like a single entity, and before any of the guilds’ guards could act, they were already standing in the middle.
“Pri Minister rlin,” Alvor began, his tone polite but trying to sound firm. “Your entourage has grown since yesterday. Is this to be interpreted as a threat?”
“It is for my protection.” rlin’s lips curved into a smile. “They are not a threat, Chairman Alvor. More of a demonstration.”
“A demonstration?” Chairman Baldrin asked, leaning forward, his brows furrowed, his palms sweaty.
“Of Avalon’s strength,” rlin said as he turned toward him, his expression unreadable. “Chairman Baldrin. A demonstration of the dangers lurking within your own ranks.”
“Is this an accusation?!” The sa voices in the chamber grew louder as rlin retrieved a folded parchnt from within his coat. He held it up for all to see before handing it to Alvor.
“This letter was intercepted by my people last night. It was bound for Ishillia.” The mont he spoke, Alvor’s hand trembled, and the hall beca as silent as a cetery.
He slowly reached out, taking and unfolding the letter with unease. Reading its contents, his face darkened with every line his eyes passed over. The representatives around him leaned in, craning their necks to catch a glimpse, all trying to see this so-called evidence.
“This is an outrageous claim!” Baldrin exclaid, standing abruptly, recognizing the na within. “You accuse us of harboring a spy without evidence! This letter could have been fabricated!”
“True.” rlin’s gaze hardened, looking at him. “But, Chairman Baldrin, the evidence is standing in this very room.”
All eyes turned toward Kaelis, who stood close at Baldrin’s side. His face was calm, but his trembling hands betrayed his nerves, even if he tried to hide it behind his back.
“This is preposterous,” Kaelis stated, forcing a laugh, playing with the rings on his finger, twisting them in a particular order. “I’ve served the guild faithfully for years! This is nothing but a baseless accusation!”
“Is it?" rlin’s staff tapped the floor, sending a faint ripple of energy through the chamber. “You’re good, Kaelis of Ishillia. But even the best slip up. Shall we put it to the test?”
“Are you trying to use magic to influence the Charn?” Kaelis asked as his voice faltered. “I don’t know what you an!”
“Enough.” Pion stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding through his helt, sounding like the Grim Reaper. “You’ve been exposed, Ishillian.”
The words seed to pierce Kaelis like a blade. His facade crumbled as his breathing quickened, and his eyes darted around the room, pulling off the last ring from his right pinky.
“You… you’re all fools!” he spat, his voice trembling with desperation. “Avalon thinks it can challenge Ishillia? And you, Atuvian dogs, think you can profit from it?! You have no idea what’s coming!”
Before anyone could react, Kaelis’s magic surged to the surface. The suppression rings on his fingers shattered, and the air around him crackled with energy as a pre-made formation rose from the cracked rings. A wave of pure physical force erupted from him, sending nearby representatives and their desks and seats flying backward.
rlin stood unmoved, watching with a calm, calculating expression, already reading the magic and its type. But he wasn’t doing anything. The soldiers flanking him, however, sprang into action before Kaelis finished shouting. Pion and the three armored soldiers moved like lightning, their anti-magic spell activating, increasing the red glow in their helts' eye sockets as they intercepted Kaelis’s attack.
Kaelis scread an incantation, unleashing a blast of fire directly at rlin from a small circle forming before his lips. Yet it disappeared before it could get far as Pion closed the distance, punching the pitifully weak spell apart with his armored fist, the monster skin easily withstanding a hastily cast magic that, at best, could be only a distraction. With a swift follow-up strike, he brought Kaelis to his knees. The rest of his n were already next to them, restraining Kaelis with their hands and getting him to the ground while Pion stood on his head, pressing it to the floor.
“Die… You will die…” Kaelis writhed on the ground, his face twisted in rage and fear. “You can’t stop us,” he hissed. “Ishillia will crush you all!”
“I don’t think so.” rlin stepped forward, looking down at the subdued mage with pity, ignoring the panic and chaos around them. “But you will. Go! Bring him out of the city and kill him. We won’t do it here because Ishillian mages tend to blow up when they die.” He smiled, scaring the others even more, especially because Kaelis wanted to do sothing, before being knocked unconscious by Pion. Maybe he was about to initiate the self-destruction… They couldn’t think of anything else.
The soldiers lifted Kaelis’s limp body and carried him out of the chamber without anybody stopping them. The shock of seeing Avalon’s soldiers easily subdue a mage by hand was just as terrifying as the fact they had an Ishillian wizard within their ranks… hidden. Manipulating. Doing who knows what and doing it since when?!
“Well…” rlin turned back to Alvor and the other chairn, who were in the middle of getting up from the floor, patting his staff on the floor. “This is not your failure, Chairman Alvor. Nor yours, Chairman Baldrin. Ishillia plants seeds of conflict wherever they tread. Avalon is here to uproot them. This is Ishillia’s fault, and you could not have prevented it. You don’t have the ans to… but we do. And we are still here, willing to help. As I said yesterday… We are not conquerors.”
“I didn’t know…” Baldrin’s face was pale, his confidence shaken, saying it not to rlin but to Alvor, feeling desperate to prove he was innocent.
Alvor, however, ignored him as he t rlin’s gaze and gave a solemn nod.
“I… We understand… Pri Minister rlin.”
...
....
......
From her vantage point in the market square, Lyria watched as rlin’s delegation prepared to leave Aldrim. The soldiers, still in their grim armor, boarded their train without missing a beat. The display of power of Avalon had left the city’s leadership shaken, but Lyria felt a faint sense of relief.
“They didn’t notice ,” she murmured to herself, exhaling softly, doing her best to calm herself down. She had been at the eting, just another rchant observing the proceedings, her alias intact. Yet when the whole incident played out before her eyes, she almost fainted. She expected them to turn to her next… Whatever their thods were to expose Kaelis, the Avalonians had focused entirely on him. She was… still unknown to them. She had to be…
Turning away from the departing train, she made her way back to her quarters. Sitting at her desk, she began writing a report detailing the events of the past two days. Her assessnt was scathing, filled with dozens of warnings, repeated one after the other. Avalon was far more dangerous than the Empire had anticipated. Their ‘Pri Minister,’ the soldiers’ anti-magic capabilities, and their tactical prowess were all recorded with as much detail as she could put down. And the fact they will march through Atuvia... catching the Empire off guard. They had to know!
“This pigeon will make it through,” she whispered, tying the letter to her bird’s leg. “They think they’ve won. Yes… I am safe. I am… safe.” Releasing the pigeon into the night sky, Lyria watched it disappear. She shivered faintly, feeling a surge of… sothing, but she told herself it was the pride in her ability to stay unnoticed.
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“Heh,” From the shadows of a rooftop, Kiwi watched the pigeon disappear into the distance, her lips curling into a smirk. “We got another one.”
“Predictable,” lon said, shaking her head with a chuckle. “It’s for the Pri Minister to catch.”
“So, we are going to keep an eye on the bitch and expose her later?” Kiwi’s eyes glead. “Let her think she’s safe… and then BAM! Bring down the world on her!”
“Sothing like that.” lon nodded. “The Sovereign will decide when her usefulness runs out.”
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