Night had fully descended on Windre by the ti we approached the mayor's mansion. Under the moonlight, the ornate building looked more like a fortress than a ho, its windows glowing with an unnatural light that spilled onto the manicured grounds.
"Guards at all entrances," Ava murmured, crouching beside in the shadows of the treeline. "More than before."
"They're expecting us," Cecilia added, her hand resting lightly on my shoulder. "Word of your fight with the enforcer must have spread."
I nodded, studying the patrol patterns. At least a dozen guards circled the property, each moving with the practiced precision of trained security. Not a threat to Integration-rankers individually, but their numbers would slow us down.
"Rember the plan," I said quietly. "Ava creates a distraction at the east gate. Cecilia and I slip in through the hidden path to the west. We find the mayor, end this nightmare."
Ava checked her watch. "It's almost midnight. Let's move before they strengthen their defenses even more."
She nodded once, then disappeared into the darkness with silent efficiency. Cecilia and I moved in the opposite direction, following the path the woman from the brothel had described—a narrow ga trail that wound through dense undergrowth toward the western side of the property.
We reached the edge of the woods just as a massive explosion rocked the eastern gate. Flas licked skyward, and shouts of alarm echoed across the grounds. Guards abandoned their posts, rushing toward the chaos.
"That's our cue," I murmured, impressed as always by Ava's gift for destruction. "Ready?"
Cecilia grinned, wild excitent dancing in her eyes. "Born ready." She squeezed my hand quickly. "Stay close to , okay?"
We sprinted across the open lawn, staying low and fast. The mayor's study window was exactly where the woman had described: on the first floor, partially hidden by ornantal bushes, its curtains drawn but light visible from within.
Cecilia kept watch while I worked the window latch, eventually resorting to a focused pulse of mana that shattered the lock. The window swung open, revealing a lavishly decorated office—empty, thankfully.
I slipped through the opening, helping Cecilia in after . The office was immaculate, every book perfectly aligned on its shelf, every paper neatly stacked. The only sign of disorder was a half-empty glass of wine on the desk, as if its owner had been interrupted.
"Quite the control freak," Cecilia whispered, eyeing the obsessively organized room. "Even his pens are arranged by size."
"Not surprising, considering how he runs this town," I replied, moving toward the door. The hallway beyond was silent, but I could hear muffled voices coming from sowhere deeper in the mansion.
We moved cautiously through dimly lit corridors, past displays of wealth that seed obscene compared to the modest hos of Windre's citizens. Paintings that belonged in museums, sculptures that must have cost fortunes, all collected by a man who ruled through fear and ritual sacrifice.
The voices grew louder as we approached what appeared to be the main hall. I pressed my ear to the door, straining to make out the words.
"—cannot be interrupted," the mayor was saying, his voice tight with anger. "After all our work, all our sacrifices, we are too close to completion."
"Yes, sir," replied a voice I didn't recognize. "The preparations are nearly complete."
"See that they are," the mayor snapped. "I won't have so academy students interfering with plans decades in the making. And find out what happened to my enforcer. He should have returned by now."
I glanced at Cecilia, who nodded grimly. No ti for subtlety. I kicked the doors open, Evolvis blazing to life in my hand as we burst into the hall beyond.
The scene before us was not what I expected. Rather than a ritual chamber or so den of horrors, we found ourselves in a grand entrance hall. Marble floors glead beneath crystal chandeliers, and a sweeping staircase led to the upper floors. The mayor stood at its base, dressed impeccably in a dark suit, surrounded by several robed figures who scattered at our sudden entrance.
"Ah," the mayor said, his gaze darting past us to the doorway as if expecting soone else. "The heroes arrive. But where is the third mber of your little band? And where is my enforcer?"
"Your enforcer won't be joining us," I replied coldly, advancing with Evolvis raised. "It's over. Whatever you've been doing to this town, whatever rituals you've been performing—it ends tonight."
A flicker of genuine shock crossed the mayor's face, quickly replaced by a cold rage. "You killed him? You actually managed to kill my enforcer?"
"Save the speech," Cecilia cut in, her own sword gleaming in the chandelier light. "We know what you've been doing. Forcing yourself on won, sacrificing n who resist, using their deaths to fuel your sick rituals."
A flash of annoyance crossed the mayor's face. "Crude, but not entirely inaccurate. Though you miss the larger purpose." His eyes narrowed. "And it seems I've underestimated you both."
"Don't care," I replied. "Surrender now, or this gets ssy."
The mayor's smile was thin and dangerous. "It was already 'ssy' the mont you killed my enforcer. But no matter. He was rely one tool of many."
He raised his hand, and several guards erged from side doors, weapons drawn. Not Integration-rankers, but still dangerous in numbers. At the sa ti, the mayor drew a long ceremonial dagger that glead with an unnatural light.
"Your choice," I said, activating Lucent Harmony. The familiar sigils lit up along my arms as perfect tranquility settled over . All eleven elents of mana fell into perfect balance, enhancing my control and perception.
The guards attacked in unison, but they were no match for Integration-rankers. Cecilia and I moved in tandem, my sword and her magic cutting through their formation with devastating efficiency. Within monts, those who hadn't fallen were fleeing in terror.
To my surprise, the mayor proved a more formidable opponent. Despite his supposed White-rank status, he moved with the speed and precision of soone far more powerful, his dagger leaving trails of miasma as he wielded it with practiced skill.
'A cultist,' I noted, 'An abnormal one to be exact.'
Cecilia engaged him directly, her spells forcing him onto the defensive. "You're stronger than you look, old man," she taunted, landing a crimson spell that bit into his side.
"You have no idea," he replied, his voice suddenly deeper, resonating with power that hadn't been there before.
I activated Mythic Body, feeling strength surge through my muscles as my physical form enhanced beyond normal limits. Soul Vision followed, the world slowing around as my perception sharpened to supernatural levels.
Together, Cecilia and I pressed our attack, driving the mayor back. But he was surprisingly resilient, evading our strikes with unnatural agility, his dagger flashing dangerously close to vital points.
The Seraphim's Embrace activated, sharpening my focus until I could read even the smallest twitch of his muscles, anticipating each move before he made it.
The floor beneath my feet trembled. The entire mansion seed to shudder, as if responding to so great force beneath it.
The mayor laughed, a sound devoid of humor or sanity. "Too late! The final phase has begun!"
Taking advantage of Cecilia's montary distraction, he drew a dagger at her, scoring a cut across her shoulder. She hissed in pain but didn't falter, retaliating with a magic arrow that would have taken his head if he hadn't ducked at the last second.
I circled around, trying to flank him. "Whatever you're planning, it won't work," I called, hoping to distract him from Cecilia. "Your enforcer is dead, and you're next."
"My enforcer?" The mayor's smile was chilling. "He was nothing. A tool, like the rest of them. Replaceable."
Our battle intensified as the mansion continued to shake around us. I could feel my energy draining, but I knew I couldn't relent, not now. With a final surge of power, I drove Evolvis forward, my energy igniting as I released a powerful strike, knocking the dagger from the mayor's hand and forcing him back. He staggered, his guard broken, and in that instant, I struck, driving my blade forward and pinning him against his desk.
The mayor's calm facade had shattered. His composed expression was gone, replaced by a look of panic and rage. He glanced at his wrist, pulling his sleeve down, but not before I caught sight of sothing—a tattoo, briefly visible under the cuff. It was a red sun, circled by dark lines that seed almost alive, pulsing faintly with mana.
Reviews
All reviews (0)