Chapter 4: Unbroken Bonds
The sounds of hammers against nails and wood rung out throughout Prontera as carpenters and smiths began working on the festival decorations. Thousands of colorful banners, streamers and stands were being erected for the three day celebration. Children ran through the streets with masks they planned to use for the story telling event, older citizens carried the ashes of their loved ones for the spirit sending and merchants marked up prices for summer outfits. It was definitely a time for grand celebration, even more so for the royal guard, Seban.
With his casual clothing on, Seban paved along the busy streets, making his way towards the chapel near the cemetery. On the way, the sight of Mjolnir Red tails caught his eye. Up to the merchant he stepped with his massive frame, looking at the flowers surrounding the perimeter of the stall.
"How much for a bouquet of Red Tails madam?" He asked ever so politely.
"Hmmm, for such a handsome man, how about two thousand zeny? That's half of the usual sweety." The merchant flirted with a wink.
Seban smiled with a brightness rivaled only by the silver buckle on his belt. He took out the amount from his pants and took the beautifully wrapped flowers into his arms.
"I believe my fiancé will love these, thank you madam." He said before heading off on his path again.
As he walked away, the merchant smiled and sighed to herself while resting her head on her hand.
"Oooof course he's getting married… It's the time for love and yet… I'm alone again… Hahah, oh well I guess." She continued with the conversation with herself.
In front of the chapel, Seban took extra time to make sure he was presentable to the woman he would be marrying in three days. His pants were neat and ironed, shirt tucked in, hair slicked back, teeth cleaned and his face was spotless with exception to the mole by his right eye. He took a breath and entered the chapel, greeting the nuns, acolytes and priests at the entrance. With his height, he looked over them, hoping to see his bride-to-be somewhere.
"Ah, Seban. Elajia will be out soon, she's making the final alterations to her gown." One of the priests told him with a warm smile and nod.
He took a seat on the pew in the rear of the church, his leg bounced up and down in anticipation. Soon his hands began fidgeting around with his pocket watch and his brow began to sweat. Battling with monsters weren't this bad in his mind, but when it came to his wife he didn't know what to think or do next. He suddenly straightened up at the sound of the door opening and heels clicking on the floor before reaching the mauve carpet.
"Well Father Bamph, I like how it looks. Do you think it'll surprise…Seban!?" She yelled in excitement when she spotted her soon-to-be husband. "What are you doing here?!"
He only smiled and stood, presenting the flowers to her as his cheeks along with hers began to flush.
"I…Er... Well your mother told me you were at the chapel and I thought I'd surprise you is all… I didn't know what you were doing exactly." He said with stutters and pauses from the nervous assault he was feeling.
She took the flowers, smiled and threw a hug onto his frame. She held on tight, feeling a tear almost fall from her cheek.
"Thank you Seban. I truly love you, you know?" She said while pulling away and looking at him.
"And I, you. I will never let any harm befall you my love. You have my word on my Royal honor!"
Father Bamph couldn't help but to clap and smile. "Amen."
Back in the tombs, Sho was finally coming too after the fall from the upper levels. He opened his eyes but was greeted with darkness as he stood and tried to walk. He stumbled forward, smacking his jaw on something hard in the sand. With the daze fresh on him, he slowly rummaged through his pants until he found the clip of sight, a parting gift from the good doctor in Prontera. With the clip attached, the ethereal flame sprouted around his body, illuminating the dark chamber.
He stood, looking at the blood in the sand from his now injured face, and took a few steps forward before tripping on something else in the sand.
"Dammit all to hell! What is this!?" He yelled to himself as his voice echoed in the room.
He scurried over to the item that tripped him. It was a metal edge to something. Quickly he began to unearth what lied beneath the ancient sands. His hands worked as fast as he could while still shaking the disorientation from his body. Soon enough, the sand vanished from the object little by little, until it was cleared. In front of Sho was a lid of some sort, and a large one to boot. He stepped onto the lid until he reached the other side where a latch awaited. With a hard tug, the latch broke off, sending Sho to the sand yet again.
He rose up and shook the sand from his hair, stopping for a moment to release a stream of swears. Back on his feet, he grabbed his Damascus and began to work the blade under the lid until finally it lifted ever so slightly. Using the least bit of leverage, he pried enough space open to get his hand under and lifted the heavy container lid. Dust and sand flew around as the lid smashed into the sand in front of Sho, causing him to shield his mouth, nose and eyes with his sleeve.
When the dust and debris settled, he gazed into the container with his pseudo light source. Inside was a book held tight with a rusty lock and a layer of dust so thick, Sho left a 2cm imprint upon lifting the book. With a sharp breath, he blew the dust off of the cover, revealing a symbol that almost shined to Sho. He had only seen this symbol once in his life, but he remembered it well. It was the symbol of The Advents.
Quickly he grabbed for his now bent Damascus, going to work on the rusty lock. 'Cling, Clang' the dulling blade went until the lock snapped in two, releasing the cover from the pages. Quickly he sat down with his back to the container as he began to read the following pages.
"It's been about three days already. I've gotten pretty far, but I have no idea what the hell happened to Azulong, Kursis, Nin or even my lovely Angelica. If only I was a bit more careful, I could have slit that bitch, Kelsly's throat. No matter, the royal family will see its doom soon enough. They will know the error of double crossing The Advents. Though I know the king can't be trusted as far as I could throw him, I wonder why he executed one of his most trusted men. He probably found out the deal the king and I made, heh poor bastard, should have kept to his blades and birds." The excerpt read.
He continued onto the next page, keeping a steady pace of words.
"Shit… I fell into this stupid hole in Sograt and now I can't get back up. All for a Phreeoni. Of all the damn luck." The page was torn at that part, but picked up later. "It must be noon, the sun is peeking through this tiny ass hole in the ceiling which is my only source of lighting…My abilities aren't working and I've even tried calling Chaos, but he must have abandoned me as well. I'm certain my so called loyal crew has already. The only one I know wouldn't do that to me is my Angelica. She must be waiting on me. Shit, I'm going to try and get out of here again."
More pages were either torn or too faded to read, so Sho skipped on.
"That's it. I've gone as far as I possibly gone in trying to escape. The last bit of my food was eating a week ago and the water from above has stopped pouring. This is the end of the line for me. I want to record it all here….Right now about The Advents. I don't know who will find this, but I hope whoever it is will stick my blade into the King's heart and remove his soul from his body to bring it to hell so I can greet him myself. Hell……I'm not sure where I should even begin. Actually…Yea, I do. My techniques" Sho's eyes lit up, he immediately turned the page to read on.
Page by page he read the book. There were skills, maps, records, almost everything The Advents were involved with, were outlined in the pages to come. Sho couldn't believe what he had in his hands. His eyes carefully carried each bit of information into his mind, sealing it into his thoughts permanently. He'd finally reached the end of the book, the final page. It was no longer written in Ink, but in blood.
"Out of time. No more ink, pricked finger for blood. Heh, I'm dying I guess, oh well. Whoever gets this book, know that the leader of The Advents will have his revenge." The words read.
Sho turned to the end and his heart nearly skipped a beat. His skin prickled with bumps and his spine shivered.
"For I am Sho Seki, Leader of The Adve-. " The words cut off with a thin trail of blood leaving the page.
Sho sat there for a moment, how could his name have been in the book when this was hundreds of years ago? His name became a new mystery to him at that moment. He wanted to know why his mother picked that name of all names. What connections did she have with him? Everything was beginning to spiral in Sho's mind. He stood up and checked inside of the container.
There at the bottom was a jacket with many belts around it and fur around the top. He pulled it free from the darkness below, causing a knife to fall from the pocket. He leaned over to grab the knife, but spotted something else in the container. With a grunt he lugged both the knife and what seemed to be a large crystal structure from below. He recognized it instantly; emperium. There was something off about this chunk though; it had an unusual black hue to it. He sat the emperium and knife down to try on the jacket. Just his luck, it fit him perfectly.
He moved his arms around to make sure it was comfortable and of course it was. He knelt down and grabbed the serrated knife with a quick motion. The blade, even though had been down in the dank container for god knows how long, was incredibly sharp. With a grin he placed the blade in his pocket and lowered down to grab the emperium. Suddenly is body felt heavy. A cold feeling surged over his body and mind as he tried to breathe. He couldn't think, he could only feel the sudden rush of his body falling.
His face landed in the sand, blurring his vision. He blinked a few times but couldn't believe his eyes. The emperium was in front of his face, black tendrils wrapped around his body and throat. He looked up slightly to see the crystal lift into the air, taking him with it. The tendrils tightened up around his body, until they began to sink into his skin. He tried to yell, but found his body lacking air when it needed it. Soon it was over and the emperium vanished. Sho landed on one knee and began a coughing fit while he gasped for air.
To his amazement, he felt a change come over him. His hair was now cut, spiked upward and a new shade of white. His entire outfit was different, something he'd never seen before, but it matched the Jacket. He felt a new power within his body, a new sense of direction and a new determination to fulfill his hatred soaked revenge. He lifted his arm to the sky to see The Advent symbol on his hand, a dark aura pulsing from it. He was now a Shadow Chaser and the new leader of The Advents.
With a grin, Sho turned to the wall and with one blink, released some of his power. Beside him stood another being, it was him. He pat it on the back as it walked to the wall and detonated with tremendous force, clearing a hole in the side. He stepped over the rubble, cracked his neck and began making his way through the tunnels of the tomb that not even he had examined.
Back at the entrance, Wolfe and Alterin stood by while Hound members scouted the inside of the tombs. One by one they entered the dark area, equipped with large torches to light the way.
"So…Lemme get this straight mate. Your king didn't know where the tomb was, but he knows what's inside 'em?" Wolfe asked while folding his arms atop his mount.
Alterin just nodded, keeping his large sword at ready in case Sho appeared from the depths. Just as the sun reached its highest point, three of the Hound members resurfaced with uneasy looks on their faces.
"Sir! We've combed the entire tomb. We report that there are no signs of anything in there besides a couple of monsters and lots of sand. No corpses, bodies or graves." One reported.
Alterin's brow perked a bit.
"How can that be? The Advents were buried here years ago! That disgusting bastard must have located the bodies and moved them elsewhere, but for what reason? Hmm, I must report back to the king. Have your men pull out and return to the castle immediately." Alterin commanded before taking off on his black dragon.
Wolfe watched the Rune knight leave with a disapproved look on his face. He turned to one of the members and looked him in the eye.
"So…You're telling me that you found no one in there?" He asked, his voice lower than usual.
"Y-Yes sir! No one!" One of the men nervously replied.
"……….Then you have failed me." Wolfe said before pulling his bow out in a blink of an eye and putting an arrow into each of the three's heads. "I don't like failure…Okay you bastards! Round up and move out. I want to see everyone back at Pront castle in less than five, do I make myself clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" They shouted, rallied together.
Back in the castle, the king sat at his desk, glancing over many a page in a large book branded with the Prontaran seal. His reading glasses sat neatly atop the bridge of his nose as he took a gander at the many words ahead of him. A knock came from his large doors to the study with a voice accompanying it.
"Your Majesty, its Edgar. I was wondering if it'd possible to have a word with you." His voice muffled slightly by the thickness of the door.
"Yes, yes I suppose. Enter Edgar." The king replied while closing the book.
Edgar arrived inside and closed the door behind him. He bowed to the king and stood at the head of the desk.
"Sire, I've been meaning to ask you. Was it truly necessary to have the woman's body cast into Ant Hell? Wouldn't it have been easier to just bury her without the brain?" He questioned, each of his movements caused a bottle to jingle the contents inside.
"…Edgar. I'm going to bestow some truth onto you, truth about the events of the past months. When Sonia and Sho arrived, Doctor Morrix knew well enough who she was and knew immediately what her ailment was and what would cure her instantly. However, I issued the order to halt treatment of that years ago because whoever had it, must have been in contact with the tomb of The Advents. The price he set for the treatment was merely a ploy to force them away for a time; giving the virus time to work it's so called magic. She knew well enough the path she had chosen by running away, having relations with a dirty rat of the city and worst of all, helping him locate the tombs. She was a traitor to her family and to our kingdom and for that, she had to suffer the indignity of nourishing the Ants and their queen; Maya. That is the reason why young Edgar." The king spoke with such anger in his voice that his fist shook.
Edgar gulped hard and could only nod. He turned towards the door and pushed his glasses up onto his face before wiping the stray bead of sweat from his chin.
"F-forgive me for intruding sire. I'll take my leave now." He said, trying to make his way to the door quickly.
Just as he reached for the door, it opened abruptly and Alterin entered. He performed the knight's salute and bow before raising his head.
"Sire, I bring news of the fugitive! Wolfe pursued him into the tombs where he made an escape somehow. Hound swept the entire tombs and found…Well nothing sire. Not even the bodies of The Advents. Not only that but-"
"Alterin, hold your words for now. Edgar, you may take your leave now. I have urgent news to discuss with my knight…" He said while looking at Edgar as if he were looking down at him.
Edgar reached for the door again, but looked at the king before leaving.
"Edgar…Do not dip your fingers in jars that have the lids closed. You may not enjoy what you find." The king's last words to him were layered in threats as Edgar exited with great haste.
Edgar wasted no time returning to his room. He sat at the foot of the bed and released a sigh while digging in his large bag he brought along with him from Al De Baran. From inside he pulled a black box out with a single sheet of parchment. He soon began to write on the parchment while it lay atop the box.
"Dear Simon.
I've spoken with the king and I have unsettling news." It began.
Edgar wrote of everything he'd just heard in great detail, hoping to find some comfort in his long time friend and scientific comrade; Simon Alphonse. He finished the letter and signed his name on it before folding it and running his hand along the paper while it lay on the black box. The letter seemed to jump slightly and sizzle. When he opened the paper, it was blank, all of the words now inscribed onto the box. The letters gave a glow before vanishing themselves from the surface of the box.
In Al De Baran, Simon sat in his room as night drew near to the city. He stood and approached the maid who had his evening garb prepared for him. Just as he began to change, the same type of black box began to sizzle with words. Simon ran over to it and grabbed a piece of parchment, pressing it against the box. The letters jumped onto the paper and Simon began to read aloud, a habit he'd been trying to break.
"Goodness….Maya….Virus….Sho has escaped….Advents?! My word." He said in between his reading.
He sat at the desk and began to write back immediately, hoping to calm his friend's nerves with his words.
Elsewhere, in a dark room only being illuminated by a single blue computer screen, a lone man placed a potion bottle down and began to grin.
"How very interesting…."