Chapter Eight – The Court of the Dragon
"Emma? What's going on? Why did you bring us to Rose's atelier?" a small voice asked.
"I need to speak to Grandmother immediately, Celine; you need to hear this too," Emma stated, taking off her glasses as she looked down at the small black cat who had arrived with Emma.
As Cyrus and Rosaria had used the Warp Crystal to travel to Heimdallr, Emma had used her own Warp Crystal, given to her by her Grandmother for an emergency, to return back home to the Hexen Clan's village within the depths of the Isthmia Great Forest.
"Emma? What in Thanatos' name are you doing here? You used that Warp Crystal I gave you, didn't you? Silly little girl; I told you that was for emergencies only!" a voice shouted from behind Emma, who jumped and turned around and found herself standing face to face with Roselia, her Grandmother.
"I'm sorry, Grandmother, but this is an emergency," Emma stated, bowing her head to her elder in respect. "The Chalice is real."
"Just who the hell do you take me for?! Of course it's real! I was there when the Reignbow Arbiter created it!" Roselia snapped, slamming her cane into the wooden floor.
"No, I mean… The Chalice still exists. It was stolen from the Black Sect and now a friend has been tasked with getting it back," Emma responded, referring to Cyrus.
"That doddering old fool… Of course it would get lost under his watch. And to think I relinquished the title of Black Archbishop to him myself… Who has Keyes tasked with getting it back? Speak!" Roselia barked.
"A Sister from the Sect came to Trista and took Cyrus to Heimdallr to get it back for her," Emma explained.
"Oh? The Le Guin boy you've written about… Interesting. So that is his angle is it…?" Roselia muttered.
"What's going on, Rose? You seem far more relaxed about this than I first thought," Celine muttered, licking her paw before rubbing her ear with it.
"Child, you have nothing to worry about. That fool of an Archbishop, Keyes, is one of us. The Hexen Clan, or rather I, established the Black Sect of the Septian Church to keep watch over the Aidios worshippers, and to be the caretakers of Thanatos' sacred treasures. Keyes would sooner commit suicide than lose a treasure of Thanatos to unworthy smooth brain Humans… If even half of the things I've heard about the Le Guin family are true, then your friend Cyrus is a safe option to get the Chalice back. I understand your apprehension, but there was no need to come to me with this…" Roselia stated, dumping a massive amount of information on both Emma and Celine.
"Wait, what? We established the Black Sect? When did that happen?" Celine gawked.
"The moment Project Nemesis was started, more than 1,200 years ago…" Roselia responded quietly.
"But, Grandmother, the Chalice was used to–" Emma started, before being silenced by Roselia slamming her cane on the floor again.
"Enough! We will not disrespect Lord Thanatos, or the Reignbow Arbiter in this house! When the Immortal Lord created the Chalice, he knew what its purpose was to be. You know how it was created, but that is all you know. As far as things stand, your friend Cyrus is the only one in the Heimdallr area who will be able to get it back from the scoundrels who foolishly chose to insult our Lord by stealing from him… And if Project Nemesis is correct, which it most certainly is, Cyrus will have to face off against a terrifying foe…" Roselia responded, frowning.
"Who?" Emma and Celine asked in unison.
"The one known as 'The Bladelord'…" Roselia whispered.
"The Bladelord? Who's that?" Emma asked.
"No. Now is not the time for questions; you must return to Thor's; the rest of your classmates will have certainly noticed your disappearance by now… Take this, and this," Roselia muttered, as she handed Emma another Warp Crystal, and a small leather bag. "The Warp Crystal is to replace the one you foolishly used to return here, and the bag contains a powder that will alter the memory of those who inhale it. It will erase their memory from the moment you first used that Warp Crystal, meaning they will believe you never left."
"Wait… You planned for all of this?" Celine asked.
"Trust in Project Nemesis, children," Roselia stated confidently. "Now, off you go."
Before Emma or Celine could react, Roselia waved her staff and sent them both back to Trista.
When Emma opened her eyes, she found herself back in the Third Dormitory at Thors. Everyone was staring at her in horror as they witnessed her appear out of thin air. Wasting no time, Emma opened the pouch she had been given and blew the pale orange powder in everyone's faces, blinding them and making them all cough and splutter as they inhaled the dust.
When the powder had dissipated, everyone ended up looking back at the spot where Cyrus and Rosaria had teleported from, a small wisp of blue smoke still rising into the air.
"Holy crap, that was pretty cool," Crow nodded.
"I guess it's true what they say about the Church; they do have possession of some items that hold magical power," Gaius whispered, stroking his chin in thought.
"Are you ok, Emma? You seem kinda overwhelmed," Alisa commented as she looked at Emma, who did look quite agitated.
"Umm, yes… I'm alright," Emma responded, shaking her head to clear the haze she felt inside.
"Aww, is someone upset her crush ran off with another woman?" Crow teased.
"What?!" Emma cried, looking around with panic.
"Crow… Why are you still here? In case you weren't aware, this is the living space for students of Class VII. Last I checked, you are not a member of Class VII, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Laura stated as she stood in front of Crow and pointed to the exit.
"Aww, man… Cyrus would have been cool with me staying…" Crow whined as he turned and sauntered out, head hanging low.
As the bright flash of light subsided and Cyrus opened his eyes, he found himself standing outside the Heimdallr Cathedral. Clearly surprised by his surroundings, he looked up at the great building and rubbed his eyes. After rubbing his eyes, the building still remained.
"Well, shit… That's impressive…" Cyrus muttered.
"Ugh… There's a storm coming… Typical," Rosaria sighed, looking up at the grey clouds overhead. "I do so hate these grey days…"
"Rosaria… What happens now?" Cyrus asked, looking at the nun.
"Put that Sentinel's Robe on. You need to be ready to fight," Rosaria stated as she dropped her bag and pulled out four small metal rods.
"Is there anything that fucking thing doesn't hold?" Cyrus laughed as he removed his shirt and put the robe on, trying the crimson sash at the front and pulling the hood up.
"It's a special bag with a blessing that creates a dimensional pocket that can store anything in it. If I really wanted to, I could put the Imperial Palace in here," Rosaria stated as she stood up and walked across the plaza.
"Of course you could…" Cyrus muttered as he watched Rosaria spear the metal rods into the flagstones around the cathedral. "What are you doing?"
"This area should be appropriate for the Court, right?" Rosaria asked.
"You know about that, too?" Cyrus sighed. "Yes, it'll be fine."
"Well, Saviour, based on your attitude change, I'd say you're ready for battle," Rosaria whispered, placing her small hand on Cyrus' chest, feeling his heartbeat. "You're very relaxed."
"Not the first time I've sent people to their Gods," Cyrus stated, turning to the far side of the plaza when he spotted movement.
"Are you the Black Sect fools who have come looking for their artefact?!" a man called out.
The man in question was covered head to toe in a strange uniform, that looked similar to a military combat outfit, with a full faced helmet to match it, leaving only the man's mouth exposed. As he called out and approached Cyrus and Rosaria, several more men in the same outfits appeared out from side streets and alleyways.
"Shit… This was the enemy's plan all along… They were waiting for us to arrive," Rosaria hissed.
"There has to be, what, two or three dozen people here. How the hell did the Nightingales get their intel so wrong?" Cyrus growled as he found himself surrounded by the men in strange outfits.
"Bold of you to assume the Nightingales got it wrong, and they weren't fed false information," the man continued. "Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me R."
"R? What kind of stupid fucking… Hold on. Are you one of the cunts who sent that letter to my cousin?!" Cyrus shouted.
"Ah, yes… Comrade C did indeed say something about making you pay for your crimes against us and our allies. You see… You have been earmarked by my comrades for death, Cyrus Le Guin. To think that I would get to deal with you here, of all places. I wonder if it was Aidios or Thanatos who blessed this meeting between us," R smirked.
"Who the fuck even are you pricks?!" Cyrus shouted, growing agitated.
"Calm down, he's trying to get you worked up," Rosaria whispered, touching Cyrus' shoulder.
"All you need to know is that our benefactors have decided that you need to be 'removed from the equation'. It's not my business to ask why that is, but these are the orders I have been given by Comrade S," R continued.
"C, S, R… Only cowards use codenames!" Cyrus shouted.
"Is that so? If I were you, I wouldn't be so quick to judge… Ishkur," R chuckled.
"A title is different to a codename, you idiot!" Cyrus growled.
"Well, it matters not… Had it been anyone else that the Black Sect brought here today, I would have been satisfied with just taking the ransom… But since it is you, Cyrus, I am afraid that will not be possible; I will only leave here once I have taken your head and the ransom," R grinned as he waved a few men to advance on Cyrus.
"Any time now, Saviour," Rosaria whispered as she watched six men encircle both her and Cyrus.
"Hmph, these neophytes are undeserving of being subjected to the Court. No, I think I will handle this differently," Cyrus snorted as he raised his right hand and pointed his palm out at two of the men.
In a second, a ball of fire sparked to life and formed in Cyrus' palm before being flung at the two men Cyrus had been targeting. Within seconds, the two men had burst into flames and were screaming in agony.
"Healers!" R commanded.
"Yes, Comrade R!" four women with Orbal Staffs cried as they cast a Healing Art on the blazing men, drenching them with water and extinguishing the fire and healing their burns.
"Well, shit… These Sentinel Robes really are the real deal. I didn't even have to put any effort into casting that Art," Cyrus muttered as he opened his left hand face up and created another small fireball which he observed with keen interest.
"I told you; those robes absorb Septium Energy from the air; you don't need to wait to cast Arts and they're much more powerful; all you need to do is look at them and act," Rosaria stated as she pulled a spear from her bag.
"Well then; let us begin," Cyrus nodded as he raised his hand and clenched it shut.
The person Cyrus had been looking at had been frozen to the spot as the ice snaked its way up their body until they were completely encased in ice. One thrust from Rosaria's spear shattered the frozen body into chunks that fell to the ground in a small pile.
"Advance!" R commanded as he noticed slight hesitation in his men.
The enemy followed R's command and pressed on, fighting back with their own swords, spears, and guns. The Orbal guns were next to useless against Cyrus, as the Sentinel's Robe absorbed a majority of the energy the bullets held, resulting in each shot feeling like Cyrus had been poked by someone's finger.
Rosaria was holding her own against the people who had targeted her as well. With no hesitation, she danced her way through a group of enemies, using Water and Ice Arts and her spear, which had a Water elemental Quartz embedded in the head, allowing her to simultaneously fight in close range and cast Arts. Her spear was a special weapon that had been designed by the church to allow their warriors the ability to be more fluid in combat, allowing them to change between close combat and Arts casting with minimal fuss.
"Comrade R, this isn't good! We've already lost a dozen soldiers. We need back-up!" a woman cried as she rushed over to the man's side.
"Yes, I would have to agree. Our cause cannot carry on if we lose all of our comrades in this one conflict," R muttered as he pulled a whistle out of his pocket and blew it.
A shrill screech from the whistle filled the air, causing the enemy soldiers to cease attacking and make a retreat. Confused, both Cyrus and Rosaria looked over to R, who was now grinning.
"Something isn't right. Be careful, Saviour," Rosaria whispered.
Cyrus kept his gaze locked on R as he felt the first drops of rain fall on his face. He knew something wasn't right; why start a fight with the intention of killing him, only to pull back after suffering a few losses?
A few seconds later, Cyrus got his answer when a bright flash of light filled the air, the sound of lightning crackling as the light intensified. As the light died down, Cyrus found himself looking at a giant machine, complete with moving parts and an apparent ability of awareness of its surroundings.
"What the hell is that thing?" Cyrus asked as he watched four more machines appear out of flashes of light.
"Ah, do you like them? Think of these automatons as a sort of insurance policy for us; it wouldn't do to have you kill my loyal comrades before we achieve our goals," R laughed as the five machines all advanced on Cyrus and Rosaria.
"By Thanatos, these machines look troublesome… Do you think Arts will be enough?" Rosaria asked as she watched Cyrus sizing up the automatons.
"Tell me something, Rosaria… This robe acts as a conduit for storing and channeling Septium Energy, correct?" Cyrus began.
"That's right… You've figured out how the robes work, haven't you?" Rosaria responded, allowing herself a small smile.
"Based on your response, I'd say so. The longer I abstain from using Arts, I can absorb more Septium Energy, and use more powerful ones, huh?" Cyrus muttered.
"Exactly right. I knew you were the right person for this job, Saviour," Rosaria nodded.
"Then let's try this…" Cyrus muttered.
As Cyrus raised his left hand, he used a finger to trace a pattern in the air before slicing downwards in front of one of the automatons. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but one of R's soldiers noticed something in the sky.
"Comrade R, look!" the solider pointed, as six small specks of golden light appeared in the sky.
R and his comrades all looked on as the lights got bigger and they realised what was coming down from the sky. Six large, golden swords that had reached terminal velocity were heading right for the machine that Cyrus had focused on, and barely a few seconds later, the six swords crashed into the machine, tearing it to pieces.
"Swords of Revealing Light?! That's a SS Class Space Art; you were able to absorb that much Septium Energy?" Rosaria breathed, looking at Cyrus.
"It would appear so. I couldn't be sure it would work, but I'm starting to understand the limitations of this robe," Cyrus muttered, dusting himself off after the Art he cast had rained stone and dust all over him.
While Cyrus' gamble had paid off, allowing him to destroy one of the automatons, he was now left in a state where he was unable to cast any Arts until the Sentinel Robe had absorbed more Septium Energy. The robots, seemingly knowing this, decided to make their move.
One of the machines, a large, hulking beast with arms as large as boulders made a beeline for Cyrus and swung a giant arm at him. Despite its size, the robot was able to move quickly, thanks largely in part to its anti-gravity generator that allowed it to float and be essentially weightless.
Even though the machine could move quickly, it still wasn't quick enough to hit Cyrus. As the machine raised its arm to strike, Cyrus dodged with a reverse cartwheel, dodging the otherwise lethal strike with ease.
"Hmm… It would appear that the Zephyranthes model is too slow in close combat… Looks like it'll have to switch to long range," R muttered as he blew on his whistle again. "Phalanx units, engage!"
At the sound of the whistle, the Zephyranthes unit retreated and joined the other two of its kind before allowing the other robots, which were a different model to take the front line.
The Phalanx machines were large, green and orange bipedal creations that had rocket-launchers and machine guns in place of any arms. These automatons were clearly used for siege warfare, acting in tandem with the Zephyranthes models to pin their enemies down.
The Phalanx models spun up their machine guns and started to fire at Cyrus and Rosaria. As the guns started to whirr and prime, Cyrus grabbed Rosaria by the waist and leapt forward, disappearing from R's sight for a second before reappearing a fair distance away from where they had originally been standing; chips of concrete flying everywhere at the bullets smashed into the ground where Cyrus and Rosaria had been standing.
"Whoa… That Shadow Step of yours gets more and more impressive, each time. You must have moved thirty metres in one go," Rosaria muttered, feeling slightly dazed.
"I could easily do a hundred metres, but I'd end up being exhausted after five or six of them," Cyrus responded, letting Rosaria go.
Without another word, Cyrus drew his sword and Shadow Stepped again, this time making a beeline for one of the Phalanx units, and attacked. As he passed the machine, his sword cut clean through the wiring on the gun arm, severing in and making the arm drop to the floor, smashing the stones underneath.
"Grr… I can't allow this to happen! Comrades; assist the Archaisms!" R shouted.
"Yes, Comrade R!" the soldiers shouted as the charged towards Cyrus, denoting him at the threat over Rosaria.
"Saviour! Now is the time to use it! They're all within the boundary!" Rosaria called out.
"Right… Let me show you, R, why choosing this path was the wrong decision," Cyrus muttered as he turned to face the soldiers charging at him as he stood on the steps of the cathedral. "Almighty Crimson Dragon, Immortal Stormbringer, hear me as I stand on the cathedral stairs; open the clouds, let your thunder clap their ears! Invoke; Court of the Dragon!"
Meanwhile, back in Trista, Emma was feeling greatly unsettled after meeting with her Grandmother, Roselia. She had never expected Roselia to be so open with what Emma had believed to be secrets of the Hexen Clan, but Roselia had outright told her that the Black Sect was created by the Hexen Clan. Not only that, but it seemed that Roselia was involved in an undertaking of something she called 'Project Nemesis'.
"Emma, are you ok?" Celine asked as she watched Emma from her spot, curled up on Emma's bed.
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Emma responded, looking at Celine with confusion.
"Well, you've been pacing back and forth in your room for the last forty-five minutes," Celine stated, causing Emma to stop.
"Has it been that long? Sorry," Emma muttered as she sat down next to Celine.
"I get it, Emma. The Elder dumped a whole load of information on you and sent you back here without so much as a 'howdy-do'… I think that's how you use that saying? Even I don't know anything about the Black Sect being created by the clan, nor do I know anything about this Project Nemesis, but the Elder knows what she's doing. We just have to trust that her faith in Cyrus is well placed," Celine responded.
"That's what I don't understand; how does she know Cyrus is going to have to fight this 'Bladelord' person, and how does she know he's the only one that can do it? Why is this Chalice so important to the Black Sect anyway?" Emma said, rifling off question after question.
"I don't know who this 'Bladelord' character is, but with Aurelia Le Guin's reputation, is it any wonder the Elder believes Cyrus is just as strong as her? What I don't get is what did the Elder mean when she said 'you know how it was created, but that is all you know'?" Celine asked.
"As much as Grandmother refuses to hear about it, that Chalice is the embodiment of evil. Its very existence is an affront to all creation," Emma muttered, scowling.
"I am inclined to agree; how many souls did the Reignbow Arbiter feed it to grant it its power? It is evil, but the Elder seems to think it is a necessary evil… Archbishop Keyes was tasked with defending it, so it must be important. Question is, why?" Celine mused.
"Sister Rosaria said it was part of a caravan that was returning to Arteria, the Holy City. Perhaps the Black Archbishop intended on sealing it away to keep it hidden?" Emma reasoned.
"Sure, that seems like a rational decision, but why was it even out in the open to begin with?" Celine asked.
"Ughhh, we're getting nowhere with this! Every time we think of an answer, we arrive at more questions. If only Grandmother had actually told me what Project Nemesis was…" Emma sighed.
"Uhh, this might not be the time for it, but I think I know someone who might know about Project Nemesis," Celine began.
"You can't mean…?" Emma whispered.
"The only people who I know for certain that have information about Project Nemesis are Rose, and Isola. After Isola passed away, the only person within the clan who was a suitable replacement for your mother was Vita, but she betrayed us. There has to be a reason why, and I think that it was because she was made privy to the whole thing. I know Vita can be a power-hungry bitch, but I also know she agreed that the Chalice of Beginnings was complete evil. Maybe she betrayed the clan to stop Project Nemesis?" Celine stated.
"Who knows? Even Mother had her suspicions about Vita, so maybe Vita just left the clan to seek more power elsewhere. If Mother was weary of Vita's desire for power, then Grandmother certainly would have been too… No, I think we're missing something," Emma groaned as she fell back onto her bed.
"If you ask me, we're missing a lot of somethings," Celine muttered as she jumped up and walked over to the windowsill. "Now, let me out."
"You know, for a familiar, you're incredibly demanding. I thought a familiar's job was to assist their Witch, not the other way around," Emma scowled as she stood up and opened the window for the cat.
"It's a symbiotic relationship; you do my bidding now, and I help you when you need it," Celine purred.
Emma said nothing as she closed the window and left Celine to go about exploring Trista.
"I do so hate these grey days…" a young girl sighed as she looked out over Heimdallr from her window. The Cathedral towering over the skyline in the distance.
"Is something the matter, Your Highness?" another girl asked, walking up behind the Princess.
"Oh, Elise… I was just lamenting on how these grey, rainy days are so dull and dreary," Alfin sighed still looking out the window.
"I see… Your Highness, Mildine was hoping we could all go back to her room once our next class is over," Elise mumbled, fidgeting nervously.
"Of course, I'm more than happy to retire to Mildine's room after this," Alfin smiled as she turned to Elise. "Oh, but why must we have Sunday School anyway? Surely, Sundays are meant to be a day of rest?"
"Your Highness, this is our last class of the day, so we still have all afternoon to socialise with our peers," Elise stated.
"Ah, I suppose that is true. Too bad it's raining; I would have loved to have gone to that little café next to the Leica District with you and Mildine after class," Alfin sighed again.
"Now, ladies, that's enough chatter. Your final class is about to start, so let me see those adoring smiles," the teacher stated, smiling at Alfin and Elise.
"Hmph, you really are a boor as our teacher, brother," Alfin huffed.
"Now, now, Alfin. When we are in class, please address me as either 'Mr. Olivier', or 'Mr. Arnor'," Olivert grinned.
"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Olivier," Elise mumbled, bowing to Prince Olivert.
"Elise, my dear, you have nothing to apologise for. Now, let us find our seats, and we can get started," Olivert smiled as he turned to the chalkboard and began to write.
As Olivert was writing down the subject for the class, thunder started to roar above the school. From the corner of his eye, he saw lightning flashing outside the window and inwardly sighed. There was no way he was going to be able to go out and find cute girls to flirt with once the class was over in this weather.
Olivert had almost finished writing out the lesson plan on the board when one of the girls in his class let out a terrified scream.
"AAAHHH! WHAT IN AIDIOS' NAME IS THAT?!" the girl screamed, pointing out the window.
Everyone immediately turned their attention to where the girl was pointing and several other girls all screamed at the sight they were looking at.
In the sky, off in the distance, amongst the bolts of lightning, rumbling thunder, and now torrential rain, the clouds had parted and descending out from them was a massive crimson dragon. It's long scaly body writhing and snaking all over itself as it floated in the air above the cathedral.
"Is that a dragon?!" another girl cried.
"A dragon? That's impossible; I thought they were all dead?!" Elise gasped.
"That dragon… Ishkur…?" Alfin whispered, looking at the crimson monstrosity with curiosity.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Elise turned, looking at Alfin as she jumped out of her seat and ran out of the classroom. "Princess Alfin?!"
"Alfin?! Where are you going?!" Olivert shouted, but got no response from his little sister. "Elise, please go after Alfin. Take Mildine with you; I would go myself, but I need to keep the others calm."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Elise bowed as she and a green haired girl raced out of the classroom and after Alfin.
"By Aidios… What is this?!" R shouted as the roaring thunder intensified.
R and his soldiers all stopped in their tracks as they watched the terrifying dragon descend from the heavens and look down at the scene below it. As the dragon found its place in the sky above the cathedral plaza, several bolts of lightning rained down on the Archaisms, overloading their circuits and destroying them from the inside out.
"Since when could the Court manifest the form of Ishkur?!" Rosaria shouted, trying to make her voice be heard over the deafening roar of thunder.
"You wanted this, R! Now stand by and watch as the souls of your men are judged by Ishkur, the Ancient Dragon God!" Cyrus shouted, pointing his sword at R.
"Don't just stand there! Get him!" R shouted, giving his soldiers their orders.
Some of the men and women fighting for R lost their nerve when they saw the dragon appear from the sky and obliterate the machines they had brought with them. Instead of obeying R's orders, they decided to cut and run. They didn't sign up for something as crazy as battling a boy who could make a dragon appear out of the sky.
As the soldiers who started to flee reached the edge of the area designated by the 'Court', they found themselves unable to move; an invisible force prevented them from escaping.
"What's going on?!" one man yelled, pounding his fists in the air, like a mime in a box.
"Comrade R! Do something, get us out of here!" a woman cried, trying to push her way through the barrier.
"You can't save them, R… The moment anyone steps into the court, they're faced with two options; life or death. If they wish to live, they have to kill me, but while I still live, they have no hope of escaping with their own lives intact," Cyrus explained, removing the top half of the Sentinel's Robe, so it hung down around his waist, leaving his torso exposed. "This is one of my more powerful abilities; the Court of the Dragon. Step inside and be judged by Ishkur; God of Thunder!"
"This can't be possible… The ancient Zemurian God of Thunder still exists? No, it has to be a manifestation of the Saviour's power… But still… I can't believe what I'm seeing," Rosaria whispered to herself as she looked up at the frightening visage of Ishkur.
As Rosaria let out a shaky breath, she realised her entire body was trembling. Realising how out of her depth she was, Rosaria could do nothing except drop her spear and hug herself to try and stop her shuddering.
"Looks like you have no choice but to fight… I am sorry, comrades," R whispered as he turned to walk away before he bumped into someone.
"Where are you going?" the person R had walked into asked.
"You…! I am leaving; there is nothing I can do for them now," R breathed as he looked at the man standing before him.
"Wrong," the man grunted as he grabbed R and flung him over the barrier and into the court. "Stand and fight with them. If you are to die, then die with a sword in your hand, and side by side with your allies."
"Löwe… You bastard!" R shouted, pounding on the barrier.
"Should you all perish, then I shall step inside and fight the boy," Löwe muttered, shouldering his sword.
"Grr… Fine! Comrades, to me! We shall take his head and present it to Comrade S; together!" R shouted, trying to rally his allies.
"For Comrade S! For the ILF!" R's soldiers shouted in unison.
"So, you have chosen death… Very well!" Cyrus grunted, taking a combat-ready stance.
Several of R's soldiers charged in, hoping to overwhelm Cyrus with sheer numbers. As the lightning crackled and the thunder boomed overhead, the rain intensified, creating a misty veil in the humid air around the area.
"Die!" One of R's men shouted, swinging his Greatsword down toward Cyrus.
"Dance of the Hunter's Moon…"
As the Greatsword swung down, Cyrus flicked his Dao up, blocking the strike and countering at the same time. The length of his sword was enough to block the soldier's strike, and slice his chest open, causing a lot of blood to arc through the air and splatter to the floor before getting washed away seconds later.
Turning on his feet, Cyrus immediately countered the spear that was thrusted at him, flicking it down the right side of his body with his sword, causing the spear to follow through and impale the man Cyrus had just cut. The soldier strained to breathe before collapsing on the tip of the spear, dead.
Using the spearman's surprise to his advantage, Cyrus whipped his sword around and cut the man's arms off, causing the spear, and the dead body on it, to fall to the ground. The spearman screamed out in pain as he dropped to his knees, before Cyrus cleaved his head off as he turned to deal with the third soldier.
The third soldier was clearly a veteran combatant, as witnessing the death of her allies didn't stop her advance. Screaming, the woman lunged at Cyrus with her dual swords, which Cyrus blocked effortlessly, countering every quick strike, and leaving the woman no opening for a surprise strike. Acutely aware of the enemy trying to creep up on him, Cyrus broke through the woman's guard with a swift upward strike and headbutted her, smashing the bridge of her nose as he kicked out with his left foot, slamming it square in the other soldier's stomach. Both enemies dropped to the floor as Cyrus stood between them, flicking the blood off his sword.
"Interesting… He managed to fight off four people at once, using primarily blocks and counter strikes…" Löwe muttered as he continued to observe Cyrus' form.
As Cyrus began to approach R, he cut down enemy after enemy, not even flinching as he took life after life. R dropped to his knees; the smug grin no longer present on his mouth. If Cyrus could see the rest of his face, he knew it would have a look of fear etched into it.
"St-stay back!" R stammered as he tried to retreat from the blood covered Cyrus.
"Fight me and die with honour, or try and flee and die like a coward," Cyrus growled, kicking a sword over to R.
"Cyrus! It's really you!" a voice called out, making Cyrus freeze up.
Cyrus turned around and saw a rain-drenched Alfin standing out in the open, looking at him with shock. Alfin hadn't seen Cyrus for several years, but had always been kept well informed of Cyrus' journey by her father's bodyguard, Matteus Vander. Alfin began to walk forward, wanting to greet Cyrus after years apart.
"STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Cyrus shouted, scaring Alfin. "You pass beyond that barrier and we both die!"
Cyrus' declaration shook Alfin considerably. She couldn't understand what he meant, but Cyrus knew that if Alfin stepped into the range of his Craft, she would be unable to escape without killing him.
That was the true horror of Cyrus' S-Craft; the Court of the Dragon. Once activated, it could only be deactivated when no more people inside the court itself were left alive, or if Cyrus himself was killed. He knew there was no way Alfin could kill him, and if she stepped inside the bounds of the court, then Cyrus would have to kill her to end the Craft, an act that would see him executed for killing a member of the Royal Family.
"Your Highness!" Elise and Mildine shouted as the ran towards Alfin.
"Lady Mildine…?" Cyrus blinked. Why was she here?
"Elise, Mildine… Why are you here?" Alfin asked, turning to greet her friends.
"Prince Olivert asked us to go after you, and to make sure you're safe," Mildine huffed as she tried to catch her breath.
"The Imperial Princess… Right on the boundary to this infernal technique… Hahahaha! Perhaps I can escape after all!" R cackled as he pushed his way past Cyrus and ran at Alfin, hoping to drag her inside the court with him.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Cyrus roared as he took two steps forward and leapt into the air, raising his free hand as he went.
As Cyrus raised his free hand, the Sentinel's Robe that was still tied around his waist allowed him to use the Septium Energy it had been storing to create and throw a bolt of lightning at R. The bolt exploded through the air, creating a sonic boom as it slammed in R, frying him with millions of volts of electricity.
R had been less than three steps away from Alfin when Cyrus' thunderbolt hit its mark. R tried to scream in pain, but the only sound he could let out was a garbled wail before he collapsed to the ground, dead and completely burned.
"Come back, Your Highness!" Elise cried as she pulled Alfin away from the danger, before putting up the umbrella she had grabbed on her way out of the school to shield Alfin and Mildine from the rain.
"Did he just throw a bolt of lightning?" Mildine gasped, unaware of Cyrus' Sentinel Robe.
"So, you can even control lightning, is that it?" Löwe muttered as he walked towards the barrier and crossed it without hesitation. "Well then, shall we see who is stronger?"
Cyrus now turned his attention to Löwe and started walking towards him. After a few steps, Cyrus used his Shadow Step and appeared behind Löwe ready to cut off his head. Without even having to look, the Bladelord raised his sword and blocked the attack, surprising everyone. What surprised Cyrus more was the fact Löwe's sword had completely dampened his own weapon's strike. The moment Cyrus' Dao came into contact with the Bladelord's weapon, it just simply stopped moving.
"What the fuck…?" Cyrus grunted as he jumped back out of Löwe's range.
"Is that it? I thought one who could wake a dragon would be far stronger than this," Löwe started emotionlessly. "If you can't even land a hit on me, then you'd be no match for the Blazing Demon…"
"Watch out, Saviour! That sword he's carrying; it's a demonic blade. It's power stems from the turbulent Hell Energy from the Beyond. No normal weapon can damage it!" Rosaria called out.
"A demonic blade?" Cyrus turned to look at Rosaria and then back to Löwe.
"Hmm, seems the church really does know about this weapon. It's called 'Kernviter', and it's one half of a pair of incredibly powerful magical weapons," Löwe explained.
"You'll need to counter it with Arts, Saviour!" Rosaria shouted.
"Good thing Black Emperor is augmented with Trillium then…" Cyrus muttered as he looked at his sword, using Fire Arts to ignite it.
Taking the flaming sword as a sign to continue, Löwe used a Shadow Step of his own, taking Cyrus by surprise. His Kernviter slamming down against Black Emperor caused a dull metallic clang to ring out around the plaza. This time, Cyrus felt some sort of resistance from his own blade, and realised Kernviter had lost all its momentum upon coming into contact with Black Emperor.
"Perhaps I underestimated you," Löwe muttered as he dropped his sword and punched Cyrus in the side of the head.
His vision blurring and his ears ringing from the powerful blow, Cyrus had no opportunity to react as Löwe's blade pierced through Cyrus' gut, much to the horror of Rosaria and the three St. Astraia girls who were watching, causing them all to cry out.
Despite being stabbed by Löwe, Cyrus wasn't dead, and managed to grab the Bladelord's wrist, and clamped down on it like a vice. Cyrus' action surprised Löwe, who tried tugging his sword free, but found he couldn't move.
"Not… Not how I wanted to get you in range… But I… I guess I'll take it," Cyrus strained, blood running from the wound in his stomach and from his mouth.
Using all the strength he still had before it left his body completely, Cyrus slammed his head into Löwe's nose, breaking it. He didn't strike just once, however; he struck three times, which dazed Löwe enough that he fell to one knee, and dragging Cyrus down with him; Kernviter digging deeper into his stomach.
Tears stung Löwe's eyes and the pain of a broken nose stunned the Bladelord long enough that Cyrus was able to push him away, making Löwe relinquish his grip on the sword in Cyrus' stomach. Blood was gushing out now, and Cyrus knew he had to act now, otherwise he'd die before taking Löwe with him.
Unbeknownst to Cyrus, he had managed to fracture the Bladelord's wrist when he clamped down on it, crushing it with immense strength. With the fractured appendage no longer on the sword, Cyrus tore it out of his body and used all of his remaining strength to throw it outside the range of the court, essentially disarming Löwe.
Cyrus, using nothing but sheer force of will, dragged himself towards Löwe, leaving a thick streak of blood that even the torrential rain was struggling to wash away. As Löwe looked up, through blurred eyes, he could see the outline of Cyrus, who delivered a solid punch to the man's jaw, knocking a tooth out.
Both combatants collapsed to the floor and started wrestling with one another, but Löwe having more strength to overcome Cyrus, thanks chiefly to the fact he hadn't lost anywhere near as much blood as Cyrus had.
Cyrus had managed to get a hand around Löwe's throat and started to crush his windpipe. As the struggle continued, Löwe started to cough up blood too, despite him jamming his good hand into Cyrus' wound.
As the Bladelord stabbed Cyrus with his hand, both Cyrus and the dragon roared, causing the thunder and lightning to intensify dramatically. The thunder became deafening, and the lightning strikes became so out of control that anything the bolts hit was destroyed. A wild bolt of lightning struck one of the cathedral's spires, causing it to shatter and collapse.
Cyrus was close to death, and the Court of the Dragon was starting to fade away, along with the remaining life energy Cyrus had. But still, he kept applying pressure to Löwe's throat, hoping that even if he were to die, the pressure he applied to his hand would be so great that he could still kill Löwe, even after his own life had been extinguished.
"Now, now… Let's not kill each other. You're both so important to us," a childish voice rang out, piercing through the thunder.
As soon as the voice had spoken, a flash of green light appeared above Cyrus and Löwe, and out stepped a young boy in a red suit with short green hair.
"Ca…Cam…" Löwe gasped, unable to speak.
"Well, well… Look at yourself, Löwe… Hardly a situation befitting one of our best Enforcers, now is it?" the young boy mocked.
Löwe glared at the young boy, who could see the life in his eyes slowly fading. Shaking his head, the young boy snapped his fingers and an unseen force separated both fighters immediately. Löwe could finally breathe again, but was still coughing up a lot of blood.
"Campanella… What the… What the fuck are you doing here?" Löwe rasped, spitting up more blood.
"By the looks of it, saving your life," Campanella stated condescendingly. "You really should be thanking me, Leonhardt… So rude."
"Go fuck yourself. I never asked you to save me," Löwe growled, rubbing his neck.
"No, you didn't, but I did anyway. Just like I did last year in Liberl," Campanella sighed. "And just like you…"
Campanella turned to Cyrus and snapped his fingers again, bathing him in a pale blue light.
"What are you doing to him?!" Rosaria shouted.
"Calm yourself, Sister… I am saving his life as well," Campanella smirked. "Oh, my… He's very lucky; another few seconds and Löwe would have most certainly killed him. Goodness, the damage is catastrophic."
As Campanella healed Cyrus, the thunder and lightning began to subside, and the rain eased off. Slowly, the visage of the dragon in the sky began to rise back up, splitting the clouds as it vanished. It was clear to all that the Court of the Dragon had been deactivated.
"What in Aidios' name is going on here…?" Alfin whispered.
"Oh? How rude of me…" Campanella muttered as he turned his attention to the three schoolgirls. "I wasn't aware we were in the presence of Imperial Royalty. Please, forgive our rudeness, Your Highness."
None of the girls said anything, but Rosaria ran over to Cyrus and looked at him. Campanella had been telling the truth; he had completely healed Cyrus' wounds, although he now had a new scar on his stomach, but that wouldn't have bothered him, since his body was already littered with scars.
"Why…?" Cyrus muttered, coming to his senses and straining to sit up. "Why save me too?"
"Hmm? Why? Oh, well that's obvious! You haven't had a chance to play with McBurn yet!" Campanella giggled. "He would be so upset if he found out I let a unique specimen like you die before he got to take you for a spin!"
"Don't bullshit him, Fool. If he couldn't challenge me in a real fight, the there's no way McBurn would find him interesting," Löwe spat.
Campanella turned back to the Bladelord and scowled, watching him with anger as he started to choke Löwe with the same unseen force he had used to separate Löwe and Cyrus earlier.
"I don't ever recall saying McBurn would find him interesting… You need to be careful with how you speak to me, Leonhardt," Campanella growled as he released Löwe from his grip. "I find him interesting, and that alone is enough for me to see him live, because I want to see what he does next… That power coefficient alone is explosive… Imagine what he could do if he got stronger; I daresay he'd even give our Grandmaster a run for their money!"
"What the hell are you talking about? What Grandmaster?" Cyrus grunted, forcing himself to his feet with Rosaria's help.
"You're one of them, aren't you? From the Society?" Rosaria asked, making Campanella light up.
"Ahh! So you do know who we are?! How exciting!" Campanella cried with joy, clapping his hands. "Yes, I am Enforcer No. 0; Campanella, The Fool. This is my ally, Enforcer No. II; Löwe, The Bladelord."
"What does the Society want with the Saviour?" Rosaria asked, glaring at Campanella.
"Oh, nothing… Yet. As far as it stands, he's too weak to be of any interest to me and my friends in the Society, but he has incredible potential to be a worthy recruit; his loyalty alone is enough to impress some of the higher-ups; especially the First Anguis. I have it on good authority that he'd be very interested in meeting your friend here," Campanella smiled. "I decided that instead of his life being wasted here, along with dear Leonhardt's, it would be much more productive to spare him and hope he uses this opportunity to get stronger."
"You must be insane to think the Saviour would ever join the Society!" Rosaria snapped.
"Stranger things have happened, Sister. Come, Löwe; we are returning to base," Campanella stated, snapping his fingers and engulfing himself and the Bladelord in a green light.
Before he disappeared, Löwe reached out a hand and pulled Kernviter back towards him. With an empty stare, he watched Cyrus closely until he and Campanella completely disappeared.
"Cyrus!" Alfin cried as she ran over to Cyrus.
"Your High– Oof!" Cyrus grunted as Alfin tackled him and hugged him.
"Are you ok?" Alfin asked, looking up at Cyrus.
"It would seem so, Your Highness… Those two though…" Cyrus muttered as he looked over to where Campanella and Löwe had been standing.
"It's nice to see you again, Cyrus. It's been, what, five years?" Mildine stated as she gave Cyrus a disappointed frown.
"About that, yeah… I'm sorry I left Ordis without saying goodbye to you, Lady Mildine," Cyrus sighed.
"Heehee, you haven't changed a bit. I can always make you bow to me, can't I?" Mildine giggled.
"Don't push your luck…" Cyrus muttered, which just made Mildine's smile even bigger.
"Umm… I… Uhh…" Elise mumbled, looking at her feet.
"Who is this?" Cyrus asked.
"Oh, this is our friend, Elise Schwarzer," Alfin declared, pushing Elise in front of Cyrus.
"Schwarzer? Are you Rean's little sister?" Cyrus asked, which made Elise perk up.
"O-oh, you know Rean?" Elise asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Yeah, he's in my class at Thors. He's a little reserved, but he's usually pretty level-headed… Except when it comes to you," Cyrus muttered, remembering Rean's comments about his sister.
"Oooh, I told you, Elise!" Alfin squealed.
"N-no! It's not like that, Your Highness!" Elise blushed.
"Sorry to interrupt, Saviour, but we have more pressing concerns," Rosaria interjected, prompting Cyrus to look over at the body of R.
"You're right. Excuse me, ladies," Cyrus muttered as he bowed to the three girls and walked over to R's corpse.
Flipping the body over, Cyrus began to search it for clues. He had hoped R wasn't stupid enough to carry the Chalice on his person, as it definitely would have been destroyed by the thunderbolt Cyrus threw at him. Growing curious, Cyrus decided to remove the man's helmet. As he did, and saw the man's face, he gasped and dropped the helmet.
"What's wrong, Saviour?" Rosaria asked as she rushed over to Cyrus' side.
"I know this man… His name is… Well, was, Rogelio… He was a servant to the Cayenne Family. What the hell is he doing here, in Heimdallr? More importantly, what the hell was that 'Comrade R' nonsense all about?" Cyrus muttered.
When Mildine heard the name Rogelio, and the moniker 'Comrade R', she stiffened slightly. 'They're already making a move? But why?' Looking at Rogelio's feet, she noticed something odd. "Hey, Cyrus… Look at his boots."
Cyrus and the others all looked at the boots Rogelio had on. On the bottom of the boots was a strange kind of glistening, almost glowing mud; it certainly wasn't the common, everyday mud one would expect to see in parks or gardens.
"I've seen this mud before," Alfin stated.
"You… You have?" Rosaria asked, sounding shocked.
"Yes, it's a special kind of mud that is only found in the Heimdallr Cemetery, just outside of the city. Apparently, it helps keep worms and decay from degrading the bodies buried there," Alfin explained.
"Then that's where the Chalice will be. Let's go, Saviour," Rosaria nodded as she turned and made her way towards the direction of the cemetery.
"Right, I have to go… You girls need to return to St. Astraia," Cyrus commanded.
"What? Can't we go with you, Cyrus? Pleeeeease?" Mildine begged, giving Cyrus her best puppy-dog eyes.
"Mildine, you know that's never worked on me in the past, so why do you think it'll work now?" Cyrus stated, giving the green haired girl a blank stare.
"There's a first time for everything… Maybe one day, my womanly charm's will get to you," Mildine smirked.
"Yeah, not… Not likely…" Cyrus rolled his eyes.
"Heh, that's right… Sophie is more your type of girl, huh? I gotta say, I'm impressed you went after her, given how much her family hates you, and how much you hate her family," Mildine winked.
"Setsuna certainly has her finger on the pulse of Ordisian gossip, doesn't she?" Cyrus sighed.
"Saviour?! Hurry up!" Rosaria called out, scowling at Cyrus and the three girls.
"Look, I have to go… Go back to school, I'll see you all later," Cyrus stated as he ran off to join Rosaria in travelling to the cemetery.
Cyrus and Rosaria reached the cemetery after half an hour of walking. Rosaria wanted to get a tram to the main gate, but Cyrus had elected to walk instead. After Löwe and Campanella had taken their leave, the sun had finally come out, and it was a beautiful day in the Erebonian capital.
Despite her protests, Rosaria knew Cyrus was right when he said the Chalice wasn't going to be uncovered by a random stranger; it had been buried in the cemetery, and would have been buried out of sight, in a place only Rogelio would have known about, and once he got the money he had demanded, he would have revealed the location of the Chalice. The odds of someone else discovering it were infinitesimally small.
"Right, where do we start?" Rosaria asked as they entered the cemetery.
"Right here. We need to find the tracks that match Rogelio's boots," Cyrus stated as he crouched down and examined the mud.
"How do you propose we do that? Hundreds of people come through here every day, and the rain would have washed away any recent footprints from the topsoil," Rosaria responded.
"I never specified that we were searching for the boot prints themselves. Found it," Cyrus nodded, pointing to a faint glow in the dirt.
"You were looking for the soil that was on his boots… Of course; the rain would have separated the soil on his boots from the topsoil, leaving a faint glowing trail," Rosaria whispered.
"Now, all we need to do is follow it, and you'll have you Chalice back," Cyrus stated as he stood up and began to carefully look for the trail of glowing mud.
The trail led all the way to the back end of the cemetery, where an unmarked grave had recently been filled. Looking around for a spade, Cyrus sighed with annoyance.
"There's nothing to dig with," Rosaria muttered.
"Looks like we'll just have to use the spades we were born with," Cyrus stated, holding up his hands.
"Uhh, no thanks. You want to dig around in the dirt with your bare hands, go right ahead. I think I'll abstain from this filthy task," Rosaria shook her head.
"Suit yourself," Cyrus shrugged.
As he got down on his knees, Cyrus shoved his hands into the freshly dug dirt; the rain from earlier making the mud cold and heavy with water. Despite that, it didn't take long before Cyrus felt something odd. Looking at Rosaria, he grabbed the object and pulled it from the earth.
It was a burlap sack that was far heavier than it looked. As Cyrus put the sack on the ground, he opened it and looked inside. Inside the sack was a black metal box with gold trimmings and a heavy padlock on it.
"Ahh! This is it!" Rosaria cried with excitement. "Here, take this."
Rosaria reached around her neck and unclipped a necklace that she had on. Tucked away between her breasts was a small silver key that was attached to the necklace. Without a moment's hesitation, she handed the key to Cyrus, who popped the padlock off the chest and opened the lid.
Inside was a dull bronze cup. In its prime, it would have been a sight to see; the polished metal that could have only been gold, and around the rim were nine indentations where sizeable jewels would have been inlaid. Looking at it now, it was far less impressive to Cyrus.
"Well, that's disappointing," Cyrus sighed.
"How? This is the Chalice of Beginnings! We found it, Saviour!" Rosaria cried, allowing herself a small clap of success.
"Look at it; it looks like junk. Why would the church want something like this?" Cyrus asked.
"It's a sacred relic, created by the Lord of Space and Time… Sure, it's not been well looked after, but I challenge you to find a relic that would look exactly the same after more than a thousand years," Rosaria stated indignantly.
"Come on, Rosaria; look at it! The jewels are missing, most likely stolen by thieves, and the base of the Chalice looks like it was screwed on after it was created by Thanatos… The way you spoke about it, you made it seem like it was still in perfect condition," Cyrus cried, pointing to all the flaws the item had.
"Ok, maybe I oversold it just a little, but we still got it back," Rosaria shrugged.
"Right, well… Now what? Do we return to the cathedral and contact the Black Archbishop?" Cyrus asked.
Rosaria was about to respond when a cold wind blew through the cemetery, and with it a voice that chilled Rosaria to the bone.
'Keyes cannot be trusted… Give the Chalice to the Saviour…'
"Did you hear that?" Rosaria asked, looking over her shoulder.
"Hear what?" Cyrus replied, giving Rosaria a puzzled look.
"You keep it," Rosaria stated, looking distressed.
"I'm sorry, what?" Cyrus responded with confusion.
"You heard me; I want you to keep a hold of the Chalice," Rosaria clarified.
"Yeah, I got that, but why me?" Cyrus asked.
"I think I just received revelation from Lord Thanatos. He wants you to keep the Chalice," Rosaria explained, sounding like a madwoman.
"Are you ok?" Cyrus looked at Rosaria, and noticed her porcelain skin had gone even whiter.
"Yes, just do as I say. Keep the Chalice, but tell nobody that you have it. I will explain to His Excellency that we failed to recover it," Rosaria explained as she opened her bag and pulled out another Warp Crystal. "Here; take this too and return to Thors."
"Rosaria, what the hell is going on? What happens if Keyes finds out you're lying?" Cyrus asked.
"Saviour, please just trust me. My actions are the will of the Lord of Space and Time, and I will choose to follow His words over His Excellency's any day," Rosaria stated, stopping Cyrus in his tracks. "Now go. Keep the Sentinel Robe; think of it as a gift for your help here today."
Cyrus knew that once Rosaria had made up her mind about something, nothing could sway her; that was the reason why he accepted Rosaria calling him 'Saviour'. Once she decided something, that was it.
"Thank you, Rosaria… I will call you if I ever have need of you," Cyrus nodded as he walked up to Rosaria and kissed her cheek.
Temporarily stunned by the kiss, Rosaria could only watch as Cyrus used the Warp Crystal to return to Trista. Unbeknownst to her, she had a stupid smile on her face.
"Stay safe… My love…"
Seconds after leaving Rosaria behind in the Heimdallr Cemetery, Cyrus was back in his room at the Third Dormitory, the box containing the Chalice of Beginnings tucked under his arm. With a sigh he walked over to his desk and set the box down, before opening it and looking at the Chalice with intrigue.
"Why did Rosaria want me to keep you, instead of returning you to the church?" Cyrus muttered as he tapped the side of the Chalice.
If this Chalice was indeed created by the God of Death, then whatever power it held had long since been depleted. The item itself looked inert, as if it were a cheap prop from a low-budget play that children at schools would use. Whatever the reason behind Rosaria's choice to entrust the Chalice to Cyrus, he knew it wasn't a decision she made flippantly. Something had made her choose to give it to him, but trying to figure out that something wasn't exactly high on the list of Cyrus' priorities.
Sighing, Cyrus snapped the lid shut on the box and hid it away out of sight. Stretching, he left his room and headed downstairs to reconvene with the rest of Class VII.