Light was the first thing that greeted me. After all the darkness I'd been through, I had to shield my eyes with an arm as the radiance threatened to blind me.
The next thing I heard was the great doors slamming shut behind me. Shouting echoed around me, mixed with the sound of hurried footsteps approaching. A hand grabbed my arm and dragged me forward.
I was too tired to register anything, my body was heavy, sluggish, and my energy felt completely drained. The person guiding me moved in a rush, pulling me down the stone steps outside the mansion. The yelling around me got louder, and the cold air of the night sky reached my lungs, with a refreshing breathe, I forced myself to open my eyes.
A soldier was holding me by the arm, a bolt-action rifle slung in his other hand. He led me to a small patch of grass in front of the mansion, where the scene was utter chaos. More soldiers, rifles in hand, were scrambling across the courtyard. They appeared to be elite personal guards, judging by their matching uniforms and formation. Some were setting up barricades, others standing alert with weapons raised.
Some wore the same black servant uniforms I saw inside. Others, military dress. Some had clearly fallen in combat, but a few, all dressed as servants, were slumped neatly against the mansion wall.
Executed.
Just as I kept staring towards the building, some water was doused on my head. Shaking my head, I gained some clarity as the soldier squatting in front of me finally got my attention. He seemed to be worried, a good refresher from the hell that I had gone through.
"Boy, are you okay? You look like hell, what happened in there? What did you see?"
Even with the cold water and fresh air, my mind still felt like it was moving through sludge. My head pounded, and I struggled to respond.
Fortunately, Arthur who had finished discussing something to an officer, came over and proceeded to yell at the young man in front of me.
"Are you daft? Hes obviously suffering from Aetheris sickness. He needs medical attention, not a damn interrogation."
The young soldier stood upright immediately and saluted, rifle now gripped in both hands.
"Yes Sir!"
The young man, carrying the bolt-action rifle in both hands now, ran quickly to the opposite way of the mansion, into the choas.
Arthur took the soldier's place, kneeling slightly to meet my gaze. He gave me a small nod of reassurance, followed by a guilty half-smile.
"Don't worry, Her Highness is safe. She was escorted out while you nearly collapsed. She practically begged me to let her stay and help you, too. But the Regent insisted she leave with him for secure grounds. That left me and you here to deal with the cleanup."
He gave my shoulder a light pat, smirking just enough in an attempt to ease my pain.
"Seems you've left quite the impression. The Regent might just eat his words yet."
Please don't say that. You really don't know what your saying.
As he said that, he glanced to my left. Following his lead, I slowly moved my head to the left.
An officer stood near the steps, his bright blue uniform and glowing long sword made him an obvious standout.
But the figures he was speaking to were quite the opposite.
Three of them. Dressed head to toe in seamless black. Their clothing was form-fitting, tactical, and their faces were hidden beneath deep hoods. They didn't look like soldiers. They looked more like executioners.
The officer seemed to reporting to them, as he saluted to them and stepped aside. The three advanced toward the mansion in silence. In perfect sync, they each drew a brown, compact hilt from their sides.
In a blink, each hilt expanded into a full blade.
I couldn't hear anything, but I could feel the shift in the air. Those blades weren't ordinary. Even at this distance, their edges looked impossibly thin, like a paper-thin glint of metal suspended in smoke.
Arthur looked at them, a troubled expression on his face. The enigmatic figures seemed to cause him unease, as he muttered under his breathe.
"The Inquisition's now involved, this doesn't bode well."
I tried to remember everything about the inquisition, and details started to pop in my head like a tidal wave. It seemed seeing them in person had allowed some of my amnesia to clear.
Where the Church governed the people and enforced doctrine, the Inquisition existed to protect the Empire itself—both from within and without. Assassins. Interrogators. Enforcers. They answered to no one but the Commandments of Man, a cryptic set of divine laws left behind by the Emperor himself.
Unlike the church, who dealt more with civil manners and heresy, the Inquisition dealt with foreign adversaries mainly. But if they felt there was a certain threat great enough outside their jurisdiction, they had the authority to exercise whatever means they wished.
In basic terms...
Everyone's wary of them, and if they're involved...
They didn't ask questions. They made decisions.
They were the Empire's last line of defense, and its darkest blade.
Still watching the trio, the door to the front of the mansion burst open, with a gust of wind. They left no trace of mana, yet seemed to able to manipulate the air with their actions. The three went in different directions, and before I could see anything else, the door shut behind them. No mana signature. No sound.
This is a threat that affects not just this city...
Looking around one last time, I could see the soldiers seem to relax a bit. People were being evacuated on stretchers, and dead bodies were already being tallied.
It seemed as though the faith people had in those inside to solve the problem was absolute.
My brain darted to the bishop and the priest from before, who were nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell are they...?
As sleep started to claim me, one final image burned in my mind. The boy. The lifeless face of the child I killed in that hallway. His white eyes, his fragile frame, his resemblance to me.
And just before I lost consciousness, one last thought clawed its way into my heart:
This threat doesn't just affect me. Or the city.
This is about the whole Empire.