NOVEL NEXT Chapter 352: Shiyani’s Past
Lucius stood silently in the doorway to the Varris Estate ballroom. The smell of scorched flesh and blood violated Lucius' sensitive nostrils. In his hand was the head of Indarel Varris. The elf's eyes widened in realization of his own demise while his body slumped to the ground in a pile of flesh and clothes bereft of control. Lucius grimaced as he tossed Indarel's head toward the other nobles gathered at the back of the room.
Several women screamed in response to the wet thud of their lord suddenly rolling to a stop before them. Already cowering as far away from Lucius as they could, the nobles somehow squeezed together even tighter. However, he was not sure if they were afraid of him, or the warrior who actually killed Indarel.
"I was talking to him." Lucius growled, slowly turning to face the Haeddan elf. He resisted the tremble threatening to break into his voice as he hid his surprise. It wasn't until Indarel's death that Lucius even realized the man was present.
He possesses it. Lucius. Take it. Take it from him! Lucius winced at a sudden pressure in his skull and left hand. Grimm was getting desparate from him. He carries with him poison. Avoid it. Take the Fragment of the Abyss and nothing else!
Alongside the stress and panic, there was something else hidden. Was that… hope?
"He knew nothing." The elf responded. "You waste your time prattling about with nothings. Your destiny much greater than theirs. However, I am not here only for your destiny. I am here for things much more important to my liege."
The elf's muscles tensed. Faster than Lucius could blink, the elf closed the distance, ramming him into a wall. He could feel his stomach attempt to relieve itself of its contents. He had faced a Master Rank before—General Pana, back in Alorek—but this man was in a whole other league. Lucius was plainly aware of the gaps between people in the same rank. Even barring his own situation, simply having a rank did not make you an instant equal to others within it.
Lucius gasped for breath, his lungs screamed for oxygen, but no matter how deeply he breathed, it simply was not enough.
The elf held Lucius to the wall with a single hand placed on his chest. Using his remaining hand he reached into the folds of the robes around his waist and pulled free a letter with a familiar symbol pressed into the envelope.
"This letter arrived to my lord by way of an extensive network of couriers. People who somehow knew how to get this document to Haedda. Our people who act as our eyes outside of the mist-covered mountains that protect our borders are secretive beyond measure. Yet someone knew who to look for and when. Do you know this symbol?"
Lucus coughed, still trying to fight for air. "The Shattered Orb. No one knows who they are. I also receive their missives from time to time. As do my allies." Lucius' voice took on a deeper growl. "And my enemies as I've come to find out."
The elf stepped back, allowing him to fall to the ground. "Lady Shiyani din Actha is not here."
Lucius paused. "Lady? Shiyani?" His blood began to boil as the scars tracing his back burned. "What do you know of her? Tell me know you damned elf. I will kill her for what she's done to me."
Mana filled his feet, lighting danced around him and he flew to the side, dodging another attack from the warrior. Without a moment to think, the elf followed him. They danced around the room, leaving cracks in the marble. Surges of mana rolled off them both. Lucius did not know what kind of magic the man possessed, but he was clearly capable of Mana Manipulation.
"You shall not harm a hair on her ladyship! I will kill you for your insolence, destiny be damned!" The elf roared. Suddenly the mana vanished and the elf stopped moving. His muscles once again entered a relaxed state and his voice took on a strange calm tone. Lucius noticed him turn his head to the side, as if listening to something. It was then followed by an almost imperceptible nod. "When did you last see Shiyani din Actha?"
Careful, Lucius. Calm your heart. Learn before you fight. The familiar, calm voice of Luz entered his mind. Something was strange. He had not communicated with the other half of his mark in a long time. What changed? Why can he speak so clearly?
Regardless of how it was happening, Lucius agreed. He needed to be smart about this. While learning what he could of Shiyani, he would gather his power and strike this elf down. Keep him distracted, and then win. That was his only option right now.
"She tried to kill me nearly five years ago now. Near the start of the Alorek War. The scars you see on my face and neck are the result of her handiwork. Couldn't kill me herself so she used cheap tricks instead." Lucius spat.
Though he was not trying to antagonize the man, he could not help his frustration. After all, it was because of her that he was scarred in such a way. She taught him everything he knew about being an adventurer, supported him and Rena as they tried to make a separate life for themselves, acted the part of an ally in the sands of the Alorek desert—though only for a moment—only to throw it all away and kill him for money.
"Have you seen her true face?"
"Black hair, amber eyes, long, elven ears and pale skin. I will never forget her face for as long as I live. My turn to ask you a question: why do you search for her?" Lucius calmly tried to prolong the conversation. He built mana under the surface, using an equal amount to try and suppress it. If the elf could use Mana Manipulation, he needed to be careful. One slip-up and he could detect what Lucius was planning. For the first time in a while, he could not brute-force his way through this situation.
"Lady Shiyani is the only daughter of Archduke Actha and engaged to his majesty Zestharin din Haedda, first of his name, king of the great elven nation of Haedda. Lord of the Mist and bearer of the Holy Sigil of the Covenant. It is by his will and his power that I am here today. She will return to our lands and wed his majesty as originally intended."
Lucius suppressed a snort, thankfully unnoticed by the elf. To think of that bitch as a noble lady set to be queen of a nation? Simply laughable.
The elf was about to continue, but then cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure? But sire! He had said… such an affront to the Actha daughter is surely… by your decree."
"What…"
The elf finally opened his eyes. They were milky white. Where pupils and an iris would have been, there was simply a demonic symbol that Lucius did not recognize. "His majesty says your destiny is too strong to be killed. Instead, he wills you to receive a gift. You seek a prize within these walls, but you will not have it. I shall exchange it for something else."
Lucius… Run!
Lucius, take it…
Grimm and Luz spoke to him at once. One calm and collected, the other panicked. The elf produced a small ring with a sky-blue gemstone set into it. "You shall receive this for your troubles. However."
The elf paused, the rage from earlier returned to his face. "Though his majesty wishes you to live, he did not forbid me from harming you. I will break every bone in your measly body and when I am done, I will do the same to your darling wife."