Nightblade (Darkest night)

In the centre of the city, a tall skyscraper loomed above the rest of the buildings in an extravagant display of opulence and wealth.

A total of five economic giants: the Black Ink corporation, the McAllister Foundation, Dark Technologies, the Varas group, and the Snow group, had collaborated to build the organic skyscraper.

The five companies had pooled wealth, resources, and a combination of the latest antigravity and nanite technology to build the massive tower they'd named Aetherion, the Skybreaker.

Of course, these were merely fronts that the Brotherhood of Shadows and Praesagius were using to manipulate global events from behind the scenes.

The Skybreaker was meant to be a neutral ground where the Praesagius representatives, the Videntis, could meet with the Brotherhood of Shadows, as well as the government officials that they controlled.

At an astounding one thousand two hundred metres, the Skybreaker stretched almost endlessly into the sky, reaching into the clouds.

The costs to root the building in place had been nothing short of astronomical, garnering global attention.

Its foundation spanned hundreds of metres into the ground, reaching into the bedrock.

With a mixture of nano engineers from Praesagius and minerals from Tenebris, hundreds of reinforced Gravite barrettes had been thrust into the ground, serving as the anchor for the titanic structure.

Gravite, a rare Tenebrian mineral, which had the unique property of increasing the weight and stability of alloys it was added to, increasing their internal density to unprecedented proportions, had been used to fashion the massive barettes.

An exquisite exoskeleton, wrapped around Aetherion in a spiral pattern, increasing its aerodynamic capability to resist the strong winds at the extremely high altitudes.

Nanite capsules fluidly shifted across Aetherion's surface, redirecting the stronger winds at its peak.

On the top floor of the building, several Praesagius operatives with the Kill squad insignia stood guard outside a massive conference room.

Opposite them, forming a loose honour guard, several maestros and novices stood decked out in mystical garb.

Norvax's lips curled up in amusement, taking in the unusual attire of the assassins.

" What's this? The Middle Ages?" He whispered to Alice, his ever-present personal assistant who had moved with him for the occasion.

" You know they can hear you, right?" She whispered furiously, adjusting her glasses.

He quietly rolled his eyes, a hint of amusement flickering through his grey eyes.

Norvax was dressed in the black uniform that signified his rank as a Commander, one of the most revered positions within the Praesagius.

A long black cape flowed from his shoulders, ending just above his knees.

Beneath the Commander's garb, he wore his nanoshroud suit as a precaution.

" With a meeting of such epic proportions, you never know when you need to make a hasty exit." He humorously thought.

He silently entered the chamber, standing guard within the chamber. He surveyed the room, extending his senses outward to detect any anomalies or threats that could be hidden within the room.

Fourteen chairs surrounded a large round table at the center of the room.

" Any moment now." He thought, glancing at the time.

Right on cue, the shadows within the room grew darker momentarily, shrouding the room in a darkness that overpowered the lights and bloated out the sun's light streaming into the room.

The darkness surged and rippled, like a liquid forming several portals.

Seven white robed figures emerged, stepping into the room, their eyes slightly aglow.

" We're the first ones here, then?" Victoria Goodison asked, piercing Norvax with a questioning look.

He nodded slightly.

Victoria's violet eyes swept the room, a psionic probe washing all over the entire place.

" No, it appears we're not entirely alone," she murmured.

Norvax's eyes widened in confusion.

The Videntis calmly took their seats, occupying seven of the positions at the table.

The sound of amused laughter rang out throughout the room, with a melodic ring to it.

A tall man soundlessly stepped out of the shadows behind Norvax, walking nonchalantly towards the table, lightly tapping a cane on the ground.

Norvax's eyes betrayed no emotion at the newcomer's appearance.

" What the hell? He was behind me the whole time, and I failed to sense anything."

Norvax was a seasoned veteran, a revered class A-5 among the Talented.

His survival instinct, what others would call a sixth sense, had been honed through numerous life-and-death battles.

And yet in the presence of this being, his trusted instincts had let him down.

The grey-haired man glanced at Norvax in amusement before taking his seat with a smug smile.

" Marcus Snow," Thrain's voice quietly echoed beneath his mask, resonating with power.

"Thrain," Marcus smiled, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

" I must say, Victoria, your powers are as sharp as always." He said, tapping his cane out of habit.

Victoria scoffed.

" My powers, not my senses, huh. Old bastard."

Thrain shifted slightly, the darkness around him rippling fluidly.

" Are the other heads of the Council of Assassins running late?" He asked.

Marcus smiled warmly.

" No, they've already arrived."

The space in the chamber palpably rippled, turning dark.

It began to twist in on itself, forming vertical slits.

The six other members of the Council of Assassins stepped out of the dimensional rifts, stepping into the room.

Waves of umbralis rippled through the room, turning the air heavy from the sudden influx of power.

The Videntis watched in silence as the four men and two women took their seats.

The dimensional rifts whirled slightly, then abruptly closed.

The remaining six heads of the Council of Assassins had arrived.

Damien arrived with Luke in tow. He took a seat next to Marcus, nodding slightly. Luke stood behind Damien's seat, silently glancing around the room.

Vincent Varas, a tall blonde man, sat immediately next to him.

The two women, Sierra Mordrew and Delilah Gracian, sat side by side.

Both women were unnaturally beautiful.

Delilah was a stunning redhead, a literal head turner.

Her lips were faintly curled into a subtle smile.

A lean, dark-haired man with cold, lifeless eyes, the head of House Dark sat next to them.

Marco Dark was a cold and calculating man. His lifeless eyes bore no emotion.

He nonchalantly glanced around the room, subtly nodding at the other family heads.

Lucian's father, Cedric Ash, a large man, frowned slightly in displeasure, regarding Marco Dark with a slightly disgusted look.

He stippled his fingers together, flexing his muscular forearms.

Marco glanced at Cedric, his eyes lighting up in amusement.

" Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Cedric?"

Cedric regarded him coldly in silence.

The awkward silence continued, but the retinue of Maestros and novices within the room betrayed no emotion.

Luke smiled in amusement, his crimson eyes gleaming in the light.

The door to the chamber swung open, and a grey-haired man entered.

A jagged scar ran across his face, long white hair falling to his shoulders.

His amber eyes swept over the room, noting the people present within the chamber.

" Headmaster Whizen," Thrain said, nodding in acknowledgement.

Gregory nodded at Norvax, then calmly took a seat.

" Now that everyone's here, let's get down to business. We're here to discuss the next excursion into Tenebris for the new batch of aspirants." Damien spoke.

" The aspirants will head into Tenebris this autumn. The excursion will be led by a Maestro, who has graciously volunteered to take on the task. A former head of the council, Lucas Ash."

" Is that right?" Marco asked, his lips curling up.

Gregory nodded and continued.

Gregory had already noted the slight tension between Marco Dark and Cedric Ash.

"I'll ignore whatever the hell is going on between those two and be done with my part in this meeting." He thought.

"The Talented, since they're unable to enter Tenebris, will remain at the academy and undergo training to keep up with their peers who will return, stronger, I imagine."

Gregory paused for his words to sink in.

" We'll need more instructors from the Talented to ensure each of the kids is well attended to, given the uniqueness of all their abilities."

" The Videntis will take care of this matter," Thrain replied.

Damien nodded." Moving on to the next item,"

" What about the Thane boy?" Cedric interjected.

" What about him?" Damien replied coolly. Cedric glanced around the room in amusement.

"The Videntis are now our allies. I trust I'm among friends, yes?"

The members of the Videntis looked on with interest. Thrain nodded for him to continue.

Cedric turned to Damien, casually gesturing in the air.

"Are you sure that he's ready to enter the Dark world with the rest of his peers?" " From what I've heard, he only recently discovered who he was. That means he doesn't know our values or our traditions. Is he even properly trained?"

"If I may," A feminine voice interjected.

Damien nodded.

"You may speak, Delilah."

"I'll have to side with Cedric on this. How can we trust him to one day sit at this table, to represent an entire House?" I mean no offense, but you're merely a regent of House Thane. You'll have to step aside one day. Are you sure the boy will be fit to lead this council, given his background?"

After a brief silence, Sierra Mordrew also spoke, choosing her words carefully.

" While I'm not against the idea of the boy one day leading the council if he matures into a wise man, I agree that it would pose a risk for the rest of the aspirants if someone who isn't fit to join the excursion joins them. It could lead to unnecessary deaths. And the last surviving carrier of Thane blood could perish."

Damien kept quiet for a while, studying the three who had spoken.

" What would you have me do then?"

Cedric grinned darkly.

" Personally, I think it's high time the Council of Assassins chose a new head."