Nightblade (Darkest night)

A wave of umbralis burst through the air.

Luke's eyes glowed an eerie red. Dimensional cracks began to form within the room, altering the space within the chamber.

"Snake!" He snarled. His face darkened, contorting in fury.

The entire floor began to tremble from the stress of the two dimensions forcefully overlapping because of Luke's will.

The nanites within the building attempted to detect the threat within the room, searching for the source of the anomaly.

The nanosensors whirred, cranking up to maximum capacity.

A red beam swept through the room, but it picked up nothing since the sensors hadn't been designed to mitigate supernatural phenomena.

" What the actual hell is going on?" Norvax thought getting into a loose stance, to react immediately in case anything happened.

The Videntis warily observed the council of Assassins on the other end of the room.

" Perhaps this discussion should have been conducted at the Council's discretion," Thrain said, the darkness around him stirring to life, protectively encircling him.

The umbralis pouring through the rifts flowed towards Luke in an endless stream, his presence becoming more and more monstrous.

The air was filled with suffocating power, making it difficult to breathe. Even a class A-5 like Norvax felt overwhelmed.

The other bodyguards in the room regarded him warily, getting in position to protect their leaders in case the need arose.

Gregory sighed quietly, shaking his head.

" If it wasn't imperative that we ally with the Council of Assassins, we'd never have considered it in the first place. And as much as I hate to admit it, this is one of the reasons why we need them." He thought, glancing at the tense expression on Norvax's face.

A maestro could overwhelm even Class A-5 Praesagius operatives, like Norvax.

Gregory had broken through to class A-6 in the aftermath of his fight with Asterix, reaching a level within the reach of the Videntis.

" Calm yourself, Luke. This isn't the time, nor is it the place." Damien whispered.

The atmosphere in the room slowly returned to normal.

Marco smiled in amusement.

" If a true Thane sat here, I'm sure he'd have kept their guard dog on leash." Marco sneered.

Luke's eyes hardened murderously.

" That's enough from you, Marco."

Cedric spoke quietly, but the subtle threat in his voice was evident.

The crimson hues in his brown eyes swirled eerily, becoming more accentuated. His brown eyes burned vividly, flaring with palpable hatred.

* You've said enough, Marco; it seems you never know when to stop. A trait your boys have inherited, it seems."

Marco's smile grew strained, his eyes growing dark.

" Whatever do you mean, Cedric?"

" Don't play coy with me, Dark."

Cedric Ash abandoned all pretenses of civility, addressing the head of the Dark family plainly.

"I know that your son Draco has been messing with my kid, and from what I've learned, you knew about this as well." Cedric snarled.

" Kids will be kids. What's a bit of friendly fun between growing boys?" Marco said with a smile.

Cedric leaned back, a cruel smile appearing on his face.

" But why of course, after all, the very same boy, Morgan, is it, whose legitimacy you've been so righteously questioning, had a bit of fun with Draco." He retorted.

"I heard he soundly defeated him in a duel your son had requested. That must have been fun, right? For all his training, he couldn't even hold his own against a child you yourself think isn't ready. What does that say about Draco? Won't he be even more of a liability?"

Cedric smiled darkly, savouring the look of hatred in Marco's eyes.

" That's enough." Vincent's voice boomed.

His hazel eyes shimmered unnaturally, the irises spinning in a clockwise pattern.

" This is the council of Assassins, let's try to have some level of decorum."

Marcus laughed out loud, shaking his head.

When all the eyes turned to glare at him, he coughed slightly, wiping away tears of mirth.

" I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. It was just so funny to see the mighty heads of the Great Families embroiled in an infantile squabble. Simply preposterous."

Marcus's demeanour turned serious.

When he spoke, there was a darker, icy edge to his voice.

" It's sad really, that the council can call for a meeting and descend into a petty quarrel about who should be king of the hill."

" Listen, Marcus," Marco began.

" Quiet, Dark," He bit out.

"Let me finish."

Marcus's grey eyes turned completely black. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

" Unlike the Thane boy, as you prefer to address Alexander's son, in his absence, I'm right here." He snarled.

" And I will not stand for you going behind the back of my dear friend and brother to pursue your own ambitions. "Marcus growled.

"He left Damien in charge of House Thane's affairs, and we all know it."

Waves of unrestrained umbralis pulsed through he air as he spoke.

"Nor will I tolerate you insulting his son."

Marco leaned back in his seat, stippling his fingers together.

His demeanor was calm and composed, despite Cedric's taunts.

" Marcus, are you trying to start a war?" He asked, his eyes coolly.

Marcus smiled derisively.

" No, but if it's war and bloodshed you want, I can gift you both."

The tension in the room became palpable.

" What the hell?" Victoria snarled, echoing every other person's thoughts.

" Can we move on to the next item on the agenda. We came here for a bloody meeting, not to start a freaking war." She yelled.

Norvax inwardly sighed.

" Thank God for Victoria. What the hell? A war almost unfolded right before our eyes."

The mood in the conference chamber lightened considerably after Victoria's outburst, and the discussions continued.

" We apologize for that unseemly behaviour," Damien said.

"Moving, on..."

At the academy, Morgan, oblivious to all the chaos that was unfolding, walked into the gymnasium to test out the Blood Reaper blades.

After ensuring the hall was empty, he silently walked to the platform.

He climbed up, walking to the centre of the platform, then unslung the strapped sheath from his back.

The sheath that Rundrik had gifted him had two intricately designed straps. The straps were attachable and instantly detachable, making them easy to grab hold of in a fight. They could also be sheathed at a moment's notice in case he needed to make a hasty retreat.

Morgan reverently unsheathed the blades, briefly admiring the intricate design.

"Beautiful," He quietly murmured.

The blades faintly glimmered with a dark luster.

Morgan slowly swung the blades several times, getting accustomed to them. The blade's edges whistled through the air in mesmerizing patterns with increasing speed and intensity.

Morgan began to practice the movements Luke had taught him, weaving consecutive sequences of attacks into his movements until it became one fluid dance.

Unbeknownst to Morgan, Lucas was present, watching him with keen interest.

" The kid has become even faster and better." He thought quietly.

Morgan danced across the stage, battling an imaginary opponent with utmost concentration.

Morgan stabbed, swiped, and slashed the blades through the air.

It still wasn't perfect, but the blades were beginning to become one with him, extensions of him, forged to carry out his will and fight his battles.

As he moved, he tried to remember the battle with Draco, remembering the frustration and fear of being so close to defeat.

In that moment, he'd happened upon an epiphany.

Reaching inward, he allowed himself to flow into movements, remembering the exhilaration he had felt in that moment when he broke through.

His eyes began to glow, shining with ethereal golden light.

His movements became faster and sharper.

He moved faster, then faster still, his muscles strained from exertion, burning with welcome agony.

The complex movements melded into each other in harmony.

" I need to be even faster." He thought, his movements becoming a blur.

Lucas quietly watched, growing more and more surprised at how much Morgan had improved.

" What the hell! The kid is a genuine monster. His growth is nothing short of preposterous."

Lucas' eyes narrowed slightly.

" He seems to be struggling a bit. Perhaps I should lend him a hand and see how it goes."

A tall middle-aged man materialized on the platform standing in front of Morgan.

Morgan instinctively leapt back, his eyes widening in surprise.

Lucas clapped, a hint of amusement flickering through his eyes.

" Quite impressive, young man. You, my friend, are quite the talent." He said, with a wicked smile.

Morgan held his blades at his sides, his eyes widening in confusion.

" Old man, if you don't mind my asking, who are you?"

Lucas smiled.

"I'm one of the new combat instructors," Lucas told Morgan with a grin.

I was here when you walked in. I planned to stop, but I was surprised when you began to practice. And those blades, where did you get them?"

Morgan remained silent, scrutinizing the man warily.

After a long, awkward silence, Lucas spoke with a bit of amusement in his voice.

"Well?"

Morgan sighed.

" A friend gifted me the blades ."

" A friend, aye, he's also quite shrewd for his age." Lucas thought.

"That must be quite the friend you've got. I'll tell you what, kid, you looked like you were trying to forcefully tap into your awakened ability. Am I right? I can help you with that."

Morgan's eyes widened in surprise.

" How did he know?" he thought.

Lucas shook his head in amusement.

" In case you're wondering how I knew what you were trying to do, it's your eyes. Every time you tap into the ability, they start to glow."

Morgan shifted, approaching the old man warily.

He stopped a few feet away.

" How would you help me?"

Lucas grinned wickedly.

" But why of course, I'd be your opponent."