Nightblade (Darkest night)

‎The masked figure coolly regarded Drake, fixing him with a cold glare.

‎" Be warned, Spectre, if I find out that this is an attempt at some form of submissive subterfuge, you will pay with your life."

‎Drake calmly regarded the man, then offered him a slight bow.

‎" Of course, we of Varas are quite honourable after all."

‎The masked man nodded, then turned on his heel and strode away.

‎"Lure out the rest of your former allies. I'll deal with them."

‎Conrad slowly moved away from the gap in the building where he was hidden.

‎He crouched down, his brows knitting together in contemplation.

‎" This is quite the fine mess. Luke is dead. Ad now the Spectre has switched sides. The Spectre..."

‎His eyes flickered to the blonde beauty standing a short distance away from him.

‎His eyes widened, then narrowed in realisation.

‎In the next moment, he moved with inhuman speed.

‎His form blurred through the space between him and Nadia, closing the distance in an instant.

‎A shocked gasp escaped her lips, her eyes widening in surprise.

‎"What the.."

‎In that brief moment, Conrad's hand wrapped around her neck, deftly lifting her into the air.

‎" Don't try anything funny," he whispered, his voice taking on a darker, colder edge.

‎Nadia calmly nodded her head, slowly raising her arms into the air.

‎" Did you know about this? Before you reply, know this. I can hear your heart beating in your chest. I've already analysed your breathing pattern. If you so much as lie to me, you're done. Do you understand?"

‎His eyes briefly turned golden, then returned to normal.

‎Nadia nodded slightly, making no move to struggle.

‎Conrad loosened his grip just enough, allowing her to talk.

‎" I didn't know about this. I honestly don't know what's happening right now."

‎Conrad regarded her calmly, staring coldly into her grey eyes.

‎He sighed quietly, then produced a pair of cuffs.

‎" These are made from gravium; they should be able to hold even a young maestro such as yourself. You're coming with me."

‎He quickly grabbed Anonymous's unconscious form, unceremoniously tossing the man over his shoulder.

‎Conrad dragged Nadia behind him, tugging on his connection with Tenebris.

‎A trickle of umbralis flared through the atmosphere at the opening of the entry point.

‎The Spectre immediately turned, sensing the shift in umbralis.

‎" There!"

‎The Spectre burst forward, closing the distance in an instant. He forcefully broke through the building, quickly zeroing in on the fleeing maestro.

‎Conrad continued moving, without even sparing the man a glance, gritting his teeth in determination.

‎"Nadia!"

‎Nadia turned, her gaze briefly pierced Drake's eyes, confusion and even fear flickering through the depths of her grey eyes.

‎"Uncle? Why?"

‎ Drake froze at the sight, abruptly stopping his tracks.

‎Conrad took advantage of the brief lull in movement.

‎He darted forward, forcefully dragging the bound girl and the unconscious man into the dimensional rift.

‎The Spectre lunged forward, but in the next instant, the portal forcefully closed.

‎Conrad continued bolting, immediately opening another rift in the space in front of him.

‎A split second later, he jumped through the portal right into Damien's office.

‎Rebecca's eyes widened in surprise at his dastardly entrance.

‎She quickly took in the sight of Nadia and the unconscious man on his shoulder.

‎" Guard her, " he growled.

‎Damien calmly regarded him, nodding slightly.

‎"I'll be right back."

‎In the next moment, he shattered the space, opening another rift that quickly disappeared.

‎Damien turned to the bound, blonde, grey-eyed woman, silently staring at her.

‎He pierced Nadia with a cold gaze, his icy grey eyes boring into her own.

‎" Miss Varas, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. "

‎Nadia observed the white haired man seated before her, her memories churning as she tried to recall who he was.

‎After a brief moment, she spoke.

‎" White hair, grey eyes...Lord Damien, I presume," she said.

‎Damien nodded calmly, leaning forward in his chair.

‎" In the flesh."

‎****

‎Back in Eden City, a dimensional rift opened abruptly in a deserted alleyway.

‎Conrad stepped out of the rift and quickly sped away, darting quietly through the ruins of what was left of the city.

‎His eyes darted around the ravaged alleyway, instinctively searching for inconspicuous vantage points

‎"The Spectre should be here any moment now. Let's get this over with."

‎He stilled his breathing, taking care to control his heartbeat.

‎Conrad strained his muscles a bit, then leapt up one of the buildings, sprinting across its surface.

‎He lunged forward, landing on the rooftop, then quietly crept to the building's edge.

‎In the distance, Luke's corpse was lying in a small pool of blood on the seemingly deserted street.

‎" Well, how do I go about this?"

‎Conrad's mission was simple.

‎All he had to do was retrieve Luke's body.

‎But from the looks of things, he was most likely walking into a trap.

‎"Damn it all. Consequences be damned."

‎Abandoning all caution, Conrad jumped down from the building and then calmly strode across the street, squatting nonchalantly next to Luke's body.

‎He stared into Luke's lifeless eyes, a complicated expression appearing on his face.

‎" This fool..."

‎The sound of crunching gravel echoed through the air, the melodic sound reaching his ears.

‎Conrad stiffened, but remained squatted, calmly observing the dead maestro's face.

‎" Well, it appears there's at least one of you left. I was almost afraid that all of you had fled," a familiar voice rang out.

‎A dark figure walked out of the shadows, standing opposite him.

‎The masked man stared ominously at him, umbralis swirling around him in rhythmic waves.

‎Conrad coolly watched him, without making a move.

‎" I had a feeling you'd come back for your friend," he said.

‎The man let out a quiet sigh, slowly shaking his head.

‎" Ah...such a waste. Luke Sanguine was one of the oldest among us, and now he's gone. And for what? Futile resistance.

‎The man threw his arms into the air, gesturing towards Conrad.

‎"You do know you could have joined us, just like the Spectre did. In fact, since I'm feeling quite generous, you may go ahead and pledge your allegiance to me."

‎Conrad remained crouched next to Luke's body, nonchalantly grabbing his heart and shoving it back in his chest.

‎Conrad threw him a furtive glance, his brows knitting together in thought.

‎" I'm considering your offer," he said, rising to his feet. He calmly lifted Luke's body and placed it on his shoulder.

‎"But frankly, we got off on the wrong foot.

‎And you see, killing my friend here has made my decision that much harder, but I'm also quite tempted to take you up on your offer, given my... somewhat unique circumstances."

‎A sly smile appeared on Conrad's face.

‎" But before I give you my answer. Tell me something..."

‎Conrad paused, looking for the right words to phrase his question.

‎"Let me see, ah, that's it."

‎H dramatically snapped his fingers, pointing at that dark figure.

‎"You're not actually a maestro. From what I've been able to gather so far. You're much too strong to be a maestro."

‎Seeing the slight hesitation in the man's posture, Conrad grinned and continued.

‎"I'm right, aren't I?"

‎The mysterious figure shifted his stance, nonchalantly placing his hands behind his back.

‎" You're quite right. I'm not a maestro. Rather, I'm something more. For now."

‎He paused, confidently staring at Conrad.

‎" Enough stalling, will you join me?"

‎A dark smile appeared on Conrad's face.

‎" No thanks, I'll take my chances."

‎The masked man shook his head slightly.

‎"An unwise decision."

‎In the next moment, the man appeared in front of Conrad.

‎Conrad gasped, taking measured breaths.

‎The man's presence was tyrannically overwhelming and suffocating.

‎Even the umbralis recoiled at his movement, bending to his will.

‎Conrad pursed his lips, dodging out of the way.

‎" He's fast, very fast."

‎A heartbeat later, he activated his awakened ability.

‎The dark figure found himself in a forest, surrounded by dark trees, looming around him on all sides.

‎" An awakened," he muttered, " And one able to conjure mirages as well. You'll make a valuable addition to our cause."

‎Conrad snarled, darting back in an attempt to create distance between him and the dark figure.

‎" Not a chance."

‎In the brief moment of distraction, Conrad opened a vertical rift, dashing through it.

‎The Spectre materialised behind him, his hand flashing through the air.

‎" Shit!"

‎A sharp, blinding pain flared through his back, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

‎Biting back a curse, Conrad gritted his teeth, focusing through the pain.

‎Conrad's eyes widened slightly in shock

‎His mirage ability had been forcefully undone.

‎" Bloody hell!"

‎Conrad forcefully shut the rift behind him, sprinting forward.

‎" One more."

‎He desperately coalesced the umbralis around him, creating a second rift back to Damien's study.

‎ He landed in a tangled mess of limbs and blood.

‎Damien sprang to his feet, quickly moving around the desk.

‎"Rebecca, let's get him to a Nexus chamber, now!"

‎ Quickly staggering to his feet, he paused, then coughed out a mouthful of blood.

‎"Bastard must have stabbed a lung."

‎In the next moment, he fell to one knee, gripping the chair in front of him.

‎He swayed slightly, gurgling and choking on his own blood. His vision started to fade, turning blurry.

‎Then everything went dark.

‎

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