Nightblade (Darkest night)

‎A white haired man in a sleek white suit sat silently in the soothing darkness of an underground chamber filled with large glass tubes, Nexus tubes to be exact

‎Damien calmly regarded the man floating in the glass tube before him.

‎The man's clothes were damaged, but fortunately, most of his wounds were fully healed.

‎" Any time now.. ."

‎Conrad's eyes abruptly flew open, igniting in a burst of golden light.

‎A muffled shout escaped his lips, Nexus fluid boiling around him.

‎A wave of umbralis rippled through the chamber, but the Nexus tube held.

‎Damien clasped his arms behind his back, fixing him with a calm gaze.

‎" Conrad, snap out of it, you're home."

‎The golden flow in his eyes faded, and the dark figure sank through the Nexus fluid, landing on the bottom of the glass tube.

‎The fluid receded around him, draining into vents within the Nexus tube's interior.

‎Soon, the glass tube itself followed, sinking into the ground with a loud reverberating sound.

He took slow, deep breaths, savouring the air in his lungs before releasing it.

‎Conrad flexed his muscles, his eyes glinting with a strange emotion which quickly died away.

‎He turned to Damien with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

‎" How long was I out for?"

‎Damien shrugged.

‎" A few hours give or take, whoever did this to you was quite skilled. They used a poison similar to shadowbane, it's slowed down your healing process quite significantly. Luckily, we were able to get an antidote with the help of the good doctor, and here we are."

‎Conrad nodded slightly, his brows knitting together in understanding.

‎" I see, and the woman, Nadia Varas? And the masked figure I brought in?"

‎" So many questions, of course I'll answer them as best I can, but I also have questions of my own."

‎Damien strode towards the door in silence, then paused.

‎" To answer your first question, Nadia Varas is in our custody. She's safe. I haven't interrogated her yet. But now that you're awake, I intend to do so."

‎He turned, regarding Conrad with a curious look.

‎" As for the man, you'll have to see for yourself. But I'm curious, what the hell happened in that dome? Honestly, it's all a mess, and despite the gravity of the situation, I can't help but be. Two of the deadliest maestros on the planet ended up in such a sorry state."

Conrad shook his head, his face darkening in frustration.

‎The Thane estate had survived the ravages of time, having been established in the age of Monarchs when kings and nobles ruled the continent.

‎As such, the estate had special holding cells, built for the sole purpose of imprisoning captives of the House Thane and, in rare cases, even the members of the House.

‎With the advent of Tenebris, the structures had been somewhat remodeled to withstand even the attacks of novices and younger maestros.

‎The two men strode through several levels of security, heading deeper underground.

‎" The man is currently being kept in the gravium chambers underground, with the very best our forces keeping an eye on him. His identity was quite surprising to say the least, you'll see for yourself."

‎Conrad nodded slightly, observing the masked man from the available footage.

‎" I must say your method of incapacitation was quite brutal. "

‎Conrad scoffed derisively, shaking his head in amusement.

‎" Simply partially severing his spine was a mercy. Besides, he is a maestro; something as mundane as that shouldn't put him out for long with the right treatment. I also found out something interesting. His accomplice was able to use the mirage technique, I think."

‎Damien raised an eyebrow at the speculation.

‎" What makes you say that?"

‎A slight frown appeared on Conrad's face. He let out a quiet sigh before replying.

‎" I find it hard to accept, but he forcefully broke out of my mirage ability. "

‎Damien paused, staring incredulously at Conrad.

‎" Are you completely sure? " he asked in a grave voice.

‎"Conrad nodded solemnly, fixing him a serious look.

‎Damien pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating the ramifications of the new knowledge.

‎" If that's the case, then the situation is probably worse than we'd anticipated. "

‎The two arrived in front of an interrogation chamber.

‎Within it, a blonde-haired woman sat quietly, staring at the one-way glass pane mounted on the wall.

‎Drake gestured at her with his thumb.

‎"We've kept her here since you lost consciousness. I'd rather hear her side of the story when you're present in person.

‎Damien snapped his fingers, and a brutish man approached the two men.

‎He quietly handed Conrad a dark overcoat before silently retreating.

‎"The situation outside has been quite chaotic, as I'm sure you can tell. Vincent Varas is quite ballistic at the disappearance of his daughter and his brother, the Spectre. The Videntis are recovering from the attack, gathering their forces."

‎Damien let out a chuckle, shaking his head slightly.

‎"Don't even get me started on the situation with the mundane inhabitants of Eden City. The governor and the Councilor have been in touch. They'll report the incident as an act of terrorism.

‎ I've assured the Council that we managed to retrieve one of the assailants. And that has kept most of the backlash at bay for now."

‎Conrad swiftly donned the vestment, then turned to Damien, his face darkening slightly.

‎"So from everything you've said, I take it Varas doesn't know his daughter is here and that the council will be coming here soon, to lay claim over the unconscious bastard in the holding cells?"

‎Dmien nodded grimly.

‎" That's the gist of it."

‎Conrad let out a weary sigh, raking his hands through his hair.

‎" Let's get this over with."

‎***

‎Nadia looked up at the two men who had quietly entered the room where she was being " hosted."

‎Apparently, it was all for her safety.

‎So much for hospitality.

‎In truth, she couldn't blame her captors; in fact, she'd have done the same in their shoes if their situations were reversed.

‎The dainty room was dimly lit, courtesy of the single bulb illuminating the room.

‎If anything, it reminded her of the interrogation rooms from the movies she watched as a child.

‎A single metallic table with two chairs on either side sat in the middle of the room, with dark grey walls looming on every side.

‎At a glance, she could easily tell the walls weren't made of ordinary material.

‎The stewards of House Thane couldn't be that naive.

‎In the brief time she'd spent in solitude, she'd contemplated her current predicament and pondered over Drake's betrayal and House Varas' involvement in it.

‎Frankly, everything had stopped making sense.

‎Her gaze moved to the white-haired man taking a seat in front of her, then quickly flitted over to the dark figure standing behind him, in a stylish long coat.

‎"So he's awake..."

‎It wasn't much of a surprise, really.

‎In her mind, she still glimpsed the man's shocking display of power.

‎Power beyond what ordinary maestros were capable of.

‎" Miss Varas, forgive us for not having attended to you much sooner, " Damien began, piercing her with a calm gaze.

‎Nadia nodded.

‎"I think we should start from the very beginning. Could you tell me the events that transpired from the time you arrived in Eden City with the Spectre?"

‎" So it's an interrogation..."

‎Despite her prowess, Nadia was sure there was no way she could overpower the two monsters before her in a fair fight.

‎And yet, if her answers were unsatisfactory, an all-out war that could verily destroy the world would break out.

‎And so Nadia began recounting everything she remembered from the time they'd entered the city with Drake, to Conrad's fight with the Annonymous with a calm expression.

‎Her poker face faltered briefly when she narrated the part about the Spectre's shocking betrayal.

‎"Believe me, I knew nothing about that, and I'm positive my father didn't know about this as well."

‎Conrad crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back into the wall.

‎A slight scowl appeared on his face, twisting his expression.

‎He observed her intently, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

‎" If she's acting this out, she's certainly quite the actress."

‎Damien continued nodding encouragingly until she was finished recounting everything she could remember.

‎Damien leaned forward, stippling his fingers together.

‎" And can you ascertain without any doubt that Lord Vincent was not in fact involved in the Spectre's betrayal? With tangible proof?"

‎His steely grey eyes bored intensely into her own, seemingly laying her bare.

‎A wave of umbralis surged through the air.

‎Nadia gasped for breath, her breathing turning erratic.

‎It felt like the very air in the room had turned liquid, suffocating, drowning her.

‎Her pulse quickened, her heart beating frantically.

‎Suddenly, it was almost as though she was staring into the eyes of a Tenebrian creature, its jaws widening with endless hunger.

‎Nadia suppressed a shudder, steeling herself.

‎Her brows knitted together in contemplation, her gaze flickering to the two men briefly, then back to the table in front of her.

‎" I honestly can't ascertain that, but I do know my father would never intentionally start a war with the other Great Houses. That's not the kind of man that is."

‎Damien leaned back, a quiet smile playing on his lips.

‎

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