Nightblade (Darkest night)

The group split into six pairs, spreading out in different cardinal directions.

‎The expedition was meant to uncover a lost civilization, which they'd aptly named the Temerian civilization.

‎In the Brotherhood, lost civilizations were bona fide jackpots.

‎Lost cities and Ancient civilizations contained technology that had been lost to the ravages of time.

‎Even the Great Houses were unsure about the origins of most discoveries, with most speculations and most accredited theories arguing that Tenebris was a bridge between worlds.

‎Regius was somewhat of a scholar himself.

‎That theory in particular was quite favored among the academic community for one interesting reason.

It provided a plausible explanation for the mysterious ruins.

‎The discovered technology, in most cases, was quite advanced and, unlike regular tech, was able to function in Tenebris.

‎Regius glanced down at the small compact hexagon sitting in the palm of his hand, staring at the data it displayed.

‎"Jace, is your compass online?"

‎Jace booted a similar device, studying intently before offering him a thumbs up.

‎A Star radar compass, part of the Star radar technology.

‎The Star radar tech was a new technology that the Snow Group was still currently developing.

‎The small hexagonal compasses were a testament to the priceless knowledge within the ruins.

‎The Star radar tech encryptions had been discovered in a different lost civilization.

‎The Patriarch had led that particular expedition in person.

‎The R&D staff of the Snow Group worked tirelessly, managing to decipher the mysterious language, with the compass becoming one of the first fruits of their success.

‎The sleek hexagon converted pulses of umbralis into specific signals that indicated the presence of large-scale anomalies, in this case, large swathes of ancient ruins.

‎The little gizmo was the sole reason why House Snow dared to track down the phantom ruins in an unpredictable wild goose chase.

‎From the little they'd been able to discover about the ancient ruins, they were mobile, shifting nomadically from place to place.

‎To make matters worse, the ruins shifted according to a mechanism they had yet to decipher.

‎The only solace was that the Temerian civilization seemed to shift only between these particular snowy plains, appearing from time to time in different locations.

‎In the current circumstances, the best they could do was continue searching blindly in the region until they stumbled upon the elusive civilization.

‎But with the handy compasses, their job became significantly easier...as easy as it could be in this case.

‎Regius was paired with Jace; the brothers' deep familiarity with each other's combat style seamlessly made up for any gaps in their offense and defense.

‎The two swiftly sprinted through the snow, keeping track of their respective compasses.

‎The wind howled like a chorus of lost souls around them, stirring flakes of snow into the air.

‎The sleek, dark suits they wore warded off the worst of the cold.

‎ Out of habit, Regius tightened the dark coat he was wearing around himself.

‎"Anything, Jace?"

‎Jace shook his head, continuing to sprint forward without missing a beat.

‎The two novices dashed through the snow, their ghostly silhouettes melting into the white veil of snow shrouding the region.

‎In the sky, ghostly aurora lights flared to life, illuminating the plain.

‎The ethereal lights pulsated rhythmically, bathing the white plains in an unnatural glow.

‎" Beautiful," Regius muttered under his breath.

‎Jace spared him a glance, chuckling in amusement.

‎"Careful, brother, you're getting sentimental. Next thing you'll be getting mopey and start weeping about the beauty of nature."

‎" Shut up!" Regius snarled.

‎Jace burst into laughter, ducking to avoid a jab. He stopped momentarily, wiping away tears of mirth.

‎After what seemed like an eternity, they came to a stop.

‎" This should be far enough," Jace muttered, staring at the compass.

‎" Any more and we'll be leaving the known boundaries of the ruins."

‎Regius frowned, shivering slightly.

‎" Hey Jace, haven't you noticed anything strange?"

‎Jace glanced at him in confusion.

‎" What do you mean?"

‎Regius scanned their surroundings, slowly turning around.

‎" This entire time, we haven't encountered any beast; that's not normal."

‎Jace's eyes widened in surprise.

‎" Now that you mention it, that is quite strange."

‎Just then, their respective comlinks crackled to life.

‎"We've found it..." a breathless voice spoke through the open channel.

‎"Sending you the coordinates now..."

‎A vivid neon red flare went up in the distance.

‎A moment later, the Star radar compass beeped, then lit up.

‎A holographic image of the pinpointed region came into view.

‎The device quickly blinked and then displayed new data depicting the distance and the ETA from their destination.

‎" They're not too far from here, let's go."

‎The comlink crackled once more.

‎" All teams meet up with team echo at the pinpointed location of the Temerian ruins," Alec's gruff voice spoke over the channel.

‎In the next second, a frantic shout echoed over the open channel.

‎" What the hell?! Shit! Captain!"

‎In the distance, a ghostly blue flare rose into the sky, standing in stark contrast to the red one.

‎A blood-curdling scream rang out on the open channel

‎" Isn't Echo Embry and Theseus' team?" Regius asked, worry creasing his face.

‎Jace nodded grimly as they ran.

‎

‎A few minutes later, the two arrived.

‎The Temerian ruins stood in front of them, stretching into the distance.

‎Dark spires rose into the sky, looming intimidatingly from within the lost city.

‎The ruin resembled a giant fortress,

‎ imposing jet black walls surrounded the ruins, standing out in a stark contrast to the brilliant white of the snow.

‎However, the group's attention was transfixed by something entirely different.

‎A gruesome sight of harrowing carnage lay beyond the fortress walls.

‎Bits and pieces of steaming flesh and bone lay scattered in the snow, staining the pristine white with a vivid crimson.

‎Embry and Theseus were hardly recognizable, their bodies torn apart with chilling brutality.

‎Regius felt his stomach stir at the sight.

‎"Shit!"

‎Alec had already arrived, standing quietly a short distance away.

‎His face was darkened, his eyes staring at the scene with palpable fury.

‎The other three teams arrived moments later, showing the same shock and surprise at the sight.

‎"What the hell could have done this?" Jace whispered, glancing at the ruins with apprehension.

‎A moment later, Jace let out a shocked gasp.

‎Regius threw him a glance, then froze, his eyes widening slightly.

‎"Hey Regius, I can't...I can't breathe..."

‎Jace violently coughed out, blood and spit flying through the air.

‎His gaze shifted down to the pain in his chest.

‎Jace's eyes widened slightly, shock and disbelief flashing across his face.

‎"Ah..shit"

‎He turned to Regius, smiling faintly.

‎Regius watched in horror, refusing to accept what was happening.

‎The clawed hand in Jace's chest extended forward, twisting savagely, then yanking back with brutal force.

‎The creature behind him lazily licked the blood off its claws, turning to Regius with an amused smile.

‎"Deliciousss..." the creature hissed.

In the next moment, its form blurred forward faster than his eyes could track.

Alec's voice boomed, echoing across the snowy plain.

"MOVE!!!!"