∼ Day 116 ∼

The creak of the carriage as it pulled to a stop set the tone for the tense and somber atmosphere. Where we were, I failed to recognize, and for what exact purpose we had been kidnapped essentially was eluded of me.

Although the situation seemed very dire on paper, my instinctual alarms have remained completely inert during this ride. It was clear that if this unknown party truly wanted to do us harm or kill us, we'd have no say in the matter, quite as evident by the dozens of cowled and hooded figures moving about in the darkness-tinted courtyard we were in.

It was first at this moment that the up-until-now silent escorts, finally moved, breaking the silence and tension that had permeated the carriage the whole ride. However, instead of saying things, they merely walked out of the carriage, turning around to wait for us to follow them.

Not seeing any way to refuse the indirect by very clear command, Bob, Mia, and I walked out of the carriage to see another two pair of cowled figures join us on the flanks.

Moving along with the cowled figures, we were escorted through the courtyard, the periphery of an intricately built palace, and into an open garden of beautifully lush flora and fauna, coated in colors of blacks and darkness. The way it had been all mesmerizingly orchestrated, the garden gave off a sense of dangerous beauty, like shadows that could swallow you at any moment.

In the middle of this garden of mystical darkness, a figure, tall and lithe, stood and admired the scenery. Clearly a drow from her otherwise abnormal greyish-blue skin and abyssal black hair, this woman radiated a sense of calm finality.

She was draped in a dress that bordered the line of leathery and form-fitting armor, it gave her a regal look of both capability and status. As she turned, the hem of her dress flickered the air ever slow slightly, causing the short blackened flowers to stir minutely, but the small haze of shadows the blew out with it eluded to the fact that these flowers in fact weren't as normal as they attempted to let on.

Suddenly stopping under the scrutiny of the woman's gaze, all six of the escorts fell to their knees with a fist and gaze directed pointedly at the ground. Not uttering a word, she merely flicked her hand in a dismissal wave, making all of the six cowled figures disappear in a haze of smokey shadows.

This was a clear use of Shadow Magic right before my eyes, however, I wholly failed to grasp the immaculate intricacy of the masterly control of which the shadows were controlled. Not only my eyes but also my magical senses were wholly stupefied in their attempt to figure out where they had disappeared to, only confirming my thoughts of how inexperienced I was with the potential of magic and the power that true masters of the art possessed.

"I trust that you haven't been handled poorly by those two in my charge?" The tall woman finally spoke up, her voice dangerously smooth.

Hesitating for a moment, I attempted to get my bearings.

There were simply too many unknowns for me to be able to be comfortable in this situation, but that didn't mean I would show it outwardly.

"Other than the lack of conversation," I paused. "The trip was rather pleasant, if not faintly ominous."

She chuckled, the light in her violet eyes changing ever so slightly as she viewed me differently from just a moment hence.

"Hmm, yes - those of the Order tend to be of few words indeed." She smiled, before tsking. "Ah, where are my manners."

With the flourish of her hands, darkness began streaming from the surroundings. However, instead of shadows, this darkness was distinctly different, almost as if rather than Shadow Magic, it was like that of Mia's Dark Magic.

To find the specific difference between those two otherwise seemingly very similar magics was something that still remained a mystery to me, however.

Coalescing on the clearing that the woman stood on, the darkness all of a sudden vanished to reveal a round table with four chairs. Gesturing to the chairs, we needn't more prompting as she herself sat down.

Mia and Bob gave me hesitant gazes, but I simply relented as I myself took the lead and sat down on one of those pitch-black chairs.

"Tea?" She asked as we all sat down, and before I could even answer, another cowled figure appeared out of the shadows next to the table with a teapot and cups on a platter.

The whole situation was surreal, but I still did my best to keep my cool although I knew it was slipping.

"Ahem- No, thanks." I declined which Bob and Mia also did.

"As you like." She smiled, pouring herself a cup.

The silence that ensued as she focused on the tea in front of her was palpable.

"So..." I spoke, finally breaking the awkward silence that I couldn't bear any longer. "I presume you're this Matriach we've heard about?"

"Indeed, I am." She smiled, reclining back into the seat with her cup of tea leisurely. "And you are Xavier, the unknown Lord who's seemingly popped out of nowhere..."

Tensing upon hearing this, I stared warily at her. Although it was no surprise that she knew my name, that fact that she knew I was a Sanctioned Lord was both surprising, and disconcerting.

"For what reason have you brought us here?" I finally asked, not in the mood to skirt around the things at hand anymore. "I doubt it was just to bring us here to reveal that revelation."

She chuckled, putting down her teacup.

"Alright then..." She met her gaze with mine. "Before the start of the tournament, you were just seen as an unknown Lord who's somehow found himself outside the notice of the big players."

"You even seem to be followed by a newly evolved Elder Drow, and one of great talent might I add." She smiled, looking to Mia who had already dropped her cloak and revealed her appearance; not that this cunning woman didn't already know.

"But still nothing overly special, at least not special enough to make our household act," She explained. "However, after that little display you did in the last category test, we realized that you should be in the possession of something that belongs to us."

She looked intently at the small and otherwise inconspicuous bronze ring on my finger.

Sighing, I shook my head exhaustedly.

"I guessed as much by now..." I said as I lifted my hand to inspect my [Ring of Holding].

Although I hadn't initially known for what reason these Drow had decided to abduct us, with the ride over here, I've had enough time to piece together some speculations.

"Who was Asial to you?" I asked.

"Troubled youngling I'm afraid," She sighed deeply. "It's a bit of a tragic story, but I'll tell it if you want me to."

"Please, I want to know why the woman who tortured me out of most of my sanity ended up like she did."

"Oh my, I see..." She muttered.

"She was a youth of our household, daughter to two particularly powerful Elders." She continued to explain. "However, as unfortunate as she were, she was born as merely a Drow, and not an Elder Drow as all her four other siblings."

"But her misfortune didn't end there. As most drow are born with their cores, they can either be Shadow Cores, or Dark Cores. It is mostly determined by one's parents but in a long line of heritage, but it still rarely happens that two parents with a Dark Core can end up with a child with a Shadow Core."

"That was exactly what happened with Asial. Seeing as our household is segmented into two parts; The Order, a covert group of assassin mages, in charge of serving the Lord Regent and protecting the city. And the other part is the general household, House Menethil, little Asial was quite torn as you could imagine."

"As her parents were extremists of the Dark, she was quite heavily shunned as a disappointment and waste. She was then shipped off to the Order when her family wouldn't recognize her as their child anymore, however, already then had she proven to be quite unstable. Although we weren't exactly sure what was wrong with her, she had an abnormal infatuation with Dark Magic which proved ultimately disastrous when considering the corruption nature of shadows."

Listening intently, my eyes hardened upon hearing that last sentence. It made so much more sense now that I thought back to Stygian Transformation. Those shadows that had attempted to consume, twist, and corrupt me came from the nature of Shadow Magic itself.

"Shadow Magic is extremely powerful utility magic, however, it is quite unstable and requires a great amount of control and mental fortitude, which is the reason for the Order. Going to the Order means not only to serve the city as is their duty but also to help them save themselves from their own magic if it ever were to get out of control. Shadows prey on the emotions of individuals, and if not kept in check, would ultimately corrupt their wielders."

"During her training," She continued. "It seemed from the outside that she was ever so slowly learning to control herself, coming to terms with her unfortunate reality. She even turned out to be an extremely talented Shadow Mage, her ability to turn the generally utility-based magic into something quite deadly making her the top of the younglings in the Order. However, as that had only been a facade as she grew ever more manic underneath the mask she paraded to everyone."

"Before we realized it, when she reached her first evolution, she evolved into a twisted lesser demon instead of an Elder Drow in spite and desire for blind power, the corrupting tendrils of her own magic having taken complete root in her mind. Absconding with a [Ring of Holding] and a couple of ancient magic books, and one of forbidden Shadow Magic no less, Asial disappeared." She finished.

Thinking over her words carefully, I reclined back into the chair with a sigh as she sipped at her tea.

"I - see..." I muttered.

Giving the bronze ring on my finger a sad glance, I began taking it off.

But just before I was able to do so, the Matriach's voice stopped me.

"Ah, no need for that young man." She said pleasantly, making me stop in my tracks.

"Why? Aren't these items quite precious?" I asked incredulously.

"Hmm, yes they are, but not overly so." She explained with a chuckle. "We have enough of them, and I'd rather forge good relations with you. You possess quite the interesting mana signature and Miss Mia over here is quite talented, so I foresee that we might be able to help each other."

"However, I will have to ask for those books back though." She added.

Chuckling at my non-plussed expression, the Matriach took another sip of her tea.

"Ah... okay..." I said a bit reluctantly.

I was of course immensely joyous that I wasn't going to be stripped of my [Ring of Holding], but those books on Golemancy, Summoning Magic, and Corruption Magic were fonts of knowledge that I still wanted to learn from.

"Oh, don't look so despondent, we have many more magic books for you to look at." She chuckled mirthfully with a hand covering her mouth. "It's just that we can't have our ancient magics that this household has been gathering over centuries handed out so lightly."

Ears perking up at that, she had me at more magical books.

"We have magic instructors in the Order that can teach you how to properly use your Shadow Magic, and it would be a shame if the Miss over here wasted her talent without a teacher." She explained. "So, what do you say? How about you all, and your followers stay here for some time?."