“Marden and Barth are here as per your request.”

Sarden notified me as he walked through the door.

“Wonderful. What are you waiting for? Let them in.”

I was eager to do anything in order to take a break from the stacks of paperwork. And besides, those two fools really pulled a number on the guild this time around. Putting down an entire behemoth and disappearing shortly after?

The two buffoons stumbled through the doorway and bowed deeply in front of my desk.

“Come on now, no need for allies to bow. If anything I should apologize for calling you out so late.”

“Guild Master!” Sarden called out,

“It is improper for someone of your status to bow your head before a pair of adventurers, regardless of their rank.”

Like usual responding with a stiff response and a rod up his ass. Little fluidity and flexibility in the man, preventing from advancing beyond a personal secretary. Not that I’d let him go that easily.

“Sarden please, let me speak with old acquaintances as I wish.”

“I’m sorry.”

A prompt and well versed apology came.

“No worries, now why don’t you give us some privacy?”

There was a margin of hesitation as my order was processed and carried out.

“Phew, I see he’s as stuck up as always.”

Barth sighed as he took a seat on the other side of the table.

“And I see both of you are as unreliable as ever.”

I took a breath to set my thoughts straight.

“I went over the brief report you sent and ignored the glaring inconsistencies. So why don’t you start with explaining just how you managed to take down a behemoth on your own?”

I stared keenly at their faces, having watched over them for the past thirty or so years let me catch their lies with ease.

“You used it didn’t you?”

I finally responded after a moment of silence.

“The flame of life, after you showed it to me I strictly forbid you from using it. If-”

“I had no choice. We wouldn’t be talking had I not resorted to it. I took every single measure possible to contain it.”

Marden interrupted, ‘finally got them to speak up’.

“And that, is the only reason I took no further action against you. You’re lucky that no one outside this room is aware of it or you’d be hunted and executed on all grounds possible.”

I met his gaze with my own and didn’t stop until he looked away.

“How long?”

“I’m not sure, but no less than a year.”

I leaned back in my chair, exasperated.

“Fine, so what about your month long absence?”

While Marden continued to avoid my gaze Barth chuckled softly.

“We found a pair of kids and decided to take them in as our apprentices.”

Barth was now staring at me with a smile.

“Took you long enough. I heard that there were several new additions and two of them started at the top silver rank. Very commendable but you understand that I can’t just let you take several years off just to train them?”

“Several years? I’d be shocked if by the end of the year they couldn’t match your strength!”

Barth started laughing to himself and Marden took the opportunity to speak up,

“More importantly, what would be so important to keep us back…?”

I sunk back in my chair.

“Two weeks ago a strange artifact was identified between our and Lavir's borders. With both sides only possessing a small unit to keep watch, a short skirmish broke out with our troops emerging victorious.”

I took a small break and examined their reactions,

“This wouldn’t be something major had the artifact not be one of a kind, never seen before and no records even hinting of such a thing’s existence. Information on it is shut tighter than a dead man's grip. The only thing my informant was able to relay is a rumour that the object was able to move and almost seemed to possess a minimal intelligence despite being made of inanimate objects.”

“But how is that even possible?! Is Lavir aware of this?”

Marden exclaimed, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

“They remained quiet until several weeks ago where they started to dig up old agreements and treaties we set up that were allegedly broken by us. It is clear they just want the artifact for themselves but the situation is rapidly escalating.”

At this point even the dim-witted Barth began to pay attention.

“Anyways, this discussion will have to wait until a later point as it is largely a moot point. I’m more interested in your pupils-”

I stopped as a distant feeling of dread started to well up within me. Both Marden and Barth paled after a quick glance out the window and nod at each other. I knew something was wrong and followed their gaze to the window. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, I enhanced my sight with essence and spotted thin, wave-like yellow strands snaking across the night sky above Iyamore.

An immense sense of bloodlust was emanated by the strands, but the effect was greatly diminished. Like the fallout of a battle, the smell of blood stretching for miles but nothing compared to what it would be at the source.

I set up all of the mental defences and fail-safes possible before reaching to the strands with my own essence. The two buffoons behind me realized what I intended to do and called out,

“Guild Mast-”

Their cries were cut short as I finally came into contact with a strand. A gasp was forced out of me and my vision dimmed for a brief moment.

I stood on a wooden platform overlooking an entire army, no less than half a hundred thousand men all stood in formation and faced me. Without conscious thought I took a deep breath and shouted,

“Today we stand united, as one against the vile forces of Lavir seeking to spill our blood and claim our lands as their own. To take everything we and generations passed worked so hard to create.”

‘What is going on?! This isn’t me! Why are these people rallying under my command?’

Marden, Barth and Sarden stood to my sides.

“For years they have destroyed our hard work and slaughtered the innocent. Today we shall make our final stand and Drive. Them. BACK!”

I finished my speech and a chorus of shouts rang from everyone present.

‘Why can’t I control my body?’

[The enemy is near!]

Marden’s voice rang across my mind as my body turned to look ahead and spotted a shimmer grow increasingly large. It swelled in size until it encompassed the area around the army and parted revealing Lavir troops surrounding ours from three sides.

“To arms!”

‘How could the enemy pull off an illusion of such a scale? The mana required would be astronomical.’

My body shouted out again and the men scrambled to ready themselves and face the incoming attack. Multiple presences revealed themselves atop the platform with me. At once they rushed with daggers, no doubt poisoned. I unsheathed my sword, infused myself with essence and started cutting dozens by the second.

It was not enough as they re-appeared one after the next, cloaked and highly skilled.

‘A surprise attack? Are the others ok?’

My control over the body returned and I looked where Sarden stood. His body was collapsed, on top of which rested Marden. Being a mage in such a close quarter fight and being unable to unleash his powerful spells for fear of damaging the army.

Fear and anguish spread within me at a frightening rate. Despite finally being in control of my body I felt more helpless than ever before.

Barth and I were forced back to back as the bodies of our enemies toppled off the platform, the space taken up by others. It didn’t matter how many times I swung my blade or how many lives I’ve taken. The hooded figures kept coming.

The army, outflanked by the enemy and without a leader were being cut down by the hundreds. The unbearable situation caused my attention to waver for a moment and an enemy snuck past my defences, landing a cut on my left arm.

As I had predicted the poison quickly paralyzed my arm, crippling my offence and defence. In a short moment I felt several more cuts all over my body and my vision blacked out.

********

I groggily opened my eyes. Unable to move my body, I was forced to look around with my eyes. A shock ran through me as I realized all of my armour was gone and only tattered shirt and pants remained. My hands were tied behind my back and I was kneeling.

“Finally awake, general?”

An unknown voice spoke out. The person came closer and his feet came into view.

“Why don’t you look around…”

The man snapped his fingers and found control over my neck return. I looked around, still on the wooden platform the cloaked bodies were removed and instead only the bodies of Sarden, Barth and Marden remained.

All of them were filled with gashes and cuts – their deaths were anything but quick. Hatred welled up within me but still I couldn’t move.

‘Everyone, I’m sorry for failing you.’

The one place I refused to look at was the city. Up until this point I ignored the distant crackling noises, refusing to believe. But now that I saw the giant inferno that came from within the wall I had no other choice.

The city that I was born, grew up and lived in. The city I devoted my entire life to was being burned to the ground, its protectors lay dead below the platform and the citizens helpless before the might of a foreign army.

“Your city destroyed, your army crushed, your friends and everything you loved set ablaze. Only you remain. But don’t worry, you’ll be joining them shortly.”

I looked up at the man standing in black plate armour, tinted with strands of gold. He brought his foot up to my chest and pushed me off the platform.

I could do nothing as the poison dulled my muscles, the feeling of weightlessness abruptly stopped by rough hands. Chuckles and laughter rang among people around me. They ripped my clothes off, prodded, groped and destroyed the last shred of my dignity and pride I had.

Tears began to flow down my face as everything I lived for destroyed in an instant. The sight of my home burning ingrained in my mind.

********

“Guild Master?”

Marden spoke out as he noticed me leaving my trance. I was back in my office with everything as it was before. A single tear made its way across my cheek as I suppressed the memories of my experience.

“Do both of you see the yellow strands of essence?”

“Yes, but they are extremely faint and hard to make out.”

“Sarden!”

I called out for him, the door clicked open before I could even finish his name.

“Yes, m’lady?”

“I want you to notify everyone here in under no circumstances should they interact with the yellow essence present in the air. Anyone who does so voluntarily forfeits their life and mind. No questions. Now go!”

I gave him a command and turned towards the last two people present in the room.

“Seeing as how both of you paled at the sight of the yellow essence you must know something about it and will accompany me as we track the source down.”

“Yes ma'am!”

They let out a uniform response and followed me out the door.

‘Just what kind of monstrosity can exhibit such killing intent, fuse with the most powerful illusion spell and deploy it across a large distance?!’

We must find and put an end to it at once.

The three of us raced across the rooftops under the veil of darkness. Within minutes we scaled the outer wall and followed the yellow essence. Racing at the top speed an orichaclium rank adventurer can keep up, it took us another ten minutes to reach the source.

The smell of something roasting lingered in the air, permuted by the metallic scent of blood and death. It was a bandit’s camp. There weren’t any sentries or noise coming from within.

Cautiously I rushed inside to stop the monster’s rampage,

‘Thank god it decided to ravage a bunch of bandits and not the city itself.’

I passed countless bodies, all of their faces scrounged in fear and shock. A wolf’s howl echoed from the center of the camp. I checked that Marden and Barth were still behind me and increased the pace once more.

The center bonfire was ablaze and next to it sat a child. A second child lay collapsed, was clad in more essence than I imagined possible. Unconscious.

“Eagle… Cato… is that you?”

Marden spoke up in a quiet voice behind me. I faced him,

“You know them?”

I asked, stunned that they would know the shapeshifters giving off the nauseating bloodthirst. Anyone below platinum would have fainted should they get within an arrow’s reach.

“They’re our students.”

Barth spoke up this time.

‘Those shapeshifters were legitimate children? Whose devil spawns were they?!’

‘Just what the fuck is going on?’