The bustling market street opened up to a fork in the road, with an apparent dichotomy that unveiled itself before the two paths present. While both led to rows of residential houses, the path on the left revealed houses of a different status, judging by the differences in aesthetic design and the choice of building materials used. "The Erisbane Manor is this way," Misaki said, walking briskly down the left.

"This district belongs to the wealthy families I suppose?" Yurisviel commented, eyeing the front porches of elegant residences where the citizens have grown well-groomed flora of their own or flaunted artefacts of expensive origins. "Yes it does." Misaki replied tersely. Though her tone kept an image of politeness, Zenvix thought he heard an undercurrent of discomfort.

As they journeyed quickly down the lane, they met citizens who were dressed in various degrees of ostentatious attires, from showy leather tunics to gowns with elaborate jewellery. The prince's group looked like misfits in their midst. Stares of curiosity began to arise, slowly at first, but akin to a slumbering dragon awoken from its sleep by unwanted intruders, the stares evolved to something else altogether.

"What is she doing here?" A pair of regally dressed ladies muttered loudly to each other as the group passed by. An old man looked on critically from his front porch, his face the very image of seething chagrin. Zenvix cast his eyes around warily. What's with these people? He thought, quickening his pace to match Misaki's strides.

As they neared a couple of men walking towards them in the opposite direction, Zenvix saw from the corner of his eyes the man with a top hat shoved his shoulder forcefully against Misaki's own, causing the lady to lurch sideways from the aggressive impact. "Well, well, if it isn't the progeny of Skavesh, what is a vermin such as yourself doing in the first class district of Ceil?" The man spinned his hat before speaking with a sneer.

"Now, now, Jose, let us be careful here. What else can a promiscuous woman born of lust be doing in Ceil's wealthiest district? Must be peddling her services to a noble or two. I heard a rumor that she had been offered a place in Gerbin Fairmont's household before. As consort." The second man spoke loudly before leering at Misaki. "I can see why though," he finished suggestively, letting his eyes wander uninhibited.

"Watch your mouth," Yurisivel responded angrily. "Or I will make you gargle your own blood."

Stiffened slightly by the blunt remark, Jose turned his head towards the prince and his retainers. "Ahh...you three must be our Nighvictorian guests. Welcome to Ceil. I heard of your arrival from my connections with the prominent families, and rest assured I am not unsympathetic to your cause. Pardon our language in your presence, but you really should not be mixing around with the wrong company. I can help you out there," Jose said as he extended his hand.

The prince considered the outstretched hand for a short moment. "I think I know for myself what constitutes the wrong company. If you are done with your tasteless remarks, best get your asses on your way," Zenvix said firmly.

The man's smile rescinded as he slowly lowered his hand. "Why do you side with that misfit? Don't you know that she is a demon born from the Evil One's lust? Just behold that likeness to Skavesh‒no one in Ceil was ever born with that damned hair and bloody eyes!"

"Back in Nox, I was not far off from a misfit myself. Besides, just because you have not seen other pink-haired-and-red-eyed women in Ceil does not mean they could not exist elsewhere. If a thousand women in this world were born with similar features, were they all the children of Skavesh then? Likeness to a God does not mean anything in and of itself, Jose. You seem to be born with privilege and power, I will give you that. But sadly, what I can't give to you is a working brain. Have a nice day, good sir." Zenvix finished.

As the prince took a stride past the duo, he heard a discordant throaty sound erupt from the men. He turned his head, only to see the companion of Jose lowered his head and spat at Misaki's feet, coating her left boot with a repugnant phlegm. The man then grabbed Misaki roughly by her right cheek. "Have fun with the Nighvictorian scum, consort. I imagine you like to bed a barbaric foreign prince, for a change."

A metallic sound pierced the air as a fiery, red-hot instinct took charge. Before the man knew what was happening, a gleaming sword was drawn against his neck. Zenvix rested the edge of his blade carefully against the errant man's skin, his eyes a raging tempest of unbridled fury. With his heart drumming loudly in his ears, the prince's words were short and dangerous.

"Apologize, now."

Jose looked quickly from his companion to the prince, his eyes widening in fear. The man stammered, lowering his hand rapidly. "Y-You think you can scare me, is it? Oh no you don't. My family will have you! I have p-powerful friends. You will get what's com-"

"Zenvix, no!" Misaki protested, as the blade drew a slight trickle of blood. The man felt a sharpening pain as blood droplets stained his white leather tunic with vivid crimson. He shuddered for a moment before crying out. "Alright, alright, I am sorry! Please, retract your blade! I am sorry!"

Slowly, but still with glowering eyes, the prince lowered his sword, a mutinous look on his face. A crowd is starting to gather now, as perturbed murmurings filled the air. "We've got to go, now!" Misaki whispered before grabbing Zenvix's arm and racing ahead. Yurisviel and Dylas hurried hastily after them, but not before the group heard a furious holler from behind.

"You have not heard the last of me, Nighvictorian scum!"

The group rushed ahead past neatly arrayed rows of residential houses. As they rounded a bend on the right, Misaki chided. "That was reckless, Prince Nighvicto. Do you understand what you have just done?"

"Defending your honour?" Zenvix responded, his adrenaline still pumping furiously within his veins. He took a deep breath. "How could you stand to live in this city, Misaki? You told us the citizens only feared you. Fear does not make them spit at your feet and insult your character! Only hate. And yet here you are, still striving to protect this darn city that held no regard for its greatest defender. It's...it's just not right."

"I know. But I made a promise to someone," Misaki said. "Defending this city is a part of that. No matter the flak I get, I must stay true to that promise."

Zenvix fell silent, his mind whirling with thoughts. Misaki continued, "You, on the other hand, might have gotten us into some deep trouble. That man you just bled is Halvor Ludvidge, the first son of the Ludvidge family. He has wide-ranging connections across Ceil. I only hope your protection under Ishva will not be revoked."

"Pardon the prince, Lady Alinsky," Dylas spoke apologetically. "It was out of character for him to do that. It appeared to me, though, that there was a great disconnect between the Ceil values that should have defined the city's way of life, versus what we see on the ground. There was not a single inch of civility directed towards you. The sense of hostility we received from the other citizens within that district formed even greater proof of the disconnect."

"Hypocrisy, through and through," Yurisivel agreed, nodding her head. Misaki sighed. "I will not deny it. As a Council member, I am ashamed. While The Council preached adherence to the Ceilian values and used that as a convenient excuse for our collective decisions, the masses held little regard for those same values; the values that should have formed the bedrock of Ceilian society. Among those individuals positioned at the higher rungs of affluence and power, the poison becomes ever more potent. The wealthy disparaged the poor. The powerful coerced the powerless whilst treading the boundaries of law. Ultimately, it was a failure of The Council in its governance; a failure of leadership at its root. As you evidently saw from your visit to the Hall of the Seven, The Council could not even manage itself properly; what with the constant squabbles, fights and tension. How do you think our leadership could ever be optimal?"

"So behind that masquerade of order and prosperity which Ceil so loved to present to the outside world, lies an utter shit-show, apparently." Zenvix concluded, his thoughts reverting furiously back to Halvor. Sometimes, the true monsters are not monsters in the flesh. He thought.

"Well said," Yurisivel chimed in. Misaki nodded sadly, then pointed to a flight of stairs near the end of the path. "We are almost there," she said.

"Wow," Yurisviel mentioned, "Looks like the Erisbanes are a big deal, huh? While the other houses in this district were laid on flat ground, these people thought their residence must be literally one up above the rest?"

"The Erisbanes are of a different class. Although the masses would tell you that the social class system in Ceil had been abolished decades ago, the fact remains that people still form impressions of and judge each other by social class. It's especially practised near the top of the pyramid by those who were prideful at being a cut above the rest," Misaki explained.

"Hmph," Yurisivel responded. "Arrogant toerags. You will not have seen such crap in Nox."

"That's because in Nox, the masses believed ardently in the same values as that of the royalty. We were a militaristic nation in the past; a small one at that, but our people had the hearts of warriors, no matter the profession. Both genders underwent military training for a certain time, and learned to care for and honour each other as you would your brother or sister-in-arms. This ultimately benefited the attitudes and work outputs of the people. Would you scorn your own sister even if she earned little money? Would you smith a subpar chest plate for your brother knowing that he could lose his life in the battlefield? No, you wouldn't." Zenvix remarked.

Misaki nodded thoughtfully. "I see why Nox, despite being a small nation, was a force to be reckoned with in the past. The people were united and tough as nails. Unfortunately, in Ceil, it is not unity, but social division that exists. In ascending order, we have number one: the working class or commoners for that matter, number two: the upper class that contains the wealthy, then number three: the nobility class-"

"Guess the Erisbanes must be part of nobility then," Yurisiviel shrugged.

"Oh no," Misaki said with a smile, as the group scaled the last stair, and the path before them opened up to a majestic double-sided gate of ebony and aureate. "I haven't said number four. The Erisbanes are part of the Trinitas Astartes, loosely translated as the Aristocrat Trinity in the common tongue. Commoners would call them as one of the Big Three families. They are above the ordinary class of nobility, for only a member of the Aristocrat Trinity is qualified to be chosen as the next prime minister of Ceil."

"Wait, that means..." Zenvix said.

"Zila belongs to the Trinitas Astartes? Yep, that's right," Misaki finished. "Zila Kreiger, of the Kreiger family. The Kreiger, Erisbane, and Ludvidge families form the trinity."

"Ah damn it..." Dylas muttered, putting a palm to his face. "That Ludvidge guy belonged to the Big Three families? We are royally screwed, Your Highness."

"I regret not a single thing," Zenvix asserted. "Ludvidge or no, he deserved a real thrash-"

"Let's hope Faelynn is back. Wait, be quiet for a minute," Misaki said sharply, her tone suddenly tense. "Something's not right."

A deafening silence surrounded the Erisbane manor. As black crows flew overhead, their cawing only served to engrave that silence to the bone.

"Now that you mentioned it, how could the entrance to Erisbane manor be left unguarded?" Zenvix observed.

"Not just that. The gate is unlocked, which is extremely unusual. Security cannot be this lax for one of the Trinitas Astartes," Misaki replied. After a moment, realization hit the prince like a tidal wave. "Wait...Alvaro mentioned in his letter that there was a plan by Aderis to poison Faelynn Erisbane right? But that fell through the hole. So what if..."

"Knowing that he might not be able to murder Faelynn the first time, he already had a backup plan to ensure its success?" Yurisivel completed Zenvix's thought. Misaki's eyes widened in alarm. "We are going in," she asserted.

The group pushed past the resplendent gate, which unveiled a tarmac path enclosed by a substantial garden of exotic flora, trees and flowers in full bloom lined on either side of the walkway. Straight ahead, a frothing fountain stood before them, located just south of the considerable manor.

Except that there's something queer about the bubbling construct. As the group got close, a gasp escaped from Yurisivel, and Dylas's face paled at the sight. Within the fountain were the dismembered parts of human bodies. Arms, legs, torsos, various innards, and the heads of men still in their protective helmets; their facial expressions conveying nothing but unendurable agony. Their life fluids had coloured the frothing water in baleful crimson, transforming the construct into a nauseating fountain of blood. Misaki turned her face away from the gruesome sight.

"Who..." Zenvix struggled for words to express his abhorrence. "What...psychotic creature did this?"

"They are already dead," Misaki said in a flat voice as she endeavored to keep her composure. "Faelynn might still be alive. Let us hurry."

The group tore their sights away from the ghastly spectacle and reached the front door of the extravagant mansion. "How do we plan to search for the general, Lady Alinsky?" Dylas asked. "This residence is huge."

"By following the hints left from blood," Misaki said, shoving open the unlocked door. "Just follow me."

A scene of catastrophe unveiled before their eyes. Divans were overturned alongside ripped davenports, while smashed glassware, porcelain pieces, weapons and shields were strewn chaotically across the woolen carpet. The bodies of what seemed like the Erisbane family's personal guards were littered across various areas of the hall, their frames limp and lifeless like broken dolls. Promulgating through the air was an obnoxious concoction of smells. The metallic rusty odour of blood and traces of old sweat, which intermingled with sickening whiffs of urine and faeces; a sign that someone had evidently let loose upon his moment of demise.

"Aviduz's beard," Dylas whispered, "what a disaster."

"Down here," Misaki asserted, racing down a corridor adjoining the main hall. They hurried to join the swordswoman. Yurisiviel compelled herself to hold back a feeling of nausea as they dashed past a housemaid splayed across the wall; her head unmistakably smashed in with gaping eye sockets still crying rivers of scarlet.

"How did you know for sure where to go?" Zenvix asked.

"Blood is but the physical manifestation of life energy; that life energy is called Qi in Eastern Elaria. Let's just say I am sensitive to its traces. Wherever Faelynn is, there's bound to be blood."

At the end of the corridor laid an open oak door, where a torch could be seen burning within its sconce. The light illuminated a twisting tunnel which spiralled downwards to the unknown. Strewn across the entrance were more carcasses of armoured guards, their blood still fresh on the floor.

"A tunnel that leads underground? I imagined the general would be somewhere less...ominous," Yurisviel questioned.

"The guards seemed to be protecting this entrance against the assailant. It made sense if they were protecting the general," Zenvix deduced, looking once at the fresh corpses lining the tunnel entryway.

"Only one way to find out," Misaki said. As the group descended the spiral passage quickly, the end of the twisting tunnel revealed a white and gold trimmed double-door that was left open.

Beyond it in the yonder, the group glimpsed a figure in outlandish attire, but he was not alone. Behind him, a flurry of ebony arms erupted wildly, and within one shadowy hand was clutched a familiar female, her face stained with crimson.