Valentia and I left on our mission a few days later. We were going to leave on a mission without any leads on where to start when a messenger had arrived bearing grave news to the royal court. He bowed to Luna Gaia and Blake May, who had not yet left for the Valkyrian State.

“Please rise and speak.” Luna started.

“Thank you, my queen. It was a heavy heart that I announce that another senator has been killed.”

“When did this happen!?” Blake shouted.

The messenger backed up a few steps away from the Valk. “It was the day after the Gaian Senate. Guards found the senator’s mansion a gory mess, with everybody inside dead.”

“This is the third attack this month,” Blake muttered.

“Thank you, please go to the kitchen get some food and water, get some rest to recover.” The queen ordered.

“Yes, of course, my queen, right away.”

“Valentia, Seth,” Luna called us.

“Yes, your Majesty?” Val responded.

“I want you to investigate the mansion of the senator, investigate the bodies if possible, find these killers and kill them.”

Valentia owed deeply. “Of course your Majesty.”

“So where did the senator live exactly?” I asked Valentia once we were on the road.

“The senator lived in a nearby town literally called Coin. It’s a town where lots of rich people live in, hence the name Coin. The senator was apparently hosting a giant party when the killings took place.”

“What was the party the senator was hosting?”

“Dunno, but if I had to bet coin, it would be a party for trade deals and such.”

“You have parties for that? You aristocrats sure are weird.”

“Well, what were you gonna bet on?”

“Just a normal party, like any normal person would have,” I replied.

“Well, the rich aren’t exactly “normal”.”

“Clearly.”

Our horses trudged along the path heading to Coin. We took two horses for the journey. To be more specific I ordered for two horses. I did not want to ride with Val. It would drive me completely crazy. We each had food for about a week each, with a camping tent for the two of us. That was the only thing I couldn’t get two of.

“Hey, Seth?” Valentia started.

“Hmm?”

“When did you get that mask? The times you came to the palace you never had that mask covering half your face.”

I touched my mask. “I got this mask a few years ago when I was exiled from the clan,” I replied.

“And?”

“And that’s it. I answered your question, I’m not answering anymore.”

“You’re a gloomy person.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

We traveled the remainder of the trip in quiet. I didn’t feel like talking about anything, especially when Val brought up my exile from the Nox clan and the mask that soon followed. The town of Coin, slowly came into view over the horizon, which made me happy, the conversation would shift to the mission.

“Let’s investigate the mansion first,” Val suggested.

I nodded in agreement. We arrived at the mansion and were horrified to find out that the town, had cleaned up the scene of the crime, and re-sold the mansion. The new owners refused to let us in.

“Do you not understand you, dolts? A crime, a murder happened here! With the authority of the queen, you must let us in!” Valentia yelled at the new owners of the house.

“What are you talking about Ms. Crimvern? There was no murder in this house. If there was, we would not have bought this house.” The owners reassured us.

“Besides.” The husband followed up eyeing me. “We won’t let you in with him present.”

“I hate the rich,” Val muttered as she stormed back to our horses.

“Aren’t you rich yourself?”

“Those are just details Seth!” she yelled back.

On the orders of Val, we made our way to the mayor’s mansion. Val wanted to know why he didn’t let the royal court investigate the murder scene before cleaning it up.

“Business, Ms. Crimvern, business. The reputation of this town is that it’s the most peaceful town in the empire, after the capital of course. The rich want a nice town to live in, away from crime and thievery. If we had waited for the court, some citizens may have found out what happened and left.”

“You do realize you’ve tampered with the murder of a senator of the Gaian Senate? That’s a crime punishable with the lowest sentence being thirty years in jail, and the worst being capital punishment. I should have you trailed!” Valentia exploded.

The mayor gulped, probably not realizing the crime he had just committed was that severe.

“Please, don’t put me in jail! I don’t do well in jail. I’m simply too good for jail. Ms. Crimvern, if it may help you, we haven’t buried the body of the senator yet. We were going to tell the town that he along with all his guests, were murdered by bandits in a gruesome act of violence when they were coming back from a walk in the woods. The funeral is tomorrow, however, so you only have tonight.”

“Well, its better than nothing,” I told Valentia.

“Yeah but it’s not that much better.” Was her response.

The mayor led us into a room where the dead body of the senator lay. He let us in the room, told us something he had something to attend too and left us. I had a sneaking suspicion he didn’t want to be near a dead body.

Apart from being stabbed and slashed, the senator’s body was in pretty good shape. There was also the case of the killer's mark.

“Three vertical slashes over the letter O. Just like Blake May had said,” I confirmed when we found the marking on the sole of his feet. “But where do they want us to go from here? We just found a dead end.”

Val shook her head. “No, we could get something from this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look at the markings. The vertical slashes point up to the right.”

“Your point Val? Isn’t that just this group’s marking?”

“Well yes, but look at this. Man, I’m glad I decided to bring them along.”

She rummaged in her bag and brought out some papers which all bore the groups markings. The papers turned out to be a detailed list of the murders of this group. She had three lists, for the three nations.

“All the markings on the bodies of the killed in the Gaian Empire, the vertical slashes point upwards to the right. Every boy found in the Sixth Sanctum, the slashes are inverted, pointing to the left.”

My heart sank a bit when I realized where she was going with this. “Let me guess, all the killings in the Valkyrian State, the slashes are horizontal, pointing up.”

“Exactly. This means that this group may be hiding out Northern Regions.” Valentia said confirming what I dreaded.

I didn’t think I would have to return to the Northern Regions, where I was born and raised. Where I was trained to be what I am right now. Where I was exiled and left for dead. I was going back to somewhere I haven’t stepped foot in five years.

“Are you fine with this? Val asked.

I didn’t answer. She didn’t need an answer; we had to go there anyway. It was the only place where we might get answers. And there was one group that may have the answers. I was going home.