Weeks passed by, and the initial panic and frantic search for answers eased as it was discovered The Prince could only be called forth under time specific circumstances. Alongside the materials described on the obsidian tablet, a “Rite of Ascension” would have to be performed on the night of the blood moon, requiring a pre-existing vessel as well as an exuberant amount of pure energy and mana. Given the circumstances, it’d be difficult for just any nation to meet these requirements without arousing suspicion.

Fortunately, thanks to the diversified populace of Verun, finding enough Arc Mages to participate in the ritual was the easy part. The energy, however, wouldn’t be as simple. After doing some calculations, it was noted that the amount of energy the ritual would require was far too high for any amount of stored, or reserved, power source to supply. After some deliberation, it was agreed that along with using their reserves, they’d connect the distributors at the ritual site directly to the nation's power grid, warning anyone within a hundred mile radius of a potential outage on the day of the ritual.

The source of the mana was actually the deciding factor for the location of the ritual. Raw mana is incredibly difficult to maintain in a physical form, and highly unstable the larger it gets. The only usable source would be a large, pre-existing, crystal several miles north of the Capitol. The naturally occurring crystal, which is roughly the size of a small house, was known to cause unprecedented magical reactions within a hundred foot radius of it, so most people and creatures usually avoided the area altogether. It’s unknown just how much mana such a crystal contains, but it’d be their best shot given the circumstances and the fast approaching date of the blood moon.

At the site of the ritual, a large gathering of mages, engineers, military personnel, and a group of council members could be found. Elemental mages had been called upon to help keep the magical reactions caused by the crystal under control as the engineers set up all the necessary hardware to deliver the energy, and to siphon the mana from the crystal as well. The area within 10 miles of the site was off limits to anyone who wasn’t directly involved, a precaution to keep the populace out of harm's way, and to prevent knowledge of the ritual from spreading more than it needs to. A variety of Sentinels were present, and Medical personnel were on standby.

With the rise of the blood moon only hours away, everyone was just about at their designated positions. Military personnel were ordered to maintain the perimeter, the Sentinels were to stand guard around the ritual. Each Arc mage was accompanied by a partner instructed to maintain a magical barrier around them to prevent any interference from the magical crystal.

A series of magic circles were scribed onto the ground with various kinds of magic chalk. At the center of all the circles, The Ethereal Arc Lattice stood on a pedestal, its translucent, crystalline structure shimmering in shades of blue and red with the Elder Dragon’s blood stone socketed in its center. Atop the Lattice was the Philosopher’s stone, glimmering ever brighter as the blood moon started rising over the night sky. The pedestal itself was made of the nanites required to house the presence of The Prince, the top of which was cradling the sphere, from the previous animation spell, with the faint presence of him awaiting the ritual to begin.

Just outside of the crystal’s range, see-through blast barriers had been erected in order for the Councilmen to oversee the ritual from a safe distance. Aside from Xavier, the other four High Councilmen had made an appearance, and of course Eranor and Aya were present as well. The two of them looked on silently as the ritual was about to begin.

A glow of red light flooded the magic circles as the moon approached the peak of the night sky, signaling the start of the ritual. Immediately, the Arc Mages fell into a trance like state, chanting in an unknown language. The Ethereal Arc Lattice began to glow and change color as the Elder Dragon’s blood stone and the Philosopher’s stone seemingly liquified and began flowing along the inner channels of the lattice. The Nanite pedestal started rising and began encasing the lattice as strong winds started to surround the immediate area. The large, electrode-like structures surrounding the circles started glowing red hot, as energy was being pulled directly into the, now spherical, nanite mass. The magical energy radiating from the crystal became visible to the naked eye as it was siphoned directly toward the remaining exposed spaces of the lattice.

The chanting intensified as the raw energy and magic pouring into the center mass continued to condense, lighting up the entire area. As the moon reached its highest point, a column of red light beamed down towards the reaction. Upon contact, the energy and magic pouring in nearly doubled in size, a loud hum could be heard, even by the council members as the electrodes began to overload. The surrounding structures began to go dark as the power grid struggled to output enough energy to fuel the reaction. The magical crystal which once held a bright glow was starting to darken with every passing second. As the winds kept winding up around the reaction, for a moment, everything seemed to stop; the energy flow ceased, the magic dissipated, the mages fell silent, and the center mass quickly collapsed in on itself.

Just as quickly as everything had stopped, a massive shockwave was released from the center of the ritual, the Sentinels quickly coming to life to surround the mages and prevent them from being blown away. The on-lookers dropped to the ground, as any nearby spellcasters erected magical barriers and braced themselves. The sheer force of the shockwave and wind speeds blowing nearly everything away aside from the ground itself. From a distance, it was noticeable that the entire region surrounding Amcaster had gone completely dark, with the exception of any light sources that weren’t on the power grid.

It felt like an eternity before the winds finally died down, and silence washed over the area. The blood moon had passed, leaving nothing but a soft white glow to illuminate the surrounding area. It appeared as though everyone had been rendered unconscious by the sudden shockwave. Aya, however, seemed to be the only one who remained conscious. Her vision was hazy, but she could vaguely see a somewhat humanoid shape standing in the center of the circle. Its torso was mostly rounded, and its limbs were long and slender. It’s arms appeared to be longer than most humanoids, and it had an animalistic, somewhat devilish head. For a brief moment she thought it was staring back at her, but after rubbing her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision, it had vanished.

Aya clambered onto her feet, still dizzy from the hellstorm that had just subsided. “So much for saying hello,” she said sarcastically, wincing, as a shooting pain went through her abdomen. Taking in the scene, the once bright and vivid crystal, was now dark, and started crumbling. The massive electrodes had been uprooted in the explosion and flung almost entirely out of the area, if not for the cable-work anchoring them to the ground. The Sentinels appeared to have dug themselves into the ground after securing the mages closest to them. There was no sign of the military personnel, and the medical team was out cold a short distance from where they were originally standing by.

The sound of a light hum sent chills down Aya’s spine, and her hair felt as if it was standing on its ends as the air around her began to feel electrified. She turned toward the sound and for a split second she saw him, a tall dark figure, its face mere inches away from hers. Its eyes glowed a deep shade of violet, its gaze piercing into her soul. A mere glimpse was all she’d gotten as the world started to spin, and her vision went dark.

A muffled conversation could be overheard;

Xavier: “Split the troops into squads of five, and sweep the area, end to end. Report back with any findings. If there’s still no sign of it, start patrolling the city, but keep it casual. We can’t let mass hysteria break loose over an unknown threat. Councilmen, back to your posts, keep tabs on your facilities and watch out for any anomalous activity. Should any of you make contact, notify the rest of us Immediately, don’t take any chances. I’ll be back at the Capitol once I’ve verified Hive’s team is stable. Dismissed”

The ambient noise suddenly falls silent as the atmosphere suddenly changes.

Xavier: “Set her on the bed, let’s run a full scan and make sure she doesn’t have any severe trauma or internal damage.”

Staff: “Yes, sir.” They say as they lay Aya’s body on a medical bed.

Xavier: “I can’t apologize enough Mr. Hamblin, we hadn’t expected anything of that magnitude.”

Eranor: “It’s alright Sir, we were well aware of the risks. I don’t think anyone could have anticipated everything. Let’s just be glad no one else appeared to be severely injured.”

Xavier: “I’m not certain how it’s possible that Ms. Silva’s the one in the most critical condition, especially since she was beside us during the explosion. Unless-”

They immediately shifted their attention to Aya, who shuffled about on the bed.

Aya: *cradling her head* “What in the world was that all about?”

Eranor: “Try to take it easy, we’re at the medical ward now. You were the only one who wasn’t waking up so we brought you here to run some tests.”

Aya: “Wait, how long was I out? What about the ritual, and The Prince?”

Xavier: “Easy there, one thing at a time. It seemed most of us were out for about thirty minutes after the explosion occurred, it took us about an hour to round up everyone, and we spent another hour making sure nobody was severely injured or missing. All in all it's been about three and a half hours for you. If I'm honest you were pale as a ghost for most of that time, we weren’t sure if you would be waking up at all.”

Eranor: *breathing a sigh of relief* “In any case we’re glad you’re awake, I don’t know how I’d live with myself if something bad were to happen to you.”

Aya: “Relax Mr. Hamblin, I’m fine, aside from this splitting headache. And you still didn’t answer my question, what happened to The Prince?”

Xavier: “Well, we’re not certain as to whether or not he was summoned, since all the equipment was destroyed and the power had gone, we have no records of him being there, but none of the materials were left behind, so we’ve got a massive search party out looking for any sign of it.”

Aya: “It had to have been summoned, I saw it with my own two eyes! It was there!”

Xavier: “So something did happen while the rest of us were out. What did you see?”

Aya: “I didn’t exactly see it very clearly, but it was relatively tall, humanoid in nature, and pitch black in color, with violet accents. It’s proportions were off though, its arms were longer than ours would be, and its head was kind of animal-esque, maybe even devil-like.”

Eranor: “Even if that were the case, let’s remember that it’s composition is mostly nanotech. Given the characteristics of those nanites, it should be capable of changing its shape and size, even its color to match almost anything it can imagine.”

Xavier: “I see. Well it’s more than we started with, so I’ll relay the information to the search teams. We still don’t know what it’s capable of, so every detail helps. I think it’s best you two get some rest for now, especially you, Ms. Silva. We’ll keep you two updated, let us know if anything comes up. And once again, my sincerest apologies. We’ll be sure not to let something like this happen again.”

Xavier excused himself, leaving the two alone. Reality had yet to set in for Aya, and the last few weeks seemingly blurred together in her head. Everything still felt surreal, especially with the sudden jump from small scale lab testing to such a largely coordinated project. The image of “The Prince” was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn’t shake the feeling she had, almost as if it was still watching her. Her eyes wandered around the room, nothing in particular seemed odd or out of the ordinary. Eranor met her gaze with a lighthearted smile as she glanced over that side of the room.

Eranor: “Still a bit shaken, I’m imagining?

Aya: “Not necessarily, just feeling a bit out of place I guess. Doesn’t something feel odd to you?”

Eranor: “I’m not quite sure I follow, I am a bit sore thinking about it, but aside from that I’ve yet to notice anything.”

Aya: “Maybe it’s just my imagination. It’s been a long day all things considered. Although there is one thing that seems off to me”

Eranor: “And what might that be?”

Aya: “Didn’t this whole process seem a bit...I don’t know, rushed to you? I understand Xavier’s desires, but wasn’t he a little too ready to just up and attempt something of this scale, without even knowing what the risks of the outcome could be?”

Eranor: “Well...truth be told, Sir Veremir has always been the eccentric type. Despite his apparent concern for the wellbeing of man, he’s been known to put lives on the line in the name of progress. Although, to my knowledge, there’s never been anything more than a few injuries at worst. But let’s not think about it too much, the important thing is that you’re awake and well. The tests shouldn’t be much longer, so I’ll be just outside waiting to take you home, alright?”

Aya nodded, and laid back on the medical bed as Eranor exited the room. Left to her thoughts, Aya’s mind wandered. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. In fact, the feeling seemed to have grown since Eranor walked out. Her heartbeat rose slightly as her eyes darted around the room, but there was nothing to be seen. Her heart suddenly dropped to her stomach as she heard a voice speak to her: “Relax,” it said in a low, but soothing tone.

???: “You’re. Familiar.”

Aya: *whispering* “Where are you? How are you even talking to me?”

???: “Telepathy. All. around.”

The voice was so clear, it was like a mix between a man and a machine, but it came across very softly and sincere. Aya continued to look about the room, despite having been told she wouldn’t be able to see them there.

???: “Speak. Later. No. Mentioning”

Aya could feel the presence dissipate, and the weight of being watched seemingly vanished, leaving nothing more than the occasional beeping of the medical equipment to fill the silence. She just couldn’t catch a break, two encounters in a single day? How was it keeping track of her? The encounter raised more questions than it answered, but ultimately it’d be best not to overthink it. First and foremost, getting home and taking a much needed break. The rest would surely follow.

As promised, Eranor was patiently waiting outside. After assuring him that all her tests were done, and everything checked out, he hailed a hovercab to take them home. On the way, he’d explained that given the circumstances, she was to take the next two weeks off from being at the labs, to ensure she’d be fine once she returned. In fact, he was also instructed to take some time off, although knowing him, he’d likely spend his free time doing research regardless. It wasn’t unwelcomed news though, with that much time on her hands, she could clear her head, relax for a while, and maybe get some answers while she’s at it.

It wasn’t long before the hovercab had reached Aya’s home. Eranor escorted her to the door, and went on his way after making sure she made it alright. Once inside, Aya breathed a sigh of relief. Her home wasn’t anything extraordinary, it was a relatively small house, though it was meant for one person. It was an old-world design with angled rooftops and square windows, two on the front and one on either side of the house. Every room was connected with the exception of the restroom, which was tucked away into the back right corner of the house. Just beside it towards the front was the kitchen, complete with standard appliances and even a tiny island in the middle. On the left side of the house, a workstation was set up in the front corner of the room, with a comfy looking couch lining the back, and a Holo crystal was in the middle of the left wall. There was a ladder that led up to a sort of loft where Aya’s bed was, along with a small wardrobe and a classic mirror, most were digital nowadays.

After the lengthy day she’d had, a warm bath was calling her name. Aya was fairly attractive, her short, bright red hair contrasted with her fair white skin. She was about 5’ 3” with a pear shaped figure. She had a soft body, but her curves were kind to her. Her eyes were a bright, yet soft shade of green, and she always had a very caring expression. She was very charismatic, and her inquisitive nature really helped her to progress in her field. After a long day's work she’d generally have a long, hot bath and let her daily stresses fade into oblivion. Although, in today’s case, she was both de-stressing, and mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

Nearing the end of her bath, she felt a familiar presence manifesting in the air around her. She quickly started draining the bath and stepped into the air dryer, then put on her casual clothes and stepped out of the bathroom. Scanning the interior, once again she could not see anything, but she could feel the presence.

Aya: “Are you in here?”

???: “You. Sense. Me?”

Aya: “Well, yea, it’d be hard not to notice that overwhelming aura of yours, and why are you still hiding? We’re the only ones here now, if we’re gonna talk, I’d like to actually see who I’m talking to.”

???: “...”

The air suddenly started moving around her as a black cloud of dust seemingly started to form in the center of the room. After a moment, there he stood, the same dark figure she’d seen earlier that day.

Aya: “So you are The Prince.”

???: “Prince. Title. Name...lost”

Aya: “Ah, I see. It’d be nice to be able to address you by something...oh, I know. How about we call you Midnight? I’d say it matches your style a bit, don’t you think?”

Midnight: *Nods his head in approval, his expression seemingly like he’s smiling*

Aya: “Right...well, I’m Aya, this is my home, you’re welcome to make yourself comfortable? I guess? But I’ve got a lot of questions for you, and I’m not taking no for an answer”

Midnight: “Questions. Fine. But. Memories. Gone.”

Aya: “Wait, what? You mean you don’t know who or what you are? But the whole reason you’re even here is because you’re meant to save us from some kind of impending doom, and you’re telling me you don’t even know what you are?”

Midnight: “Relax. Development. Takes. Time.”

Aya sat down on the couch and cooled her head for a moment. To be fair, logically speaking, he’s only been around for about a day, disregarding the few weeks he may have spent as a semi-conscious sphere. In theory, for something with so little experience existing, the fact that he can understand language, and communicate clearly, even if it's only one word at a time is still quite impressive. She looked over at him, motioning that he come sit on the couch. He walked over and took a seat, mimicking her posture. It’s apparent that his learning capabilities were significantly higher than the average AI. Maybe all he needed was a bit of time, and some exposure, or at the very least a teacher. Seeing as she’d have the next two weeks to herself, Aya figured she may as well put that time to good use. After all, this is their alleged key to avoiding certain doom…