Day came as quickly as it left. The sun softly caressed the city in its lulling twilight, painting both the rundown shacks of the slums and the opulent manors of the higher class with no hint of prejudice.
Eldric awoke at the break of dawn. He had to use every moment available to gather whatever information he could. The unsettling dread from yesterday still lingered in his chest — a void that pulsed with unease. 'Why do my powers have to be so damn creepy...'
The inn was silent, its residents still sound asleep in their rooms. Elaine laid beside him, her breathing calm and steady. Draven slept on the opposite side, his chest rising and falling, occupying an entire bed for himself.
Eldric cursed inwardly. 'Lucky bastard.'
He carefully rolled out of bed so as not to wake his sister. The wooden floor groaned beneath his feet as he stood.
After slipping on a dark wool shirt and his better pair of pants, Eldric stepped outside. He wasn't exactly sneaking out, he often visited the athenaeum at this hour, but it still felt as though he were doing something that demanded reprimand.
'I used to do this all the time back then... Mom never caught me, though.' He frowned, recalling memories he'd rather have buried.
The slums were quiet, their residents just beginning to stir. Laundry was hung up, drying in the first light of the morning sun, and shopkeepers carefully arranged their wares.
He passed a basket filled with pale white fruits that resembled apples without stems. 'Neat. Looks like the winter harvest's coming in.'
It was strange, living in a world where the seasons dictated what one could eat. Back home, food was available year-round. Here, each season brought its own crops, flavors, and dishes.
Eldric greeted familiar faces as he walked through the ragged streets. An old butcher called out to him with a grin.
"Off to see the Siggies again, eh, Eldric?"
Eldric returned the smile. "Of course! How often does one get to witness their majesties?"
The old man chuckled. "You be careful now!"
Eldric waved goodbye and continued on his way. It took him nearly two hours to cross from the outer slums to where the Garrison's massive carriage stood.
He'd expected their numbers to have dwindled, taking shifts so that they might sleep, but the sight before him said otherwise. The legion of superhuman soldiers remained countless and unwavering. It slipped his mind that perhaps these mystical warriors didn't require sleep at all.
They were everywhere, tied up in mundane tasks, chatting, drinking, reading, they seeming relaxed, almost lazy. But only a fool would assume so. These people were the best Valtherra had to offer.
He sighed and began his stakeout. Every attempt to get closer to the carriage failed miserably. Whenever he even neared the area, a guard spotted him instantly and ushered him away, asking if he was lost, or where his parents were.
Once, while phasing through the wall of a nearby building, he could've sworn that the Sigiled passing by looked directly at him through the stone.
By noon, frustration had comfortably set in. The crowd had thickened, and the guarded perimeter around the "carriage", if it could even be called that, had greatly shrunk. From up close, Eldric could see it for what it truly was.
'It's a damn mansion on wheels...'
Its walls gleamed like polished quartz, accented with gold along the frames of its windows and doors. Three towering floors rose nearly fifteen meters high, floating slightly above the ground on unseen forces. Even its massive golden wheels turned without touching the structure, the building itself levitated above the ground, carried by an unseen force.
The windows were opaque—one-way glass, most likely. Each of the four gates was forged from solid gold, engraved with a crown hanging from a tree branch. They looked impossibly heavy, weighing at least several tons.
Eldric wasn't sure that even the might Sigiled warriors were capable of moving them.
---
By late afternoon, Eldric's patience had worn thin. The sun began to dip, and he was no closer to to breaking in than when he'd started. Then, something unexpected happened.
The atmosphere changed. The crowd's murmurs turned to shouts. Unlike the day before, the people didn't part willingly for the Garrison. They had to be forced aside, pushed or threatened back.
Eldric listened carefully as their anger flared.
"Who the hell are you protecting, you branded dogs?!"
"My son was sent to die in the war you refuse to end!"
"If you have so many soldiers to spare, why not stop the wars your kind started?!"
The air grew thick with resentment. Eldric frowned. 'Where the hell was all this yesterday?'
While the soldiers moved to suppress the uproar, their numbers around the floating mansion dwindled, opting to help with the situation upfront instead. Eldric's instincts flared, this was his chance.
As the crowd surged forward, he moved with them. The remaining guards raised colossal shields, pristine and impossibly large, appearing from nothing.
Eldric's eyes widened. "Insignias…"
The Sigiled held their ground, restraining the mob with ease, no matter how much numbers dwindled, Sigiled were still Sigiled, yet none of them drew on their Stigmas. They fought back the crowd with sheer physical might alone.
Eldric wove through the chaos, phasing past the press of bodies. Passing through living beings demanded far more Ether than stone or wood, he didn't even know he was capable of doing so before reading his grimoire, but he burned through his reserves with no restraint.
Soon, only a handful of protesters remained alongside him before the last defensive line. The small pale boy among them looked almost out of place, yet somehow, his presence sparked courage in the hearts of those nearby.
The men running beside him let out visceral howels, their eyes flaring with determination.
This was it. There would be no second chance. Eldric didn't expect to infiltrate the Garrison's Headquarters this early, with so little information as well. He didn't know where he'd go once he got inside, or if his phasing would work on the pristine marble in the first place.
But none of it mattered, now was the time for action, whether he liked it or not.
Eldric drew on the Ether in his veins, commanding it to surge. His body blurred as he launched himself forward.
One of the shield-bearers spotted him. "What the hell— a kid?!"
"What?!" her partner barked back.
Due to the sheer strangeness of the situation, the Sigiled acted a split second too late. Eldric was already upon them. They raised their shields, blocking his path, yet the little buy didn't stop, he went right through the barricade, as if their shields never even existed. He didn't stop.
The sudden effort drained him of Ether, his blood felt icy, his pulse weak — but it didn't matter. The path was clear.
He reached toward the mansion's wall and activated "Nihilic Veil" once more.
Then a voice thundered across the city, so loud Eldric felt his eardrums throb.
"Get back."
The voice was cold and domineering, devoid of any urgency. The speaker did not shout, his voice an undeniable command.
A heartbeat passed. Then the world struck back.
An invisible force hurled Eldric away, faster than thought. His ears screamed with pressure. He barely registered the oncoming wall before space itself seemed to warp, slowing him midair, but even that wasn't enough to slow him down.
He slammed into the stone with a deafening crack, dust scattered all around as he let out a pained yelp.
He slid down the wall, landing softly as his Stigma cushioned his fall once more. Blood trickled from his head unto his face, he definitely had a concussion or two...
For a moment, he laid motionless, seemingly unconscious. Then his eyes snapped open.
Eldric coughed, spitting crimson. "Ah, fuck…"
He looked at his trembling hands—and grinned. He'd done it. He'd phased through the marble. Breaking through was possible.
People crowded around him in alarm.
"Kid, are you alright?!"
"Someone get a doctor, he's bleeding!"
Eldric barely heard them. His eyes were fixed on the figure standing atop the floating mansion, a man clad in lusterless white armor, the one seemingly responsible for sending him flying.
A familiar voice whispered in his ear.
"You stand before Corvyn, the Stubborn."
He hadn't heard that maddeningly feminine voice in a long, long time, not since his encounter with the radiant Seraph.
'Come to think of it… didn't she wear that crest too?'
Eldric glanced around. Many others had been caught in the same blast, sprawled across the street or struggling to stand. Unlike him, they couldn't bend reality to slow their fall, and their injuries were far worse.
A woman knelt beside him, fussing over his wounds. Eldric waved her off gently.
"Thank you, ma'am. I'm fine, really."
He forced a reassuring smile and pointed to his head. "See? The bleeding's already stopped."
The woman blinked, astonished. "Yes… it seems it has."
A Sigiled's blood was steeped in Ether, making it unnaturally resilient. Blood loss was rarely a serious concern for them, though they were not completely immune from it, as the red streaks down Eldric's face proved.
After a quick once-over, the woman finally moved on to help the others injured by the invisible shockwave.
The man atop the mansion said nothing, watching in silence as the crowd recovered. Corvyn's helmet was gone now, revealing a head of black hair that gleamed faintly under the afternoon sun. From this distance, that was all Eldric could make out.
At last, the Herald spoke, his voice rolling across the city like a commandment.
"People of Sickle!"
Every murmur died at once. Faces turned upward.
"We of the Garrison mean you no harm," Corvyn declared. "I apologize for the force I've used. It was unbecoming of me to act so harshly… yet you left me no choice."
He stood straight, posture regal. "To ensure such chaos does not repeat itself, a perimeter shall be established around our marching troops. Should it be breached, our soldiers will not hesitate to act."
He paused, the weight of his words hanging over the square. Then, calmly finished. "I trust I've made myself clear. Good day."
Silence followed.
Eldric exhaled, shoulders slumping. "Well, there goes plan A…"