A fortress rose from the highest peak in the western mountains, home to the Phlego clan and hailed as impregnable.
Now it burned.
A massive battle raged. Hundreds of masked assailants laid siege to the fortress.
The assailants used magic contraptions to scale the mountains and overcome the terrain.
They outnumbered the warriors of the Phlego clan, but still, the Phlego clan held the line.
Flames raged on the battlefield, a result of the Phlego Clan's signature fire magic and the defense structures that used the volcanoes magma. But the main defense systems were down so the attackers pushed forth, sustaining minimal losses.
All around, buildings crumbled under the brunt of raw destruction — unable to handle the deadly magic thrown around by both sides.
In the sky, figures moved, marked by streaks of coloured lights.
The elites. Too fast to follow, too powerful to ignore.
The warriors below fought tensely, their eyes on the elites. The final outcome would be decided by the experts in the sky.
One thing was clear to the defenders.
They had been betrayed.
The defense system were in the inner sanctum. Protected. For them to fail at the moment of invasion, it could only mean sabotage. Still, this was not the time to dwell on treachery. The warriors of the Phlego clan stood their ground, ready to die for their home.
In an iron bunker, under a house deep in the inner sanctum of the Phlego clan, Luke and Arya huddled together. Luke held unto Arya's shivering body, hoping to comfort her with his warmth and presence. His parents last words rang in his mind.
'We'll be back soon, Luke. Protect your little sister for a while.'
Luke clenched his fists, frustrated. He hated hiding.
He should be out there with his parents, battling the intruders who invaded his home.
"Big brother, will mom and dad be okay?" Arya asked looking up at him.
Looking into her anxious eyes, Luke's heart ached.
"Of course," Luke said, forcing a smile "Who do you think they are? They're the strongest. Those guys won't be able to hurt them."
He drew her closer to himself. Hoping to ease her tension while hiding his.
He couldn't fight alongside his parents, but he would protect his little sister.
'With my life if I have to.'
"Un" Arya acknowledged. Luke noted that her trembling hands clutching him calmed down. He knew she was still scared but that was okay.
After a while, the sounds of battle reduced— the screams and explosions dying down.
Then footsteps echoed in his home.
'Mom, Dad?' Luke hoped.
"Luke? Ayra? Is anyone home? My name is elder Cho. I'm from the clan, your parents sent me to get you." The stranger asked.
Luke froze.
No passcode.
He's lying.
As children of the patriarch, the bunker plan had been drilled into them since they could walk.
If their parents had sent anyone there would be a passcode that only the family knew.
His heart sped up, adrenaline pumping.
The bunkers were made to withstand attacks, not block subtle magic. If the intruder used a magic scan, Arya could be exposed.
He couldn't take that risk. He had to move. Fast.
Even against an awakened seeded, he had the home advantage. And a few tricks up his sleeves.
"Arya, I'm going out to greet our guest. No matter what happens, do not leave the bunker," Luke said gravely.
Arya hesitated, understanding the danger. Still, she nodded.
"Okay. I'll be waiting for you, big bro."
Luke ruffled her hair, picked up his spear and slipped through the exit connecting to his room.
"H-hello, is the battle over yet?" Luke asked. Stumbling out of his room to face the stranger.
The intruder didn't break into the bunker, going as far as calling out for them. That likely meant he couldn't scan for Arya. Good. He had a chance. They wouldn't use brute force immediately, else they wouldn't be able to find his sister.
Seeing the intruder, Luke immediately recognised him. He had seen him a few times at the annual family meetings he went to with his parents. But he couldn't remember his name, that meant he wasn't too important or powerful.
The man smiled warmly. "Oh Luke! Thank the stars you're safe. The battle is over. Your parents were worried about you but they had to take care of the battle reports. They sent me to watch over you and your sister. Where is she?"
He was lying.
Luke smiled right back.
"Finally! My sister is in her room, let's go get her." Luke said, visibly relieved.
They went deeper into the house, getting to a room at the end of the corridor.
"She's in there," Luke lied. "I told her to hide and wait for me."
He took out a special key from a hidden compartment and opened the door.
The room was well furnished but toys littered the ground making it look messy. This room was made to be a close replica of Arya's room. Very few people knew where their actual rooms were in the large mansion so Luke wasn't worried that he'll be caught.
He walked inside, leading elder Cho into the room.
Luke appeared composed but his hands were beady with sweat, betraying his anxiety.
He had to get this right. He couldn't win an awakened Seeded in a straight fight.
Still, not everything went according to plan.
Luke couldn't notice it because of his dud seed, but on walking inside, Elder Cho immediately felt that something was wrong. The mana in the air was too dense.
Luke, noticing the elder's hesitation immediately stepped on a trigger tile and ducked into a corner.
Then a soft click echoed.
The lights went off.
Then came the whirring.
Dozens of mana infused arrows launched from the walls, flying towards every part of the room except the corner where Luke had ducked into, holding his breath.
'Let that be enough... Please,' Luke thought with held breath.
Seconds passed. Then silence.
The light returned.
The room was a mess of shattered wood and embedded arrows.
Looking around, Luke couldn't find the elder. He was gone.
Blood trailed from where he stood, leading out of the doorway.
Luke hesitated, still he picked his spear and followed.
On the corridor, the trail led to the right before abruptly stopping.
'Not good.'
Sensing danger, he positioned his spear just in time to blocking a sword strike aimed for his head.
He slid back a few meters, his bones rattling from the exchange. Even wounded and poorly positioned, a strike from an awakened Seeded still had him at a disadvantage. From this strike, he felt the gap very clearly.
Still, upon looking at the elder, he felt a cold satisfaction.
Elder Cho had arrows sticking out from different parts of his body, looking like a pincushion.
Most of those arrows were coated with different toxins, the elder was sure in a lot of pain and was slowly dying.
"You'll pay for that." Elder Cho hissed, his voice shaking with rage and pain.
He couldn't believe that he was fooled and almost killed by this brat.
The real reason he called them out, pretending to be a friend was because he enjoyed that moment when the hope of his victims turned to despair.
But this kid was so crafty, leading him into a deadly trap. If he had reacted just a bit later, he would have died.
Now, he didn't care about his mission anymore. He just wanted Luke dead.