The next morning, at precisely ten o'clock, Samuel and Lira were fully dressed and ready to go. Samuel wore his all-black vulture-skin clothes, the dark material absorbing the light around him.
"Lira, take this," Grandma Dotty declared... her voice soft and firm, as she handed Lira a medium-sized staff. It was an unusual weapon, not just any staff, but one that contained the soul of a powerful, high-rank arcane essence demon known as a Void-Walker. "And also this," Grandma Dotty added, pressing a small, intricate device into Lira's hand... a dimensional stack, capable of storing anything.
Lira, in contrast to Samuel's dark attire, wore a new blue jacket over a white dress, the clothes were made by the people of Andromeda as a thank-you for their contribution to the festival. She looked ready for a journey.
Lira then extended her hand, and a shimmering portal began to open in the backyard of the bathhouse.
Before they stepped through, Grandma Dotty turned towards Samuel, with a gentle smile on her face, though tears welled in her eyes. "Samuel," she began, "I know what you are going to do. Going after a god is not something a mortal can do, but I know you have your reasons. Please, look after Lira."
"Don't worry," Samuel replied, his voice calm, his eyes hard. "I saw one bleed, and if it bleeds, it can be killed."
Lira stepped forward, giving her farewells to Mara and the rest of the girls who had gathered to see them off.
There were hugs and whispered goodbyes, promises to see each other again. Then, with a final wave, Lira and Samuel stepped into the twirling portal.
They walked out of a narrow, shadow-edged alleyway. The air was different here, crisper, filled with distant noises. The sharp clang of steel on stone echoed as a patrol of soldiers, their armor glittering, as they marched past the alleyways, oblivious to the two figures who had just arrived.
Samuel and Lira emerged from the alleyway, and then they looked up. In the bright sky, a magnificent sight unfolded... flying birds of flame, their wings alight with magical fire, carried a royal carriage across the expanse above.
Lira noticed Samuel's eyes narrowing, a wave of anger tightening his jaws.
They were now in the Blue-Crest Kingdom, a city distinguished by its white buildings and light blue rooftops. This was the place where it all started for Samuel... the place where he and all his classmates, including his sister, had been sacrificed.
"Samuel, are you okay?" Lira asked, her voice tinged with concern.
Samuel didn't answer. Distant noises, and faint shouts, were coming from another side of the city. His gaze was fixed on something far away. "Follow me," he uttered, his words barely audible.
He set off at a fast pace, heading towards a specific destination. From the sounds, they could tell a crowd was gathering. As they drew closer, the shouts became clearer: "Kill her! Kill her!"
Samuel and Lira stopped at a distance, far enough to observe without being noticed. A young woman, dressed in a Royal Maid attire, a uniform Samuel remembered well, was at the center of the angry crowd.
It gave him an idea...
Samuel turned to Lira. "Lira," he declared, his voice low and serious. "I am going to be gone for a moment. Until then, take care of yourself. Stay out of sight. We will meet at the alleyway where we arrived. So wait for me there."
Without waiting for a reply, he activated "Periodic Poltergeist." His form was intangible, and then he was gone, completely invisible, leaving Lira alone.
Samuel moved at high speed, his invisible form gliding through the city streets. He was heading for the maids' dorms, a cluster of buildings located just outside the palace area. He knew the layout well.
He slipped inside the dorms, finding an open door to a kitchen. A girl was inside, she was facing backward, diligently cooking over a magic stovetop. Her black hair rested just above her ears as she worked.
"It's good to see you're doing well," Samuel spoke from the shadows, his voice was a quiet presence in the room.
The girl gasped, startled, and stepped back in fear, knocking down a barrel that clattered loudly on the stone floor.
Samuel came out of the shadows, deactivating "Periodic Poltergeist." He lowered his hood, revealing his face to her.
Her eyes widened in recognition. "You... you're him," she stammered, her tone was a mix of fear and disbelief. "The Outworlder my sister helped."
"You also helped me, by getting me drunk... So she wasn't the only one who helped me... Thank you for that day..." Samuel responded.
But the girl remained silent...
Samuel's eyes narrowed. "Where is she? Your sister?" he asked, with a low and dangerous tone.
"She's..." the girl stuttered, her voice catching. "She's... under the palace." Tears welled in her eyes. "Because she helped you escape, they carried her under the palace. They told everyone that she went back to her hometown so people wouldn't ask anymore. But I know she doesn't have any hometown. We are both orphans who came to this city."
"So that's why she didn't come back, to help me in the celestial graveyard.." Samuel thought in his internal monologue. The coincidence was a bitter realization.
"What are you doing back here?" she shouted, her voice thick with tears. "My sister put her life on the line for you to escape! So why are you back here?"
"To..." Samuel murmured, and then his voice hardened. "To kill every last one of them."
He stepped closer. "So help me again. I can help you save her. Your sister." He fixed his gaze on her, his voice intense. "I want you to disable the palace barriers for thirty seconds. That's all."
He waited, letting the weight of his request hang in the air. "What do you say? Are you in?" Samuel added.
The girl looked at him, fear still in her eyes, but a spark of hope and defiance now joined it. "Yes," she replied, firmly.
"Today? I need it open today," Samuel clarified. "The earlier you get it done, the faster you get to see your sister."
Samuel turned around, a faint grin spreading across his face. "Your name?" he asked her.
"Yvaine," she replied, her voice gaining strength. "My name is Yvaine."
"Good. I will be waiting."
"Periodic Poltergeist." He turned invisible again, vanishing from the kitchen as quickly as he had appeared.
Yvaine was momentarily dumbfounded by his sudden appearance and disappearance, but then she clenched her hands in determination. She had a task to do, and her sister to save.
After what felt like a long time, Lira was still waiting in the alleyway. She was growing restless, Then, with a sudden whoosh of air, Samuel appeared in front of her.
She jumped in fear, a small scream escaping her. "Y-y-you! You scared me, Samuel!"
"Come on, we don't have enough time. Let's go," Samuel urged, ignoring her complaint.
"Where are we going?" Lira asked, still a little disoriented.
"The kingdom announcement center," Samuel responded, already moving towards the main street.
"Hold on tight," he exclaimed, scooping up Lira into his arms without warning. Shockwaves of air formed around his legs as he activated his enhanced movement. Then he jumped into the air, proceeding to leap from building to building, maintaining incredible velocity as he propelled himself through the city, a dark blur against the white walls of architecture.
He landed silently in front of the...kingdom announcement center building, dropping Lira gently onto the ground beside him.
"Wait here," he instructed.
"Periodic Poltergeist." He turned invisible once more.
He leaped over the wall into the compound, moving with a chilling precision. He walked calmly, then He saw a group of knights patrolling a hallway inside the building. He passed directly through their midst, and as he did, each of their heads fell from their bodies, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. Blood quickly spread across the floors. They were all killed by an invisible force, their surprised expressions frozen on their faces.
In the depths of his mind, Samuel knew there was no salvation or hope left for him anymore. He knew there was no going back to the person he once was. His soul had been consumed by rage, by an all-consuming desire for vengeance.
He reached the very top of the building, where the huge public announcement speakers were located. Two knights stood there, facing backward, talking idly.
"My son's starting his knight training next month," one was saying, his voice gruff and proud. "He'll be taller than me soon."
"Mine just learned to tie his shoes," the other chuckled. "Small victories, eh?"
Samuel stood behind them, listening for a few more seconds as they discussed their families and their ordinary lives. Then, without a sound, he moved. Blood splattered as he stabbed one in the neck. The other turned, a desperate cry forming in his throat, but Samuel's blade flashed, cutting off his hands before he could reach for help. Then, a quick, brutal thrust into his mouth silenced him permanently. Samuel then proceeded to kill every single knight remaining in the kingdom announcement center building, working swiftly and ruthlessly.
After a few tense minutes pass, the huge gates of the compound slowly began to open from the inside. Standing there, just as Samuel had instructed, was Lira. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on Samuel. He was covered in blood, not the yellow blood of reptiles from the forest, but the crimson, visceral blood of a human.
"Let's go," Samuel declared, his voice flat, devoid of emotion.
She followed him into the kingdom announcement center, her footsteps hesitant. Her eyes widened further as she saw the lifeless bodies of all the knights. It was as if they had been devoured by a monster. The hallways were covered in blood, a gruesome path leading deeper into the building.
When they got to the top of the building, Samuel stood before the huge announcement machine. He started it, the gears grinding and humming to life. But he did not yet use it.
Lira noticed he was waiting for something.
Then, a deep, resonant sound pulsed through the city... Doom... Doom...
The palace barriers, their powerful magical defense, had gone down.
Lira turned to Samuel, a look of shocked understanding dawning on her face.
He had been waiting for the barriers of the palace to go down.
His plan was far more intricate, and brutal than she had imagined....