year 1780 of Rainmere, on the 19th. (Arthur's POV)

  The moon rose high.

  Adrian and I were crouched low inside the compound. Adrian still had his hands gripped together as if Velymera would take him now. Poor kid. Why did they deploy him here?

  "Eyes up. It's almost our time," I said, ready to spring forward.

  "Ye—yes sir," he stuttered.

  A guard started walking past. I slipped forward and stabbed my knife deep into his neck.

  "What the—?!?" Adrian fumbled and was knocked down.

  "For the love of—." I pulled my blade from the man's neck and threw it into the back of the other one.

  "Gah!?" He fell forward over top of Adrian.

  I sprinted over, driving my knife deeper before pulling it out and slitting the man's neck. I stood and kicked the corpse off Adrian.

  "Get up." I didn't look at him and moved into a tent.

  Looking around, boxes filled with ammunition and weapons were stacked inside. I walked over and took out a rune. I ran some mana into it and dropped it inside the boxes.

  "Bomb's set. Let's move."

  "Right," Adrian answered, his mask painted with a splash of red.

  We sprinted out and sat down at our next staging position. I turned to Adrian.

  "Why are you here?" I asked, clearly fed up.

  Adrian shook slightly. "I don't know." He looked down and paused. "The doctor told me if I did well here I would get to see my mom."

  Ah. He was meant to die then. What a shitty hand to be dealt.

  "Listen, and listen carefully." I grabbed his shoulders. "You won't see her that way."

  "What?"

  "Look, I was like you before. I've seen where this ends." I paused. "If you don't want us all dying here then forget about your family."

  "But he said I cou—"

  I snapped at him. "Forget what that lying sack of shit said." I let go of him. "He expects you to die, Adrian."

  I started walking forward. "And I'm not gonna let him get his wish. Let's go. The explosives will go off soon."

  5

  4

  3

  2

  1

  Nothing but our footfalls echoed inside the camp.

  "Wait, what the fu—"

  A tracer followed by a distant rifle crack reverberated in the cold night.

  Shit.

  I dove down before a second tracer passed where my head just was and rolled behind a tent with more crates inside.

  "Adrian, over here!" I shouted before looking back over.

  "Adrian?"

  My eyes couldn't leave him. Violet petals scattered along the soft dirt—his head gone in a wet bloom. His hand loosely wrapped around that damn cross.

  Again?

  Veins bulged from my hands as I gripped my dagger. I pointed my blade out and looked.

  A man walked forward with a smoking gun, golden locks flowing behind him.

  "You're a dead man," my voice lay flat.

  Right as I was about to pounce forward, something wrapped around my neck. A wire tightened forcefully dragging me out into the open.

  My feet were kicking, while my hands clawed at my neck for any gaps.

  A faint sheen flashed for a moment.

  I reached my dagger up to cut it.

  "Oh no you don't."

  Before it got kicked from my hand.

  "How's it feel, Mister Reaper?" the man said, leaning over.

  My hands grasped at my neck.

  "How's it feel to get a fraction of our pain?"

  His foot stomped down on my leg.

  Something snapped. Followed by my choked wails.

  "Pfft. Our Silent Reaper doesn't feel so silent now, huh?"

  I couldn't bring any strength to my arms. The one gripping at my neck slowly started to sink.

  I'm blacking out...

  "Hold on, give him some air," he said, pinning his foot into my stomach.

  "I want this to last longer." Silas twirled a dagger.

  Air filled my lungs for a moment. I sputtered.

  A mistake he never should o—

  The man's gun fired off again directly into my thigh.

  He reached down as I convulsed and ripped my other dagger away. He holstered his gun and reached forward pinning down my arm, He then stabbed the stolen dagger deep into my hand.

  His hand then gripped the fabric of my mask and pulled.

  "Oh." The man's eyes widened. "A child."

  The satisfaction had clearly drained from his face.

  "Looks like Lucien had a mix-up," he mumbled.

  "The fuck did you just say?" I barely voiced out.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The man looked down. "Sleep." Before his boot smashed into my face.

  year 1780 ?????? (Nyphera POV)

  I woke up with my arms chained to a pillar.

  Looking around, I only saw Arthur still unconscious. They changed our clothes apparently. I was in a light brown worn-out tunic and dark grey pants.

  My feet were bare. So were Arthur's.

  So they took our equipment—seems like they stuffed us in a train with all the rattling. The room was barren aside from two tables. Arthur had a table to his left; he was also chained to a pole. Mine was to the right of me.

  "Arthur." My voice sounded a bit hoarse. How long were we unconscious?

  He seemed to have stirred.

  "Arthur."

  His one good eye fluttered awake.

  "They gave you a 5-star treatment."

  "What?" He asked, confused. "Another one of your weird phrases?"

  "Who survived?"

  Silence.

  "Arthur, answer."

  "Adrian's dead… I don't know about the others, but I got ambushed while we were setting off the explosives."

  At least that nuisance is gone.

  I tried to flex my aura a bit, but it got drained.

  "Looks like you're both awake."

  A woman walked in wearing a full black suit with a red tie. Behind her came two men.

  "We have questions to ask before we hand you off."

  "Ah, so that's why we're still alive," my voice flatly responded.

  "It's creepy to talk like that with a child's face, you know," Silas stated, arms crossed.

  "So I hear." My eyes wandered the room.

  A familiar burly man walked directly up to me and crouched down.

  "Where's the other group?"

  I shifted slightly and simply stared.

  "How many assassin groups does Veximillion have deployed?"

  Silas shoved the man aside and pulled out a knife.

  "Alright Miss Scarecrow, you either spill or you start leaking some straw."

  Does he think that looks intimidating? Emilia has better knife work….

  A sigh left me. "Hurry up and start carving already."

  Silas's knife froze.

  "Are you the ringleader?"

  He leaned in, pressing the knife against my cheek. A small bead of blood dripped.

  "Take a guess."

  I wasn't, but it wouldn't matter what answer I gave…

  Silas backed off a bit.

  Is that hesitation?

  "He lose his balls or something?" Silent Arthur finally decided to speak, sneering.

  "Fuck off, kid."

  "You showing us pity or something?" Arthur started to chuckle. "After leaving my friend's brains splattered on the floor?"

  "Can't show much pity when I'm dealing with little devils covering up with children's faces." Silas turned away and started moving toward Arthur. The woman stepped in front.

  "Speak with me outside."

  "Tsk."

  "Yeah, keep running you fucking coward!" Arthur banged his shackles against the metal pole holding him.

  The door shut with a bang.

  Oh—so that's how it is… They don't want to harm us yet…

  After the two left, the man walked closer to me.

  "Kid, if you cooperate with us we'll protect you. I swear on House Blackthorne, just work with us."

  His honor is about as worthwhile as Adrian's rotting corpse to me.

  "Sure, but I want a proper conversation… undo my cuffs first."

  He grimaced and stepped further back.

  "Sorry, but I can't offer that, maybe a chair or—" The door opened again. Only the woman walked in.

  "He really did lose his balls, that fucking pussy!" Arthur made sure to project his voice as loud as possible before the door shut.

  "Quiet." The woman threw a leather-looking strap that wrapped around Arthur's mouth. An artifact of some kind.

  "Sir Corvin, hold her still."

  "Understood, Lady Eris." The man walked over and grabbed a fistful of my hair, forcing me to look up.

  So that was the knight—there's no way I underestimated this weak-looking—

  A projection appeared in front of me, cutting my thoughts.

  The woman bowed down—which led to my face being forced into the ground by the knight.

  "Greetings, Your Highness—the great sun of the Aether Kingdom, our eternal king Edwin Pendragon the Third."

  Their voices in perfect unison. I tried to lift my face but the knight applied more pressure.

  He's dying—I'm killing this man, that's a promise.

  The silence lasted at least five minutes.

  "You may all rise. Lady Eris of House Eldrake, tell me, what's the condition of the children?"

  "Mostly unharmed. We're currently in the process of beginning an inte—"

  "Cease." The king raised a hand. "Not a single hair harmed—was that not clear?"

  Eris bit her lip. "Ah—about that, Your Highness, there was some conflicting information with what our informant gave us."

  "So how many survived?"

  "Only two died, Your Highness, and one is still being actively searched for."

  "….." The king placed both hands on his face and exhaled.

  "I apologize, sire. I'll arrange for proper punishments."

  "Enough…. Get all of the children treated and find that last child. We can discuss punishments when you return to the capital."

  "Yes, sire."

  "Then I bid farewell."

  The projection cut, and my head was finally released.

  "Get Maelis and Doctor Freed, relay that I want a full detailed report."

  "Yes, Lady Eris." Corvin saluted before walking out of the room.

  Eris looked down at me. Not a single warm feeling lingered in those eyes of hers. She then turned around and left the room.

  A series of rhythmic clicks sang out from my cuffs—the lock was fairly complicated—now isn't the time to leave. I'll try before nightfall.

  ….

  hours later.

  A man with a top hat wearing a suit walked in, followed by a mage in blue robes and the knight Corvin.

  "Hello, my name is Doctor Freed. Unfortunately I can't give you potions." A large bag banged on the table closest to Arthur. "But—I can apply some ointments."

  "Miss Vanne, would you be able to assist with the lady? And Sir Corvin, could you lift the privacy curtain?"

  The woman nodded and slowly walked over. Meanwhile the knight stepped out of the room and immediately came back with a divider curtain, surrounding me and the mage and blocking off any outside view.

  "Where does it hurt?"

  "Broken arm, cracked rib, and some bruising on my back."

  No reason to turn down medical treatment. Only a moron wou—"FUCK OFF YOU SACKS O—" "Hold him down, Sir Corvin."

  Seems like a scuffle was happening in the background. By a moron….

  She walked forward and bent down in front of me.

  Her eyes studied my visage before her hand reached out to look at my collar.

  "They hid your crest well."

  Crest?

  Her hand rested on my clavicle, and I felt something warm sear into my skin.

  "Is this a new torture method or something?"

  "No, I'm just confirming something." Her hand pulled away and her brows knit together.

  Looking down, I saw my birthmark lighting up. It bore the visage of a dragon.

  It faded after a few seconds, the small amount of mana she fed me being drained by the glowing runes below me.

  "What's your name?"

  I sat silently.

  The doctor's already going to kill us.

  "Nyphera," I said, my fingers still working at my cuffs in silence.

  "Are you sure it wasn't—" The door opened again. Silas shouted into the room.

  "Hey Maelis, our Prince Charming summoned us!" He paused. "Urgently!"

  Maelis sighed before looking back at me. Her hand reached over the crest and it faded even further than before.

  "Don't tell anyone about that mark. I'll be back to apply your ointment," Maelis whispered before walking out and joining Silas.

  The sound of three footsteps walking out was heard.

  At the door's click my cuffs were released.

  I stood up and walked over to Arthur, undoing his gag.

  "What's your condition?"

  "My leg's broken, I'm bruised all over. Oh, and I have a hole in my hand. Otherwise I think I'm peachy."

  "Then why are you—nevermind."

  I walked over to the table and picked up two red vials.

  "He provoke you--" I asked while uncorking one of the vials.

  They aren't miracle drugs, but luckily they help numb the pain.

  As for my arm…

  They reset it apparently. My wrist is still broken and wrapped, but this potion should at least kick-start the healing process and snap my bones back into alignment.

  Arthur had been silent a bit too long.

  "---or did you get attached?" Facing him, my voice sounded baffled. "Just about everyone but Emilia knew what would happen—"

  "Shut it." His head hung low. "I know."

  I moved from the table and stood in front of him.

  My eyes rolled, "sure"

  "instead make yourself useful." I tilted his head up, pouring the vial into his mouth.

  "I won't be going back to vexim." Becoming his next example doesn't exactly sit right with me.

  "I have a contact that will be interested in us."

  "What about the others?"

  "Arthur, aside from Lillia I'm positive the entire squad is dead."

  "Right." His voice trailed before snapping back up. "Wait! I just remembered."

  "That fucking rat Lucien set us up." His face twisted.

  "Is that so," I uninterestedly responded while undoing his cuffs.

  "What? He betrayed us. Aren't you angry?"

  "Not particularly." I would do the same if Lillia hadn't insisted on staying.

  Not that it matters.

  Silence permeated the room as my fingers worked the joints in the cuffs.

  Finally, with a clank they released.

  "Can we at least check?" Arthur asked.

  "I don't particularly care if they lived."

  "But Lillia would."

  Silence.

  "True. But do I look like Lillia?"

  I moved my hand away from his cuffs.

  "Because of you and Sophia playing babysitters half of us died."

  I moved to the table again and reached down.

  "Easy to push blame. How did you lose Nyphera?"

  Searching the table I found some pins.

  "You got arrogant again, didn't you? Thinking you're invincible."

  "Now look at you."

  Pausing, my hand moved to a dull knife instead.

  "Failing because Lillia couldn't save yo—"

  I launched toward him, stomping my foot into his left leg.

  "She isn't here to save you either."

  Only a light groan escaped his lips as he looked up and locked eyes with me.

  "But you can't kill me because Lillia needs me."

  He actually thinks that.

  What a moron.

  I moved my foot and walked to the door.

  "Hey, where are you going!"

  He'd get in the way----I'm sure Lillia will understand.