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A Song Through Time - Chapter 8
🕑 Added 2024-03-16 19:54:47 +0000 UTCKelsein was massive in every sense of the word. The ten gates were only the entrances to the place, each of the gates the size of a small city. In the center of those ten cities, a second, taller wall was located, with a castle that seemed to be reaching the sky and six pillar-like towers surrounding it.
The noble Blanchard Dukedom family occupied the castle, the current title holder being Duchess Kristina Anne Blanchard, due to her father's passing and being the sole inheritor.
The six giant, pillar-like towers belonged to the influential organizations occupying the city since its founding. They were the Adventurer's Guild, the Bard's Guild, the Blacksmith's Guild, the Merchant's Guild, the Magicians Guild, and the Soul's Order.
If one paid attention to these influential organizations, one would realize that one of them was different than the rest, but the civilians of the empire were already used to it.
While the occupations represented all the guilds, the Soul's Order was more like a religious cult. The members were all mysterious, and no one truly knew how and why they occupied such a position in the empire.
Inside the Soul's Order Tower, a middle-aged man wearing a white robe was sitting cross-legged, meditating. He had medium-length white hair and a short white beard; a weird-looking blindfold covered his eyes, strangely resembling glasses.
Suddenly, he rose to his feet, his head following suit, as his face directly faced the ceiling.
He frowned briefly, then smiled as if he had understood the world.
After a few more minutes of staring at the ceiling, he laughed, his expression becoming crazed.
He stopped and regained his previous solemn look after only laughing to the point of coughing.
"Ah, I don't know what happened, but fate seems to have changed. To think, that I Antonio Weaver, the diviner of fate was unable to predict this change, its as if fate has changed by time, its truly absurd."
He muttered and couldn't help but smile at this change.
So far, he had been divining the world's fate daily, with no significant changes. The world was doomed, and he was sure of it.
He had long lost hope, prepared to die at any moment, but now things had changed. Fate had changed, and he had no idea how.
Although he could predict fate, he could not distinguish what would happen accurately or know what would cause the world to be doomed; he just knew it was doomed.
"I have to inform his majesty…"
He muttered as his figure disappeared from the spot as if it had never been there.
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In the city of gate four, a carriage drove into a small alley, three intimidating figures sitting on it.
The carriage reached the end of the alley and stopped, the three figures stepping down one by one.
"What are we doing here?"
Asked one of the figures, the high-pitched voice not matching his appearance.
"You'll know in a bit."
Responded the most prominent figure of the three, the voice not matching the body either.
These three were, of course, William and his siblings.
William glanced around and headed straight toward a small wooden door at the corner of the alley.
The alley was in a bad state, and anyone who would frequent a place like this was probably homeless or just a drunkard.
The alley was at the end of the median living district, neighboring the slums.
William stretched out his hand and systematically knocked on the wooden door, producing a harmonious sound as if playing a song.
After two minutes of knocking, he stepped back and waited.
Not even three seconds later, the metallic hatch on the door slid, revealing a red eye.
"Light, sun, dark and obsolete?"
The eye owner said with an eerie and raspy voice, causing Adam and Rose to shiver.
"Amos, why even bother with the riddles, when you know that the knocking code is enough?"
Said William in exasperation, displeased with his actions.
The red eye opened wide at William's words, closing the metallic hatch quickly.
Sounds of metallic levers were soon heard as the door promptly opened wide, and the figure of a tall, middle-aged man became visible.
His face wasn't handsome, but also not ugly. He had deep red eyes with extremely prominent eye-bags under them, a short beard covering the lower half of his face.
Rubbing his hands mischievously, the man walked before William and fawned.
"Young master, please don't tell anyone…"
William said nothing and waved his hands, dispersing the [disguise] spell.
He glanced at the man and scoffed.
"Cut the crap, Amos. I know quite well who you are, so just go and inform the Hidden Master."
The man named Amos frowned for a second at his words, but his posture and face soon returned to fawning.
"I don't know what the children of baronet Malcolm Von Virtu want with our humble organization, but please don't speak that name lightly."
It was a clear threat, and William knew it well but didn't take it to heart. Amos could easily see through the [Disguise] magic thanks to his rank and race.
William smiled mysteriously, making Amos have a horrible suspicion.
"Amos Walls, just please go and inform the leader of Pandora to have a meeting with us. You surely don't want the ancestral vampires to find your location, right?"
Amos opened his eyes wide as his pupils turned into slits. His nails elongated as his posture became upright and dominating, his canine teeth protruding slightly as they became sharper.
He seemed ready to launch an attack at any moment, but William just smiled and didn't do anything.
Adam and Rose looked at his back worryingly; the vampire had sent them into a loop of fear with just a single action.
Seeing that William didn't take any other actions, Amos calmed down as his facial features turned back to normal, but a hint of killing intent was still evident in his red eyes.
"I will now inform Master. Please don't say anything rude in his presence, otherwise even your father wont be able to find your corpse."
William just continued smiling, giving Amos an even more uneasy feeling.
'What is wrong with this brat? How can he know Master's identity and my past? Isn't he just a second generation noble?'
He thought, his figure disappearing from the spot.
After a few seconds of silence, the siblings looked around carefully as they approached William.
William glanced at them and said.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to us. This is an information agency known as Pandora, also known as the biggest information dealer in the empire. They know everything that is going on and have eyes everywhere, even in other empires and kingdoms."
Adam's eyes opened wide as he understood how vital this knowledge was, but he frowned because he knew they didn't have the money to get the needed information.
Rose stared at the two with confusion in her big, round eyes. She was, after all, just a child with no knowledge of the empire.
Adam had already attended the Royal Knight Academy and was a knight cadet with excellent prospects. He knew most of the vital information from his circles. The only reason he had even become a captive was due to summer break, returning home for a month before his final year in the academy.
William looked at Adam and said.
"Don't worry about the money. We have something much more valuable to offer, plus we are not seeking information, but rather protection."
Adam looked at his brother with a questioning expression, wondering what he meant.
"We have information about Baron Max Byrd and his accomplices. Information that Pandora would be interested in."
Adam's eyes widened in surprise.
"How do you know about that?"
William just smiled mysteriously and responded.
"Let's just say I have my sources."
Rose looked between her brothers, still not understanding the gravity of the situation.
"But why would Pandora be interested in this information? They probably already have some insight into this matter."
Adam spoke up in worry.
"Pandora deals in information. They may have information on the matter, but I can assure you, they don't have as in depth of a knowledge as I do."
William replied, a mischievous smile spreading on his lips.
Adam nodded in understanding, not probing any further.
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The siblings waited patiently as Amos returned.
He glanced at the three siblings with hesitation but still gritted his teeth and led them to a small room with a round table in the center. Seated around the table were several men and women, all looking at the siblings curiously.
The Hidden Master, a middle-aged man with a sharp gaze, sat at the head of the table. He looked at the siblings and spoke.
"I am the leader of Pandora, the Hidden Master. Why are you looking for me?"
The man's voice was imposing, causing a solemn aura to encompass the room. He had long black hair braided into countless noodle-like strands while a styled beard covered his face. Luxurious red silk robes covered his tall frame as numerous paper scrolls were sprawled before him.
William stepped forward and spoke confidently.
"We have information about Baron Max Byrd and his betrayal of the empire."
The hidden Master opened his eyes wide as he leaned forward, his interest piqued.
"Go on."
He said, prompting William to Smile.
However, at that moment, William's smile became warped with displeasure as killing intent surged out from his body.
Unlike what the Hidden Master, Adam, and the others expected, William didn't speak. Instead, he waved his hand in the air, manifesting a few mana needles with his remaining mana, sapping his storage dry instantly.
The needles launched without warning, giving them no time to react. The needles shot at seemingly random places, targeting different people in the room.
The Hidden Master frowned but didn't do anything, only casting a mana barrier on himself, and Amos did the same.
The others didn't have time to understand the situation, as the needles pierced people one by one, causing fountains of blood to shower the room.
Not all the people at the table had died; at most, it was less than half, but looking at their corpses, the remaining members instantly brandished their aspects, mana and Aura, ready to kill William.
It was a spectacle as different elemental energies surged and lit up the room, but William's expression was still displeased.
As the people were about to lunge towards the siblings, the Hidden Master waved his hand, causing all of them to be pushed back, as he looked at William with hatred.
"What is the meaning of this?"
He asked with apparent hostility. William had killed his subordinates right in front of him; of course, he was angry with him, but he didn't directly kill him, primarily due to curiosity and Williams's background.
Although William knew what he was doing was reckless, he didn't hesitate since the matter was far more dire than he thought.
"You'll know soon."
Even after being asked, William responded disdainfully, coughing up a mouthful of blood on his hand and shaking his head.
Approaching one of the corpses, William grabbed a knife he had kept hidden just in case and sliced its flesh in a specific spot. With no hesitation, William plunged his hand into the cut.
Seeing this scene, doubt sprouted in the Hidden Leader's heart.
'It can't be…'
He thought an idea crossing his mind when he looked at this scene.
After a few seconds of searching, William pulled a black crystal from the body, a deep frown etched on his face.
"Impossible!"
The Hidden Leader and Amos exclaimed simultaneously, all color drained from their faces.
They looked at William in disbelief, and at the same time, their killing intent not only subsided from William but also changed direction and faced the rest of their subordinates.
William glanced at the black crystal, killing intent eminent on his face.
'I didn't expect demonic seeds here of all places. No wonder the demons had such vast information about us.'
He thought while cleaning the blood that splattered on his face.
His green eyes shone ruthlessly as he cautiously glanced at the other members.
When he decided to come here, he had already planned a way for them to exchange information with Pandora for protection until he had enough strength and workforce for all his future actions. Still, now that he discovered the demonic seeds, his plans changed.
After all, even if he knew the future, he wasn't omniscient.
Not sensing any more demonic seeds, he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Well, this turned out different from what I expected."
He said, slyly smiling and looking at the Hidden Master.
Hidden Master's frown never disappeared and only deepened as he ordered the rest of his subordinates to take care of the corpses, signaling the siblings to follow him.
