A minute ago, by the west guard.
Sakura stood in front of the orb, looking at the orb as it glowed. But something felt off about it, as she looked around the knights.
"How long has it been glowing like this?"
She asked, as one of the knights replied, saying it's been over a minute by now. To this, Sakura carefully looked at the orb; as a thought hit her. She quickly closed her eyes, and began to focus. She was feeling the mana flow around her surroundings, as she felt that a strong amount of mana was coming from one of the storage rooms near to the guard post.
She asked the knights to look in that particular room to find anything strange. After some time, the knights came back; one of them holding mana stone in his hand; as he said that they found it inside there. But was strange, since there was no real need for the use of mana stone for them, and that this is not the mana stone which they usually get.
Sakura took the mana stone, examining it as she realized that the mana stone held a big massive amount of mana.
"Wait… Isn't this amount of mana, just like of a calamity beast…"
She paused; as realization came over her.
"Was this all someone's plan…"
As she realized so, a voice came towards them from behind. Looking back, it was the female royal knight, who had rushed to her. Sakura quickly went up, helping her catch her breath, asking what's wrong. But the knight, without any delay explained the situation back in the mansion; taking deep breaths mid-way.
As Sakura heard what was happening there, she quickly ran towards her horse; looking back at the knights and telling them to contact the east and north guard post, and tell them it was all fake.
At the same time, In the room, where Nino and the rest were worried sick in fear; Ray started to show movement. Lala was the first to notice, as she told the rest and Nino quickly began to call Ray's name. Furrowing his eyes, Ray slowly held his head by his right arm; his head throbbing. Slowly, he sat up with Nino's help.
"Why do I have such a bad headache…"
Ray murmured to himself, when he noticed that the room was dark. Everyone around him were scared, looking at him with a glint of hope in their eyes. Ray turned to Nino next to him, asking what was going on as she explained everything that has happened so far, her voice chocking with slight fear.
After knowing everything, Ray quickly stood up, still in his tunic as he looked for his coat; where he had kept his short custom-designed arquebus. As he took it, he took one more glance at the group, when he noticed that Kai is missing among them.
"Where's Kai?"
He asked, as Elysia; with a teary voice said that Kai has been gone for a while now and she is scared if something happened to him. But Ray quickly came to her, hugging and reassuring that everything will be fine.
He made his way towards the door, when he recalled something from the evening.
Back when Kai made Ray's portrait as a stickman, and ran off with Ray following behind.
After chasing Kai for a while, Ray finally caught him. Cornering him against a wall, he moved his hands to grab him by the collar but Kai intervened, grabbing onto his hand and smiling with excitement. Their hands locked and muscles strained while the two pushed against each other; neither willing to yield.
After some time, both reconciled as the two ate some pastries; with Kai holding drinks for him and Ray. As Ray ate the pastries, he kept saying that it's fine if Kai wants to play some tricks on him, but he shouldn't do that in front of Nino.
Ray kept going on and on, while Kai just stared at a distance, until his voice came through the earpiece to Ray.
"Ray, can you promise me one thing?"
This question made Ray confused, as he slowly asked what he meant. Kai just smiled looking forward, as his voice came in again.
"Well, if something happens… Only 'IF' something or anything suspicious happens tonight, like you feel something is wrong. Please, keep Nino, Elysia and the rest safe with you."
Ray had doubts in his mind, questions like why was Kai saying such things until he noticed the look in his eyes. Filled with determination for something; as Ray just gave in saying he doesn't know what's on Kai's mind, but he promises to keep everyone safe with him.
In the present now, Ray wondered;
"Did you knew something like this might happen, Kai?"
as he reached to the door knob, trying to open the door but it won't budge. Then Nino's voice came from behind, as she said the door won't open for some reason. Ray looked at the door again, then towards the window thinking if he should jump out. But Lala said in; saying that she tried to open the windows as well but it won't open.
This left Ray wondering what to do, until in a few seconds he decided to force the door open. He stepped back a few steps, readying himself to jump in. Nino and the rest just watched from behind. Nino wanted to stop him, but seeing how determined Ray was, she didn't say anything.
The moment went Ray rushed forward with his shoulder, colliding to the door; the door easily opened as Ray fell on the ground. Everyone was about to come to him, but he said it was alright; slowly getting up. But his voice slightly shaking; his eyes locked ahead of him in the dark hallway.
"It's …fine. You all stay he-here… I will check ahead and be back soon…"
Saying so, he slowly closed the door without looking back at the room. His eyes still locked ahead, as he breaths heavily. What made him so, was the scene in front of him; the hallway ahead was filled with blood scattered all around the walls and floor. He covered his mouth, completely new to such environment.
"Something big is going on…"
He thought to himself, gripping onto his arquebus tight on his right arm and walking ahead in the path filled with blood.
Around the same time, while Ray was walking on the second floor. The assassins, few of them lighting around the hall with their magic; had gathered again in the third floor. But this time; their numbers were less compared to before. The atmosphere among them was tense, everyone stayed silent, until the muscular man among them spoke up.
"The acting leader, along with half of us has suddenly vanished from the mansion. There are trails of blood on the second and third floor, but no bodies are found…
Does anyone know what's going on here!?!?!"
The man suddenly shouted, as the rest stayed still with no accurate answer to him. The female assassin-mage spoke up;
"I don't sense anyone suspicious here using his or her magic. Only our mages lighting up the hall, and the knights outside who are ready to take us on the moment we dismantle the barrier…"
Just as they were wandering what was going on, the light that was created by the mages' magic went off. In the darkness, others asked what happened, why they suddenly cancelled the light. But to this, the mages' said they don't know; they felt as if the magic suddenly got cancelled for some reason. Slowly lighting up again, the assassins this time started to fear a little.
The hall was lighted again, but it seemed that their numbers decreased once again. The muscular one looked around, counting in his mind as he noticed;
"Only twelve of us…? Weren't we fifteen just a second ago…"
He looked around once again, counting for the second time; but the result was the same. He opened his mouth to speak up, when everyone presented there heard a sudden note from a piano reverberated through the walls from the room at the end of the hallway. The melody, tender yet melancholic raised the sense of fear in all of them; as they all looked towards the direction to the end of the hall.
The female assassin slightly flinched, taking a deep breath as she spoke;
"…Whoever there is… we are finishing it off right now!"
The rest agreed to her, as all of them made their way to the room. After a few seconds; all of them stood in the shadows to the door to the room. They made eye contact; saying to use an object to push the door open. But to their surprise, the moment they decided to do so; the double door suddenly opened on its own. Slowly, each half of the double door creaked open, each groan and squeak piercing the silence like a sinister whisper.
All of them grabbed their weapons, ready to attack any moment now. And from the small view of the entrance, the muscular one saw a man; sitting by the piano. His back turned to them, as the assassin whispered;
"Finish him."
As he said so, dozens of daggers and magic bullets flied away to the man sitting by the piano, making a loud noise of the room to be breaking.
Outside, hearing the commotion, knights and Kris clenched their fist in helplessness. From the inside, Ray; who was looking around the seconds floor, hearing the sound of fire looked up, wondering;
"…It's from the third floor."
He quickly made his move, running towards the stairs.
-To be Continued