Coming to the end of the fourth year, Andrew had sent numerous individuals he deemed "Criminals" down into the hidden chambers beneath Rosa.
Each time they were sent, they did not return.
Xaryus and Zadius had become Andrew's primary method of tying loose ends. The purpose of such an unnecessary method was intended to develop Xaryus and Zadius' combat experience.
Although none of their targets were ever as strong as Andrew: he would have never tried to kill them; only hurting them severely.
He wouldn't dare damage his prized possessions after all.
But that sentiment didn't extend to the men that were fighting for their lives down below the bustling city.
After each man was slain the boys grew stronger but their minds broke further and further. They struggled to maintain their sense of morality that they had inherited from their good-natured parents.
However, what they had experienced over the past year had easily dwarfed what little morality they had remaining.
Coming to the start of the fifth year, the constant battles came to a halt.
Andrew had returned to the chambers one night, this time carrying unconscious individuals.
His sudden appearance was surprising to say the least, the brothers hadn't seen him for a year and then he suddenly returned with a man draped over his shoulder.
Of the two, Xaryus' emotions when Andrew returned were much more complex.
The time he and his brother spent with Andrew had seriously affected them, deeper than they could ever know. Xaryus was furious, but not at the fact that Andrew had returned.
He was angry at the fact that he was happy to see Andrew again... deep down, he missed him.
For the next six months, the boys learnt the dreadful art of torture and how to endure it themselves. Day in, day out, their minds were clouded with pain, sorrow and pity.
Andrew taught them the despair one could feel when trapped with no way to escape their pain.
He also showed them how to destroy a man; mentally and physically.
Strangely, Xaryus didn't dislike the act of torture.
But he never expresses that fact, he hated the thought of having anything in common with Andrew and feared what Zadius would think of him.
***
Another month swiftly passed by, and the brothers were standing in the centre of the blood-stained chamber. They made sure to clean themselves and equip common clothes with coats that stretched down to their knees.
The weapons Andrew had gifted them were hidden just below their coats just as they were taught.
Shortly after, Andrew descended down into the chamber with a young girl draped over his shoulder. However, this girl was no commoner; Zadius could tell just from the quality of her clothes and her thick well-kept red hair.
The young girl was unconscious whilst Andrew quickly tied her to a chair in one of the chamber's corners.
Taking a closer look, Xaryus noticed that the girl appeared to be around the same age as them and was obviously of royalty.
"Her hair is crimson… She can't be?" Xaryus thought briefly.
"This is Rosaly Lionheart, daughter of Lambert Lionheart." Andrew stated whilst removing his coat and a small satchel to his side.
"Lambert Lionheart!? The Artificer!?" Xaryus replied in disbelief.
"Yes." Andrew clarified in a dull tone.
"Why have you brought her here? She's the king's niece." Zadius inquired, his tone filled with worry.
Andrew flashed a bright smile at Zadius' question. He took a moment to put on two black gloves before he finally said, "We're taking her with us on a little adventure."
A swirl of thoughts clouded Zadius' mind as he tried to grasp what Andrew was trying to achieve.
"Here." Andrew said, throwing two small bags towards the brothers.
Inside each bag were a pair of gloves and a white porcelain mask with a bloodied smile drawn across the mouth.
"The hell is this?" Xaryus thought to himself in confusion.
Andrew put his coat back on and picked the satchel up from the ground, "It's time to put yourselves to use..." Andrew said as he equipped the satchel.
"...We're going to the concord."
Andrew's words echoed through the room as if he just spoke of a cataclysmic prophecy. The concord was one of the most dangerous organizations in the world, often called Death Dealers.
They had gained fame from sowing death and destruction wherever they went: An assassination guild founded on the concept of killing sorcerers.
Over time they had developed quite a reputation slaying sorcerers of various ranks. Their true nature and structure were heavily obscured with many dead ends and mystery; even hidden from the most renowned information guilds.
***
"Hmm."
The young red-haired girl trapped beneath the city of Rosa slowly stirred awake.
She quickly understood the danger she was in as her eyes opened. None of her guards were around her and she was roughly bound by a length of rope.
In front of her were three cloaked individuals, each of them wearing black gloves and a porcelain mask with a bloodied smile smeared across its mouth.
A deep fear sprouted beneath Rosaly's heart; she wanted to scream but her mouth was also bound by rope.
"Let's go."
The largest of the three figures spoke, roughly grabbing her off the chair and throwing her over his shoulder.
Andrew bristly led Xaryus and Zadius through the main entrance of the underground chamber and up a long set of stone stairs. They had ascended for a few minutes before the steps came to a halt just in front of a simple wooden door.
Andrew slowly opened the door and stepped into the room behind it.
To Xaryus and Zadius' surprise, the underground chamber seemed to be some sort of basement attached to a home. The interior was well kept and simple, yet Zadius could still see faint signs of a struggle here and there.
There were faded blood stains on certain parts of the floor and slash marks on some parts of the wall.
"Is this Andrew's home or did he kill someone to get his hands on this place?" Zadius thought for a moment.
"Keep moving."
Andrew commanded the brothers as he approached a set of stairs that led up into the second level of the home. There, the brothers passed through a long hallway with various doors, some of them even left ajar.
Whilst they passed, Xaryus caught a glimpse into one of the rooms.
It was the room of a young child; he could faintly see a small bed with disheveled sheets covered in blood. The furniture in the room was broken and cut into pieces but there were no bodies in sight.
The thought of what Andrew must have done to those people plagued Xaryus for a moment, but he then wondered why they would have such a chamber below their home in the first place.
"The family that lived here were serial killers… Yet the oh so powerful Lion's guard couldn't find them after so many years." Andrew scoffed.
"So, I decided to take things into my own hands, who knew they would have such a chamber below their home. A bonus for me really… But if you two had seen the state of the place before I killed them. Ha, if you thought I was bad."
Andrew continued, pushing open the door at the back of the hallway.
As the door opened, a strong breeze pushed itself into the quiet home. Xaryus' eyes went wide beneath his mask at the beautiful lights that spanned hundreds of kilometers across the city.
Stepping out onto the balcony, he could see the large outer walls of the city as well as the two inner walls that sectioned it off.
***
Most cities followed a rather simple structure; the outer sector was composed of lesser nobles and common men. The middle sector was much nicer than the outer sector and housed more fancy and posh establishments catered to nobles and royalty.
The smallest of the three sectors was the King's sector; as the name suggested, it was the most protected portion of each city because it housed its rulers and the upper echelon of the city.
***
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Andrew commented, observing the star struck body language the brothers expressed.
"But now's not the time to stargaze, we have an important person to meet. Let's get a move on…"
Nodding in unison, Xaryus and Zadius began to enhance themselves using mana circulation. It was obvious that Andrew wanted them to move across the rooftops until they reached the city's outer wall.
The house they were currently in was a bit taller than the other surrounding them so they would have no trouble getting to other rooftops.
In a swift motion, Andrew dashed forward and leapt off the balcony and down towards a roof below. Rosaly's eyes were wide, but she wasn't screaming.
She was surprisingly calm.
"Since she's a Lionheart she probably got trained to handle situations like this huh?" Andrew thought.
Unable to be a certain distance away from Andrew because of the mark of bondage, Xaryus and Zadius quickly followed suit.
As they fell through the air, they couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the city below.