The eyes of the Lord went wide, catching the end of Alvin's words. Something that slipped everyone's mind. His thoughts were rattling as he spun his head towards the broken tree.
Vayreban: The one by the tree is still there! (Pausing, then looking to Alvin, then a whistle rang out once more, now grabbing the attention of men crouching down.)
Yurn and Robert shot to order, both of them wielding their still blood-soaked swords. Having had no time to clean or wipe the thick, blood-strewn, creamy red fur from the edge of the blade,
Nothing was said. Only the sounds of feet moving, encompassing Uill, and protecting him from whatever else would spring onto them.
Eyes were shooting all around, to the left and to the right, and now they were looking up at the bony branches above.
Robert: Where? I can't see anything. (muttering.)
Yurn tapped the shoulder of the man next to him, pointing towards the mound from before, by the tree of Carl's phantom from before.
The Lord spoke softly, trying not to wake up the sleeping beast in front of them.
Vayreban: The one by the tree! We forgot about it. (now speaking solely to Alvin.) (Putting his open palm to the two men to the right, indicating them to stay put.)
Both men were grounded in the dirt, legs apart, and their swords gripped by two hands. They were ready for what was to come.
They all turned, and then their fear slowly washed away. The black mound was still there; it never moved, not even once, but still snuggled up to the tree. Only the fur ruffled in the wind—the only breathing that emanated from that direction—was the breathing of nature.
Alvin: It must be dead, or... (his eyes shot to his Lord.)
Vayreban: I'm not taking any more chances. (He turned to Alvin, his hand gripping the leather hilt.)
Alvin: Flame on? (grinning, eyeing the Lord's hands.)
One of the rare instances where the Lord of the Manor shot a half-smile
Wielded by its master, the black sword roared to life one more time.
The crimson shard grew brighter, like the healer before, sparking and fluttering.
Words were being said—words none of the men truly understood but had heard before. This wasn't a shot of flame; it was burning in passion, in hatred that flowed over them all in blazing heat.
Vayreban: Flaminarum, solarium, var rem (pausing then growing to a shout). FLAMINARUM, SOLARIUM, VAR REM! (The crystal died out, then exploded into a piercing shot of flame.)
They could feel the hellfire's heat flowing from the sword's tip. Scorching everything it touched, the ground and the loose leaves floated up, burning as they faded from existence, even charring the tree that was turning into a stump—an explosion of fire.
A hand grabbed the Lord's free arm.
Alvin: Enough (looking at the bleeding nose of the lord). Nothing living would be that still in that hellfire. Hey, stop it! (demanding.)
The eyes of the Lord grew wider, gritting his teeth and cracking the air pocket in between as they rubbed together.
Alvin: (Now pulling harder on the Lord's arm.) ENOUGH! Think of Ruben and Amelia!
The final words struck a chord in the blazing soul, squashing the fuel that had let it burn.
The fiery fury tapered off in the man's heart and that of his sword, disappearing as the tip touched the ground (quenching noise from the point). Only ash and smoke remained in the air.
Vayreban: (Side glancing at Alvin to his right.) Very well… It is better to be safe than sorry.
Uill, Robert, and Yurn watched on at the carnage ahead of them. Something from the beast ahead began to glint in the fading embers of the scorched remains; that glint caught Alvin's eye.
The Lord was standing, perched atop his sword, wiping the blood from his nose once more, using the open undersleeve of his black gauntlet, the blood streaking across the dark leather.
Alvin: Look there! What's that? (squinting and moving closer to the charred remains.)
The three men watched as Alvin moved closer, closing the gap where the arc of flames was.
Yurn: Be careful! (sounding worried.)
In front of Alvin, sticking out of the neck of the now-burnt Cara, was a dagger, one made from solid Veralium or so it seemed; all forms of leather were burned away. He kneeled down, calling the Lord over with his hand.
Vayreban: What is it? (moving towards the kneeling man.)
When he got close enough, the kneeling form spoke.
Alvin: You see that; it must have been hiding under the fur. Grab it; your armour is heat-resistant, mine isn't. (intrigued.)
Vayreban: (His eyes caught the glimmer that lured Alvin in, and he reached for it and pulled.) It seems to be stuck.
He wrapped his hand around the bare grip and pulled. He had to try again as the melted skin and muscles clung to the metal like adhesive. On the third pull, the blade was now free.
Alvin: Well, well, well. It looks like your flames weren't the killing blow after all. Miss Amelia is a cara hunter, just like her father.
Vayreban's eyes were gleaming. Alvin turned to his lord.
Alvin: It's Amelia's, isn't it? (confused.)
Vayreban: No, it's Maria's! (Looking along the blade, he saw the initials.) I thought I had lost this. Why does Amelia have it? (questioning himself.)
Alvin gave a puzzled look.
In the middle, M.D. and J.V. II were inscribed in flowing letters.
Alvin: That isn't Velarium, is it? That blade should be slag after that. Unless (touching his beard)
There was no answer; only a question washed around the mind of the Lord.
Robert and Yurn could only hear faint whispers from the two men in front, but they heard enough to grasp an idea.
Yurn: (Something popped into his head, then he saw it behind the smoke trails of the once-burning cara.) No, move away now! (Warning the men in front.)
Robert: What's wrong? Yurn? (He stopped talking; his eyes saw what Yurn was looking at.)
In the distance. What he saw in the realm of darkness he was in before.
This time, all of them were looking at it. It was Carl's phantom, and now it was Yurn's, glaring at one man.
Vayreban: (turning, seeing the eyes.) Everyone, fall back on Uill; we are getting out of here!
The eyes in the darkness were locked with Yurn's as he was frozen in place, and the moving bodies of the Lord and Alvin reversed back to the men protecting Uill.
Then a voice came and pierced the shadowy form, cutting into the world of light.
Unknown voice: Yurn Lovvet. Find him! (distorted, its arm moving from the shadows.)
A shout came from the man in front, but even his armour was dwarfed by the depths of the darkness of this unknown entity, absorbing all light in its vicinity.
A sword was pointed at the unknown, and something roared to life.
Vayreban: BURN DEMON! (shouting)
A man shot back.
Alvin: Don't. You idiot! (scolding.)
All of the men recoiled in the wild burning of crimson flames as it arced in front of the Lord, burning a swathe in front. The charred stump and carcass were burned away; nothing remained.
Robert: You got it! (Looking into the dying flames that still roared ahead.)
Alvin moved to the weakened form of his lord, nearly falling to his knees, breathing in and out faster and faster.
Vayreban: Is it dead? (The bleeding from his nose was profuse.)
An echo pierced through the fire. Followed by the glowing of two eyes. The flames were sucked into them, and the crystal on the sword began to glow once more.
Alvin: Vayreban, don't! (shouting.)
An answer barked back.
Vayreban: It's not me! I am spent... (confused.)
The gem began to glimmer, and then a crack could be heard, getting louder and louder until it shattered.
Unknown voice: A mere trinket... (distorted)
Yurn pushed in front; he wanted answers, but sadly, they were answers he would never get.
Yurn: What are you?
Unknown voice: Everything and nothing. (The eyes moved from Yurn, and they fixed on the fallen Lord.) I will spare you this time. (pausing.) When his love finally fades, I shall not show you mercy, only despair; Juillius Vayreban... (distorted, now moving its eyes back to Yurn and disappearing once more, fading away into the darkness behind the cara, echoing two words.) Find… him!
As the smoke dissipated, the rushing of feet broke the silence. All of them speaking their minds openly.
Yurn: We need to leave now! (commanding.)
Robert: You don't have to tell me twice! Grab the bottom; I will take the top.
Now on his knees, his blonde, fading hair is flowing in the wind.
Vayreban: What happened? My flames did nothing; it destroyed the shard of the Luminarum. (Looking at the crimson stone on his sword, shattered into a thousand pieces, sprinkled into the earth below, his hands scooping it up.)
Robert: What about Carl?
Alvin: We will consider a plan when we return to Manor. I don't want to stop around and wait for whatever that smokey thing is to manifest itself again. Do you?
Robert turned to the corpse of Carl and muttered.
Robert: Forgive me, brother! I will return to you when I can.
The head of Robert shot down and followed the feet of Yurn, carrying the body of Uill on the stretcher, both of them rushing ahead.
Alvin got Vayreban back onto his feet and followed in tow.
Alvin: Back to the manor now! Vayreban, hold on to me.
They all headed off in the direction they came from, abandoning the carcass of the white cara and leaving behind the corpse of Carl, still trapped in death.
The march of men has now turned into the fear of men escaping something that struck terror in them all. Bludgeoning the earth, moving away from something—the hidden truth
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Another march was coming towards them, coming from the broken wall.
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