No more than a single second had passed after Riku and Anya had left the belfry when a new presence washed over. It was a suffocating power, carrying the same metallic tang of the Crimson Creep, but far more potent.
A figure emerged from the shadows of the balcony doorway, his features completely obscured by a deep hood. The figure first looked at the fallen Vyon and the cowering Marquis, and then at the onlooking crowd who were whispering among themselves.
"Enough," the hooded man said. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority that silenced the murmurs of the crowd below. "The spectacle is over. Disperse. Now."
The onlookers, sensing an authority far greater than that of the Marquis, quickly scattered, leaving only those closely involved behind.
