"This.." Diane was speechless, as she beheld the sight. "Come, my lady." The man, who had already fully emerged from the cellar, said to her. The damsel shot a glance of hesitation towards his direction, before reluctantly accepting his arms. She immediately felt faint when she saw the totality of it. "Egiel, are those.." She stated, as she glanced at the corpses which littered the floor. "They are not one of us, my lady." Egiel replied in a calm manner, after observingwhat it was she spoke of. He just cast an indifferent gaze at the bodies. He was the one that killed them, agreed, but he did not feel a thing concerning the matter- neither pity, nor sympathy. "We ought to make haste, My lady." Egiel stated, after noticing how the damsel Stared, her eyes fixated to the spot. "You are right." She simply stated, striding over to him. Egiel stared at her for a while. 'Is she still affected by the incident that occured at the Duke's manor? I was of the opinion that she would have recovered from the initial shock by now. But.. it is also no concern of mine.' Egiel seized Diane by the hand, startling the maiden in the process. "It appears that you are not very keen at the sight of blood, my lady." The butler commented, carefully ensuring that the puddles on the floor left no mark on her clothing. "Not quite, I am afraid." Diane replied, as she treaded in accordance to his pace. "I begin to comprehend the reason behind Lisa's actions." She added, a wry smile on her face. "It was truly not out of choice." Egiel remarked, not even bothering to cast a glance backwards. "You need not hold a grievance against her- our main goal Is to ensure that you remain protected in his absence, my lady." Egiel explained to her. "My master himself, instructed us as such." He added. "I am yet to gain knowledge of what it was that occured, Egiel." The butler heard the demanding voice from behind him. "And what of the family members? Are they alright?" Diane asked, in an agitated tone. "I am unsure of the current condition they are In." That statement nearly made Diane to Halt in her footsteps. Egiel turned around to gaze at her. "But I have a cause to believe that they are yet alive." He assured her, after observing how distress she became. "I truly hope so." The maiden gave a nearly incoherent mumble. "They will have to be alright- because they will only attract the unquenchable wrath of the master, if they dare to misplace their priorities." Egiel stated, before leaning ever closer to the maiden. "In addition, I deduce that they only came here for you, My lady." Diane's throat became parched in an instant. "Do you care to elaborate?"
***********************************
"Douen, please take this cart over there.." Theodore continued to pour instructions to the men who were present with him, not even concerned as to whether or not they comprehended the commands. The estate was almost in a state of desolation; as the exercise that occured once in a lifetime finally came to an end. The taller man simply nodded his head at him. "There be anything else?" Douen asked, as he gently took the box in his hand. Theodore hesitated for a moment. "Goodness, I will only get a headache at this rate." He muttered to himself, before glancing towards a particular direction. "I would let you know if there is anything additional; if you come across any difficulties, do well to notify me." Theodore impatiently stated. Douen bowed, before leaving his presence. As soon as the latter had departed, Theodore cast his gaze southward, where a certain man sat on a rock.
"Diego." Theodore called out, as soon as he approached him. "Is all well with you?" He asked in a tone full of concern. The man gazed at him for a moment. "Is all set to depart?" He asked, causing the brow of his cousin to twitch slightly. "The cargoes are not fully loaded- unless you want us to come wandering back to this place the next day." Theodore explained, as he sat beside him. "Why are you so eager to return home anyway?" Interrogated the younger man, his curiosity sufficiently piqued. "I do not know." Came the monotonous response, resulting to the sigh which escaped from the lips of Theodore. 'I would have predicted for It to be his work, but..' His lips curved suddenly, forming the outline of a smile. 'I ought not to forget that there is yet another.' "How long of a duration do you suppose a return journey might take?" Diego asked, forcing the subconscious of his companion back to reality. "I have a likely prediction that it might take four hours." Theodore spoke, after performing some crucial calculations. "But given the number of carraiges we may encounter on our way, then we might consider an additional two hours..." A click of a tongue brought an end to the statement, causing Theodore to stare in awe, as Diego paced around in agitation. "Too much.. Too demanding.." "Diego!" Theodore called out to him once more, bringing a termination to Diego's nearly insane state of mind. "Are you absolutely certain that you are alright?" Theodore asked, intercepting his path. His eyes trailed downwards for some time- although, he could not see the injury since Diego had concealed it with his clothes. "And.. How does the wound fare?" Thedore asked, in a slightly worried tone. "The pain has abated slightly." Diego replied, as he avoided eye contact with the other. "Then, what sows such great distress to your heart?" Theodore asked once more, before a frown came to his face. "Is it the daughter of Turrain? We shall see about this matter.." He paused, when he saw Diego shake his head in negation. "Then, what is it?" Thedore pressed on, but his cousin relayed no answer to his initial questions- he only sat himself upon his post once more. "Alright then." Theodore stated, in an exhausted voice. "I will inform Doeun and the rest of the knights to make quick work of their actions- since you are so desperate to leave." Theodore simply stated, before turning away. He would not have realized it- But Diego had lain his sight on him until he crossed the range of his vision. "Forgive me Theodore- but even I know naught of my recent behavior." Diego muttered to himself as the silhouette of Thedore grew faint due to the disparity in distance. He gripped the item in his hand with more ferocity- afterall, hus current predicament was due to it. Ever since he had witnessed his glow, his heart had begun to palpitate, causing the shadow of dread to loom over him with the slight hesitation. And the he knew quite well, how much he utterly despised this feeling; the feeling that he had wished he would never perceive once more in his lifetime. The mild but suffocating sensation he felt, when he had a glimpse of his parents for the final time.
*******************************************
Diane stared at the butler for a moment, her mind in a haze. This would have most likely been one of Diego's adversary, She was aware; but the manner by which Egiel had framed it made it seem like- "Why for my sake?" Diane continued to prod deeper into the issue. "Because, my lady." Egiel stared at her, as though she ought to have been very well be aware of such a situation. "At the present moment, you are the one whom my lord holds dearest to his heart." Egiel simply replied, and was slightly amazed to witness the look of surprise on the face of the damsel. "You must be aware that his currently surrounded by enemies, although the exact number may be unspecified to you." Egiel continued to press on. "But why..." Diane muttered to herself. She truly did not want to be the one who led this family to their destruction. "Is the reason not clear enough?" Egiel's voice brought her back to the present. "My master does not possess several weaknesses, so they would certainly seek to affect him through his lineage." Egiel explained. Diane exhaled for a moment, before walking past him. "My lady?" Egiel asked, as he glanced at the damsel, who was currently searching through the bodies of one of the deceased. "Since it has come to this, rather than wasting more time than expected.." She began, withdrawing a item from one of the corpses. "We should do our utmost best to Come to their aid, before Diego eventually arrives."
*******************************************
A man sighed as he seated himself on the chair. He brought out a pocket watch from his clothing, before glancing at the direction of the sun. Although the living room was extensive lavished, it seemed not to cause a change to his stoic expression. His eyes eventually shifted from the windows, to the four unconscious members who were strapped to the dining chairs. They were situated in the middle of the room; why round about him were men dressed in a singular fashion. Although all he did was yawn; the atmosphere fell into a tension in an instant. "You.." He stated, pointing towards one of the men. The addressed person bounded up to him in an instant. "Have you heard any report from Blanche and the rest?" The man asked. The addressed bounded up to him in an instant, with a frightened expression on his face, bending low in order to whisper into the man's ears. "We have tried to establish contact with them, but..." "But?" The man repeated, after sensing the hesitation. "But we were unable to establish a contact.." The unfortunate man had not been able to complete his statement, when he had his head slammed to the ground. A slight whimper could be heard, and the man was certain, that that did not come from those who were with him. "Then search for them, Carden." The man stated, with something similar to a smirk on his face. "The hunt has most probably been concluded, and we are yet to established our objective." The man stated, with an irritated gaze. "So please." He stated, glancing at the man who still had placed his hand on his head. Besides from a mild swelling, he was miraculously unhurt. "Understood." The subordinate called out, throught gritted teeth. The eyes of the man then narrowed, as he glanced at the direction of the maids. One of them, an older one, had placed her hands on the mouth of a younger- a child, who made desperate attempts to prevent the tears from falling. 'Could they be related?' The man pondered inwardly, as he tilted his head at them. The possibility could not be ruled out; there did appear to be some genetic similarities. "And what of the water I had asked for?" The man suddenly questioned, as he glanced at the Older adult. For some reason, the younger maiden seemed to cling desperately to the older adult. Dorothy gave a small smile. "I was just about to, Esteemed guest.. But I got slightly carried away by your display of beastality, you see." Dorothy explained with a smile, before carefully approaching the glass of water on the table. The man gave her a small smile. "You have a rather spicy tongue." He commented, as he observed the maid. Dorothy also returned the smile; but did not say anything in response. Alice, upon witnessing the movements of her mother- made an attempt to grab a hold of the helm of her latter' s clothing- but failed. "Here you are." She stated, placing the glass in the man's outstretched arm. "That child is rather close to you." The man commented, as he accepted the glass from her. "Is she an offspring of yours?" Dorothy's gripped her dress as she heard that statement. "That is not the motive of which you came here for, I suppose." Dorothy replied, all the while acting as though she were serving a guest. "You are absolutely correct." The man commented, as he fiddled with his glass. "And I would have been on my way, have you not uttered falsehood concerning the whereabouts of the lady of the house." "What I said to you was nothing short of the truth." Dorothy refuted his earlier claims. "I will chose to believe you- we would keep searching." The man stated in response. "Afterall, there is a limit of which she could run- where could she possibly flee to?" He asked no one In particular, a slight scoff coming from his being. "If my you so much as to lay a finger on my lady, my lord shall be needing of your head." Dorothy whispered in a light tone, but the man overheard the statement, anyway. 'Which is exactly the reason why ought to leave this place before his arrival.' The persona thought to himself, as he stared at the woman. 'Although I am yet to see for myself what he is truly capable of, but that title.. I am quite certain that the crown would not just simply grant it to anyone.' He thought, before glancing at the glass in his hand. "A fine tactic to use, I must say..." The voice made Dorothy to Halt In her footsteps. "I do not trust that you are wise enough to use such a methodology, unless.." His eyes wandered to a corner of the room, where a certain maiden was seated squarely on the ground, bounded both hands, feet and mouth. "I wander how you had managed to convey your thoughts to her- you are rather interesting." The man stated, as he stared at her with a smile. Upon hearing this, Lisa squirmed- it was quite obvious that she was trying to say something, and for some reason, the smile on the leader's face grew even broader. "I am truly glad that I do cannot hear what you say- it would be too much of a pity if your neck got broken prematurely." The man simply stated, before glancing at the maid who had served him earlier. "Why do you stand before me? Begone." He commanded, before glancing into another direction. Without warning, he walked to where Regis was sat, his head slightly slumped over. Ceitas gave the man a light tap to the face. Almost in an instant, he caught a brief glance of the eyelids Flickering. "Well, your reaction speed is not as deplorable as I had thought." Was the voice that came to the ears of Regis, as soon as be opened his eyes. He was not expected to see a man clad in black, with a menacing smile on his face. Cerit's Grey eyes glimmered for a moment when he noticed that the man was conscious. "Who are you? And why?" Regis began, as he glanced around the living room- he could not move- he had been tightly restrained against the chair, the ropes ever so taut that they Nearly cut through his skin. "You really ought to work on your defences..Lord.. Ah, your family history is so complicated." The man stated, rubbing his hand against his head In irritation. "If care had not been taken, we would have most certainly breached upon the wrong manor today." He stated, before glancing at the item, which peeked out from the man's pocket. "It is Good that you have that with you, so you can wake your family." Cerit stated, a slight smile on His face. Regis on the other instance, frowned lightly. "Why should I?" The man asked, causing Cerit to give low sigh. "Because the life of your members are at stake, what else?" Cerit stated, an expression of anger on his face. "You..' Regis began, wanting to make a move, but his Actions came to a temporary Halt. "So you finally realized, is that not so?" The man asked as he glanced at the silver bracelet on the man's hand. "That artifact would hamper you from utilizing your essence... unless you do possess a vast amount that no normal human should." Cerit quipped, his intonation nearly victorious. "Sir, would you want me to imbue my essence instead?" One of the men asked, walking towards them. "Tell me- do you on now how they imbue their essence?" Cerit interrogated the man who had come before him. The addressed lowered his head, offerings no response. "If your essence surges In the wrong direction, you do realize that you could die, right?" The man asked, tilting his head towards his companion. "So it would be the best for you to stay out of it; I am not ready to come in for undue questioning." He added. "They should be awake, by now." A voice stated. Cerit directed his attention towards his captives; and sure enough, the two ladies had gradually began to regain consciousness- although the children were still asleep, Regis apparently did not bother to Relay the signal to Leonia. "My lord.." Dorothy called out, but one glance from Cerit made her to Halt. "Just stay where you are." The man stated, in a tone of warning, "I don't usually behave so indecent to ladies, but you would have to permit my behavior, just this once." Cerit stated, as his eyes wandered at Natasha for a second. "If I were you, I would be trying my utmost best to escape." Natasha stated, as she glanced at the window in the western wing. "Because if he comes to find his household in disarray, goodness knows what he may do." Natasha stated, as she glanced towards the man. "Which is the reason why you should hand over the cousin in my care, and we would be on our way." Cerit stated, a slight smile on His face. "I was of the opinion that she may have been In the library, but she is not there, unfortunately so." Surit stated, as he briefly glanced at the direction of the who was bounded as though she were a lunatic. But neither of the captives spoke; all of them automatically became mute. "Is this how it shall be?" The man stated, as he narrowed his eyes. "Then, I.." "Can you not be gentle to a damsel?" The sudden intrusion made Surit to turn his head. From where he stood, he caught a glimpse of his subordinate Caden, push a maid towards the ground. "Now I shall get.." "You, just be quiet.." Caden stated, as he glared at the woman on the ground. The maid hiccuped lightly shifting away from the man. Her hair was tightly wrapped in a white shawl; causing her forehead to Nearly disappear in the process, and her face was slightly covered In sooth. "Caden." Cerit called out from the corner, his eyes fixated on the woman. "What is this filthy thing that you have brought into the room? Where is the maiden?" Surit asked, staring at the man. While the leader still spoke, they brought in another man, in a nearly unconscious state of mind. "Do well to tie them up against te other." Caden instructed the men who was with them. "No! Egiel! Please wake up, my dear.." The lady squirmed, as men did as they were told. "And ensure to gag her, If need be" The man stated, as he walked over to his superior. "And the maiden?" Cerit asked, as the man approached him. Caden shook his head. "We searched every corner, but.. is it possible that she perhaps.." Surit squeezed the shoulder blade of then man hard, causing a slight wince to escape from his lips. "If you dare to say such, then this entire operation would be for naught." Surit stated, before releasing his companion's arm. Caden swallowed for a moment, unable to look at the other man In his eye. "You shall not find our Lady, even if you toil the earth to its core!" The maiden continued to shout, causing the two antagonists to cast their glance at her. "We have concealed her in a place that you know naught of!" "I thought I told you to gag her." Carden stated simply, turning to the man at his side. "You did- but you see, boss- There was nothing available to gag her with." The entity explained himself. "And.. you also said if it was necessary." "You fool!" Caden exclaimed, Nearly kicking the man to the ground. "I had actually brought them here, with the opinion that they may be of assistance- it is a wonder that they managed to survive." Caden elaborated further. "But why are they tied up in such a manner?" Cerit asked, his eyes wandering towards the duo once more. The butler still had his head slumped downwards- still unconscious, while the maid continued to holler to the empty air. "Because they are lovers, I suppose." Canden stated, a slight shudder running through his spine. "It is beyond me, how they could commit such an action in broad daylight, and in such a situation.."
The maid finally stopped yelling, after finally draining herself of the little energy she had. 'I believe I am going to have a headache..' She mused within herself, shutting her eyes briefly for a moment. She stared In the direction of her second closest neighbor for a moment, a slight smile coming to her face. "Do I repulse you, Lisa?" The maid immediately glanced upwards as she heard that voice. Undeniably, those enchanting blue eyes.. They are surely.. "My lady?" Lisa stated in a hush whisper, her mouth nearly agape. She had not expected for the identity of the maid to be as such.. Given how crudely and high pitched the voice of the maid was. "Egiel, is he still alive?" Lisa asked, turning to the butler. A slight scoff could be heard. "Have you been expecting to hear of my bereavement?" Egiel asked, as his red eyes flickered open. The damsel however, squirmed against him. "Your plan worked too well, Egiel." Diane stated, her voice nearly sounding pitiful. "How I wish that Diego could arrive speedily" She stated. "We shall be out of this situation in a moment." Egiel stated simply, and Diane could feel the sensation of the ropes breaking. "To think that you would possess such strength." Lisa quipped, from the sidelines. Egiel opened his mouth, but what emerged were not words- but a husky cough. "Are you alright?" Diane asked immediately. "You have has such a bothersome cough ever since we left the corridors." "I am fine, thank you for your concern, my lady." Egiel managed to summon a reply, as he gazed at the droplets on the floor. 'Given their reaction, it is definitely safe to assume that they have not seen anything.' Egiel stated, as the ropes began to break faster now. 'I am desperately pressed against time...' "Leader!" A man called out, bursting into the room suddenly. Surit turned his head to the exasperated man, who was apparently huffing for air. "Where have you been this whole time? We were of the opinion that we had been bereaved of you." Surprisingly, it was not Cerit who had spoken, but rather Caden. "Forget that, did you manage to find the damsel?" He pressed on. 'Goodness, how did I leave such an open space in my plans?' Egiel thought to himself, as he recognized the voice. 'Damn it.. I should have killed him when I had the chance.' "Well? What are your explanations concerning this affair?' Surit asked, his curiosity piqued. The man did not answer, but rather shot an intuitive glance towards the direction of the servants. His pupils dilated suddenly when he his eyes came into contact with that of the butler. 'Damn it.. I have been discovered.' Egiel thought, a slight smile coming to his face. 'But first..' The man. Thought, glancing towards his pocket. "That man." Viron stated, as he shot a fearful glance at Egiel. "He is not as you suppose him to be.." "You all have understated your welcome, I am afraid." Egiel stated, as he stood up to his feet, while gently massaging his hurting wrists. "What a pity- I intended to make a good use of you." Egiel narrowed his eyes at the man. "But how did you.." Caden stated, surprised, as he glanced at the man. Egiel provided no response, but had rather rushed up to the aggressor. "You arrogant.. " Carden stated, as he spread out both hands before him. But that was when it hit him- the slight bout of dizziness. It was not just him- even Diane held her head lightly, whilst some of the men actually fell to the ground, apparently in Pain. "Just what did you do?" Surit asked, as he stared at the men on the floor. He had felt it as well- it was just that he had a higher fortitude to resist it. Egiel simply stared at his palm- glancing at him, before murmuring something incomprehensible.
"Are you alright, my lady?" Lisa asked in a worried tone, as she glanced in the direction of the damsel. "Yes, I am fine." Diane whispered in reply- denying the fact that the world before her was still.spinning. "Ah, which reminds me.." The damsel suddenly glanced at the maid in open eyeswonder, before fiddling hurriedly for something in her apron.
"How come?" Caden thought, as he stared at his own Palms. "Why can I not use my powers?" He thought- he felt as though something dear had been taken away from him. "So it seems that without your powers, you are no different than an ordinary person." Egiel muttered to himself, while glancing down at him. "You seem to forget that I am yet present!" A yell came from his left- of which Egiel dodged effortlessly, sliding underneath the blade. Egiel felt a slight vibration at his waist region- it was the sword. "I know." He simply muttered, unsheathing it. "This may be the last time, that you may ever witness this." He stated with a smile, before charging towards them.
'The pin did turn out to have alternative uses as well.' Natasha thought, as she patted her head. She had currently been freed from her Shackles, and currently stood with her family. Unfortunately, the silver bracelets were still on their wrists- they needed time to decrypt it, which was currently what they did not possess. "We are fortunate that they are focused on Egiel." Maria Muttered, as she glanced at the butler, who was currently engaging with the aggressors one by one. A frown came to the face of Lisa- who was currently holding to a curly haired boy. "Are you sure of your decisions Diane?" Regis asked the 'Maid.' Once more. "If Egiel is left to face them alone, he would probably end up losing his life." Diane said, after a brief pause. "Worry not for my sake- I do have a level of expertise." Diane assured them, taking a hold of her weapon. "But My lady.." Dorothy, who had been burdened by Leonia's weight, quipped in. "You need not worry Dorothy- I an by her side, am I not?" Natasha asked, clenching her fists. "Alright, if this is what you both have decided." Regis gave a helpless sigh. "In the meantime, It shall also bid us some time to contact Diego."
********************************************
Egiel huffed lightly, as he stared at the men before him. He resisted the overwhelming urge to cough- even his sword felt heavy. 'Have I.. hit the limitations of this body?' He thought, as his consciousness began to fade at regular intervals. 'Hiw pitiful.. I thought I could turn the tides to my favor..' He thought, as he wiped at his mouth. "You have a rather magnificent blade, I will admit." Cerit stated, as he walked up to the butler. He was aware that the older members of the family had long escaped- but he did not care. They were never a target of his, anyways.. but Still, he felt a slight sense of irritation. "How would do you expect me to be compensated?" The man asked, his shadow looming over Egiel. But, as though in a reaction, he dodged- and a vase flew past his head, before crashing into the wall. "Who told you that we were out of the game?" An individual asked, drawing out his attention from the shambles.