chsdbacks Chapter 218 – Beginning a War
Chapter 218 – Beginning a War
Chapter 218 – Beginning a WarThe purpose of the Rose disguise was to be something separate from themselves again. While all their disguises were that, outside of the ‘Syrus’ and ‘Luna’ disguises, everything was one or two-use temporary looks. However, they had been murmuring with the idea of creating more permanent identities for a while now. Their current alias of Syrus and Anna had been mixing too closely, and even the Luna disguise was Syrus’s relative, which had its own holes.
So creating something completely separate was very appealing.
Now, the disguise itself hadn’t been prethought out. It was a rush job, but it turned out better than expected thanks to the fact that they were able to agree so quickly. The reason for using it, though. A combination of wanting to throw a new piece of the board and to keep their normal identity clouded. They figured the child could be connected to powerful people within the country, and using an identity separate would be useful, considering they had been attacked just before.
It was a little impromptu decision, but they were quite happy with the results.
Moonlight and Blood, a combination that none of the other public identities used. Of course, certain children knew they could use Blood, but that wasn’t the worst leak. Plus, Eva had tried her best to make Rose look noticeably different from their other looks, with the shape of the face and apparent age.
Now the story of her has developed. Fully separate from everyone who had come before.
Today was supposed to be like any other, however, for the citizens of Eletscoep, the morning commute was met with a shocking revelation. One of the main newspapers as the bundles were being unwrapped by the morning delivery personnel and being placed on the stands, given to people to sell, and sent to special buyers' houses.
The cover of the paper had words written on a large, bold display.”
“The long-lost princess has returned to the city…?” It was an instinctual purchase as one man–whose experiences reflected many others in the city at the current moment–grabbed the paper from the shelf and left the money on the table. The seller, who had only just gotten the papers, hadn’t even bothered looking at the papers before they were put on display, but as early morning tiredness faded, they actually looked at the paper and felt the same surprise as the buyer.
It was an account of how the princess had left the city as a child and recently returned after living on her own for years.
The news almost seemed fake, but the source was by THE prominent company that had explored and provided accounts on what happened thirty years ago. Everyone who assumed there might be some mistruth about the information believed there would be a public announcement soon. Honestly, people did think this information was given by the paper instead of some huge announcement.
The article started off intriguingly. No one had imagined there was a survivor who had just been wandering between countries like a nomad. It was a lifestyle that the people of Eletscoep rarely thought about experiencing.
For those wondering why there was no prior announcement, the article shifted into its first accusations.
It said that upon arriving in the city, the royal princess’s life was under threat, and she had been kept away for her own safety. People couldn’t believe that assassination attempts were happening within the city, but the rumours and rumours of people seeing conflicts that weren’t just gang violence had spread.
Then it began mentioning names and evidence written by the deceased prince Jacob Valus Scope, with the help of the princess, who implicated the current Prime Minister in his murder, and his name was brought up again as one of the people organising the attacks on the princess.
People kept turning the pages to find out more, and at the bottom of a page, there was a threat.
‘To the plague master, I have come for you.”
Based on the prior words, there was only one person those words could possibly be leading towards, but even with everything said before, it was something people found hard to believe. Because who wanted to believe that? It was a topic that stirred pain throughout the city for generations, and this line was an accusation at their leader, someone who had been in charge for such a long time and was a protector.
Before anyone could charge upon the parliament in rage, all paths towards the building had been blocked off. Soldiers were ordered to construct barricades and had every path locked down. People were afraid when they saw the armed guards, but some stormed up to them, demanding answers.
Screams about why they were blocking off the entrance if what was written was untrue was the biggest spark to the match.
It was still early in the morning, so the city was far from being fully active, but the word was being spread. The moment one person learned, they had to spread it to someone else, and chaos was spreading. People demanding answers and others taking steps, afraid of what was going to happen.
“I–I’m sorry! But I cannot allow you to pass.” The guards didn’t allow the worried citizen through.
“Why?! We demand answers!”
“The words in the paper are not to be taken at face value. The people who have committed acts to disturb public order will be punished accordingly, so don’t worry.” The guard next to them stamped his weapon on the ground to calm the crowd.
“So are you stating these words are fake?” The woman questioned as the group of people stood behind her.
The guards were divided. Some obeyed orders from people the average guard never interacted with, but with such a short window, the rush meant not every guard was on the same page.
“It will need to be investigated… but that is a lot in one paper…” The guard replied. He didn’t even get to read it before duty, only seeing it after someone threw it in his hand. “Let’s leave this to the professionals…”
The guards next to him didn’t even give him the side eye as they wished he would shut up. The situation was already tense as it was, and they needed to be firm to not allow any physical or mental cracks to cause a leak.
“Professionals?” Someone else shouted from the crowd. “So the people being accused?! What are they just going to say, they are innocent!"
“Yeah! Do you understand what it means if these words are true!”
“What are you hiding!”
“Give us answers!”
“Did Abea kill my child!?”
“Let us through!”
“We demand the truth!”
One of the people pushed the guard, and he gave a reactive shove back as the lady fell to the ground. “Please just stay back! We are under orders to allow no one close to protect the parliament ministers and staff in case of an attack. I don’t want to harm anyone—” The guard's voice froze. He didn’t know if it was because of the guard next to him touching his shoulder or the presence of blood that filled the air.
The crowd parted as people sat back in shock, fear, reverence, surprise, and all many other emotions.
Holding a pure metal lance that appeared more like a reference piece or a decorative piece than an actual weapon. Such a tool would be far too expensive to craft for a normal army soldier, and the power of such a piece was mighty.
Blood dripped down the lance, crafting a beautiful web to entrap the piece of steel.
In clothes of dark red and white, she walked down the street towards the parliament building. Armour that looked ready for war, that had been dyed in red, with a white coat that no stain touched.
“People, I commend your bravery, but I ask you to step back. I have a head I must claim.” The woman declared with a demonic facade. A red horn with a black tip had grown from the left side of her head, and a red mask that covered the opposite side of her face with another red horn that appeared to grow through the mask.
One guard’s expression shifted differently from the rest. “No one is allowed to pass–!” His words were stopped as a powerful punch sent him flying back onto the pavement, and Rose appeared right in front of him. In another step, she was near the man again, having passed the blockade.
“I could tell you have heard of me, but you should have listened to your gut.”
Rose’s face turned to the left, “If you wish to die, you may follow the young guards. And the people of the city, stay away, I would be best if you do not get caught up in the bloodshed.”
[Was letting the whole city know the best of plans… Abea was alerted to the attack before we did anything, and now there is the chance people could be in danger.] Eva worried about the action of their plan harming people she didn’t want to see hurt.
Syrus replied, [This way is better for protecting Mary, Max, and everyone else we find important. The chaos is why Abea cannot run, and now the whole city is people ready to revolt against the common enemy once this is over. If they learned about it after the fact, it would only slow things down.]
[That may be true… but I think something could have been done better…]
[That is why we are planning on yelling.] (Luna)
[I guess that is true.] Luna’s words helped Eva.
Havier was the only person they could turn to. The owner of a newspaper company used all his ability and technology to make as many copies as quickly as possible. There were far fewer copies than normal, but a large amount still had been made. A replacement of the first few pages of the paper with information about the situation and Mary.
Havier wasn’t happy about it, but was convinced that it was the only way to drive a nail into the enemy he didn’t realise was so close to him for thirty years.
Luna did push him and manipulate him into agreeing. He had known Mary had given permission, which helped justify it to himself, but Luna gave him salvation that once this was done, soon this nightmare would be over. The demon that scarred the city and haunted its people would be no more.
The guards who thought about turning around stopped as they held back the people who didn’t want to listen to the scary woman’s warning.
Rose’s march upon the building was interrupted as a large assortment of guards came charging up to her, with one man in heavily armoured gear standing behind them. Syrus saw the man’s expression through his helmet, and he looked ready for combat and had clearly seen some through his life.
[Well, he at least looks like someone experienced.] (Syrus)
“Surrender–!” A guard's yell was interrupted when a spiked stick of Moonlight was thrown into his body.
“No more whining.” Syrus raised the lance, and the blood covering it sparkled with a dangerous light.
The first group of guards and the one intruder entered an immediate conflict. With the blood-covered lance dashing forward, and a clash of elemental blasts, Syrus smashed through and delivered devastating blows one after another. Each strike broke the plating of the guards' armour and sent them tumbling back.
The heavily armoured guard charged in, his blows carried the strength of a storm as Anlesa felt a shockwave explode through their body when they blocked.
Small cracks on Anlesa's skin emerged as the two fighters' weapons clashed for a second time, but blood flowed out and sealed them shut.
Syrus reached out and grabbed the arm of the person charging at her from behind. Her single hand pulled the armoured man off the guard as she threw him into the titan in front of her.
The heavily armoured guard stepped back and let the other many fall as Syrus came in swinging with another punch. He barely blocked it with his arm, but felt his arm crack.
He slammed his shield forward and, with a shockwave, sent Rose back a few metres, and he took another leap backwards. “Fire!” He yelled as a swarm of cannon fire and magic rained down on the area from the nearby buildings. With his large shield and magic now active to protect himself, he waited for the bombardment to complete.
The explosion of material left a massive cloud of smoke in its wake, and the man on the guard had his body shredded, but as the cloud dispersed. The man could still see a figure. If they weren’t dead, the only goal was to finish them off now that they were injured.
However, when the cloud fully vanished, the woman didn’t look harmed whatsoever. Then, in a single leap, she landed in front of him, as if to taunt him even more.
“What are you!–” The knight’s eyes opened wide as he stared at the Monster in front of him. The only thing that had brought him such fear in the past was fighting those terrifying creatures that defied all forms of nature. “–Monster!”
Something within her caused Syrus to smirk. “Monster?”
Syrus had only been called such a thing thrice. Demons and beasts were far more common. Monster, though, it was the terrifying creatures that threatened the lives of everyone, whose bodies, even after death, caused destruction. The term was used much more loosely in this part of the world.
“Do you understand the meaning of that word?” Syrus’s mouth was cold with a bright smile. “Even while following a man like that? Haha… You are truly amazing.”
The blood mask sharpened as the horns grew towards the knight. With a loud bang, mana exploded from the knight to push Anlesa back, but Syrus jumped forward, and the lance stuck the centre of the knight’s armour in its toughest point, and the metal cracked.
“Argh!” The man cried as the lance cut into his gut, and with a fling, his body was tossed to the ground.
The remaining guards raised their weapons, but there was deep fear in their eyes. They weren’t the people Anlesa was worried about. From atop the building, familiar masked individuals were looking down from above.
[Looks like time to get some personal revenge.] (Syrus)
Rose popped the tied cap of a thin potion and drank the sparkling red liquid. The violence was far from over yet.