‎Ten minutes before the appearance of the dome in Eden City.

‎Thrain's image was projected on holographic screens in different chambers across the world.

‎" Our headquarters in Eden City is currently under attack by an unknown assassin, resembling the rogue assassin from before.

As we speak, Victoria Goodison is currently engaging the unknown attacker, and we'll be joining her in a while. From the looks of things, the man is quite skilled and definitely came prepared."

‎The three members of the council of assassins who had answered the call listened in sombre silence.

The Council of Assassins had prepared for attacks against their strongholds, both in Tenebris and on Earth.

But then their enemy had done something they hadn't expected.

And that was carrying out an attack on Praesagius instead of the Brotherhood.

So despite the Council's best efforts, they'd still been caught off guard by the unexpected development.

‎" In summary, we need your help. After all, this man is likely one of your own, and therefore, you're better suited to carry out the interrogation once he's captured."

‎" Thank you, Thrain. We'll be sending reinforcements now."

‎Damien McAllister got off the call and turned to the two men seated in front of him.

The atmosphere inside the luxurious office was one of tense anticipation.

‎One of the men wore dark sunglasses, despite being indoors. He was clad in a loose-fitting black long-sleeved shirt and dark pants.

‎The other wore a crisp black suit, with a white shirt within, the outfit giving him an air of elegance and regality.

All three men were maestros, and because of this, Damien had no doubt the other two men already knew the gist of what was happening.

‎The three men had been discussing the recently concluded meeting between the Great Houses and the lesser Houses before the call had interrupted them.

‎" That was a call from Thrain. He's also the current spokesman, you could say, for the Videntis. His presence was quite pivotal in our negotiations with the Talented."

‎Luke pierced Damien with a curious stare.

‎" What do the Videntis want with us?"

‎The look on Damien's face became grimmer.

‎" Well, he says they're under attack. And apparently, it's a different maestro from the rogue one from before. He thinks the two are connected. Perhaps under the same organisation or cabal."

‎Luke shot to his feet, his crimson eyes glowing murderously.

‎" Let's go now. There's no time to waste then. We could find out the mastermind behind this entire scheme.

‎At the very least, if we capture him, we should be able to extract information out of him about the whereabouts of the kids."

‎" Calm down, Luke," Damien said quietly, stippling his fingers together.

Damien's cold, grey eyes pierced the two men with a calming look.

‎" We can't rush into this with a half assed plan. That would only further escalate the situation. If we're to do this, we need results."

‎Conrad smiled darkly, taking off his dark glasses for a moment.

His unusual eyes glinted eerily in the light.

‎" Oh, we'll get results, alright. Just send me. I wasn't there the first time you faced this mystery man. From what you described, he's able to manipulate minds with umbralis. Just like me."

‎Damien pierced him with a serious look.

‎" Are you sure you want to reveal the extent of your powers in public?"

‎Conrad grinned, leaning forward.

‎" Just a teeny weeny bit. You see, I want to see what another awakened can do with a similar ability, how I measure up to them and of course, if we capture them..."

‎He shrugged nonchalantly, leaning back in his seat.

‎" Even better."

‎Luke nodded in agreement.

‎" He makes a good point. And you don't have to worry, I'll go with him and keep an eye on him so things don't get out of hand."

‎Damien sighed, drumming his fingers on the large desk in front of him.

‎He somberly stared at his reflection on the blank screen in front of him.

‎After a few moments, he sighed again.

‎" Fine. I'll inform the others. It's better if we send fewer people. Multiple-dimensional rifts will cause numerous umbralis fluctuations that will tip off the enemy, especially if it's a maestro."

‎A few calls later, the matter was settled.

‎" Oh, you'll be joined in a moment by the Spectre and his niece. Her father, Lord Varas, reluctantly allowed her to take part in the operation."

‎" Very well then."

‎The two men rose to their feet.

‎" You'll rendezvous at the Varas stronghold in Tenebris, then make your way to Eden City from there. Luke is quite familiar with the place. "

‎Luke nodded slightly.

‎A dark smile spread across Conrad's face.

‎" I'm quite familiar with it as well, for more notorious reasons. Luke, if you'd do the honours."

‎Luke shook his head slightly, then released his hold on the umbralis, both in his body and around him, spreading his control over the dark energy outward.

‎He concentrated on the illusory dimension, fluidly linking the umbralis in his body to the one in Tenebris, creating a temporary rift between the two dimensions.

‎Jagged cracks ran through the air.

In the next moment, the space shattered, creating a vertical rift.

‎In the gap created, another world appeared, bringing with it a frigid cold breeze that swept through the warm office.

‎A myriad of snowflakes fell from the distant sky, sifting through the rift.

‎In the distance, a dark fortress loomed, its foreboding walls stretching into the dark, cloudy night sky.

‎The two men stepped through the rift, the space collapsing around them, swirling behind them like a vortex.

‎"It's been ages since I visited the Volarian Snow plains," Conrad murmured, breathing in the cold air.

‎" Let's pick up the pace, shall we?"

‎In the next instant, Luke vanished into the distance.

‎A slight smirk appeared on Conrad's face. He took his dark sunglasses, his eyes narrowing in amusement.

‎" Cocky bastard."

‎A moment later, he too vanished, leaving swirling snowflakes in his wake.

‎The two maestros quickly covered dozens of kilometres within minutes.

‎****

‎Security in all assassin strongholds, both in Tenebris and on Earth, had been tightened significantly after the attack in Pyreptar Academy.

‎Most of the guards at the Varas stronghold were seasoned novices and apprentices.

‎Staying at a stronghold in the mysterious dimension had several perks, among them being an unlimited supply of umbralis.

‎This meant the novices and the apprentices could spend time refining their umbralis techniques and improving their mastery over the dark energy.

‎This also meant that the assassin guards present could do little to nothing if a hostile maestro attacked.

‎That was, of course, if no maestro was present within the stronghold itself.

‎Which was why, when a sudden abnormal blizzard rolled in, the guards on duty atop the imposing walls of the Varas stronghold scrambled to their stations.

‎Seconds later, two dark figures materialised, standing shoulder to shoulder.

‎The two men nonchalantly trudged through the snow, slowly approaching the gargantuan fortress.

‎One, a man wearing an elegant black suit. Even from a distance, he radiated a dark aura of power and dread, striding confidently through the white veil of snow.

‎The other, a young man wearing nothing but a long-sleeved black shirt and black pants and, unbelievably, sunglasses in the extreme cold, sauntered forward, giving the impression of not having a care in the world.

‎The captain of the guard silently observed the approaching duo with a calm expression on his face.

‎" Those two men are undoubtedly maestros," he muttered under his breath.

‎His grey eyes narrowed, a small smile appearing on his face.

‎If it had been any other day, he would not have been as calm, but fortunately for him, if the two maestros were hostile, the Varas stronghold also had two maestros present.

‎One of them was among the strongest in existence, and coincidentally, the two had arrived a few moments earlier.

‎The Captain, Matthew Varas, a man born into one of the Varas family branches, subtly signalled to one of his trusted subordinates.

‎"Notify the Spectre. Inform him about the current situation," he ordered.

‎" For now, we'll just wait and see what happens. If they're hostile, then we'll have no choice but to engage them in combat."

‎" There will be no need for that, Captain."

‎A quiet voice spoke from behind Matthew's back.

‎The seasoned veteran stood still, his body frozen rigid. His right eye twitched slightly in surprise.

‎Matthew suppressed the urge to turn around, coolly maintaining his composure.

‎His subordinates, however, were not so fortunate, jolting back in surprise at the newcomer's appearance.

‎" Lord Drake, sir, I see you're already aware of the situation."

‎A tall, brutish man materialised behind him.

‎The man wore a dark, long overcoat that seemed to have been woven from the night sky itself, with a similarly dark suit underneath.

‎His blonde hair and icy brown eyes, a shared characteristic within the Great House, marked him as one of the Varas.

‎Drake towered over the guards, but despite his size, he moved with the startling grace of a predator.

‎Matthew inwardly shivered.

‎" I'm glad I'll never have to fight him."

‎The man's icy glare carried the promise of a long, torturous death.

‎"Of course, captain," Drake murmured.

‎" I've been expecting our visitors."

‎

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