38 Prejudice and Predicament

With swift flicks of his fingers inside the mechanical glove controllers, the gleaming Armatus made a soft landing. A gentle wind swirled across the white gravel, scattering green and red leaves in every direction. The thrusters on its backpack dimmed to black as the steel giant knelt, its mechanical arms forming two large steps.

The hatch hissed open. Jack and Lupus descended, their movements hurried yet cautious.

As he approached the fallen man, Jack exchanged a slow, deliberate nod with Lupus, silently instructing her to be ready for any threat.

Wiggling her golden, arc-clad boots, she nodded back, reassuring him.

Jack's hand reached out and grasped the man's shoulder, turning him over. "What's that?" he trailed off, speechless.

The man's face was pale, his eyes forced shut, his mouth slightly agape. Most notably, unsettling violet glyphs peeked from beneath the collar of his dark bodysuit.

Remembering the CPR training he received as part of the DebrisX employee onboarding process, Jack knew he had to locate and check for a pulse first. As his fingers pressed against the man's jugular, the runes pulsed with an eerie light, reacting to his touch. It might have been his imagination, but Jack swore he could hear a faint hum emanating from the ink itself, as if it had gained sentience.

"Is he dead?" Lupus asked, peering at the man's face.

"I'm not sure…" Jack replied hesitantly. He couldn't tell whether the pulsing came from the glyphs or the man's vital signs. "Lupus, have you seen anything like this? I think it's arcane." He pointed at the glowing ink, which seemed to creep slowly up the man's neck.

"Hm, I think I've seen these glyphs before…" Lupus mused, crossing her arms and tapping a finger against her lips.

Then, it clicked.

"It's the Deadman's Brand! The infamous curse spell practised and perfected by the Shadowbringers." She recalled a lecture about the lore of the northern hemisphere — the icy land that birthed the deadliest assassins, notorious for ambush tactics, arc poison, and arc swords capable of cutting even the strongest steel.

These were the feared Shadowbringers of Russha.

"The Shadowbringers?"

"Yes. They're assassin mages, and arc poison is one of their specialities," Lupus replied promptly.

"So he's alive then?" Jack asked urgently. Lupus nodded twice.

Without hesitation, Jack pulled a med-pack from his vest. He raised his hand, ready to inject the stimulant that could potentially save the man's life.

"What are you doing?!" Lupus interjected, grabbing his arm and halting him in his tracks.

Jack glared back, confused. "I'm saving his life. Why?"

"He's an Armatus knight!" Lupus pointed at the dark bodysuit, a clear sign of his allegiance to the Dunkelheit Empire. "He's our enemy," she stated firmly.

Unbeknownst to them, the sound of their voices stirred the man from the abyss. His fingers twitched.

"But he's dying—" Jack's protest was cut short. He yelped as dark eyes stared up at him, their pupils dull with desolation. The man's expression was twisted with pain.

"Pl~please… save… me…" he rasped, his voice deep and hoarse. A trembling hand reached out, weakly grasping Jack's leg.

Jack froze. A moment ago, he had no hesitation. Now, he did. He found himself torn between saving a potential enemy and siding with Lupus, letting the man die.

Sweat beaded on his weathered face. The clock was ticking. The man could die at any second. Jack needed to decide, right here, right now.

His gaze shifted to Lupus, his resolve hardening. "I'm saving his life because he's human, just like us. We need to show them that we are better. If none of us is willing to change, then this war will never end."

"Jackie…" Lupus's voice softened.

Jack continued, "This is our nobility, everything we stand for. Even if he's an Armatus knight, so what? Loyalty to an empire doesn't strip someone of their humanity."

"War births tragedy, and tragedy births war… an endless cycle," Jack proclaimed, his fiery red eyes seeming to glow, his voice husky yet resolute.

She stumbled back. Jack had never openly defied her like this before. It was unsettling. Her stern expression wavered as she saw the unshakable conviction in his eyes.

For the first time, she understood just how deeply he believed in his ideals.

With a reluctant sigh, she finally nodded. "But you can't save him with conventional means. That thing," she gestured at the med-pack in his hand, "will only prolong his suffering."

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"Huh? Then what can we do?" Jack asked, blinking in confusion.

Lupus exhaled sharply, making a mental note to educate him on arcane principles later. "The curse running through him is purely arcane," she replied, crossing her arms. Though she knew saving a life was the right thing to do, Jack's defiance still unsettled her. It was a new feeling, one she wasn't sure she appreciated.

"Then please, Lupus. Save him," Jack pleaded, his eyes filled with a compassion that reminded her of a pristine lake reflecting a clear blue sky. She realised, in that moment, that this was one of the reasons she had fallen for him.

Letting out a deep sigh, she relented. "Fine. But you owe me one."

"Anything, my love," he replied without hesitation.

Complying with his selfless request, Lupus lifted her hands over the dying man. "Iasis!" she chanted. A swarm of glowing green leaves emerged from her palms, fluttering down to land on him before dissolving into his body.

The purple glyphs pulsed violently in resistance, tightening around his throat like scorched snakes recoiling from a gentle, green tide. Arcane forces clashed — the healing spell pushing in, the poison glyph pushing back. The struggle continued until, at last, the curse relented, allowing the healing to take partial effect.

The man's dull eyes shifted to Lupus, his vision swimming. "Th~thank you…" He rasped before his consciousness slipped away. His head lolled to the side as his limbs went limp.

Jack stared, his confusion replaced with alarm. "Is… is he dead?" he asked, his voice trembling. He had never witnessed a life being snuffed out before. Even though this man was a stranger, an enemy, Jack couldn't help but feel a profound empathy for another human being.

Lupus smirked. "Of course not. You should have more faith in me," she scoffed, conceit lacing her tone. She tapped the Stellius ring adorning her index finger, and a blue holographic display flickered into the air, similar to the HUD inside an Armatus cockpit.

Cocking his head to the side, Jack asked, "What are you doing?"

"Saving his life, as you requested," Lupus replied casually, her golden eyes reflecting the bright light of the holo-screen as she searched for something.

"Oh…" Jack shuffled closer, peering at the screen with curiosity. It resembled a list filled with glyphs and modern text. As Lupus scrolled through it with a wiggle of her finger, he asked dumbly, "Is that a hospital directory? Or are you calling an arc ambulance?"

"Pffft!" Lupus nearly burst out laughing. "An arc ambulance? Jack, your imagination really conjures the strangest terms," she blurted, clearly amused.

Jack awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and let out a soft, forced chuckle, realising how ridiculous his question sounded. To his defence, mages tended to slap the word 'arc' in front of anything with a magical ability; so far, he had heard of arc boots, arc comms, arc poison, and arc blades.

"Although my Iasis can heal most surface wounds, it's only classified as a Greater Essence," Lupus explained patiently, her eyes skimming the list. "It can stabilise his condition, but his curse requires a more skilled healer. So, what I'm doing is checking for anyone in the area who possesses the Mythic Essence of Iasis."

"That's really convenient," Jack remarked. Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he murmured, "The Mythic Essence…" Then, recalling a past lecture, his eyes widened. "Lesser, Greater, Mythic… That's the most powerful essence after Primordial, right?!" He struck his palm with his fist in realisation.

"Oh?" Lupus gasped, raising a brow. "You actually remember such things? My esteemed Novitcius," she quipped, smirking at him, her small fangs glinting endearingly.

Jack responded with a sheepish smile.

"Aha! Found one!" Lupus exclaimed, then tilted her head slightly. "Virgo division… a Novitcius mage? Odd…" she mumbled, puzzled by the mismatch of name, essence, and status.

"What's wrong?"

"She has Mythic Iasis, but she's just a Novitcius. It doesn't make sense." Lupus frowned. Typically, acquiring an essence that powerful would grant someone the title of Stellius Mage, or even Lunarius Mage.

"What's her name?" Jack asked softly.

"Terissa Mercier. A maiden mage under the Virgo division," Lupus replied, tapping an icon next to the name. Two icons appeared on the screen, one for Lupus and the other for Terissa.

A line flickered between them for a moment before connecting.

"Umm…? May I ask who this is?" A voice came, divine and echoing as though from a heavenly chamber.

"This is Lupus Hoffmann, Olympian Mage of the Agility Division, requesting your assistance."

"O', Mother Gaia, I'd be happy to assist you, Miss Hoffmann. My name is Terissa, but please, call me Triss," she replied, her tone as soft and light as a feather.

"Right then, Trissy," Lupus returned. He admired her for it; she could make any stranger feel like a close friend within three sentences. "I'll get straight to the point," she said, casting a worrying glance at the unconscious man.

"Please do, Miss Hoffmann."

"We have an injured man here. I believe he's been cursed by the Shadowbringers."

"A D~Deadman's Brand… O', Holy Mother," Triss murmured, her voice suddenly shaken.

"Correct. Would you mind bringing him to my location? I'm at the defence tower on the outskirts of Hasenwald, just southwest of your current position," Triss instructed, determination strengthening her voice.

She's not only kind, but her voice is divine, Jack mused.

Lupus hesitated. "How do you know where we are?"

"O', it's a long story. Please come to me, and I shall tend to the man. Whether he is an enemy of Osten or not, we are all living beings. Life is precious and should be preserved. As the wise one enlightened us in the Book of Old, we shall never place a price on life itself." The dreaminess in Triss's voice made her words oddly captivating.

Lupus's frown deepened, her bunny ears twitching. "Understood. We'll head to you right away," she said, and the line disconnected.

She glanced at Jack, a serious expression on her face. "She's definitely a clairvoyant of some sort."

"A clairvoyant?"

"Yes. She can see, hear, and even feel those who come into contact with her," Lupus stated bluntly, stepping so close her chest pressed against him. Jack turned away, his face flushing.

"Don't even think about anything weird around her. Got it?!" She pointed a finger at his face, her usual playful expression replaced by a stern glare.

"Of course…" Jack replied reluctantly, a single question gnawing at him. How do I stop intrusive thoughts?

As if reading his mind, Lupus smirked. "Think of me instead! That's how," she instructed, her tone now part playful, part stern.

Jack nodded vigorously.

And so, with the cursed knight secured safely in its massive arms, the sleek Armatus took off, setting its course toward the ancient defence tower looming near the mountain ridges.

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