263. Shadow Stalks
The roar of the cascades dampened the background noise, the high moisture in the atmosphere providing a perfect, chilly sumr day. Ziyue leaned over the balustrade, her fingers laced tightly together. Her shoulder-length hair curved inward at the nape of her neck before sweeping outward again, the strands jet black. It was just long enough to be gathered into a low tail, secured by a heavy silver cuff.
Etched deep into the tal cylinder was the inverted torch, the fla pointing down toward her spine — a silent promise of a life extinguished. Her dark cloak drifted to the side in the gust; the sky was painfully bright, and the sea wind whipped high here, close to the shore.
Few residents road the long balcony. Their shoes clapped against the polished marble floor, but their casual chatter waned in the wind. Most were rabbit Wildren, interspersed with a few of the other races.
The gothic girl seed lost in her own thoughts, ignoring the grand scenic view of the Grand Riverfall of Hasenwald. Her mind drifted back to her visit to Borealis Castle, specifically the brief interaction she had shared with Zetius on the lone bench inside the royal garden.
She had been so focused on her task then that it infuriated her when Astrid, that mountain of a woman, had managed to sneak up behind her, with a bulky, unsightly armour of hers. That wasn’t even the worst part; it was the fact that she had earned a berating for it. Her perfect record was tarnished.
No matter. It’s okay to show this side of myself to keep the competition high, she thought. It was a reminder that she needed to be extra mindful of the third party next ti.
At least there was a silver lining, after all. Ziyue had suspected that Zetius possessed potential access to the highest tier of information, being one of the Astral Empress’s inner circle.
She was right.
Achieving high-level manipulation — planting a bug into soone’s arc comm — was no easy task. The sophisticated arc comms were designed to be impeccable and untraceable, utilising the entanglent of arc piezo-arcanite crystals to vibrate in pairs. They didn’t travel through interceptable radio waveforms. However, these small piezo-arcanite crystals possessed a unique property that allowed an etching process to mark a unique identifier.
Through years of research by the League of Shadowbringers, they had found only one way to successfully plant a mole. She needed to be close, very close, to her target. She had gradually perford the etching process, inscribing her own unique identifier into his ring.
Her allure had co into play, of course; otherwise, this mission would not have been a success. Dressed up with a lovely haircut and attractive perfu, she had gone all out. The poor man was either too dense or too flustered to notice. That was what she loved about him.
After months of monitoring his comms like an overly attached girlfriend, a thought that occasionally made her scowl at its obscenity, she had learned much. Morality wasn’t her forte, and it never would be.
From what she gathered, Zetius had been alternating between studying the advanced knowledge of arcane science and physical training with the Empress. The training regi was intense, consisting of short bursts, as he couldn’t seem to sustain his mana for such extre sparring sessions. His progression far exceeded her expectations, though. Watching him this closely made her heart flutter in a strange, obsessive way. Not that she minded it now.
Until a few days before Zetius, Aurora, and his party journeyed into the Dreamless Realm, her connection had remained stable. Then, it was truly lost. She had agonised over whether to rush to him, fearing her bug had been discovered. Fortunately, and unfortunately, they weren’t gone for long before they plunged into the heat of the Britainian invasion.
She had gone through the details with her uncle. Even his calm façade had shattered then; he had been quiet ever since. The death of the Astral Empress was devastating to him. She had never seen such a strong reaction from the man; he must have truly revered her. Who wouldn’t?
Eventually, the payoff for her spying was huge — one that sparked this journey to Hasenwald. It was the discovery of the Empress’s ward and her personal scribe, Cartier Di Joy. It surprised her that Cartier, along with the Scribes of Noctua, could beat her web of Shadow operators to finalise Ignius’s location.
“Hey.” The raspy voice called out to her from the side. There was no sound of footsteps; it was clearly her uncle.
Recovering quickly, she spun to confront him. “Ready to recruit your bunny girl?” Her voice dripped with sass, a hand resting on her hip.
The scruffy-bearded man didn’t find it amusing. “I just arrived,” he exhaled deeply.
Ziyue noticed, her uncle looked awful and rough.
He was dressed in a ragged cloak just like hers; however, the sigil of the Shadowbringers was absent. In their tradition, the absence of the smiling sun sigil was a sign of grieving, a mark of respect for the dead. Although Zetius didn’t fully share the sentint, Jovian had already made peace with his Astral Empress’s passing.
“Oh.” She glanced down at him sarcastically. “Not in a hurry, then.”
“We are…” he grumbled, leaning over the railing. “Just give a minute. It’s been a really long day.”
She nodded, following his tired gaze into the cascading steam glittering against the light. It was lush and refreshing, now that she really paid attention. They spent a quiet hour absorbing the scenic view.
***
“RAWWRRR!”
A deep roar erupted across the training ground. The blonde lioness surged forward, her bare feet smashing ripples into the sandy floor. Her physique, though herculean beneath a brown brigandine, was anything but slow.
Droplets of sweat flew from her cheeks — the only exposed skin on her body — as she spun and hurled her axe at her sparring partner.
The figure, clad in a dark cuirass, raised his round shield to block. The collision flared with red sparks, and Hemileos skidded across the surface.
Frain pursued, pushing through with three consecutive swings. Her enemy shifted its weight, far nimbler than it looked in such heavy armour. His movent thrumd with mystifying sound, uncanny to the Arcanite engine.
On the far side, Lupus and the youngest twins watched the heated spar with awe-filled eyes. The fight was full of explosive power as the combatants ramped up the speed and intensity. Frain’s physical prowess had beco a true force of nature.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Fighting!” Lumie cheered, pumping a fist in the air.
Lupus crossed her arms, studying Frain’s stances. Her heavy fra no longer seed to slow her down. She could see the fruits of Frain’s labour from these past months.
“Hemileos!” Frain shouted.
Her bevelled axe cut through the air. The enemy planted its feet, perfecting its defensive stance for the impact.
The axe slamd dead centre into the shield. The crash wasn’t enough to knock him down, but Frain bared her teeth, her lips ticking upward as the weapon ricocheted back.
She launched into the air, hair whipping wildly, caught the rebounding axe in mid-air, and swung it down vertically with a full rotation.
The shield cracked, sending shards flying. The armoured golem staggered backward, its arms flailing.
Frain raised her axe overhead, her shadow looming over the golem. He raised his gauntlets to guard, bracing for the blow.
“Halt!” Lupus yelled, her voice resonant. “You won!”
The adrenaline faded, and the crushing weight settled in. Her arm dropped heavily to her side, her axe dismissing into specks of light. She found herself breathless, heart drumming in her ears. She turned to Lupus, lips spreading into a half-smile as she struggled to give a thumbs-up. Lupus smiled back, kind and gentle. Clearly, she was happy with the result.
“Amazing, Sister Frain!” Lumus chortled, running toward her. His twin sister followed close behind.
“How did I do?” Frain asked softly, kneeling to their eye level. Feeling her strength slowly returning, she opened her arms wide, and the twins ca in for a big hug. It was cute and sowhat hilarious; the twins had grown at an astounding rate, yet they could barely wrap their arms around her thick fra. In her armour, Frain looked like a mascot — oversized and cuddly.
“You are fast!” Lumie chirped with enthusiasm.
“You are ferocious!” Lumus added, making two whimsical claws. He must have forgotten he was a bunny.
Frain felt Lupus’s hand on her shoulder and rose to face her. “What do you think?” she asked, her voice steadier now as her mana circulated evenly.
“You controlled your breathing well. Well done!” Lupus smiled, eyes closed in contentnt. “I was right about you just following your instincts.”
Frain tilted her head, confused for a second, before it dawned on her. “I’m not good with tactics. Using my brain hurts more than my muscles.”
Lupus nodded twice, her long bunny ears wobbling. “In our case, strength and stamina can take you far. If things don’t budge, using more strength can bypass anything.” She ant it. After assessing Frain’s innate essence of Leontokratia, she realised Frain learned best through experience and sheer strength-based workouts. After several thods, they found a training regi that worked for her.
“Yeah!” Frain straightened fully, her chest swelling with pride. The recognition from Lupus was invaluable.
“Hit harder!” Lumus made a fist with a mock an face. “I want to beco a Warmongering mage one day!”
“Isn’t the Epopteia ritual due for you soon, Lumus?” Frain asked.
“Yeah, next year! I’ll let you in on sothing.” He shielded his mouth in secrecy as Frain leaned in. “Big Sis Lunice has been tutoring !”
“Ooh!” Lupus exclaid. “We haven’t made a warrior out of you yet.” She ruffled his hair vigorously while he squird in futile protest like an eel.
While small talk filled the training ground with joy, Frain glanced at the armoured golem, which stood idly, arms dropped straight to its sides. It was a gift from Lunius Canis Wolfgang before the Animori left to travel across Germund. The wise Animori had said, “There are shelters to be built for the less fortunate. The world doesn’t need a grand architect for that, but a humble builder.” He had left with a theatrical bow.
The golem was scratched and marked all over its heavy plates, indicating it had been through hell and high water during their countless sparring sessions.
“Frain, here!” Lumie urged, offering her a cool towel. Distracted, Frain hadn’t seen them grab it. The twins could be crafty sotis.
“Hehehe.” Frain giggled thankfully and wiped gri and dirt from her face.
“So water, too!” Lumus tiptoed and waved a glass bottle at her. She took it, returning her appreciation with a smile.
“What do you think? You should really attempt the Olympic tournant,” Lupus said, gesturing hopefully. Her elbow poke at Frain’s side was assertive enough.
Taking a big gulp of chilled water, “I don’t know if I have what it takes,” Frain wiped her lips.
“Of course you do! I was much weaker when I won my Olympic gold!” Lupus persuaded, her golden eyes irresistible. “It’s in the Agility Division, though.”
“I’ll think about it!” Frain already knew her answer, but she decided not to say it just yet. Lupus was no longer wearing the face of a grieving widow. Her ti here at quiet Hasenwald had been nothing but peace and rehabilitation. However, on rare occasions, Frain found her gazing at the split moon, looking lancholic. She was missing the man she loved very much, though the pain was now quiet and intermittent.
Frain noticed the absence of the wedding ring on her finger. Perhaps Lupus had moved on. Frain might not understand it with her muscle brain, but she was more than happy if Lupus had.
“Let’s head for dinner, shall we?” Lumie suggested keenly, scanning the others.
“Um!” Frain humd; she was starting to get hungry herself. As they turned toward the large exit to the garden, Lupus called out, “Wait! I think you don’t need to wear that bulky thing anymore.”
“It’s ti?” Frain asked, uncertain, until Lupus gave her a nod. “Alright~y!” She bead eagerly and began to unstrap her chin strap. The helt had to go first; it had been the bane of her existence since she put it on, especially around her lion ears.
“Stand clear, guys,” Lupus warned, grabbing the twins’s wrists and gently yanking them to a safe distance.
With a heavy clank, the helt ca loose. Frain huffed and threw it aside. It dropped to the sand, digging a deep crater. “Sorry!” she said ruefully. Wearing it for so long, she had forgotten how heavy the brigandine was. Undoubtedly, it was arc armour that Lupus had selected for her, providing incredible durability in exchange for sheer weight.
But for Frain, it was like killing two birds with one stone: she got to perpetually train her strength while maintaining great protection.
Next, Frain shed the gauntlets, letting them sink into the deep sand, followed by the rest until her unarmoured body was on full display. Now that Frain was only in her tank top and shorts, her skin had a sheen of moisture. Her blonde hair, however, wasn’t as pretty as she wanted it to be.
“Whoa!” Lumie gasped, eyes wide as she couldn’t resist extending a hand to touch Frain’s muscular legs.
The long, treacherous training had not only honed her strength and stamina; her chiselled body possessed well-refined abdominal muscles, dozens of tis stronger than they appeared. Dense and powerful.
“Now it’s my turn to ask. How do you feel?” Lupus giggled behind her hand.
“I feel weird.” Frain studied her body, rolling her shoulders, then lifting her arms and legs experintally. It invoked a feeling she couldn’t quite grasp. She felt as light as a feather, but stronger than steel.
“In a good way?” Lumus tilted his head, one ear flopping down.
“In a very, very good way!” Frain replied cheerfully.
The group made their way through the vibrant garden, where yellow and orange sumr flowers lined the path. The heat was slightly uncomfortable, but they could still enjoy their conversation without the need for shade. The breeze sent petals drifting and vortexing through the air. They couldn’t ask for a happier life; the Hoffmann estate was their ho.
Their laughter waned into the rustling leaves as Lupus spotted her father and two individuals standing in the doorway. Noticing the approaching party, Ziyue stepped politely to the side, revealing Jovian in his dark cloak. Magistrate Ludwig greeted his guests with a blissful smile before turning toward Lupus.
“Oh! There she is! My beautiful Lunarius!” Ludwig outstretched his arms like a jubilant father.
Ti seed to slow. Lupus could only hear her own heartbeat. Dismay lurked beneath her rigid façade, and the others halted, watching with uneasy expressions.
The Shadowbringers had co knocking. Lupus’s eyes grew intense. A raging storm thrashed inside her; she knew this ant only one thing. The Shadowbringers had brought her news of Ignius, and there was absolutely no way she’d turn this opportunity down.
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