Unmasking some of the Past

As Aleric stepped into Lord Harrington's opulent bedroom, he was met with a scene of extravagance and excess. The corpulent lord sat amidst a bevy of scantily clad women, his repulsive demeanor masked only by his considerable wealth.

"Who dares to intrude upon my sanctum?" Harrington bellowed, his jowls quivering with indignation. "Remove that mask at once!"

Aleric remained composed, addressing the women with a firm but measured tone. "You should leave now," he instructed them. "This is about to get messy. Don't breathe a word of what you've seen here tonight."

With startled gasps, the women hastily fled the room, their naked forms disappearing into the corridor.

Harrington's outrage reached a fever pitch as he demanded to know the reason for Aleric's intrusion. "What madness drives you to interrupt my leisure?" he roared.

Ignoring Harrington's feeble attempt at intimidation, Aleric delivered a powerful punch to Harrington's face, sending him sprawling to the ground. With a swift motion, Aleric grabbed Harrington by the hair and dragged him, naked and whimpering, towards his dormitory.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with!" Harrington snarled, his voice laced with fear and defiance. "I am a man of influence!"

Aleric, undeterred, pressed Harrington close, his voice dripping with disdain. "I couldn't care less about your status," he retorted. "You're about to meet your end, just like the pig you are."

As Aleric continued to pummel Harrington, the overweight lord's hand grasped at Aleric's mask, tearing it away from his face in a desperate attempt to unmask his assailant. But instead of revealing a stranger's face, Harrington found himself staring into the cold, blue eyes and stark white hair of Aleric.

A look of disbelief crossed Harrington's face as he recoiled in horror. "But... you were supposed to be dead," he stammered, his voice trembling with uncertainty. "The news... your family... they're all gone."

As Aleric uttered these words, he wondered what Harrington was talking about. Startled, Lord Harrington replied, "Are you a manifestation that materialized? Is this some kind of illusion?" Then, in a fit of rage, he yelled, "This isn't funny! Let it go!"

Ignoring Harrington's outburst, Aleric struck him and demanded once more, "What are you trying to say?" Harrington then admitted, "I only assigned a task to him. Take everything, I don't care. Just make sure there are no witnesses. Didn't you understand? A child is a witness, cursed fool!"

Aleric intensified his blows, causing Harrington to bleed, and pressed, "Who are you talking about?" Shouting in confusion and anger, Harrington began muttering almost unintelligibly, "This is bad. Not just bad, it's grave, very grave," trembling in fear.

Aleric struck harder, demanding answers, "What do you mean? Speak!" Finally, Harrington mustered the courage to say something, but before Harrington could utter another word, a sudden gust of wind blasted through the room, shattering the window and splitting Harrington's head in two with its force.

As Aleric looked out the shattered window, outside saw a hooded figure atop a nearby hill. As the figure turned and fled, a faint glimmer was the only thing he could see of this figure face.

Confused by the sudden turn of events, Aleric donned his mask again, muttering, "That was powerful and precise wind magic, but I have no time to waste." He swiftly retrieved Harrington's golden tooth as proof of his death for Damien. Before he could leave, there was a knock on the door—a group of guards had arrived, responding to the commotion they had heard.

"My Lord are You alright? May I come inside?" one of them asked as they started to open the Door.