Unveiling the Past

Ian nodded faintly, his gaze sweeping across the space.

They split up without a word, each drawn to a different corner. Axilya moved toward the shelves, carefully skimming titles and markings on spines and containers. Ian brushed dust from a long workbench and started sorting through the scattered documents and tools. Myrra, meanwhile, lingered near the center of the room, looking more like a memory than a person in motion.

Her fingers ran over the edge of a small, round device. About the size of her palm, smooth, silver-toned, with a thin seam running around its center.

"I remember this," she murmured softly, her voice barely rising above a whisper. "Father used to show me all sorts of things about his work here."

Her thumb brushed a small groove, and the device clicked.

The device hummed to life, a blue ring glowing at its base. Holographic lines flickered in the air, scanning her face with precision. For a moment, the light danced, then it stabilized with a soft, definitive click.

"Identity confirmed: Myrra Eltumal."

A shimmer filled the air above the device, and a projection began to materialize. It started as a series of static lights before expanding into a full figure. Slowly, the image solidified into the likeness of a middle-aged elven man, dressed in a fitted coat, his features sharp but worn by time.

"Hello," he said, his voice calm and steady, yet laced with a subtle sadness. "If you're seeing this… then I may no longer be with you."

"My name is Khiiral Eltumal," the projection continued, looking directly at Myrra. "And if this message has found you… my daughter… then listen carefully."

Myrra's hand flew to her mouth. She didn't move, barely even breathed.

Ian stepped quietly beside her, his gaze fixed on the figure.

The hologram's expression softened.

"I hope you're growing well, Myrra. I hope you're safe. I wish we could've been there, to see who you've become." His voice faltered, just a little. "I don't know if someone ever came looking… or if you managed to stay untouched by all of this. I hope they never found you. I hope it ended with us."

The hologram paused for a breath before continuing, his tone softer now, almost reflective.

"Years ago, a colleague of mine retrieved a set of artifacts from a ruin in the Votton Glacier. He wasn't an expert, just a collector of oddities, but something about this find caught my attention. It was a different kind of technology, unlike anything we elves use. Intrigued, I bought a few pieces from him."

He looked away briefly, as if recalling the scene.

"Most of the devices were damaged, their mechanism worn out due to time. But inside one of the devices, I found a few small, smooth spheres. They looked like marbles. Glossy, opaque… nothing visibly special. Just pretty. I thought they were inert, like the rest."

He exhaled, his gaze lowering.

"Myrra... you must have been about three at the time. You thought it was candy."

A faint, ghostly smile touched his lips, almost too painful to watch.

"You swallowed one of the marbles before we could stop you. We panicked. Your mother and I..." He closed his eyes briefly. "We ran every test we could. Hospitals, private labs, specialists. But nothing showed up. You were fine. No traces, no signs of anything unnatural."

"We even ran further tests on the other marbles. Nothing. So, after a few months, we let it go."

He shook his head slowly.

"But two years later, that same colleague contacted me. Terrified. He said someone dangerous was looking for the relics. Someone who wouldn't stop, who didn't care if we returned them or not. He begged forgiveness for getting me involved. Said it was too late for apologies. That... they would come."

The projection flickered slightly, his expression tightening.

"We never heard from him again. Not directly. Just… news. Word of his death reached us a few days later."

He drew in a shallow breath, gaze distant.

"I knew then it was real. We reached out to the authorities and they arrange protection for us… but the security personnel never made it in time."

A long pause followed.

"So if you're watching this," her father's voice continued, quieter now, "and I am not there by your side... it means I'm no longer alive. But if somehow you survived, Myrra… that's enough. That's all that matters."

He took a shaky breath before finishing, "Take care. Don't trust anyone with your secrets. Don't try to find the origin of those things. Don't seek revenge. As long as you live, and live happily, that will be enough for us."

The projection flickered once... then died out, leaving only silence.

Tears welled in Myrra's eyes. She stood frozen, until Ian stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly without a word.

As Ian held her, his mind raced. The pieces were starting to fit together.

Her parents had called for security, but they must have been attacked before anyone could reach them. Somehow, Myrra survived. Maybe the security forces arrived just in time. Maybe someone passing by found her. Or maybe... the attackers, after taking the other marbles, simply left, not realizing one was still missing.

And that marble, the one Myrra had swallowed as a child, It could very well be what they were truly after.

The so-called "Lord's Blood." It might be unique among them or even all of them were the same thing.

Things were starting to make sense now. Maybe the ones hunting them hadn't known how many there were. Maybe they thought they had recovered everything. But somehow, Cairon must have sensed it, and from there, everything had begun.

They turned their attention back to the lab. There were broken texts scattered among the debris, old tablets, fractured data cores, scraps of paper. Ian recognized some of the symbols; they were from Cerok. Others were written in languages he couldn't even identify.

It only confirmed what he'd been thinking.

The attackers hadn't cared about the antiques or the research. They had been after whatever was hidden inside that ruin, the marble Myrra had unknowingly swallowed all those years ago.

Ian carefully picked through everything that still seemed usable. Notes, devices, projectors, anything that might hold information. In the end, he didn't bother picking and choosing. He packed up almost the entire lab, securing it all for later study.

Once they finished in the basement, they returned upstairs. Myrra moved through the house slowly, cleaning and restoring as she went. She couldn't bring herself to leave it dusty and broken, not after all the memories that lingered in the walls. Ian stayed by her side, helping without needing to be asked.

Axilya... well, Axilya helped too.

At least in spirit. Cleaning wasn't exactly her strong suit.

By late afternoon, they were done.

They locked the doors behind them, stepping back into the cool breeze of the evening.

They had barely reached the path when Axilya's hand shifted subtly to the hilt on her back.

Her gaze sharpened. "We have company."

The ground split open with a blast, jagged cracks ripping through the earth, and a dark mouth emerged, wide enough to swallow them whole. Ian acted quickly, pulling Myrra into his arms as he darted to the side.

Axilya, however, was already in motion. Her Claymore flashed as it cut through the air, a perfect arc of steel severing the opening creature's mouth before it could lunge at them. The mouth imploded with a sharp, sickening sound, but before the remnants hit the ground, Axilya blasted the remains with a pulse of energy, sending debris scattering.

More figures lunged toward them, attempting to entangle the group. Ian reacted swiftly, then from thin air, Obryx materialized, a dark blue, shifting substance that coalesced into a razor-sharp sword. With a swift slash, he cut through one of the figures, the blade effortlessly cleaving through the oncoming attackers.

Another figure darted toward Ian with incredible speed, an assassin with a blade aimed at his side. Before Ian could be touched, an Obryx sheath materialized in midair, intercepting the blade with a sharp, metallic clang.

The attacker blinked in confusion, staring at the sheet of solid Obryx between them.

"What the hell is this hard thing?" the person growled, frustration building in their voice.

Before he could regain their bearings, Ian moved faster than the eye could follow. Obryx threads shot out, wrapping around the attacker with precision, tightening in an instant. The figure let out a strangled scream, but it was too late. Blood splattered across the ground as the threads sliced through him, pinning him to the earth in an instant, the metallic strands glistening with his lifeblood. His body convulsed before going still, unable to fight back.

The rest of the attackers weren't far behind.

Axilya's sword danced through the air, her movements so fluid it almost seemed like she was part of the wind. Two figures lunged at her from opposite directions, but she was faster. She sliced through one with a clean strike, the sound of steel cutting through bone sharp in the quiet. Without a second thought, she spun, her sword cleaving through the second figure's midsection, leaving them in a pile of severed limbs.

Myrra stood frozen, watching with wide eyes. This was the first time she'd seen such violence up close. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sight, but it was still there in her mind's eye, the blood, the death.

Ian noticed her reaction, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was a part of the world they lived in. Everyone had to go through it, sooner or later. Though for Ian, this was his first time witnessing such brutal violence as well, he had already mentally prepared for the himself. Plus as a First Order, his mental fortitude and vision were vastly different. Myrra, still an Awakened, wasn't at that level yet. He quickly encased her in a protective cube of Obryx, then refocused on the battle.

Amidst the chaos, Axilya was a blur of motion. Her speed left little chance for her enemies to react before her sword cut through them. One attacker attempted to leap at Ian, but Axilya intercepted him, her blade sweeping cleanly across his chest. Blood spurted, and he collapsed. Without slowing, she was already scanning for her next target.

Ian, on the other hand, was shaping and manipulating Obryx with precision. He formed blades, shields, whips, bending the material to suit his needs.

Each strike of his Obryx-crafted weapons sliced through their enemies with ruthless efficiency. One opponent charged at him, but Ian responded by extending a long whip of Obryx, striking him across the chest and sending him crashing to the ground. Another, faster foe attempted to circle behind him, but Ian acted in a flash, creating a spear of Obryx and thrusting it backward, impaling the attacker mid-jump.

Then, a figure emerged from the shadows, a presence unlike any other they had faced. Strange symbols began to materialize in the air, glowing with an unnatural light, swirling around before they moved toward Ian and Axilya.

Axilya's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and urgent. "Be careful... a Second Order. I'll handle this one; you take care of the others."

Ian's gaze snapped to her, his eyes hardening. "Where is Xucis...?"

Axilya didn't take her eyes off the new enemy. "There seems to be someone else blocking his path..."

Ian's eyes narrowed as the realization set in. It wasn't just this Second Order they had to worry about, there were two of them, maybe even more.