Vagus

"Tê!" exclaimed Thays, watching his brother get out of a carriage at the entrance to Lawrence Palace.

Surrounding the water fountain in the shape of a sea serpent, Thays ran to hug her brother. With his arm still bandaged, Theo gritted his teeth as he felt a slight twinge in his fractured arm, but soon approved of his sister's embrace.

""Lady Luanne," said Camille, surprised by the presence of the Priestess of Alunne. Bowing, she added:" It's an honor to see you here...

""Aaaah, Camie," I said relaxed. "There's no need for such formalities. We're family in here."

After Ethan left the carriage, Etrian ordered a group of butlers to retrieve the suitcases and take them to the residence. While they were retrieving the suitcases, Theo walked over to his mother.

Facing Camille, the boy sank his face into his mother's waist.

"Have you found out anything about Magnum's father?" He asked in a melancholy voice."

"Not yet, son..." Camille's lips twitch. "Mr. Anton is still missing... But Magnum has been taken to a better home."

He shook his head, saying no. After all, no house is better than your own...

After Anton's disappearance during the Black Cataclysm, Magnum spent a week in the custody of the Loureto police, just like all the children who had their relatives killed, hospitalized or missing after the world event.

Before they left for Athenian, one of these children fell into the care of Ethan and Camille...

With Michel having died during the Cataclysm, and his mother in a serious condition where she lost her life just a few days later, Agnes Hansen would follow the same fate as Magnum; being sent to an orphanage and disappearing from the Lawrence family's sight.

However, because they were close to the noble family, Agnes had been adopted by the Lawrence's. Magnum had also come into the couple's sights; although he wasn't adopted as a member of the family, Ethan wanted to take him on as his apprentice and, in the future, make him head of some of the duchy's secretariats.

Being close to Anton, he hoped for a better future for the boy... But before he could act, Magnum had already been taken away by an institution in another Duchy, which refused to return any of the youngsters it had acquired.

They claimed that Duke Landwell wanted everyone for his garrison or service, without exception. Unfortunately, the law of that empire allowed this kind of action.

But Theo, even though he didn't know his friend's whereabouts, at least wanted to be able to tell him what had happened to his father if they met in the future.

Holding Theo in a hug, Camille chatted for a few moments with Ethan and Luanne, while Thays tried to keep up. However, they all concerned the Duke's condition.

Compared to the night before, Ethan was treating things with a more pleasant perspective.

However, the night was becoming more and more intense. The few streetlights at the entrance could no longer illuminate the far corners of the small square. Even so, a light in the eyes of the water snake in the fountain illuminated the real entrance to the house.

On a small hill, where a mini-wall of gray stone bricks stood for six meters, two staircases diverged on the sides, giving access to the upper fields. However, as he was leaving Camille's embrace, Theo looked at something in the center of the stairs...

In the middle of the small wall, a two-meter statue lay in a recess: a man was driving his sword into the base of the statue.

Erling Lawrence, the man who created the base of that territory. One of the former revolutionaries, responsible for carrying out a coup d'état against the former dictators and, indirectly, responsible for the existence of the current Titans group.

Although he has no blood connection to Ethan, the current Duke claimed the territory because, after Erling's death in the imperial square on the day of the Government Protest, Loureto became the possession of the Caesar family. 

Looking at Erling's image brought some conclusive thoughts to Theo.

"Dad, Mom... I want to talk to you tomorrow morning. Can I do that?" Theo asked, leaning on Camille again.

""Eh... You can..." said Ethan, hesitantly.

Camille looked at Luanne for refuge. However, not even her godmother knew what to say.

"Mom, where's Agnes?"

Unable to respond slightly, Camille had her words stolen by Thays.

"In your hiding place," said the eldest daughter.

Theo shook his head, as if he had gotten the confirmation he needed. Leaving where everyone was talking, Theo walked to the staircase on the left" he had always thought that this was the shortest route to the field, both staircases being equivalent.

Bewildered and swallowing his breath, he disappeared from the adults' view.

On the first lamppost at the entrance to the square, the hooting of a white owl set the mood for the night. Taking flight over the grounds of the residence, the owl landed on the front roof of the palace, where a small inactive tower served as a refuge.

Sitting on the edge of the roof, swinging her legs over the relief of the ceramic tiles, Agnes looked intuitively at the horizon... In the distance, remnants of the capital Loureto showed through the residential lights illuminating the forest between them. However, the visual pollution wasn't enough to overpower the brilliance of the stars.

The moon, dominated by daytime clouds, did not reveal its waning glow at that moment.

Attentive to the movements in the field of the house, where the last butlers were entering the residence, her ears were flooded...

The butlers' voices quickly turned into a loud, deafening scream, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass. The shards echoed through the vacuum of his mind.

Covering her ears, she sniffled. Remembering her mother's name, she squirmed as she violently expelled the air from her lungs. Her nostrils became pure and irritated. She adopted an unrestrained breathing rate as tears formed.

"Hey... How depressing," said Theo, resting his hand on the girl's shoulder.

Sitting next to Agnes, the Young Master also looked in the direction of the capital. Theo shook his legs as he tried to control his thoughts.

But Agnes morbid silence instantly made him reconsider.

"About that ghost..." said Theo, looking down at his feet.

"Theo, don't…"

"Yes, Agnes. We need to talk about him, because... I believe in you."

The girl woke up instantly from her state of sadness.

"How... is it?"

"I believe what you saw, Agnes. I believe that there are things in this world that our eyes can see, but our minds can't explain…"

Agnes was attentive to her brother's words.

"He spoke like an adult…"

Theo laughed slyly.

"Well, I guess I'll become one in the future, won't I? Unless I die first…"

Looking at her brother, Agnes was incredulous at his last words. She stared at him as if she were judging him intensely; in response, Theo tilted his head, closed his eyes and feigned a gentle smile.

"Why... did you say that?"

""Vagus," he replied suddenly, as if he already had an answer ready. "In the days I stayed with Aunt Sthefanny, I asked about the Four Great Orders…"

The major organizations that a deviant is destined to serve in the future...

Myrddin, the order of deviant conjurers; where the majority of the social caste is present, those responsible for the balance of the magical world.

Solomon, the order of supernatural deviants; where mediums concentrate to study the supernatural, beings from other dimensions, the cosmology of the universe and, finally, the attribution of invocation.

Fulmenbour, the largest scientific society in the world; those responsible for studying, creating and developing the laws of alchemy and the science that studies energy nuclei, also where the global economy is monopolized and concentrated.

Last but not least... Vagus, where kings develop and heroes are born; where the security of the world is guaranteed and strength is stored. The organization where the knowledge of the previous three is stored for the sake of global peace.

The Four Great Orders were founded centuries ago by the ancient revolutionaries, but they only gained visibility after the trial of those who go against the laws of the world.

The dream of every deviant is to become a member of one of these four organizations... Sometimes even of humans.

"I will become an agent of Vagus... I will discover every shard of this world and its mysteries. And find the ghosts to blame for their deaths…"

"Theo..." said Agnes, staring at the intensity of the boy's gaze.

It wasn't Theo's eye... but his alter-ego's...

Remembering the day of his death, the voice of the black knight echoed through Liam's mind... That being was involved in both the death of the ex-general and the death of all those civilians.

Liam's selfish instinct only wanted to know about his share... But Theo wanted to find out why that knight was killing so many people.

'The boy has a bitter presence...' an empty thought broke the silence of the owl watching the children.

'What are you doing here, night spirit?'

A flaming light appeared behind the owl, turning the night inside the small tower into a sunny day.

Turning its neck, the owl found the source of that presence.

'Phoenix... The guardian of this home... So you were the one protecting the Lawrence family while the Duke was away? I didn't notice you were there...'

'You didn't answer me, night spirit. You know very well that there can only be one guardian per residence...'

'Hey, hey. Calm down... I'm just here to visit.'

'I know... As long as they go soon, I don't mind.'

A small flaming ghost flew over to the owl's side, abandoning the wall of fire that Phoenix had adopted.

"What is your goddess preparing for this boy?" he asked, looking at Theo.

'Hm... Divine matters cannot be said, even to me. However, if you want to make a move... I think only Araav's fate can tell us.'