The Empire's Descent (First Draft)

Chapter 35: The First Call

Luca and Steel felt a grip on their hearts and a panic that wasn't their own flooded them.

"What is that!?", Luca roared, his eyes flashing gold at the intrusive wail in his head. Lia sensed the Thread and it connected her.

"Kaito!", she gasped.

Luca rushed closer to her, held her hand to improve the connection, all while fighting off the dizzying throb of his stomach.

Just then, the door comes off its hinges as Marco and Steel come barrelling in eyes blown with panic.

"What was that? It felt awful!", Steel yelled still clutching her stomach as a nauseating ache wrenched through her.

Rosalia disconnected from the Thread, wiped the cold sweat from her head and regulated her breathing as connecting to the Thread sapped her energy.

"A young Vampyr, met him in Japan, he's distressed... I just didn't know how to further clarify the sight, sorry," Lia bowed her head feeling frustrated that her new powers weren't fully mastered yet. She trained 12/7 over the last week they've had their powers and, still she was barely an intermediate class. This is not the Fiori way!

"Take it easy... we've only just started our training," Marco comforted as he could smell Lia's anger.

"I could have better mastery if you guys would prioritize it. Instead, you guys insisted that we learn to play nice with each other", she mocked quietly.

Lia quickly schooled her reaction and sent a weak smile to Marco who quirked an eyebrow at her.

"How do we get to him?" Luca seethed through gritted teeth.

"I'm not a Keeper and there's no known instructions for the position. Like I said before, a past Keeper should reveal themselves to you...," Lia said absently as her mind ran through methods of clarifying the images the Thread provides her.

Halp ma. Halp ma halp whu Y naad tu. Halp ma.

Lia chanted in her mind as she tried to reconnect to the Thread.

A single golden filament appeared before her, her hand trembled as she reached out. Grasp it. Bind it. Follow it. She gasped as the Thread unravelled and multiple pieces hung down, then were pulled taut as if some invisible loom manipulated them. The fragmented images of before compounded and a clear reel was left. The filament retracted from Lia's grasp and floated horizontally before disappearing.

Lia leaned over with her hands on her knees, took a generous breath and smiled at her breakthrough. The others stared impatiently, anxious to hear what she had to say as they watched the entire process, but was unable to see the images Lia could.

"It's that woman. The Vampyr who was attacking you guys," she directed at Luca and Marco.

"Marabella? What about her? I thought it was Kaito who was in trouble," Luca questioned.

"I didn't get everything, but she seems to be harming the little Vampyr. I have a vague idea of where they are and I think with your connection to them, Luca, I can teleport us there," Lia offered.

Steel clapped excitedly, "let's go!".

Marco and Luca shared a look and Luca released a sigh.

"Umm, I don't think you should go with u-" Luca began.

"What? Why? Do you think I don't have enough training or something?" Steel questioned, a little vexed.

"She's just really dangerous and I don't want to expose the double Keeper thing if it's as unheard of as Lia says," Luca reasoned.