Aetherian(Part 1): A War Begins

Trevor

The slums of Mistral were almost quiet at night. It felt as if no one stirred in the decrepit neighborhood, which made it the perfect place to meet in secret, especially at night, when there was hardly any lit lights. Trevor had to light his way with the blue blade of his lightsword in order to see where he was going to arrive where he would meet with Commander Vestarr. As he kept walking, he looked over his shoulder several times in order to be sure that no one followed him, and no one did, so far. Trevor's biggest concern was House Lysander, since it was their ancestral sword he was carrying, but he had a feeling that they couldn't stand the atmosphere of the slums. Still, he kept a sharp eye out. Trevor stopped under a street lamp with a broken bulb, and he turned his lightsword off, letting the lights from the ones he stood between shine around him.

Where are you, Vestarr? It's three in the morning, he thought to himself. From the turn of the sidewalk, a bright, silver light began to shine. Garrett Vestarr approached Trevor, putting his lightsword away.

"Good place to meet," he said. "Dark, quiet, the one place no one would go even if they were paid enough. I hope I don't leave here with a fever."

"No kidding," agreed Trevor. "I found something beneath the Ivory Tower, in the tomb of my ancestors."

"Well, the timing couldn't have been worse," said Vestarr. "Lord Semil Lysander is in Mistral."

Trevor gasped. "He is!?"

"Why, is what you found important to him?"

"I should say so," said Trevor. "It's Nightbringer." He pointed his inventory cube to the ground, and the dark blade appeared on the ground between them, revealing its immense aura of darkness.

"Woah!" whispered Commander Vestarr. "I've heard about the Lysanders' ancestral blade, but I never wanted to see it for myself. It's real, isn't it?"

"With all due respect, Commander, I doubt Gunnar Karvine would stash a blade made of foam in the place where no one could get to it," said Trevor. "The ancient Lord Lazare Lysander betrayed Gunnar during the Dragon War using Nightbringer and even rode on the back of the Dragon of the Abyss himself. Gunnar roasted Lazare and Kidar during the Battle of the Giant's Scar, but he spared the rest of his house, under the condition that Nightbringer is kept where no one could reach it. Its power must have gone away over time, but you said you started feeling it again once you arrived in Mistral, right?"

"That's right," said Commander Vestarr. "You think it's awakened again after all this time? Why?"

"I don't know," answered Trevor.

"I must get this to the King," suggested Garrett.

"Can you trust him?" asked Trevor.

"He's been my friend for a long time, Trevor," assured Commander Vestarr. "If anyone knows what to do about this, it's him."

"Well, you know him better than I do," agreed Trevor. "I'll meet you back at the Ivory Tower in the morning."

"Why not go together?" asked Commander Vestarr. Trevor knew he knew why, but he must have been testing his judgment.

"So we don't draw attention to ourselves," he answered.

"Good idea." agreed the Commander. He put Nightbringer in his inventory cube and said "Good night.", as he went down the street, into the darkness. Trevor went the opposite way, but he didn't ignite his lightsword this time, despite it being pitch black. He walked in the streets, letting the sounds of his footsteps guide him. When his boots made a loud metallic sound with every step, he knew he was in the street, and when they made a soft, but crunching sound, he had a good idea that he was stepping on dead grass in a front yard. Trevor did his best to stay in the streets, but it wouldn't help him for much longer. He suddenly heard footsteps in front of him, and when he stopped, they stopped.