The Burden of Destiny | Sequel to The Aura Within

14 | City of the Missing

The march to Kokytos felt grueling to the platoon that was dispatched for this mission, and among them was Hope. She thought of all the things that might await her when they reached the peculiar city. According to General Hayes, the city's population included mages. Unfortunately, that opened them to constant ridicule by regular civilians when situations like these come up. Magic was just as sacred as aura, yet mages were treated vastly different than aura guardians. It wasn't fair at all, and who knew what kind of mistreatment they've endured once these missing cases became constant.

Hope, Haku, and Levi were nervous about this mission. Ever since the attack on Heiwa Town brought them together, the only other instance they fought together was alongside Nicholas and Thorin. They had some leniency when it came to strategy, as they had grown used to following orders from their seniors. There was always someone they could fall back on if they were a little too careless, leaving them at ease with them around. However, now it was only them with a platoon of knights that undoubtedly weren't too happy about this arrangement.

They wouldn't have to be here had there been no connection between dark magic and the disappearances. General Hayes was confident of this link he established. Hope especially wouldn't have been involved, but bearing the power of aura pulled her into it. She recalled how they all ended up here.

General Hayes eyed the trio as they processed his request. He wasn't surprised that they all shared the same wide eyes and gaped jaw. He was asking a rather huge favor from them. They weren't knights by any means; they were barely adults for crying out loud! However, sending in his more valuable soldiers wasn't an option. Not if he wanted all of them to come back alive.

Nicholas didn't bother to hide his concern for his son and student. When General Hayes asked his permission for Haku and Hope to partake in this mission moments earlier, the elder man's first response would've been no. He didn't like the idea of them going off with a platoon of knights if he couldn't be with them. However, when the general talked about how dark magic may be linked to those missing civilians, Nicholas found himself being hesitant. He wouldn't forgive himself if those victims were permanently gone because he decided to be selfish, yet he was worried that they might not be ready for a mission like this.

Whether it was his parental instincts clouding his judgment or if he didn't want them to go without him, he wasn't sure. All Nicholas was certain of was the potential danger that awaited them if what the general theorized was true.

"You want us to go on a mission in Kokytos?" Hope asked, the bewilderment never leaving her face.

"Correct." General Hayes nodded stiffly.

"This can't be real..." Haku mumbled under his breath. "Us? On a mission with the Rota Knights? Unbelievable..."

"No offense, General, but you have plenty of more... experienced knights that can do a simple investigation. Why us and not them?" Levi motioned toward his father and Nicholas. "We'd only be a burden out there."

"Under normal circumstances, I would have dispatched a platoon immediately once I heard the news. However..." His fists tightened and his eyebrows furrowed deeply. "The circumstance of this mission is more obscure than I had anticipated."

Thorin suddenly stepped forward. "According to the messengers, many of the people that went missing were last seen going near Infernus Cemetery. We believe that these disappearances ain't random. The puppet master knows what they're doing while pulling the strings."

"Not to mention that the culprit is definitely a mage themselves. General Hayes knows about what dark magic is capable of, which is why he has reason to believe that this mission can't be accomplished by just anyone." Nicholas's eyes wandered over to Hope. "With your ability to see through Aura Vision, we can find the missing civilians and find the culprit."