Rise From The Ashes

Prologue - A New Lead

Richmond

It's been a year since the day he left us. All to chase the shadow of his former partner. That is what Connor has concluded. In fact, it is the most likely answer, and the Heads had also agreed with his idea. We completely lost contact with him after that day. It was a very difficult and confusing time for us, especially for Celine. She was the one who suffered most. He is her relative after all. Fortunately, it didn't take forever. Each of us has decided to move on with our lives, although still wondering and thinking about him on some occasions.

We have been spending this whole year, preparing for the worst. To face him in a fight as the last resort. He has been labeled as a traitor after all, further adding his reason to not return here peacefully. Can't say I blame him nor the school. I believe both of them are right, in their own way.

About the progress on the Order ... It is a shame to admit, but we have been losing our tracks. No leads have been found again since our last raid in Woodshire. It seemed that it has been operating more discreet now. Whether the last ones were did on purpose to be raided or not, that is a big question mark that has yet to be answered.

Jason's whereabouts.... It has also becoming a mystery. We have tracked him across Brighthollow for a year, but somehow he always able to lose us. We have been trying to contact with the prison's warden who is imprisoning Farris. Farris Leroy. The person who is perhaps being the main reason for Jason to risk everything he had. We asked him to cooperate since we suspected that Jason will be coming there, sooner or later. Until that day .....

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"How's it going? Find anything?" I ask Roland by the library who is doing his research on his latest raid on another outpost suspected to be belonged by the Order of The Tenth.

The Library of Knowledge in Ashenville School of Arcane and Chivalry has been crowded lately by the spec ops for this purpose. Adelaine, the Keeper of Knowledge has also been involved more in keeping the records of the last investigations. But today, it is empty. Only two people are here: Roland in front of me and Adelaine in afar. I can see her greying hair has been knotted up to a bun in her old wooden desk just beside the balcony where the messenger birds are kept.

"Sadly, no. Nothing. It is mostly empty, they didn't leave anything behind for us to recover. They have been very cautious lately. Must be getting paranoid." Roland replies with a light chuckle.

I laugh a little. "I just hope that you're right about the paranoid part."

Roland has been always a happy-go-lucky person in most of the situations that life gives. I'm glad he is still with us, keeping the atmosphere around us to stay lively, although occasionally gets depressed anyway, but we managed to pull through.

" ... It's been a year, isn't it?" Roland asks me, now in a more serious tone. His eyes are still focusing on the report paper he held, however.

I grab a nearby chair to sit beside him. "It feels like it was just yesterday," I whisper to him. He answers by nodding. I think most of us feel the same way.

"Any words from Eboncloud Citadel's head warden?" He puts down his paper and turns his head to look towards me. Eboncloud Citadel is the name of the prison where Farris is being held. We believe that someday, Jason will come to that place. Perhaps to meet with Farris, or breaking him out. We never know.

"Same here. Nothing. We have asked them to inform us as soon as possible should Jason is spotted there or any incidents involving our targets occurred since last year. But, nothing out of ordinary has happened until now." I explain.

"It is the most secure and well-guarded prison after all." Roland adds. "Not to mention how tight the securities are placed on our ... bait."

I don't like how he used the word 'bait' on Farris. I mean, it is right that we used him to attract Jason, but to consider someone as a thing, even for a criminal..

"Don't use that kind of word. It's irritating." I scold him, though I know that Roland didn't mean to.

" ...Sorry about that. Got carried off sometimes." He proceed to stand up and do some stretching. "But to be honest. At this rate, we're not going anywhere."

"Indeed. Anyway, I hope things couldn't get worse than this."

As soon as I finishes that, a cawing sound can be heard. It is coming from a messenger crow, finding its way to rest on the balcony near Adelaine's station. Messenger crow is usually used to deliver some bad news, especially about the dead ones. Adelaine stands up from her desk and walk to the balcony to retrieve the paper that is rolled and tied neatly with a golden ribbon on the crow's leg. She unrolls the paper that is actually a fine-looking paper and bigger in size to read the message.

"I guess your hope needs to wait."

We start to make our way across the room to reach Adelaine. She is currently reading the message written on it. Her old eyes squints and her forehead frowns during the whole time.

"What does it say?"

By the time she has read the whole message, her expression turns dark. She must have noticed the grey jackets that we wore and easily concludes that we are the spec ops. She hands the paper to me.

"You need to hand this to the Heads right now. It is a very urgen news." She commands us. Despite her old feature, her voice and expression is still stern and demanding especially now. "You can read it by yourselves on the way there."

I read the unrolled message, with Roland joining beside me.

To the Officials of ASAC,

We are from the Highmont's Officials and we are sorry to inform you about the massacre incident in Werth Keep that occurred two days ago. The Head Principal of Ashenville School of Arcane and Chivalry, Jorgen von Rousseau has been murdered in that incident. As with the other victims, his limbs were mostly ripped out. We concluded that a large and vicious beast is responsible for this mass murder. Unfortunately, we have failed to capture that savage beast. By this letter, we require the assistance from the ASAC to retrieve the body as well as helping Highmont in further investigating this incident.

Furthermore, by the time we write this letter, the southern border's walls of Highmont is currently being assaulted by a pack of were-beasts. We think that they are somehow are related with the Order of the Tenth. Some guards said that they witnessed from afar that a person cast a ten-sided star seal just before the assault began. We afraid that the worst will come and we have decided to declare that southern trade route is currently off-limit for traders. Therefore, we also seek the assistance from ASAC to help us in this matter.

Stand Firm and True for Brighthollow.

I rolled the paper and look up to Roland, which he nods in approval. We ask for a permission to leave from Adelaine before we storm out from the library, to make our way to the Head's office to deliver this very urgent letter.

The principal has been killed, by a suspected savage beast. This grave news will definitely create a chaos in the school, should if it is leaked out from us, the spec ops and the Heads. Even more than that, were-beasts that are suspected to be related with the Order's has begun their attacks on Highmont's southern border.

Finally, a lead for us to follow, along with the bad ones following it. Can't say I'm content with that.