Suddenly, a burst of crimson erupted from the heart of Activia. It came unannounced, yet unsettlingly beautiful as the powder ascended in a slow, effortless rise toward the sky. There was no roar of an explosion, instead, it emerged with an eerie silence.
The cloud drifted above three colossal spires, their forms twisted unnaturally into the sky.
As the crimson dust climbed higher, it expanded outward, its tendrils cascading out. The vibrant red contrasted sharply against the azure sky, painting an unsettling picture as wide as a horizon. It captured light, shimmering with a muted gleam, drawing the gazes of onlookers upward, mesmerized by the spectacle unfolding before them.
Within moments, the cloud erupted to its full height, stature, forming a grotesque mushroom shape. Time seemed to halt as the citizens looked, transfixed by the astonishing sight, a beautiful yet terrible one.
And then, as if it were a slow tide, the crimson began to cascade downwards. It rained softly on the streets, each drop reminiscent of a sun-drenched fall. The ground quickly turned a brilliant scarlet, the color seeping into every crack and crevice.
Astonishment turned to pandemonium.
"Crap! It's Corlay Powder again!" A frazzled vendor shouted. Tossing aside his freshly baked bread and scrambling to pull a tattered cloth over his stall.
"Not again! Haven't they caught that bastard yet?" Yelled another. While futilely trying to shield his prized beast skin coat from the suffocating crimson fog.
The air thickened rapidly, sparking panic among the populace as the powder cascaded down like a bizarre snowfall. Shouts of surprise, confusion, and exasperation rang out in a cacophony.
"Damn it! Close your eyes, Henry!" A woman yelled to a nearby boy. Her hands flailing as if trying to physically block the impending blast. "If it gets in your eyes, it will sting for the week!"
"Why is there so much?" A voice quaked from the crowd. As people struggled to escape the billowing haze, stumbling blindly through the scarlet storm.
…
Everyone was in a frantic mood except for two people who calmly walked out of the alley and entered the crimson-clouded streets. The first is a tall woman with tan skin, long dark purple hair that reaches her thighs with a fringe that covers her left eye. She wore an ivory-white cloak over herself with a sword strap to her.
"Don't you think you went a bit too far?" The extremely beautiful woman commented. Her bright violet-crimson eyes glanced around before shifting back.
To the man with a cascade of platinum blond hair mixed with streaks of black at the bottom, all falling past his shoulders in waves and braids. He had slitted golden eyes and beneath those eyes, jagged black markings stretched like claws across his cheekbones. He wore a similar ivory-white cloak with a bow made out of bones strapped to his back.
"No time to worry, Selene. We have a schedule to keep." The youth replied nonchalantly, a stray lock framed casting shadows over his golden eyes. He started running with Selene following behind, their leather soft boots not being affected by the powder.
"As you say, young master Lorien…" Selene nodded.
They moved swiftly through the bustling streets, the ivory-white cloak drawn tightly around them to ward off most of the falling powder. When they reached the end of the street, they turned left into a broader avenue, Lorien's bone necklace bouncing against his chest with every stride.
Nearby, a group of teenagers burst into laughter. Pointing at a friend who had slipped trying to dodge the powder, now sprawled in the street and coated in vivid crimson. "Looks like you've got a new look, Nisu! Very impressive!" one teased, their voices bright with mischief. Nisu grinned, brushing dust from his hair as his friends doubled over with laughter.
Lorien smiled at the scene, and then they melted into the crowd, blending seamlessly among the citizens. The air was thick with excitement and confusion; children dashed past, faces and arms covered in red, laughing with delight as they tried to catch the falling powder.
"This is the most interesting thing that's happened all month!" A boy shouted, spinning in circles, arms wide. "It's like those lanterns bursting during the festivals!"
"Let's catch some of that powder!" Another called. Darting toward a fresh cascade of crimson, his laughter ringing out above the chaos. Others joined him, their joy a stark contrast to the tense adults scrambling for cover.
Lorien chuckled, turning down an alleyway free of powder and passing a lantern alive with blue fireflies. Their luminescent bodies cast a cool, soothing glow, a stark contrast to the warm, hectic street outside. He could feel the chill from their beautiful and mellow light as they buzzed inside of the lantern.
Lorian hummed as he said. "Six of them should be coming in the next few seconds, being so fast and near. It should be the Yan Warriors."
The steady drum of footsteps echoed down the alley. Six figures emerged, their bone-white linen wraps secured by golden threads, spiral crimson markings curling across their cloth. Copper armor and gilded collars gleamed on their shoulders, layered bone necklaces rattling with their movements.
Each carried a long spear of pale bone, capped with a copper blade.
An attractive woman with a long spear and short black hair widened her eyes in surprise. "Selene–"
Without warning, Selene vanished from Lorien's side and materialized in front of the group. A white sword flashed into her grasp. She struck, moving the spear with a fluid motion, sending it spinning from its wielder's hand. In the same breath, the blade's tip pressed against the warrior's chest. Arcs of electricity spark from the blade, crackling through the woman's body, her eyes widened before she crumpled to the ground.
Selene's figure blurred, knocking weapons from the others' hands and dispatching them with swift blows. The alley was silent but for the thud of bodies hitting the ground.
"Faster than I thought. Nice work, Selene!" Lorien called with a grin.
Selene offered a rare smile. "All thanks to the young master's warning."
Selene then fell in line behind him, their back against the wall. With a sneak peek, Lorian could see fifty people dressed in bones and leather clothing. And no citizens around, most likely they have been cleared out of the area some time ago.
Yan Warriors.
Lorien and Selene could hear the voices of the warriors.
"General Uro! The warriors are already moving towards the City Square, Hall Of Time, and Lighthouse which the explosion erupted at!" The Yan Warrior said to the tall and muscular man with piercing black eyes. He had slicked brown hair with a short bang covering the forehead and wore light armor with an axe hanging on his side.
Uro nodded his head. "Good, all we need to do to find the culprit behind this. It has been months and we haven't gotten very-"
Before Uro could finish his words. Another explosion erupted in the city, a massive yellow cloud began to obscure the left area of the gigantic skeleton bone above. The yellow cloud moved over the houses, bone buildings, and stone shops.
A Yan Warrior's eyes widened. "That is paralysis powder! Is that person crazy?! They would dare to paralyze the people of Activia?"
Another Yan Warrior muttered out loud. "First Carloy powder, and now June powder? Just what is-"
Uro interrupted the warriors. "Split up into a squad of 10 and move to the five areas where the paralysis powder appeared. We will report back to King Ignis."
The Yan Warriors nodded their heads with a grimace before they began to split. Some of them jump on the bone-like roofs. While others rushed through the alleyways and streets down from General Uro.
Once they were out of his sight, Uro turned around and spoke up.
"It's time to stop playing around, foolish prince."
Before hacking out with his axe - Agni that erupted out with flames. They rush out in waves, burning the streets and smashing into the alleyway. But Selene jumped out of the alleyway with Lorien wrapped in her embrace.
"You dare, Uro?"
"Of course we dare, Selene."
An authoritative voice rang out causing Selene to clench her sword. Instantly, she and Lorien were surrounded by ten people from the Chu Warriors all standing on the jagged rooftops. Clad in hardened deep brown leather armor, strips of yellow wrapped around their sleeves and torso. Over their head was a light bone-colored shawl wrapped over one shoulder, secured by a bone-carved clasp.
Their tattoos arms wrapped in bones bracelet drew back their bone longbow, aimed at Selene
"Gord…" Selene's eyes landed on a middle-aged man in his thirties. He had blond hair and emerald eyes, wearing similar clothing to the Chu Warriors, staring at Selene with a frown.
"Prince Lorien, it's time for you to quit with these useless attempts." Gord had his arms behind his back, "while I commend you for your stubbornness. You aren't any closer to leaving this kingdom."
"Oh? Am I being underestimated?"
"Of course not. We know just how terrifying the second prince can be, the previous attempts attest to it. But unfortunately, we had already known about this plan before."
"How naive of me." Lorien chuckled, "well, I'll just make a better one next time."
Gord sighed impatiently. "Is exploring the outside really worth this much trouble? Even though it won't help Activia?"
"Nothing in this city can help me anymore." Lorien glanced down at the bracelets around his wrist with a smile, "I need to leave. I found a clue from the Relic sections of the library on where I should go look."
"But my prince!"
"Give it up, Gord." Selene shakes her head. "Once a mystery appears in front of the young master, he becomes too focused to care about anything else. And this mystery has been haunting him for years now."
Gord frowned. "Be as that may… You will have to return my prince, will you come quietly?"
Lorien and Selene glanced at each other before both of them turned back to Gord. The former with a delighted grin and the latter with a lack of concern replied. "Never!"
Gord smiled knowingly. "Of course you wouldn't… Attack."
All nine Chu Warriors pulled back their bow, each arrow made out of bone aimed at Selene and Lorian. But it was then all of them shivered when they heard the sound of jarring electrical currents.
"You all are pretty brave to draw your weapons against us. Fortunately, it's just your weapon." Selene released a smile while the air began to be filled with arcs of bluish violet lightning that coiled around her sword – Tyrant.
Instantly she vanished, appearing above as she chopped down with her sword that crackled with lightning. In but a second, lightning crisscrossed everywhere, one ray of lightning after another rained down. Each blow of lightning hacking down on the Chu Warriors. All nine of them grimace as they swiftly fire their bone arrows towards the arcs of lightning.
An explosion rang out!
As this happened, Uro rushed towards Lorien who had drawn his bow. Selene already sees this gripped her sword before she chopped down. A gigantic arc of lightning descended, rushing towards Uro.
"Not so fast, Selene!"
Gord swiftly fired an arrow that crashed into the side of the arc of lightning. But instead of it being destroyed, it began freezing over the lightning, locking it down. Selene frowned while Gord chuckled but he continued sending arrows towards Selene as the other nine Chu Warriors recovered.
And they started firing at Selene who was forced to defend against bone and ice arrows.
While this happened, Lorien had already placed four arrows in the bows before he released them. Four fire arrows flashed out simultaneously, piercing towards Uro in a diagonal fashion. But Uro swiftly swung his arm down, smashing apart all of the bones arrows to the side, all of them scattering.
"Once again you're causing trouble for this kingdom. And once again we have to be the ones to clean up your act." Uro clenched his fist, "when will you grow up and stop chasing after those fantasies."
Uro blasting out with his fist, that rushed through the air. Lorien's eyes widened before shifting his figure outwards, evading the fist by an inch.
"Sorry, but I can't miss this opportunity." Lorien smirked as he grasped his bow, "It might not mean much to you all. But to me, this may be the only chance I will have."
Lorien held the bow in hand, sweeping it over, crashing it into Uro's left arm. But the general didn't flinch or budge, he simply glared in annoyance.
"And yet you're still so ignorant of the pain you're causing your father. You truly are a foolish prince, unlike your older brother."
Lorien's eyes slightly narrowed while he gripped the bow tightly. Uro noticed this but he didn't care, his annoyance apparent. With a grunt, his arm forcibly pushing back the bow, he sent Lorien flying straight into the wall.
…
"He doesn't hold back his words..." Gord muttered while firing off another arrow that clashed with the streaks of lightning.
"Gord! Don't be an idiot. You know we can't leave Uro with the young master!"
Selene glared at Gord, hints of anger swirling in her eyes. Her glare sent shivers through the nine Chu warriors, with all of them wondering if they will live through this.
Gord rolled his eyes. "Come now, Selene, he isn't even going hard on the prince. And while it's true Uro lost respect for the prince before, it's still against the law to use our powers on each other. Uro isn't crazy enough to actually severely hurt-"
An ear-splitting crash shook the area!
Alongside a piercing scream that rang out with rubbles scattering. Gord quickly turned his head and to his shock, he saw Uro standing over the lower half prince's body.
That wasn't covered with rubble but with crimson liquid leaking out.
"Are you crazy?!" God screamed in terror as he rushed towards Lorian, leaving the nine Chu Warriors to deal with Selene.
Uro simply scoffs before stepping back. "...I lost myself for a second-"
"You lost yourself… Idiot! This is our prince! The person that will lead this kingdom-"
Uro glared at Gord. "I refused to believe that. He is lacking compared to the other Ashguards."
"That's my student you're talking about. And before he leads it to doom, he will have you begging for him to kill you." Covix glared at Uro in annoyance before he quickly dropped to the ground.
With one hand grasping the prince's leg, threads began to move out from his tip, moving towards Lorian. While using his other hand to remove the rubble of the prince.
"Just shut up and come help me-"
Gord was interrupted when he felt a fist smashed at the base of his neck. He could only utter a grunt before his body fell forward, darkness began to take over. But Gorg's body was caught before it hit the ground.
…
Uro gently moved Gord's body to the side and then he kneeled, head bow before the rubbles.
"Young Master, Gord is a knockout, the warriors are busy, and the coast is clear. We can head to the gate."
The rubbles in front of Uro burst open. Rubbles went scattering, the figure of Lorien could be seen standing up in front of Uro with a grin. He had dirt and scratches all over his clothing with his right arm slightly bleeding.
But otherwise, he was fine with a relaxed smile on his face.
"Incredible acting as always, Uro."
"I naturally learned from the best."