Chapter 86: Meeting Again!
~CLAP!~
Once she finished speaking, Seraphyne clapped her hands, and the world around them once again warped, colors bleeding together in a spiral of black and crimson light.
The dimension around then unraveled quickly and the trio found themselves back in the Forest outside of the Demon Capital City of Nocturna, just where they left.
"Hmm, it seems this place hasn’t changed much, though there’s much less monsters prowling around I’ll say that," Seraphyne said as she looked around and expanded her senses.
A moment later, her aura, which had been bleeding into the air like slow, inevitable death, folded inward until it completely disappeared. Now, unless someone was directly looking at her, no-one could sense Seraphyne’s presence.
"Nocturna..." she murmured, voice low but rich with memory as her gaze extended to the luxurious city not far out from the edge of the forest, "So this city still stands. It’s warming to see the Abyss didn’t claim it, back then it was constantly under siege."
"Since you’ve been sealed for a while, the world has changed so much," Albedo said as he began walking the trial he used to enter the forest, moving towards the exit.
Seraphyne glanced sidelong at him, amusement flickering over her lips, "Really? Do tell, mon maître."
He stepped over a tangle of roots, his voice steady, "The old racial rivalries never completely died, but they’ve been overshadowed by the Abyss. A long long time ago, corruption fully began breaking through the rifts. Multiple Kingdoms, Empires and tribes fell in a Cataclysmic Invasion, the Faeries almost went extinct as well, relocating to the Elven Kingdom for survival,"
Albedo explained using relatively basic knowledge he had learned from his parents when he was young.
She listened without interrupting, her gown whispering over the grass, her pace smooth and unhurried.
"Once this happened, the major races each pooled their resources. They became more open about allying together to combat the Abyss. They also created the Major Academies. Each Race has their own Academy, and the Headmasters or Headmistress of Each Academy is a person of a different race to minimize bias."
That earned a slow, approving hum from her throat,
"How curious. The world bleeds from a single wound, and instead of tearing itself apart over the scent of blood like we did in the old days, they’ve now began working together. Who or rather what Race is the Headmaster for you Humans?" she asked.
"It’s actually a Demon, Princess Raphaeline Cortezia," Albedo said.
"Cortezia?" Seraphyne asked and tilted her head in slight confusion, "Isn’t the Royal Name Nocturna, or have they been usurped?" She asked.
"Nocturna is still the name of the Royal Family, Raphaeline just changed her last name a while ago, yet she is still reportedly connected to the Royal Family closely, no-one really knows why she did it," Albedo explained and Seraphyne nodded.
"How intriguing, the world really has changed so much, though the Mana levels have dropped, I fear the Abyss has taken deeper root than I ever could’ve expected," Seraphyne said.
"Well maybe we’ll work together to fix that," Albedo said and Seraphyne chuckled in response.
"Yeah, maybe so," She said as her lips curved faintly.
They walked in silence for several moments, the sounds of the forest, distant insect chirps, the low rustle of wind, filling the space between words.
Then Seraphyne stopped mid-step. Her head tilted ever so slightly, like a wolf catching a scent.
Albedo halted as he noticed that, one brow arching, "What?"
Her crimson eyes narrowed faintly, focusing on something far beyond the trees,
"I can sense two people approaching quickly. Not that strong, a little weaker than you, both of them female." Seraphyne said.
"Demon & Vampire, the Demon has Royal Blood, the Vampire also seems quite noble, they’re chatting like quite good friends. That Vampire’s affinity to Blood Magic is quite high, pretty much as good as mine, I’m impressed," Seraphyne said, beginning to describe their appearance.
Albedo’s gaze sharpened as he heard Seraphyne’s descriptions, recognizing them, "Celeste and Lilian."
The faint smile that touched her lips was almost imperceptible, "Ah. So they are yours, then?"
"I know them slightly," Albedo said, "They’re headed right for us... might be worth testing how sharp their senses really are."
Seraphyne arched a brow, her tone a slow curl of amusement, "Mmm. Mon maître, are you going to play with your prey?"
He smirked, "Something like that."
Without another word, Albedo’s body ignited in flames and burned to dust, completely vanishing from their sights. It was another spell he had learned from the Book of Aevarion.
His presence had vanished so completely that even the rustle of his movements had faded completely into silence.
Ember’s ears flicked at his disappearance, the mare lowering her head slightly as faint star-flecked light ran through her mane.
She and Seraphyne followed at a distance, silent as specters. Seraphyne’s steps didn’t so much as bend a blade of grass, her presence wrapped so tightly that the forest seemed to forget she existed.
Albedo moved swiftly, weaving through the gnarled trunks, closing in on the faint sound of voices ahead. Soon, the shifting silhouettes of two young women came into view along the forest trail.
Celeste walked calmly, her silver hair swaying with her stride while Lilian was beside her, constantly gesturing with her hands lightly as she spoke,
"...I’m just saying, if the Capital’s market is half as chaotic as last time, you’re the one haggling with the merchants," Lilian teased Celeste.
Celeste scoffed, brushing a stray lock from her face, "Last time was your fault. You picked the only stall run by an imp with three different exchange rates."
"That imp gave me a good deal," Lilian countered with mock offense, raising her hands in a brace position.
"It was a terrible deal you dimwit,"
They both laughed softly, but unbeknownst to them, Albedo was crouched high in the boughs above, his sharp hearing catching every word as he measured the rhythm of their conversation.
Neither’s tone carried the taut edge of danger, they were relaxed, unguarded, not at all aware of his presence.
Perfect.
He stepped forward in the branch’s shadow, positioning himself directly above their path.
Below, Seraphyne and Ember had stopped in the undergrowth behind them, unseen and unheard. The Vampire Duchess’s crimson gaze followed him with faint amusement, as though watching a cat toy with its prey.
When the two women stepped into the shadow beneath his perch, Albedo dropped.
His boots hit the ground in front of them with a solid thud, the sudden appearance startling a sharp gasp from Lilian and a flicker of movement from Celeste’s hand toward the hilt at her hip.
Albedo’s voice cut through their reactions, smooth and low, "Your senses are quite dull, no wonder you two couldn’t beat me in a fight,"
The words carried a faint edge, part challenge, part reprimand that irked both of them, especially Celeste who scoffed in annoyance at seeing Albedo appear in front of them.
As they processed his sudden appearance, Seraphyne stepped into view behind him, her presence still perfectly contained yet somehow oppressive.
If they hadn’t seen her with their eyes, they would never know she was there, yet now that they noticed Seraphyne, they felt an instinctual pressure, the kind that came from the depths of their souls, and that made them alert.
Lilian especially felt this way, her instincts screaming at her that this stranger was not one to trifle with.
Albedo rested a hand lightly on Ruin’s hilt, his smirk unshaken. "If I had meant harm, either of you would already be bleeding. You’ll need to be sharper than that if you plan to walk these woods."
Neither Celeste nor Lilian replied right away, but the silence was loud with unspoken questions.
Lilian’s gaze continuously shifted between him and Seraphyne, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"You travel fast, I thought you were going to the Catacombs, what are ya doing near the Capital now?" Lilian asked curiously, her eyes moving to Ember, lighting up as she saw the beautiful Celestial Mare once more.
Albedo didn’t break eye contact, "Eyes off Ember, you’ll never get her," He said before continuing.
"And I just finished some business in the area," he said evenly, brushing past them with an unhurried stride, "I’ll be leaving soon. Be sure to be more aware for when we next meet up,"
Lilian’s grin turned sly as she pivoted, walking backward a step, "Oh, we’ll meet up soon enough... Albedo Neverwinter,"
She let the name hang, and then, with wicked delight, she spoke his full name, crisp as a bell.
He paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as he didn’t exactly remember him telling them his last name.
"I figured someone like you wouldn’t be unknown," she added, clearly pleased with herself, "#1 ranked freshman at Zephyr Academy, of course you’d be famous, and no wonder you’re so strong,"
Albedo’s gaze sharpened, "That doesn’t explain why exactly will we be meeting soon?"
Before Lilian could answer, Celeste cut in, cool and composed. "Because there’s an exchange program about to begin soon between the Demon Academy & Zephyr Academy."