In the dimly lit chambers of the town hall, Mayor Sebastian sat nervously across from hooded figures cloaked in darkness. The leader, a towering figure wreathed in flickering flames, spoke first.
"Where is the payment for this month?" the leader said as his eyes glowed in amber.
Sebastian swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he fumbled for words.
"I… I can't pay you right now..." he stammered,
"The Arkwrights have basically taken over everything — they're supplying everyone with finance, food, housing. And Vayne...has creation magic! He's been making all these crazy materials and inventions!"
"And those damn dwarves! Do you know they've brought tools and techniques that makes rebuilding ten times faster? They're practically finishing entire streets overnight!"
The leader tilted his head slightly,
"You're telling me a man who claims amnesia has undone our progress in weeks?"
"Yes!" Sebastian exclaimed,
"He's not just rebuilding houses; he's installing inventions no one's ever seen before. He even has dwarves to help! Can you believe it? Dwarves working alongside humans willingly—it's absurd! How did he manage that?"
One of the shadowy assassins stepped forward,
"Absurd or not, your incompetence jeopardizes everything. For years, we relied on your delays, your sabotage, your laundering to keep Ashwick weak and desperate. Now, thanks to Vayne and your incompetence, it will all crash."
Sebastian flinched at the accusation,
"You don't understand! It's not like I can override it if they have given a note from the dwarven kingdom! I delayed progress for two weeks by ordering the townsfolk not to help that fool Vayne but that meddling Evelyn rallied the dwarves and ruined everything!"
"I've raised taxes, sabotaged shops, denied rebuild requests for years—everything to keep Ashwick broken and blame House Arkwright! Every business closure, every crushed hope, I did it all for you! I made sure nothing changed because if Ashwick thrived, you'd lose leverage over them!"
"So excuse me if I can't just conjure up your damn payment overnight!"
The leader's hand gripped Sebastian's throat and lifting him slightly off his chair. Heat radiated from his palm, burning Sebastian's throat,
"Your schemes have grown tiresome, mayor. We trusted you to keep Ashwick broken. Instead, you let him waltz in and undo years of work. Consider yourself lucky I'm feeling generous today."
He released Sebastian abruptly, letting him collapse back onto his seat, gasping for air.
"We will kill this Vayne this week. Don't bother asking when or how—we no longer trust you. Consider this your final warning."
With that, the hooded figures vanished instantly, leaving Sebastian alone in the oppressive silence of the town hall.
Sebastian staggered out of the town hall, clutching his burned throat where the leader's fiery grip had seared his skin. The pain throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the suffocating weight of dread pressing down on him.
Damn it. Killing Vayne is impossible even for them. He's got that stupid wife of his glued to his side 24/7. And Evelyn... if they knew who she really was, they wouldn't be so confident.
He buried his face in his hands,
What am I supposed to do? There's no way out of this. Sooner or later, they'd uncover everything—the denied loans, the rigged taxes, the sabotage. Everything.
Why the FUCK did Vayne do a 180!? It's like he's someone else entirely. I need to do something, to protect myself especially when those mages fail. I need Ashwick to still be in my control.
I need to kill Vayne but not just him. That stupid Seraphina and Evelyn as well. When all is done...I'll use that petite girl for myself...yes, yes.
I just need undeniable power. Real power.
As he entered his home, his peripheral vision caught a dusty old safe tucked away in the corner of his room. It contained a book that was filled with forbidden prayers and rituals meant for desperate times.
I guess...I'm desperate. I can't let Seraphina, Vayne and Evelyn survive. Ashwick is mine to control.
When those mages get weakened from the encounter, I can just swoop in and kill everyone.
Yes, yes. I'm a genius!
After fumbling with the lock of the safe, he pulled out the ancient tome. Its leather cover was cracked and brittle, the pages yellowed with age. Symbols etched into the binding.
"This is insane." Sebastian whispered, running a trembling finger over the embossed title: The Book of Azrl.
They say praying to forgotten gods only brings ruin.
But he still flipped open the book, skimming through cryptic verses written in a language that twisted his tongue just thinking about it. Finally, he found what he was looking for—a prayer dedicated to an unnamed deity, one whose name had been erased from history.
The text promised aid to those who called upon its power, though at great personal cost.
Sebastian stared at the page.
Am I really to risking my soul just to invoke something dangerous? But what choice do I have? If I don't act now, those bastards will kill me when they're done with Vayne or if they fail, Seraphina will come for me.
Either way, this is my equaliser.
Taking a deep breath, he began to recite the prayer aloud,
"O Lord of Paths Unseen, hear my plea. Grant me the strength to overcome my foes, to reclaim control over fate itself. I offer myself as your vessel, my will bound to yours."
As the last word left his lips, the room grew colder, the air thickened. Shadows pooled around him, writhing and twisting unnaturally.
You dare disturb me?
Sebastian froze as his knees buckled, forcing him to kneel,
"Oh Lord of the unseen, please...help this weak and lost soul"
I am Nathaniel, the God of Inevitability. You kneel, calling upon powers you cannot comprehend. Tell me, pitiful creature.
Why should I grant you anything?
"I—I need your help." Sebastian stammered, "There's a man... Vayne. He's undoing everything I've built. If he isn't stopped, I'll lose everything!"
Nathaniel was thoroughly amused,
Well, that was easy. All it took was a little push toward the mages, and now I have a willing pawn.
'Deny my bullshit' Ivy? Deny this, then.
Ah, yes. Vayne. His arrival has disrupted many plans, hasn't it?
Sebastian didn't dare look up even though excitement burned under his skin,
"Yes, yes! He's ruining everything! He doesn't deserve any of it! All he was before was Callista's pet! She handed Ashwick to him like some sick joke, while I—I had to do everything!"
Very well. I shall grant you the power to kill Vayne.
Before Sebastian could respond, searing pain erupted in his mouth, tearing down his throat like molten steel. His flesh bubbled and blackened as the cursed words of the prayer branded themselves into his soul.
He collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony as the cursed words of the prayer burned into his very soul and tongue.
Nathaniel's voice rang out one final time,
Ah... this pitiful thing will take days to wake. No matter. By then, the seed of chaos will have taken root. Let us see how Aric denies my bullshit.
Because he won't be able to.
The next night, Aric sat at the edge of his bed as he stared intently at Seraphina.
You know, she's really... pretty right now. But something feels off. For the past few days, whenever we worked overnight, I could feel people staring at us.
Not malicious exactly, but not pure either. Like they were spying on me and Seraphina whenever they had the chance.
[You finally noticed, huh?] Ivy's voice hummed inside his head,
[Took you long enough.]
I mean I did notice even a week ago but should I...? I mean, I don't want her to worry...
[Oh please.] Ivy snorted. [Your wife would rather know than be left blind. Don't pull that 'protect her by staying quiet' nonsense.]
Yeah, you're right.
"Seraphina." Aric began, "You need to consider what I'm saying. These dreams… they're not just nightmares. They're warnings. Weeks ago, I saw Ashwick burning. Flames everywhere, people screaming, shadows attacking them. And now I keep seeing hooded figures out of the corner of my eye. Everywhere we go, they're watching us."
Seraphina raised an eyebrow, "Hooded figures? Watching us? Are you sure it's not exhaustion playing tricks on your mind?"
Though I said that... I had seen them too. Evelyn had already reported suspicious movements among the workers but she's currently busy investigating the mayor.
And if there's one thing I trust without question, it's Evelyn's instincts—especially when she's acting on her own.
Aric shook his head,
"No, it's real. I saw them. And then there's Sebastian. He keeps asking me to slow down the rebuilding process, thought I don't see him much now but why would he do that unless…"
"Unless what, Aric?"
"I don't know." Aric admitted,
"But something isn't right. He is trying to stop us from fixing Ashwick, from moving forward even though he's the mayor of this place. Isn't he supposed to encourage people? Encourage progress?"
Seraphina sighed heavily, "You have a point, actually. Sebastian has been acting weird ever since we returned to Ashwick."
She paused for abit as if regretting something,
"I knew I should've denied Vayne before."
"What do you mean?" Aric asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Right, I forgot you don't have Vayne's memories. Ashwick wasn't always under our rule—it belonged to Callista. When Vayne came along, she handed it to him as part of some diplomatic agreement. Sebastian was the mayor even during Callista's reign.
"He was always the odd one, constantly reshuffling rules and such. But I didn't have time to manage this place properly back then so I left it to Vayne but then he fucked up and I had to pick up the pieces. Then he ruined Onastin, which was the biggest blunder, forcing me to choose between priorities."
Her tone had bitterness, "Maybe I should've listened to my instincts about him sooner."
Aric watched her silently, processing her revelation.
So Sebastian's been here longer than anyone. Long enough to weave his own schemes unnoticed. What else is he hiding?
Seraphina straightened up, "We need to figure out what he's planning. If he's behind these hooded figures or whatever strange energy we've been feeling, we can't let him get away with it."
Aric nodded slowly, his mind racing. "Agreed. Let's think of a plan first thing in the morning."
Aric and Seraphina tucked themselves into their own side of the bed, both of them making up plans in their mental space before succumbing to sleep.
Unbeknownst to Aric and Seraphina, Sebastian was slowly stabilising. Within him pulsed a newfound power.
A dark force that promised retribution.