Ezra had already acquired the relic he was searching for, but he needed to escape the ruined city as quickly as possible. The Cursed Statues were roaming the streets like mindless ghouls, and to make matters worse a few buried ones were rising from the rubble and crawling through the debris.No place seemed safe, not even the shrines and watch towers. The statues were everywhere, and as the night darkened, they started coming out from the shadows and crowding the major intersections and squares.“Now that is what I call, 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'!” Marlin whispered as his eye scanned the ruins.Ezra knew the longer he waited, the worse it would get. It was already past sundown and there was no doubt in his mind that he would have to deal with the undead the moment he escaped the ruins.The only good thing about this situation was the time. Since the sun had disappeared from the sky and the crescent moon was hiding behind a veil of foggy gray clouds, the city was drenc
Never in his wildest dreams had Ezra imagined he would be running into his brother like this. But for Ramel, it wasn’t a chance encounter at all. He had turned every rock and interrogated every man, woman, and child to discover his brother’s whereabouts.“It is so good to see you again, my dearest brother,” Ramel said, jumping down from his Vanquisher. A lot had changed since Ramel had first tasted the sweet liquor of corruption. At that time, he was a naïve young man, looking to carve out a name for himself and rise above his peers. But now, he looked like one of Zepheroth’s most loyal servants.Ramel had discarded his silken robes for a black jacket and a furry gray cloak stained with blood. Half his face was burnt, and black veins throbbed under his eyelids.The spark of life in his eyes was long gone, and he no longer looked like a part of the living world. It was as if he had sold his soul to the Dark Lord and now only existed as a shadow of his former shelf.Ezra took a long loo
As Ramel’s body collapsed on the snowy ground, Ezra’s fingers trembled, and his eyes moistened. His thirst for revenge had pushed him to pull the trigger without any second thoughts. But now that he saw his brother’s body lying on the ground, it shook him to the core.Killing monsters had become a chore for Ezra, but taking a human life was different. As he put his sniper away and landed on the ground, he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. Even though Ramel had betrayed everyone, Ezra could not forget that he had once called him his brother. The memories of those days spent together in training flashed before his eyes, and he felt something tearing him from within.“Why did you have to side with Zepheroth? Why did you betray us?” Ezra pulled Ramel’s corpse by his collar and interrogated him like a stern jailer. “You were a real Romanov, unlike me. You had Lord Sebastian’s blood flowing through your veins. Yet, you ruined everything!”“People are often blinded by their ambitions. It
Inhaling sharply, Ezra put the golden conch shell to his lips while Glenn watched eagerly, waiting to witness the relic’s true power.Closing his eyes, Ezra blew into the conch, creating a sonorous hum that echoed across the mountain and cleared away the ominous gray clouds rumbling overhead. Light pierced the blanket of darkness like a heavenly lance, and the night miraculously turned into day, waking the birds from their drowsy nests and dispelling the shadows.Astounded by the miracle he had just witnessed; Glenn raised his arms and praised the Goddess. “Ishani is the only truth. She is our guardian and savior. The loving mother who never abandons her children.”Ezra finally opened his eyes and put the conch away, his face brightened with a smile.“I bet Tanya can do something even better with the relic. Maybe this is the weapon that will turn the tides in our favor.”“Its power is truly divine,” Zala uttered in a feeble voice, his breathing shallow and erratic. “I wish…I had found
Ezra's expression soured as he contemplated his choices. He knew he could trust Tanya with his secret identity, but he wasn't sure about Marquis Desmond and the others.“Spending the day with Marquis Desmond and his family will help us win their trust and learn about his political ambitions.” Tanya’s voice prodded Ezra, interrupting his thoughts.His initial thought was to devise an excuse to postpone the meeting. But he knew it would only delay the inevitable and raise more questions.Realizing there was no way out of this mess, Ezra decided to play along. “I have heard about the dueling tournament. But I have never been there. When is the next round?”“It’s scheduled to be held tomorrow and my sources have informed me that Marquis Desmond’s son is among the duelists,” Count Gressil replied on his daughter’s behalf. Ezra had already met Marquis Desmond’s son, Rasher Desmond, and he had come off as a snobbish prick. But he still had no clue about Rasher’s dueling skills.“I met Lord R
Once Ezra had finished explaining everything to Tanya and relayed his instructions to the knight in charge, he handed things over to them and left the mansion.The last few days had been incredibly hectic for Ezra, but now that he was back in the city with plenty of time to spare, he planned on handling his unfinished business.Ezra’s first stop was Golden Brooke Bank, the largest bank in the city that doubled as a reserve for the royal treasury during times of crisis.It was here the tournament organizers had deposited Ezra’s winnings. To collect them, he only needed to verify his identity with a matching signature.Since Golden Brooke was the most popular banking choice for most commoners, Ezra knew he could not visit the bank in his official tournament attire as it would create a commotion. However, trying to collect the winnings without a mask meant exposing his identity to the banker.At midday, as the crowd gradually thinned, Ezra entered the bank and walked up to the counter on
Ezra was only a child when Lady Fiona left this world. He only remembered her face in blurry fragments, but her sweet voice was still crystal clear inside his mind. As the cashier led Ezra to the backrooms, his heart yearned to be with his family one last time. At this moment he felt like he could give anything just to meet his parents again.“You know Fiona never told me she had a nephew. But she did talk a lot about her daughter. I think her name was Aurelia. It’s a shame what happened to the Romanovs,” the cashier said as she opened the locker room door and requested Ezra to step inside. The bank had seventy lockers in total, with only three of them belonging to the nobles. Naturally, it roused Ezra’s curiosity.“Who do these other Regal Lockers belong to?” he asked.The cashier turned around and replied, “I am sorry, but we do not share the details of our customers with others. Who did you say you were again?”“My name is Loris Lagerlof,” Ezra replied.“I don’t think you are from
Over the last few days, Ezra had familiarized himself with Magaravia’s streets, and he no longer felt like an outsider. Even Ashton Alley had lost its initial repulsiveness and become a part of his routine visits.However, as the wagon crossed the stone bridge leading out of Bolter Street, the coachman pulled to a grinding halt right at the entrance to the slums. A large crowd of commoners had gathered on the streets, armed with sticks and brooms.“I am sorry, but this is as far as I can go my good sir,” the coachman whispered in a nervous voice. Ezra tossed him a handful of Scepters and stepped down.As the carriage drove away, Ezra approached the mob and tried to get a closer look at things.“I tell you these Blue Caps think they can do anything they want!” a lean middle-aged man dressed in soiled clothes exclaimed.Another raised his axe and yelled angrily. “We should teach them a lesson they will remember for the rest of their lives!”“Yeah! We should show them we are not afraid o