Nerrisa stamped the letter before handing it to a messenger. "Make sure it gets to the capital. Expect resistance." Her tone grim as the messenger took it out of her hands. In it depicted the atrocities done in the town she was in. Diana's dehumanizing life, the pair's tyranny and the hold that they had with the locals.
'However these two barely leave their prissy mansion so it would be hard for me to stage a public assassination. And with the tight state of it, harder to get a lay of the land.' Three days had passed since the death of Halric, his husband, and her heart was seething with rage.
Each passing day, Halric's death tormented her mind making her skin crawl. "They were able to kill him so easily so it would be reasonable to wait for the capital to send their best." However her brows furrowed at this approach. 'But if I wait not only could Diana be subjected to more torture and Halric's death will go unsatisfied.'
So far she had weighed her options, none favoured her so she chose to wait for the right time. Rising to her feet, she made her way out of room and into the next where Halric's corpse resided. Her fingers ran across his coffin, her face turning sour as she grit her teeth.
'I'll make sure that those two come to regret this.' She vowed in her heart as she stared at his upper torso. The worst part of it was that his missing head acted as cruel joke that she had no choice but to hear. She couldn't even admire the face of her beloved in death, only his neck.
Days passed, the pair forgetting about Diana like a toy grown bored off and focused on other things. However outside of their walls the town hadn't. Rumors erupted about Diana and her fall from grace. Some wished to help her, others fearful of Clomere's wrath while others chose to watch it all unfold. Nerrisa was one of those people.
She had used her power to get as much information as she could about Jarren and so far she was bothered with what she came across. "Jarren Velros was sent to the academy so why is he back home? Caelbridge Academy hasn't closed for the holidays!" The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she could gain am advantage over Jarren.
She didn't bother with the pair as she made her way to Jarren's parents.
***
"Madame, you have a visitor." The maid cooed before waved off. Elyria who was still sulking over the death of her son collected herself as she saw the figure walk in. "Nerrisa!" She cheered. "Elyria!" Nerrisa mused before the two shared a casual chuckle. "How have you been?" Nerrisa took her question with a grain of salt.
"I've been better." Elyria's brows furrowed. 'What does she mean that she's been better? What could have happened to her?' She listened intently. "It's my husband, Halric. A close friend of your husband. He's..." She didn't need to finish for Elyria to know what was wrong. "I'm so sorry."
She began, her words pitiful making Nerrisa's chest hitch. "It's fine. However there's a reason as to why I'm here." Elyria's face turned into bewilderment. 'Is she implicating that my husband may he tied to his death?' Her mind naturally concluded so.
"Halric's killer is none other than your son. Jarren Velros." Elyria was completely thrown off. "I'm sorry what? My son is dead." Her grave tone taking Nerrisa by surprise. "What do you mean your son is dead? He's nestled in his mansion with a girl and Diana. When Atherion comes to hear of this, it won't end well for him."
Elyria however hadn't gotten over the fact that her son was still alive. "Jarren's alive?! But how?! Caelbridge Academy told me that he had passes away while executing a mission near the kingdom's borders." The two ladies narrowed their eyes in suspicion
It was clear that Elyria was still in the dazed stupor.
"Are you lying to me Nerrisa?" She posed however the silence that followed assured her that it wasn't a lie. "I...I have so many questions." She muttered to herself. "And we'll get to the bottom of it all however you must know that your son is not only a murderer but also a kidnapper."
Elyria didn't take the words used to describe her son well. "I think that it would be best that we head over there." She concluded. "Bring some guards as well." Nerrisa added making Elyria worry. 'Since when did Jarren become a murderer and when did he get back to his place?'
She had eyes in his abode to alert her so the fact that none of them bothered clearly unnerved her. With a clap of her hands, a maid appeared out of nowhere. "Tell my husband that I'll be making my way over to Jarren's manor." Her tone grim as she rose to her feet.
The maid bowed in acknowledgement before scurrying off. "We should bring some security as well. Who knows what he might do when he sees me?" Elyria's eyes narrowed in suspicion, still unable to get over the fact that her son had killed Halric.
***
"What do you mean that traitor of a brat is alive?" Caeldrith's voice filled with annoyance filled the air. "Miracles happen father."Thalen joked only to be thrown a spiteful glance from Caeldrith. "It is rather odd that he's alive. The academy informed us that he had died out in the fields." Vaelric chimed in, his tone calm as he took a bite into his meal.
"And what makes it worse is that your mother is going to check up on him." Caeldrith clicked his tongue as he drink down on his goblet. "I'm sure that she has good intentions. After all it's rather odd that he's alive out of the blue." Thalen spoke, his tone no longer carrying his humorous edge.
Vaelric nodded in agreement making Caeldrith ponder. "So why would Nerrisa arrive and say that he's a murderer." The two brothers turned to face him with looks of perplexion on their face. "Murderer?" The two mused simultaneously. "Yes, Nerrisa said that he managed to kill Halric. The bastard was a close friend of mine."
His tone with an edge of familiarity and loss, it was clear that the two knew each other at a league only the two could imagine. "Are you going to check on him?" Caeldrith nearly spat his food at such a statement. "Please! Your mother's got it covered." Caeldrith let out a mocking laughter with his words.
"There's something off about Jarren brother. He's usually not like this. Sure annoying to deal with but not this off." Thalen's words making Vaelric pause and wonder. Even he had realized Jarren's odd demeanor. He was way calmer and wore a smile that never quite reached his ears.
And the most eye-catching fact was that he mastered the penumbra element out of the blue. Forming glyphs that had never been recorded in the annals of history and relaxed with his indulgence. "I can't believe that he severed ties with Serrant." Thalen mused adding more to the list.
"Do you want to help me check on him?" Vaelric quickly turned down the offer. "I have matters to deal with in the court. With Guinevere's presence in Redfall, some of the nobles in Reuthar are growing quite tense." It wasn't just Reuthar but the other kingdoms as well that dreaded Redfall's rebound under the new leadership.
"Speaking of nobles, hadn't Callista said that she would kill his father? There have been reports once a rumor now confirmed that she really did kill Roderic." The air grew tense with such words. "If those two were to ally, it would be a headache for not just us but the rest of the world." Caeldrith's eyes narrowing at such words.
He was a smart person, bitter but knew how to read a state and he knew that a foreseeable war was on the horizon. "If a war was to come about, it would be...interesting." He was confident with Reuthar's arsenal however he had no clue what Guinevere had in her cards.
'As a Hollow Saint, sh no doubt has a lot of cards to play.' Thalen spoke, his tone serious. "Even though it'll be a headache, it's not like she'll overturn it into a threat overnight. By then we should have made a move to deter her growth." It wasn't just him but the other two thought the same.
"Sure deterring her would be ideal but one of the struggling kingdoms would want to be on her good side should she come to be powerful later on." Vaelric posed similar to Caeldrith's thoughts. "Then I'm sure that the rest will hush them, if not made an enemy and with the pitiful state wouldn't last long before they collapsed."
Thalen's point enlightened the two. "I guess you really aren't all jokes brother." Vaelric spoke, his tone with praise making Thalen puff his chest. "You should really take me with more respect brother. I easily would have been a noble in a drabby court but the tame lifestyle isn't for me."
Caeldrith remained silent as he kept on digging into his meal before taking his leave. The two brothers followed suit shortly after. "How do you think Jarren came to possess such talents Vaelric?" Thalen asked as the two walked down he hall. "Some of my comrades are saying that he made a deal with a demon."
His words followed with an innocent laugh. "It wouldn't be far fetched to say so Thalen. However his work didn't contain the demonic energy one usually would have. Besides I'm sure that the academy would have easily noticed if his aura was corrupted." Vaelric posed making Thalen recall.
"However the more I think about it, the more probable it seems. At Caelbridge, there have been four deaths ever since his transformation, he could be in cahoots with demons brother." Vaelric as much as he didn't want to see it that way was left with few options to pick from. "It would be too soon that he's working with demons. After all we could conduct a proper investigation to get to the bottom of it all."
Thalen blankly agreed before the two parted ways. Each with their own thoughts swirling in their minds.
***
"Your mother's coming. I can't wait to meet the the mother who birthed my husband." Her words filled with anticipation, their bodies intertwined. "You know that I'm not the owner of this body Clomere." She chimed in, playful as ever. "It's the concept rather the man that I'm a fan off." Her words implicating much more than just their sadistic games.
"Do you think she'll like me? Maybe I should try out that new dress you got me." Her words a lie which he reveled in. "I'm sure the white one should favor her." Realizing what he meant, she landed a kiss. "I didn't think that you were so dirty minded Jarren. Shame on you." Her words empty as the two indulged in a fervent embrace.
"Don't worry, you'll be as infinite as the abyss that cradles you."
*Boom*
A strike of thunder echoed outside as she recalled that Diana slept in her makeshift kennel. A place under a tree, haphazardly put together, an order she explicitly gave and carried to a tee. "I was thinking about the rest and about Redfall..." Jarren hummed with curiosity.
"What of it?" She drummed her frail fingers on his sturdy chest. "I'll have to test the others. I hope that they don't mind indulging with a bit of...peculiarity...here and there." Jarren flickered her forehead resulting with a pout from the miss. "Ow!" Her cries savored. "What a dirty mind you have dear. Looks like you'll need to be disciplined for that. Preferably bathed in glass and stars."
Clomere playfully narrowed her gaze, her words hesitant. "I don't like mirrors, too sharp and I hate going outside." Jarren landed a light kiss on her. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that you come to adore your reflection. And besides don't you need air to bloom?" She groaned aimlessly.
"Eh~I can bloom in the darkness with no mirrors or light. Besides the dark is warm and comforting." Jarren couldn't help mutter, his mind already planning on getting her in line. "Oh you silly girl."