There was a long moment of silence. Marcus still lay unconscious, while their target bled out, moments from death. Dropping down from the rooftop, the aspiring captain wore an angry expression.
He checked Marcus's pulse, and relief softened his face when he found it steady, then he turned to Lucius, eyes narrowing.
Shit, does he think I was serious before? It was only half true, I swear.
Panic flooded his chest.
Or worse, did he see me use any of my Loki abilities?
Luckily, it seemed he had just arrived and did not see Lucius use his trickster flames.
But Lucius did hate the Helios kingdom, his father, and his mother. However, he had no desire to see it burn. Like all corrupt places, there were small lights worth protecting—his private professor, Marcus, and his brother among them. He'd only said those things to the criminal to save Marcus's life.
If I had known the captain was watching, I would not have used Silver tongue.
"Bring me some rope," the aspiring captain ordered, voice icy.
Lucius hurried from the alley, slipped into a nearby store, and returned with a rope. After securing the criminal, the captain activated Purifying Aura, the Stage Four ability of the Helios Pathway.
His palms glowed bright red, the light flowing into the man's body. Wounds sealed shut, breath steadied, and fatigue slipped away. The criminal stirred awake, dazed.
"Where… am I?" His eyes darted to the captain, then to Lucius.
"You tricked me! You're one of them, one of the monsters responsible for the sacrifices!"
"I guess you could say that," Lucius replied, though he had no idea what the man meant.
Sacrifices?
The captain struck the man unconscious again, his expression hollow as he slung the body over his shoulders.
"I'll take him. You carry your friend. I'm out of mana, so I can't heal him."
Lucius's thoughts lingered on the criminal's words, not just what he'd said before being knocked out, but their entire conversation.
Why would this man turn to crime?
Most criminals acted out of desperation or greed. But this man's hatred for Helios went far beyond that. His crimes had nothing to do with money; he burned churches, sacred buildings, all for what? A message? He spoke of sacrifices, of monsters. It couldn't be meaningless.
The kingdom is hiding something. I'm sure of it. Maybe this man wasn't a criminal at all; perhaps he just saw something he wasn't supposed to.
Suddenly, Lucius remembered Alicia and the cruel boy who clearly despised him. He turned to his captain, who walked silently at his side.
"Why aren't we meeting the others at the coffee shop?"
The captain's face darkened, shifting from blank to grim.
"They're dead. Along with their targets."
"…Oh."
Lucius searched for grief, anger, anything, but all he found was emptiness. And that realization sickened him. Growing up as an outcast in Helios society, he had not formed loving bonds with many people. Thus, many emotions that came along with bonds had never appeared to the young prince.
How could he feel sadness for someone who hated his guts? Even if he wanted to, it was not possible. In fact, he even felt relief that the Captain's expressionless face had nothing to do with his usage of Loki's abilities.
The walk to the secure military camp was silent. Once they cleared the gates, they entered a gray building filled with shouting and frantic movement. Scions scurried in every direction, their red Helios-issued robes swaying as they rushed past. Each robe bore the sun emblem, and beneath it, another patch: a blazing orange fist crushing a stone.
The official mark of the army.
Unlike the other factions, the army didn't stay behind to defend the homeland. But they were sent to fight on the front lines of the war that God decided to start.
Papers flew, as generals barked orders that echoed through the hall. The chaos made both the aspiring captain and Lucius pause.
"What's going on?" the aspiring captain finally asked, his voice hazy with fatigue.
A nearby Scion turned, eyes wide with fervor.
"You didn't hear? We're going to war with the Boreas!"
Cheers erupted through the building like fire catching dry wood.
Lucius forced a smile.
I forgot… How could I have forgotten?
The priest had foretold this war in his church. Which meant soon, probably after the academy's graduation, either Helios would invade Boreas' land, or Boreas would strike first.
Lucius's chest tightened. He saw himself on the battlefield, surrounded by faceless soldiers, fire-consuming cities, and either Marcus or his brother bleeding out. The thought made him want to vomit.
After the storm of excitement passed, a general took the captured criminal into custody, locking him in the prison below. Marcus, meanwhile, was healed and placed in a medical tent.
Lucius and the aspiring captain gave their report, then were ordered to remain on base in case more questions arose. Left with nothing to do, Lucius collapsed into the hard cot of a small, airless room.
But he couldn't rest. His mind churned.
Will I become a killer? What does it even feel like to take a life? And what if I like it? How would I be any different from the rest of this kingdom?
The criminal's voice echoed in his head, cold and cutting.
Sacrifice.
A shiver traced his spine. He swallowed, then rose from the bed and stepped out into the dim hall. He was going to find out what that word truly meant.
After a few seconds of walking, Lucius peered out from the dark hallway into the main room. It was filled with desks, tables, and offices, but strangely, there were no military officers.
Well… almost none.
At the far left side of the room were stairs leading down to the prison where they kept the criminal he had just apprehended. Guarding the stairs stood a military Scion with a spear. His eyes were heavy, and he let out a long yawn.
Lucius sighed and waved his hand.
This is straight out of a cheesy book—Trick Fire.
Suddenly, a strange flame erupted on top of a desk at the far right side of the room.
"What the hell!" the officer roared, grabbing a fire extinguisher. He sprayed the white foam over the fire, but no matter how much he used, the flames refused to die. Strangely, the sprinkler system didn't go off either, as the flame gave off no smoke.
Minor Glamour.
As the flames roared, a giant rat the size of a small child scurried past the officer and darted under a table.
"AHHHHH!" he screamed, flinching back.
Mustering his courage, the officer bent to look under the table, but found nothing. When he straightened up, the fire had vanished as well.
For a moment, he stood in silence. Then he shrugged and returned to his post by the stairs.
"I need to quit smoking."
Lucius laughed the entire way down the stairs.