Shadow of the Abyss

Just as Altair studied the Imperial Tutor, Adrum Faytal, so too did Adrum smoothly study the young master nox with righteous indignation. Something in him seemed to register a passive resistance that left his brow arched. He smiled, but just as fast as his lips rose, they fell at Tasha's swift appearance before the young master.

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It was subtle, nearly imperceptible, but Altair had barely felt the slightest quiver against the barrier held by his Soul of the Indomitable before Tasha moved. His palatine smile hung languidly, betrayed by his eyes hard, as tempered steel.

"We weren't expecting your arrival," said the Duchess coolly, the first to return to her seat, followed by the others. "How is his grace?"

"I, dear, say he's in high spirits. When His Majesty heard that Nox De Nier had awakened from his thousand-year slumber, he summoned the imperial guards to leave, but as with all kings. Duty Calls," Adrum explained. "And so he sent me in his stead."

"I'm honored," Altair expressed. "And you're right on time. The baron here was prepared to take an eternal oath to the heavens to answer a few of my questions."

"Oh?" Adrums gaze swayed to the baron. "And pray, tell what information could he give you?"

"Three days ago, he told me that there was someone within the Vadica's House that wanted my head," Altair explained, drawing the attention of young and old. His gaze fell upon the baron.

"Then pray tell, what would you do if what the baron say is true?" Adrum asked, neither too fast nor too slow.

"Isn't it obvious?" Altair beamed. "I was going to order his entire lineage wiped out," he said, startling everyone present. "Why else would I have sent out the invites of so many of my Father's Vassals?

The Old Duke seemed to grimace but said nothing. It was how they'd done it in his time. The old way.

"You mean to test your vessel's loyalty," The Imperial Tutor asked, shaken.

"One thousand years, I've slept," Altair began. "And now I awake to a baron that is not a Transcendent. A Viscount housing traitors or incompetent. Tell me, Adrum Faytal, what would the Imperial Family do? What would His Highness do if he were the target of a Viscount's animosity?"

"The eradication of his nine generations," he answered with a coldness that brought a chill to the hall.

"But I am no butcher. House Vadica has served our family for… nearly two thousand years. I'd rather not slaughter them all if there isn't a need."

'You'd need his majesty's permission."

Altair only smiled, shifting his attention towards the Viscount. "Before I give my inquiry, I hope you are aware of how your response dictates your house's survival. So I'll ask now. Who told you to attack me?"

"Young Master, you are making—"

The Old Duke rose. "This is House Nier, Adrum Faytal. You may speak for his majesty, but you are not His Majesty." he glanced at Altair. "The Old Way."

"The Old Way," Altair repeated.

"The Old Way," said Marquis Killian Tovakin

"The Old Way," Countess Darna Mado announced, followed by a dozen others throughout the hall, hard and heavy.

Whatever thoughts Adrum held died beneath the Duke's Vessels. It was no longer a matter of the imperial house but of Honor.

"The Old Way," said the Dutchess coldly, rising to her feet. She shouted, "Bring me Elfgar for Lord Nox De Nier!"

The drum of hands against hard oak reverberated through the hall as the men of the North, the Banner Men of Arch Duke Godrey De Nier, be they young or old, lifted their tankers of ail towards the skies, drowning the stone beneath their feet with it.

"The Old Way" They Cheered.

In a few breaths, the elder of House Nier, Lord Aymar Do Lar, entered through the halls, a sheathed greatsword pressed to his chest, its tip aimed towards the skies. He stopped before the young Master, bending a knee and offering the blade towards him.

Altair did not reach for the blade, leaving Lord Aymar where he may for the time being. He would hold that position for years if needed, but the moment the sword was drawn, the fall of a great house would ensue.

"Do you have any words, Viscount?" Altair asked, not as the Young Master but as Heir to his Father Duketom. "The truth, perhaps?"

Areon expression had never been so red, thick with shame; he fell to his knee, in lue of the Old Way, dictated by the God of Blood and Iron. Head bowed, he opened his lips, finding the words he held failing him.

"Baron! Take your Oath!" Altair shouted.

"I, Finra Vadica, Swear by Myriad Heavens that he shall not lie before the Question spoken by Lord Nox De Nier!"

At the rumble of the Heaven conformation, a shimmer of golden radiance trickled from the skies and shrouded the Baron in a golden haze that faded like mist.

"My First Question, Baron, Finra Vadica, Who Killed your Father?" The question seemed to stun everyone, resounding with a gale of whispers.

"I do not know, but I had received a letter from House Vadica stating that my Father would be taken care of," The Baron admitted in a calm voice. "I held my tongue for I knew that I would never become Baron in my lifetime, at least not without proper resources my Father held."

'Swine…" Viscount Kilmar Foris cursed, clutching his fist.

The Old Duke's expression grew hard. "Tomas Vadica was a hard man. He would not be felled by nobodies. He'd never have turned his back to a transcendent he didn't trust." he glanced at Areon Vadica, pale as a white sheet. "But… He would if, on the Siege of Dragon Horn, you offered him transcendents with the promise of returning to the main family."

"What type of weapon killed your Father?" Altair asked calmly.

"A spear, my lord," answered the baron, his head bowed in shame. He was shaking, unsure what the young master was reaching for. His admission alone was enough to implicate House Vadica.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Grandfather, are there any Transcendent who uses a spear that was present during the Siege of Dragon Horn?"

"Areon uses a spear, but he wasn't present. At the time, he had been summoned to the Imperial Palace alongside a few other Lords," said the Old Duke coldly. "As far as I am aware, there are no other spear users apart from House Vadica."

"I see… Imperial Tutor, do you know of this matter?" Altair asked.

"I do, but unfortunately, I am forbidden to speak about it," Adrum Faytal expressed.

"I see. It's of no consequence," Altair mused, glancing at Tasha, back to the Baron. "Then Finra, can you explain to me what has happened with the assassin?"

Without missing a detail, the Baron gave a detailed recount of what he had been asked by a raven that carried the crest of House Vadica, providing various letters and contacts he used to track the Young Master.

"That will be all." Altair said," You can leave."

'You will not kill him!" The Imperial tutor asked, echoing the words a few others wanted to ask.

"And who might replace the Barons title when he's dead? His punishment shall come, but not yet. I'm sure more information can be extracted. Mistakes that weren't accounted for, and so on." Altair shot a cold look towards the Viscount and, sauntered over to him and said, "I have more than enough information to have your entire family killed. But that would be more of a mercy.

Look at me." Areon fearfully looked up. "My family's kindness has gone unwarranted. So this is what is going to happen. If you deny what I ask, every woman that carries the surname Vadica for the next nine generations will live in brothels until your lineage is so diluted they'll forever be known as Noble Whores.

While your men, young or old, will have the privilege of becoming eunuch slaves that live the rest of their days slaughtering one another to survive. Father against Son, Brother against Brother. How poetic, wouldn't you agree."

"That is not the old way," cried Areon softly, tears beginning to rise from out of his eyes. He seemed shaken, pressing his head against the stone.

"The Old Way decides your fate. All I'm doing is adding a layer of steps. It'll cost money, but your lineage will be nothing but a stain that even the Imperial Family will cast away once they learn of your fate."

Hope turning to sharp despair, Areon lifted his head, croaking a plea of desperation, "Please… I'll tell you everything. Just let my family go."

"Then, take the Oath of the Heavens," Altair commanded, though he wasn't looking at Areon but at the Imperial Tutor.

"Master…" Tasha Soul Whispered in Altair's ear. "I have detected Soul Whispers between Areon and Adrum. They just started."

'Can you disrupt it?' Altair replied. "If so, do it."

Opening her palm, a cube of Soul Essence appeared in the center of Tasha's palm, drawing the attention of many. Before anyone could inquire more, it expanded, stretching through the Hall, disrupting everyone's ability to Soul Whisper.

"Forgive the inconvenience, Ladies and Gentlemen, "Altair announced, his voice reaching far and wide throughout the Great Hall. " It would seem my maid has detected a Soul Whisper between Areon and another we can't yet identify. So, under my command, she has blocked everyone's ability to do so."

He glanced down at Areon, patting his shoulder, partially tasting his tangible despair. 'Don't worry, Areon, just tell me the truth so I can set you free. I assure you, whomever you are defending cannot compare to the despair I shall inflect."