It did not take long for us to hear what had happened, thanks to the questioning of the knights. Though, they still did not entirely trust Grace, or Lyra once they figured out that she was the one who had bonded with the dragon. Still, some progress was better than no progress.
As we had guessed, there had been a warning sent to the capital just a couple days ago in the form of a feline amalgam. It carried with it a message that was only obtained at the cost of many innocent lives. The message, naturally, informed the crown that these attacks were going to take place. It did not say when, only which district would be attacked in this ‘first wave’.
The message also identified the perpetrators behind the event, a group calling themselves the Gate of Truth. This was not an organization that existed in my memories, so I could only listen intently to figure out what they wanted. And, as it turned out, they did not want anything good.
The goal of this mysterious group was nothing short of an apocalypse. They believed that they had found the secret to the ‘true magic’, and that it involved amalgams. So, they wanted to mass produce amalgams… a thought which sent a chill down my spine.
Why was Lyra the only person we had found alive in both towns? Why was there not even one other survivor, hiding in the rubble? When we asked Lyra what had happened to her, she said that she had been out with her former familiar playing in the woods when she heard the roar of the amalgam. By the time she got to town, everything was mostly destroyed already.
Seeing the creature that was causing such destruction, she thought it was best to hide. Unfortunately, the building she chose to hide in collapsed, pinning her beneath it and crushing her familiar. She didn’t see anyone else during the entire event.
Similarly, by the time Kaneda and I arrived at our own town, the area was already burning. The amalgam was attacking, and there was nobody left alive around us. But… we weren’t that late in getting to the town, after the fire started.
“It’s highly likely that most of the townsfolk were abducted.” The knight speculated, finally sheathing his sword after listening to our stories. “Those who resisted, or who the organization did not ‘want’ were killed to cover their tracks, and make it look like a slaughter.”
I gave a small nod, glancing at Kaneda. “The amalgam that we fought here yesterday… it was practically mindless. And the one before that, Griffith said that he was able to smell a curse on it.”
“We found similar evidence with the amalgam that attacked the palace.” The knight confirmed with a nod, moving back to signal for the others to let their horses rest. “It was absolutely feral, and our court mages said that it was under multiple powerful curses.”
“In all likelihood, these amalgams are normal civilians that were abducted by this organization, and forced into their frenzied state. Since they were just normal people, possibly even test subjects, the organization didn’t hesitate to send them out as disposable pawns. They were simply fodder to showcase their power, and cover up any tracks that would lead us back to their base.”
“But mister, they chose this area for a reason, right?” Lyra looked up at the knight with wide eyes. “A kitty is easy to transport, even a feral one. But the big elephant man I saw…”
The knight’s eyes widened as he realized what Lyra was insinuating. “Their base is near this district.” It had only been a day since the attack, so we had easily been able to show them the body off the elephant amalgam sitting in the distant streets. Lyra was right, it was far too large to easily move, especially in its frenzied state. Even moving it under normal conditions would draw considerable attention.
“We’d like to be of assistance here.” I spoke up, knowing that this was the last chance we’d get to put ourselves in the story. If we didn’t join here, we would just be sent somewhere else, away from the combat for our own safety.
Kaneda quickly nodded her head as well. “We’ve fought their amalgams twice now, and you need all the help you can get before the kidnapped civilians are used for their plot.”
The knight had a rather complex expression, torn between whether to accept our help or turn us down. However, with another look towards Grace, he gave a long sigh. “Okay, but we do need to hurry. You probably don’t know what happened with the other towns in the area, where you weren’t able to get to in time, do you?”
When the three of us shook our heads, a look of pain flashed across his face. “The amalgams were all found dead. Whether anyone stepped in to fight them or not, eventually they just died in the middle of the street.”
Hearing that, alarms sounded in my mind, my eyes going wide. They were not just turning people into amalgams. These creations were flawed, such that they had a very limited lifespan. Or perhaps one of their curses ensured that they died before they were able to regain their sanity. That way, the information about the organization’s base wouldn’t be leaked to the outside.
“My name is Hensworth, the captain of the Royal Guard.” The knight finally introduced himself, seeing as we were going to be working together.
I simply gave a nod, turning towards Kaneda and Lyra. “Lyra, do you think you can make a tracking spell?” Both Genevieve and Griffith had such spells, but each one covered a different method. With the abilities of a dragon at her disposal, Lyra should be able to make something useful as well.
The small girl gave it a moment of thought, before nodding her head. “Sure! I can do that!” After saying that, she turned to run over to Grace, who crouched down to let her climb up onto the dragon’s back.
I looked at Kaneda, who seemed to understand my intentions. With a shrill cry, Genevieve flew into the sky, while Kaneda closed one of her eyes.
For a moment, I considered sending Griffith out as well. However, given his condition, he wouldn’t be able to get away in time if he encountered an enemy while alone in the wild. “Sir Hensworth, you should take a moment for your men to rest their mounts. We’re going to try to find some clues in the surroundings.”
He thought about that briefly, before agreeing. They had made a hard run this far, and had only just managed to get through a few of the cities when they encountered us. It was possible that there were other survivors in other cities that had managed to resist the amalgams like we had.
“Okay… I think that should do it.” Lyra spoke up after nearly a half hour of concentrating with Grace, while the knights were resting against a building and Genevieve was still out scouting the area.
I gave a thankful smile towards Lyra, who quickly jumped off of Grace’s back. “Ready to show off, Grace?” She asked with a wide grin, to which the dragon nodded approvingly.
Lyra’s voice turned soft as she brought her hands to her chest, her eyes closing. Grace’s wings extended to their full length, rising slightly over her body. As Lyra spoke, a silver glow began to wrap around both her and the dragon.
“Eyes which gaze through the veil of time, observing the present and seeking a better future… turn to the past, and review the lessons of history. Oh spirits of the world, you who watch over us, guide us in this moment as we receive the echo of fate.”
The glow on Grace’s body condensed just beneath her wings. As she gave a gentle flap, light spread out around us in a fog, clinging to our bodies and the debris around us. Once it had settled, Lyra’s eyes opened, and the light seemed to move.
As if time was rewinding itself, we could see Hensworth standing up, walking backwards towards his horse, the rest of his men joining him. He spoke briefly with them, before walking backwards towards us. Our previous conversation played in reverse, before we saw them ‘un-arriving’ at the town where we were staying.
For the next few moments, things sped up. The long night that had passed with us staying beneath a nearby building, the fight with the elephant amalgam, the scene of Lyra’s former familiar being crushed beneath a building…
Finally, new lights began to appear. Their forms were more vague than the distinct appearances of those who were currently in the area. Even the dead bodies that had now stood up, standing in a daze were more lifelike.
Only when that scene had ended did Lyra stop turning back the clock, allowing it to play out for us once more. Whether it was Kaneda or myself, or Hensworth and his men, we all watched with rapt attention.
Six blurred figures walked into the city wearing heavy robes, glancing around before nodding. The one in the lead spoke, his voice distorted. “Yes, they will do.” After he spoke, he extended one hand from beneath his robe. Even through the distortions of the spell, the hand looked… scaled, with claws at the tips of each finger.
A visible pulse swept out from his bodies, the activity of the city simply stopping. All of the residents turned towards him as one, walking closer and standing in a large group. The six figures began to look through the group, picking out people here and there seemingly at random and having them stand at the side. We soon began to notice that the ‘dead’, the civilians with distinct appearances, were those standing in the second group.
Once he was satisfied, the man nodded his head. “Send these back, and bring in the brute.” The other five gave a short bow, and led the larger of the two groups away. Once they were gone, only the leader was left with his unfortunate victims. Victims which soon began walking lifelessly to where they had been found, simply standing there and waiting.
The man walked to the first victim, and retrieved a dagger from his robe, stabbing it into the man’s heart. The victim coughed up blood, but then he immediately collapsed as the man moved on to the next target. Some, he slew with his dagger, others he used his claws, and some he killed with fire. All arranged in a pattern to make the scene look chaotic.
After he had finished, and looked around to make sure that there were none left alive in the town, he turned and walked away. A few moments later, another of the robed figures returned with the elephant amalgam.
This figure waved a hand towards the elephant before similarly walking away. Just as he was exiting the scene, a light flickered in the elephant amalgam’s eyes, before he let out a furious roar. His rampage was beginning, and he smashed against any building that stood in his way.
Lyra let out a gasp, falling to her knees as the spell ended. Her face was pale, and Grace looked down at her with worry. I rushed over, kneeling beside her and checking her condition. “Are you alright?” I asked in a soft voice.
“I’m fine…” Lyra whispered, though I could tell it was a lie. Slyris might not have been able to identify what Lyra just did, but I knew. Deep down, I knew that Lyra had used a piece of her own spirit to cast this spell, and was now suffering the consequences of that decision. Her spirit had been wounded twice now, in as many days, and who knew how long it would take for her to fully recover.
