Kismet’s Tale

      The great bell tolled.

No one knew what it meant other than those who knew of the great bell. The church’s bell remained silent, and so it came to them that the bell tolled from the Palace. Some said that it was merely a mistake on someone’s part.

But those who knew better cowered.

He had been part of Null for a short time. Yet he knew that there was a disaster coming for them. When the great bell of the Emperor tolls. It meant that the Royal Huntsmen had been allowed to interfere in their matter.

“Looks like the Emperor had placed his foot down.”

“Are there really no news about the Huntsmen?”

“Yes, there is a Great Silence.”

“That’s even worse.”

The Great Silence means that there was no one who could tell what was happening. They had been fighting the Magi ever since the death of their kin. Though the Magi are weak to those who have the ability to disrupt their spells. They have enough power to match them in combat. In this age of technology, the Magi had proven themselves as dangerous as ever.

The great bell tolling was a warning. A warning that even the Nullers that was with him did not dare to underestimate. After all, when the Emperor wants that they have gone too far. It meant that they had truly overstepped their bounds.

The Emperor had placed his eyes on the technology that was offered by the Holmians through the Webman Company. They understood this but at the same time, know that they must fulfill their duty. Not only that, the device that the power source they desire could reproduce the ‘spark’. It also could mean that it could recreate the ‘green wind’ they fear.

They could have gone through the appropriate channels to contact the Emperor and asked for an audience. However, it was the same as asking for the Emperor to reveal state secrets while being part of a faction that the Emperor dearly hates. They were part of an Ancient Sect, and yet there was no one who dared to contact the Emperor. The one who had contact with the Emperor had been found buried inside a forest alongside one of their enforcers.

Devil and Lugi were dead. They found their burned remains and it sickened them. They demanded an explanation of their enemy and they only got one reply. That was that they were working under the intention of fulfilling the old pact. The pact that demanded them to regular the activities of the other if they had crossed the line.

Pacts written in contracts were powerful. It made use of what can be found within those who own the mark and the bloom to their advantage and it was their cruel right to hide those who are insolent from those who do not belong to their world. This world where the Null, the Magi, and the demi-kin dwells.

The Nullers and Magi are nothing more than of the many sects within the world. Though the time of secret societies, as well as the Empire were starting to fade into the dark. Many of these sects had started to adapt to the modern times, forming groups and social circles. They had attached themselves to state politicians, wealthy companies, and movements that could be used to their advantage.

However, the Empire was a closed circle where any upstart, without backing, could easily be crushed by the Hundred Nobles. The Union formed by the commoners who had managed to make themselves rich were also ruthless to competitors.

Not to mention that the Empire was infamous for its controlling attitude towards those who deal with illegal and smuggled goods. Thus many factions fail to integrate themselves in the Empire. It was one of the strongest points of the Empire that it rather controlled their criminal classes than let others that they could not manage to take control.

But what the factions were wary at was the Imperial Family themselves. The Emperor before and the Emperors of the Ancient Times were certainly war mongers. People who thrived on the field of battle, slaying enemies and claiming the head.

However, with the appearance of the gun in the field. The days where the Emperor could freely ride in battle had slowly come to an end. Though it doesn’t stop the former Emperors who fought in the war and was able to lead the Empire to victory.

Furthermore, the gun was the greatest equalizer. Even children could face monsters with a loaded gun. The Empire of Athesia had once been great allies with the Magi and the Null. Nevertheless, a great tragedy came to the factions when they found one of them scheming against the Empire.

The Emperor of that time destroyed most of the practitioners with his Royal Huntsmen. They butchered in the name of the Emperor and the light that shines upon the Empire. The bell that tolled was made from the metal and the armaments of those who fought the Emperor during the time.

Many had fallen during the time of wrath and only a few were able to escape. Those who dwelled in the dark were dragged out in the open and were ‘told’ to sign a binding contract that they shall not interfere with this side of the world. The binding contract came with a giant bell mixed from those who they melted into a furnace. The Emperor melted the dead and their tools to make a proclamation.

“Once the bell has tolled, you shall know that you crossed the threshold.”

“My hunters shall come at the toll. To pay those who have crossed the lines the price of taking a step to my city.”

It was clear that they provoked the Emperor to action.

The Emperor of this era was someone who was kinder compared to his predecessors. Emperor Zander and the Empress was someone who differed from the old rulers. After the death of the Former Emperor, and the Empress Dowager, there was a great change that happened in the Empire.

But even though he was the kinder Emperor among the ones who had ruled. There was a fury inside the Emperor that was colder than the giant blocks of ice that floats on the demifiend region seas.

They had been trying to flee the city, but they had to gather the equipment and the documents for safekeeping.

As they packed their luggage, a strange device was lobbed inside the room. The Nullers turned their weapons at the direction, firing their weapons on the door before a flash of light blinded them.

He was able to take cover and avoid the enemy. The enemy rained fire with a submachine gun. The Nullers who were caught in the gunfire were torn to shreds. Afraid of his fate, he squeezed the gauntlet on his left hand and tried to slam the attackers in the ceiling. There were many electromagnetic devices attached to the ceiling.

The force of the impact should be enough to stun their attackers. He got out of cover and indeed saw one of the attackers pasted on the ceiling. The Royal Huntsmen were equipped with the same armaments as the Holmians, and wore those ballistic plates.

He met eyes with one of them who stood on the ceiling. He dove on the ceiling, barely keeping his life as bullets ran down. With his panic, he lost control of the gauntlet, the figure somersaulted on the floor and pointed his rifle on him.

He tore the floor and barely avoided the rain of bullets. He pointed his gauntlet on the door, swung his body out and landed outside. He ran to the car that was parked and noticed that the car’s tire was ruined.

He didn’t have time to talk as fear crept through him. The person who attacked him didn’t utter any word. The enemy kept his distance as he fired disciplined shots at him. He took cover, returned fire, and tried his best to keep the enemy at bay.

However, the enemy seems too quick. Before he could lean out to take a shot, the enemy would shoot first, grazing his body, and producing wounds. He tried his best to endure but he knows that the more he stayed here. The more the chance that his life would end.

He decided to push the car with all the force his mark and gauntlet could offer. He placed a palm on the side door of the car and with an extreme push. Lobbed the car to the direction of the attacker.

The enemy however slid under the car, and rolled to safety. The exoskeleton suit that the enemy wore groaned and made clicking sound as he marched. However, this gave him enough time to tether himself, and sling himself to the roof.

Landing on the roof, he quickly sprinted out of the war. However, the enemy was a ruthless predator chasing its prey. The enemy quickly scaled the building. He threw the shingles around him to hinder his enemy’s movements. The more he used his mark the more exhausted he felt. He couldn’t allow himself to be weak. He ran on the roof with desperation in his eyes. Fear crept on every part of his body as he landed on the tiles.

However, as he prepared himself for another leap. He saw Nullers who were preparing to head to their hideout. He tried to warn them, but the man who wore that armament simply lobbed a grenade he cooked and threw it on the window.

Four Nullers who should have the ability to destroy a person were cooked alive in their burning car. Night had come to the imperial city. He looked around and yet there was no sign of the Imperial Guards approaching. There was no sound of chaos and the great silence that surrounded him was…nauseating.

He took his eyes away from the man wearing the mask. He was being hunted. He knew this well and the Emperor’s hunters had come for them. Though he felt fear he still ran for his life.

Yet no matter what place he would go to. The bullets would follow. That horrible clicking and clunking noise followed. He had tried everything that he could and yet none seem to stop the hunter that was after him.

Of course, he hadn’t lost his rationale. As he ran through streets and rooftops he recalled a construction area filled with metal. Arriving in the area, he immediately sacrificed one of the cylinder batteries on his gauntlet to throw everything that he had on the enemy. The enemy could not easily escape all the metal thrown at him. However, to his despair, the enemy came out alive, though his armor was grazed, he steadily walked, forcing him into the depths of fear.

And yet he didn’t dare to give up upon seeing that the enemy had dropped his gun. He pulled his pistol and focused on shooting the person. He enhanced the bullet with his gauntlet and pulled the trigger.

The recoil flung his hand backwards. And yet to his surprise, the man who held no weapon, pulled out a hiltless saber and managed to block the bullet. The bullet didn’t leave a dent on the hiltless saber.

Those cold blue-grays eyes scared him. He felt his body tremble. His being shaking to the point of being unable to function. He raised his hand in hopes to fire another bullet. However, the enemy didn’t give him a chance.

He saw the saber cleanly cut off his wrist. He arched his back in pain and used his other hand to grab the saber coming at his throat. The strength of the man was too much. He felt the blade tear through his palm, muscles, and slowly split his hand.

The saber’s tip pierced through his arm and landed on his throat. He wanted to beg for his mercy but yet the enemy did not give him the chance to even utter another word. He saw the saber twisted until the tip reached the back of his neck.

What he saw was nothing other than those dull blue-gray eyes.