Chapter 94: Alessia

Chapter 94: Alessia On the second floor of the tavern, when they heard the words of the young man standing before them, they were astonished. Several thoughts ran through their minds, for if they carried this out, the fall of the Medici Clan would be certain. "You don’t hold a grudge against the Medici family?" asked one of those present cautiously. Kael stared at him for a moment and said coldly, "That’s none of your business. Just do as I told you." Everyone nodded and asked no further questions. Not long after, they left the room, leaving Kael alone. His gaze remained fixed on the city that had lost all happiness and was now filled with fear and terror, because no one knew if they would still be alive the next day. ... Two days later. The rain fell furiously, as if the sky itself were pouring its wrath upon the earth. Thick, gray clouds covered the sky, merging with the distant mountains into a single nebulous mass. Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky like a silver snake, illuminating the world for an instant... and disappearing as quickly as it had come. Spring rains, usually a symbol of life, this time brought with them a dark omen. On Kiran Mountain, the trees creaked under the force of the wind, but stood firm. In the city of the Medici territory, stone and wooden roofs withstood the onslaught of the storm. But it wasn’t the rain that worried them. Outside the city walls, a living mass was approaching. These weren’t mere wild beasts. It was a tide. Silver wolves, lightning boars, and three-eyed crows advanced as if they were one. More than five hundred creatures charged forward at full speed, their savage roar mingling with the thunder of the storm. The few guards patrolling the walls turned pale when they saw the swarm approaching. Some barely raised their magic staffs, trying to raise the alarm... But they didn’t get to finish the gesture. From the shadows, hooded figures glided with precision, slitting throats before a single spell was cast. One by one, the lookouts fell silently, their bodies dragged away by the rain, which at that moment seemed even colder. After they had finished off the guards and no one could report on the rapidly approaching tide of monsters. And at the same time... Boom! Boom! Boom! Several explosions began to echo throughout the city, causing a great commotion among the civilians. Following the explosions, the wild beasts entered from different points. "KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!! HELP...!" "Kugh..." "Please, someone help me!" "RUN! THEY’RE INVADING THE CITY!!!" "Mommy! Mommy..." "No!! My son just got eaten by a wolf!!!" The city was plunged into utter chaos in less than five minutes. With the appearance of the savage beasts, both commoners and nobles began to die, staining the streets with their blood and organs. The beasts were feasting, with all the nobles and commoners running in fear, hoping to survive the chaos that was ravaging the city. In the Medici mansion, the recent outbreak of the beasts had plunged everything into utter chaos. The place was a hive of activity, with members running around trying to contain the situation. The most experienced elderly residents had already moved to the city to try to stabilize the disorder and protect key points. Meanwhile, the great families of the Kingdom had not wasted any time. Like birds of prey, they began to move in the shadows. For them, this catastrophe was not a threat... it was an opportunity. A perfect chance to crush the Medici Clan when it was at its most vulnerable. Attacked on all fronts, the Medici Clan was teetering on the brink of collapse. And amid that carefully orchestrated chaos, Kael was already moving with precision, like a shadow that knew exactly where to strike. His steps were quick and silent, gliding through the corridors as if the chaos did not touch him. His destination was clear: the vault. That sealed chamber that held the clan’s vital resources... and which, at that moment, was virtually unprotected. The reason was simple. To open it, a secret chant was required, passed down only among the clan’s high-ranking members. But Kael had heard it. More importantly, he had memorized it instantly, with the coldness of someone who never lets a single opportunity slip by. A cold smile crossed his face. He quickened his pace. After about five more minutes, he came to a huge iron door covered with seals and symbols. In the center of the door was a huge symbol: a giant blue dragon. It was the symbol of the Medici Clan. Kael stood in front of the door and began to speak in an ancient language: "Oh, Great Ancestor of the age of Antiquity. ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶e̶a̶l̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶c̶o̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶s̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶v̶e̶n̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶n̶~̶ ̶S̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶n̶a̶i̶l̶~̶ ̶S̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶a̶r̶t̶~̶ ̶S̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶i̶n̶d̶~̶ ̶R̶e̶d̶ ̶s̶e̶a̶l̶~̶ ̶S̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶b̶l̶o̶o̶d̶~̶..." The enormous iron door, with all its seals and symbols, began to glow brightly, illuminating the entire hallway. It opened slowly, producing a loud metallic sound. A second later, the door finished opening. The seals stopped glowing, and he concluded his chant in the ancient language. Kael wasted no time and entered; he had to be quick. As he crossed the enormous doorway, there was an immediate change: everything turned white. The walls, ceiling, columns, and staircases seemed to have been constructed from marble or white jade, radiating solemnity and power. ... Amid the chaos, Alessia found herself completely unprotected. All the guards had been mobilized to face the avalanche of wild beasts, leaving her alone in the mansion. She hurried through the hallways, her heart pounding with fear. She knew it was only a matter of time before the creatures broke into the mansion, so she desperately searched for a place to hide. And although she tried to remain calm, she couldn’t stop thinking about her son, Kael. Despite having seen him fight with her own eyes, she couldn’t shake her worry. After all, she was still his mother. "If I don’t even care about him... what right do I have to call myself his mother?" she murmured in a trembling voice, as the servants ran around her like madmen, screaming for their miserable lives. She continued walking aimlessly, entering increasingly deserted corridors, where the noise gradually faded away and silence began to reign. She took advantage of that moment of relative calm to stop, catch her breath, and think. She had no power; she didn’t know how to fight. All she could do was hide and wait for the disaster to pass. But something didn’t add up. Everything had happened with too much precision. Just when Zephyr and Lyra, the strongest in the area—one rank 5 and the other rank 6—had left Kiran Mountain. Alessia could smell a conspiracy a mile away. Although she wasn’t surprised. In a clan as prestigious as the Medici, enemies lurked everywhere. What really worried her wasn’t the attack itself... but her own survival. And, above all, that of her son. She shook her head, banishing those thoughts. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was staying alive. She continued walking in silence until, turning a corner and passing through a side door, she finally emerged outside. In front of her lay a large bamboo forest. Alessia hesitated for a moment before crossing the line of bushes that separated the mansion’s back garden from that uncertain terrain, but she had no other choice. The mansion was no longer safe. The sound of her footsteps was muffled by the damp earth and dry leaves. With each step, the thicket closed in a little more, enveloping her in an eerie silence that was broken only by the distant echo of screams and roars coming from the city. She moved cautiously through the rain. Her legs were shaking, not only from the effort but also from fear. She kept looking over her shoulder, as if expecting something or someone to emerge. Alessia stopped, leaning one hand against one of the bamboo poles to catch her breath. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. She had a feeling she wasn’t alone. "Kael..." she whispered almost without realizing it, as if saying his name could give her strength or protection. A crackling sound. It was barely perceptible, but in that forest, where everything was silent, that sound was like a knife. Alessia spun around, her heart about to jump out of her mouth. "Who’s there?" No one answered. She quickened her pace, trying not to panic. But every time she moved forward, the creaking sounds repeated themselves. Sometimes to her left. Sometimes behind her. Other times, right in front of her, muffled as if someone were walking barefoot... or knew how not to be heard. Then, in a moment that seemed to come out of nowhere, a figure emerged from among the bamboo trees. Alessia stopped dead in her tracks. Jasper. He was standing there in front of her in the rain, his clothes still torn, his face swollen and bruised from the beating his brother had given him days earlier. But there was something in his expression that paralyzed her. His eyes, once weak and broken, now shone coldly, alien, stripped of all reason. "Alessia..." His voice was low and hoarse, as if his throat had not yet fully healed. "I finally found you."