Chapter 2: Before Nightfall - The Morgan Ruins

Kaega was heading towards the western city gate, to a place that was once a small, well-known information guild but was now just a ruin that few paid any mind to. Following behind him was the girl he had saved. She had chosen to follow him, to temporarily obey his commands, and would leave when she no longer felt safe.

Two hours earlier...

Lyne's eyes, now with life restored to them, stared directly at Kaega. Her voice was soft, but its tone was icy.

-I... will follow you. I want to see if that confidence of yours can truly help me. But remember, I am not your subordinate.

Inside Kaega, a heavy stone of burden seemed to shatter, but his face showed no joy, only his inherent confidence.

-So, what's your name?

-Lyne... just Lyne.

-Alright, Lyne. According to what that man said... you know what's happening, don't you?

-I'll be brief. That man belongs to the Silver Mask Guild.

-The Silver Mask Guild...

Kaega mulled over what he knew about this place.

"The Silver Mask Guild may have taken a piece of this Aquila pie a long time ago, but their activities aren't as fanatical or chaotic as the Faith God Guild's territory, nor are they as lawless as the Blood Wolf Guild's... that's why I came here three years ago... What do they want with a sickly man on the verge of death like me?"

To this day, Kaega still didn't understand why he had been captured.

-The Silver Mask Guild... so what do they want from me?

-Every eight years... they begin a new blood purification with the strongest individuals from every city in the entire territory of Braum.

-So what do they consider 'strong'?

-The Bloodbath Rite, that's the event before the Blood Feast... a selection of survivors through continuous hunting for seven nights, just as the Head Collector said. This is also my first time participating.

-So the survivors of the Bloodbath Rite will slaughter each other in the Blood Feast.

Kaega didn't need confirmation from Lyne. From the beginning, there could only be one "strongest."

-So if nothing happens, we'll be enemies in the future. But what happens if someone escapes?

-That person will surely be hunted for eternity in this land of Braum... unless they can leave Braum for another country.

Kaega clicked his tongue. That was nearly impossible. The madness had taken root here for a hundred years. The entire western continent knew... only the rich or powerful had the means to leave this place.

-Right now, I just want to know, what will you do to kill him?

Kaega didn't flinch, answering as if he had been waiting for this question all along.

-To kill him, I need to know when I can meet him again.

A flicker of confusion crossed Lyne's face. She only knew a little more than Kaega.

-I only know that he won't be absent from the Blood Feast.

-Then it seems, at worst, you'll have to cooperate with me until the Blood Feast.

Lyne had no reaction to his statement, as if the matter was of no concern to her.

-Whatever. As long as you help me kill him.

Kaega looked up at the sky, then held out his hand. Even though the light was obscured by a hazy mist, he could still see his shadow on the ground.

"The shadow has only lengthened a little, which means the sun has just passed its zenith. It's not too late to do something."

Kaega turned back to face Lyne.

-Lyne, are they very active in the territories of other guilds?

-No... At the very least, they try to avoid attracting attention in other guilds' territories.

Kaega looked towards the alley to the west, which led to a main road. He pointed in that direction.

-Between the territories of the Blood Wolf and the Silver Mask, there is a ruin of an old guild. No one knows why it's deserted, but the Blood Wolf Guild rarely checks on it either. We can take shelter there.

-You choose that place...

A complex expression flickered across Lyne's face, but she quickly hid it. When Kaega turned back, all he saw was a calm face nodding in agreement...

Present time.

Kaega was inspecting the area around the ruins. This place had once been a small guild in Aquila. In Kaega's memory, it was still active about seven years ago, but for some reason, it had turned to ashes overnight.

"This place will be our hideout from the 'hounds' tonight, but which spot is truly safe?"

Kaega looked around, searching for a place to rest and hide, but there was nothing but rubble. He had no choice but to turn to Lyne.

"Hmm?"

The moment Kaega looked over, Lyne had already turned to face him. Her face was unchanged, but her eyes couldn't hide it. It was the same look Kaega had seen on the faces of those who worked for the Blood Wolf Guild when they returned to Rat Alley. A look of nostalgia for a place one once belonged to.

-You're from here, aren't you?

Lyne was surprised that Kaega had immediately asserted she had lived here.

-Why would you think that...

-The eyes can reveal more than you think...

Lyne realized she had let her emotions show through her wistful gaze just now.

-Yes, I used to... live here.

A feeling of having stumbled upon a treasure rose within Kaega. He knew he had chosen the right place to hide.

-Then do you know a safe place?

Lyne looked at Kaega for a moment, seemingly struggling with an internal conflict... not long after, she answered.

-I know a place, but I don't think it's useful anymore.

-As long as it's hard to find, it'll do.

They walked for a while to a dilapidated house. Stepping inside, Lyne began to mechanically clear a pile of rubble, her eyes distant. When the rubble was cleared, a rug was revealed underneath. She lifted the rug...

-Nothing... I thought there would be a cellar door.

Lyne said nothing, quietly walking over to the house's staircase. At the sixth step, in the left corner of the wall, she used her hand to lift a brick. Underneath was a rope. She pulled it hard. Right where the rug had been, a passage leading down to a basement opened up.

"The mechanism is quite loud, and the basement is full of cobwebs. It looks like it hasn't been used in a long time."

Kaega looked at Lyne, growing even more curious about this girl's identity.

-Another... cave, is it... -Kaega whispered, his eyes and face revealing nothing to Lyne. She didn't notice him either.

-Are you coming down? -Lyne's voice was flat, without a trace of emotion. Kaega didn't mind and replied.

-Yeah...

They both went down. It was a very large cavern with many branching paths like a maze. Kaega was a little disappointed not to find any traps. He also realized they were heading towards the center of the ruins.

After about half an hour of walking, they arrived at a place that had been dug out squarely, like a medium-sized room. Around them were many wooden tables and shelves filled with old documents. Kaega immediately recognized this as the former information archive of the Morgan Guild.

"Some of these are old papers, the information here seems plentiful but it's from six, seven years ago. On the table is a map of Aquila, with a circle drawn in the eastern outskirts... where does it point to?"

Kaega paid special attention to that map. The marked location was far, but still within the city limits of Aquila.

-Lyne, where is this? What's your connection to this place?

-I was born here...

-So you're a member of the Morgan Guild?

-Not exactly... It's more accurate to say... the Assassin's Guild.

-The Assassin's Guild?

Kaega tried to recall all the guild names he had ever heard in Aquila, but there was no such guild.

-It's normal that you don't know... -She said, then looked back at the old documents- The Morgan Guild was a front created by the Assassin's Guild. On the surface, it was an information-trading guild for all four major guilds, but internally, it took on assassination missions from powers outside of Braum and investigated the guilds in Aquila deeply.

She looked back at Kaega, seeing him with his back turned, looking at the documents. She continued, not caring if he was listening.

-The house with the entrance we just used was my home. One of the high-ranking families in the organization.

Kaega skimmed through the old documents, his eyes shining, a delighted smile spreading across his face.

"This stuff is a real treasure! The information isn't just confined to Aquila, but also includes notable powers in neighboring regions like the Flana Merchant Guild and the Grava borderlands... A power that possesses such information couldn't possibly be a small organization that could be wiped out in one night..."

Kaega couldn't imagine how such a power had become a forgotten ruin for seven years. He looked at Lyne, the person who said she used to live here.

-So why did it all turn out like this in just one night...?

...

No reply. Kaega turned his head. Lyne looked at him, her eyes eerily calm.

-Alright, not every question needs an answer...

After saying that, Kaega looked at the map. A moment later, with a confident smile, he asked Lyne.

-Are we allowed to kill the 'hounds'?

Lyne was puzzled by his smile. She answered curtly.

-Yes.

His smile, after hearing the answer, became even more sinister, completely shedding the weakness of his physical form. Lyne could feel an intense malice emanating from the person in front of her.

-You intend to kill them?

-I have no reason to let them live. And I believe, I'm not the only one who wants to kill them.

Kaega looked directly at Lyne. A plan was already forming in his mind.

"Lyne, I will show you how someone with a mind survives in this city of Aquila."