Chapter 50 - The Third Move (2)

Currently, in the Kader Family Manor, Arthur and Neya were standing in a circular room with a single entrance. The room had no windows, no furniture, and no decorations, aside from a single Firestone embedded in the center of the roof. There was absolutely nothing else in this room.

Across from Arthur and Neya, a figure of a man appeared, sitting cross-legged. However, aside from its general appearance, there was nothing else that implied this was anything other than a statue. In fact, the figure seemed to be melded to the floor of the room, as if it were carved from it.

Arthur and Neya just stood there, looking at this sitting statue. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Arthur spoke in an exceedingly respectful voice:

"Master Arnua. I apologize for pulling you out of your seclusion."

From Arthur's words, it seemed he was speaking to the statue. The room was deathly silent, which is exactly what one would expect when speaking to an empty room. However, even though he looked ridiculous talking to a statue, Arthur, and even Neya behind him, had their eyes shining with anticipation.

Suddenly, a low rumble resounded throughout the small, circular room. Thousands of cracks and fissures appeared all over the walls, growing more concentrated as they got closer to the statue. Soon enough, the statue was covered in cracks, and then the room descended into silence again.

The sudden silence continued for more than a minute, causing suspicion to creep onto Arthur and Neya's faces. They had been told what to expect in this room, but they had never had to do it before. And now, with nothing happening, they both started feeling uneasy.

Arthur was about to say something, but before he could, the statue suddenly started moving. The statue slowly moved its hands and placed them against the floor to push itself up. Soon enough, the statue was standing up straight.

The statue just stood there, staring at Arthur and Neya. Now that the statue was standing, it seemed taller than six feet, with broad shoulders and a raised chest. It struck a mighty figure that seemed to contain tremendous power.

After the statue stood up, small chunks of earth started falling from it due to all the cracks on its surface. Soon enough, a gray-robed person appeared from within the statue. However, the appearance of this person was far from what they had expected.

This person was an extremely old man. His body was the exact opposite of the statue; it was emaciated and small, barely reaching six feet, and his shoulders were slightly slumped, giving him the appearance of an extremely fragile elderly person.

The man's face was filled with creases and wrinkles, and it seemed to have only skin and bone, as his jaw and cheekbones were clearly visible. His hair was also extremely white and seemed on the verge of entirely falling off.

The man just looked at Arthur and Neya with a sharp gaze that seemed enough to shatter their minds, causing both of them to back away slightly. Suddenly, the figure spoke with a soft yet croaky voice:

"Brats, how dare you awaken me? Where is Maximus?"

Arthur and Neya were both frightened beyond words by this figure. They both knew who this person was and his importance to their families, but neither of them could actually believe that he was actually standing in front of them.

The gray robed person simply stared at the pair with an unwavering gaze, then he spoke again:

"Speak. Before I send you to your eternal sleep."

The elder's words caused Arthur and Neya to snap out of their stupor and they immediately fell on their knees. Neya simply looked down while Arthur looked at the elder and spoke with a shaky voice:

"Master Arnua. I am Arthur Kader, the current head of the Kader family. Maximus was my grandfather and he's dead."

Arnua's gaze shook slightly as he heard Arthur's words, but it immediately turned calm again. He looked at Arthur and spoke:

"Dead huh? That old bastard always clamied to be immortal. Now it seems he really wasn’t. Haha."

Arnua's laugh resounded throughout the whole room. If one listened to his laughter closely they would notice a hint of sarcasm and sadness in it, but neither Arthur nor Neya currently had the focus to notice such a minor detail.

After laughing for a short while, Arnua stopped laughing and spoke once again:

"I assume you brats know what it means to wake me up. I promised that old Maximus that I'll help his beloved four families once in case of an emergency. So, Blackreach City better be burning from all four sides."

Arthur and Neya both let a sigh of relief. They were both told by their parents to come to this room and ask for help if the four families were ever in grave danger. This was one of the four families' safeguards, and neither Arthur or Neya were willing to waste it.

However, after news of Silus' death reached them, they both came to the same conclusion: there is a third party involved in these assassination, and that whoever is behind these assassinations was intent on destroying the four families.

After coming to this conclusion, Arthur and Neya mistakenly believed that one of the four kingdoms were making a ploy to take Blackreach City, meaning that their families were in imminent danger. This is why Arthur decided to awaken Arnua.

Arthur spoke again with a shaky voice:

"Master Arnua. Our Four Families are being targeted by one of the four kingdoms. Two family heads have already been assassinated."

Arnua's face remained unchanged as he listened to Arthur. After Arthur was finished speaking, he spoke again:

"I see. Well, I don't really care if everyone of your four families is killed.,,,,"

Fear and dread immediately crept on the faces of both Arthur and Neya. They were counting on this elder to help them pass this crisis, but he seemed to not want to. Seeing the looks of the duo's faces, Arnua continued speaking:

"But, I have promised Maximus, so I'll help."

The faces of the duo lit up immediately as they spoke in unison:

"Thank You Master Arnua."

"Remember Brats. I will only help you not die, I will not face against the Kingdoms."

"We appreciate your kindness."

Arthur and Neya were not dumb. They knew that this elder was a life saving card, but they could never use to directly fight against the Four Kingdoms. Each of the kingdoms had their own hidden experts, and these experts were more loyal to them than this elder was to the four families.

- - - - - - - - -

It had been two months since the death of the Ranes and Wayle family heads. For a few weeks, the entire city had been abuzz about the events surrounding the deaths of the two heads and how the two families were currently engaged in a vicious conflict.

The fact that the two new family heads avoided making any statements, as well as the other two families keeping quiet and virtually disappearing, almost confirmed the rumors that were circulating. It truly seemed that the four families were at war.

Rumors were just rumors, and very few people had any idea what was actually happening. The two new heads of the Ranes and Wayle families were barely adults, who had no idea what to do in a situation where they were suddenly put in a position of power.

As for the Blume and Kader families, no one had any idea why they suddenly decided to go quiet. Everyone simply assumed that they were remaining neutral in the conflict between the other two families.

However, because neither of the four families made any public announcements or moves to clarify their positions or reasons, multiple rumors circulated throughout the city. Everyone had heard the rumors, and whether they believed them or not, there was simply no way to know what was true and what wasn’t.

However, in Blackreach City, there were two people who not only knew the reasons behind the actions of the four families but could be said to have orchestrated it.

In a small, one-floor house in the third district, Wesley was currently sitting on a chair, staring at the wall in a daze. He was simply waiting, but while he was waiting, he was reviewing everything he had learned about mana in his mind.

Wesley’s mind had already been conditioned to think about mana at all times. Every time Wesley had nothing particular to think about or to divert his attention, his mind would naturally turn to analyzing mana.

Wesley was neither a researcher nor an old mage who had spent decades studying mana, but he had read a lot about it over the last year. His understanding of it could be said to rival that of any so-called specialist.

While Wesley was just sitting and thinking, a small knock came from the front door of the house, immediately capturing his attention. Wesley looked at the door for a second, then spoke in an uncharacteristically deep voice:

"Come in."

The small door was pushed open, and a thin, dark-robed person with a veil covering their face walked in. Wesley himself had his face hidden, but he simply wore a hood that covered his face in darkness—he was far less conspicuous than this person.

Wesley frowned slightly at the person’s appearance. The best way to remain hidden was to not attract attention, but this person was simply attention-grabbing. Wesley put the issue to the back of his mind and spoke:

"Report."

The figure bowed slightly, then spoke in a soft, deep voice:

"I just returned from the Manor. None of my operatives were able to verify what is happening inside. The entire Manor has been sealed, and no one has gone in or out for the last month and a half."

Wesley frowned slightly. There was no way the two family heads were not aware of their involvement. However, they must still realize that they were not necessarily safe inside their Manor, because the Ranes head had been killed in his own home.

Wesley felt like they had something up their sleeve, but he simply couldn’t imagine what. He looked at the person, who was looking at him intently, and spoke:

"You may leave. Pull back your operatives and await further orders."

The dark-veiled person looked at Wesley and then spoke:

"What are you planning to do?"

Wesley’s gaze suddenly became sharp as he looked at the person. However, his face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, so the man didn’t see anything. Wesley spoke:

"That is none of your concern. Leave."

The person seemed somewhat hesitant to leave. He once again opened his mouth to try and say something, but suddenly a figure emerged from the ground behind him and before he could even turn around, his neck has already been slashed.

Wesley didn’t move an inch or even flinch. He simply stared at the newcomer with an apathetic gaze and then he spoke:

"Your operatives are being compromised. Am afraid it won't be long before the Kader Family head sees a glimpse of the visage of your network."

The new arrival simply bent over and used the robe of the dead operative to wipe the blood of his dagger. Then he simply stepped over the dead body and walked to the seat opposite of where Wesley was seated.

After sitting down, the person spoke in a soft, whisper like voice:

"They were expendable. I had them under surveillance, so I was aware of their turning. They served their purpose, and now we know that the Kader family are actually working in the shadows as well. Am afraid we can't afford to wait any longer."

Wesley immediately replied with a frown and a head shake:

"However, since they seem the Kader Family is vaguely aware of us, it is now exponentially harder to kill them."

"Indeed. They must have some plan. What should we do, we can't wait too long lest they have enough time to connect the dots, and you can't just run in, and they don't seem to be coming out."

Wesley was immediately silenced. Should he wait and see if an opportunity presents itself, knowing that the longer he waits, the closer his plans get to being seen through. Or, should he just run in and hope that whatever trap the Kader family has prepared is not too bad.

Wesley's choices were between a slow and inevitable death, since the moment the four families discover his and the Black Family's involvement, they would most definitely attack with prejudice. Or, a quick but possibly fatal incursion that may or may not succeed.

Thinking of it this way, Wesley immediately made up his mind. He looked at Neal and spoke:

"I'll go probe the Kader Manor tonight. I won't go in too far, just enough to see what they have hidden. If there is nothing then they'll die, if there is a trap, I'll do my best to escape."

Wesley's choice was simple. If the Kader family was given enough time to connect the dots, then not only him, but the Black Family would be caught in the aftermath. The second choice, not only gave him an opportunity to do what he wanted, it also distanced the Black Family from the entire thing.

Neal seemed to understand what Wesley was thinking. His eyes seemed to soften slightly and his face showed a clear frown. Wesley was essentially running head first into a trap for his Family. He looked at Wesley and spoke with his usual voice, with a hint of sadness present in it:

"I understand. I'll go make some preparations. Good luck."

"Good. Say hello to the kids for me. Haha."

Neither Wesley nor Neal were dumb. They both realized that the Kader Family most likely had something up their sleeve, but neither of them could afford to wait any longer. This might very well be the last time they meet.