Spells rained down on the guards as intruders and magic beasts attacked the city from the inside. They breached the hearing venue before the defenders pushed them back. Two hooded figures in white and green waltzed through the chaos to the main courtroom with the help of an armed escort.
The doors had been blown off, but a barrier still kept the intruders out. The white cloaked figure laughed mockingly at those trapped inside. They prepared for a fight. Most already knew the identity of the white cloaked figure, and escape wouldn't be easy if he decided to come out of hiding.
"Good afternoon, deceitful leaches and their cowardly enablers. I am the Prophet of Truth. The one bestowed with the honor and responsibility of saving magic. I've come at last to spread the truth to through the filthy streets of this corrupted city."
One of the committee members spoke up.
"We know who you are. How dare you attack our court and our city?! You will pay for such insolence."
"Insolence? Tsk, tsk. That's funny coming from the ones rotting this country inside out. However, everything is going to change starting from today. I'd like to introduce a very special comrade in arms who will help me cleanse this nation."
The green cloaked figure stepped next to him. A large crystal artifact was held in his hands. Ramona found that the figure seemed a bit familiar. A horrible knot began to form in the pit of her stomach.
"This is the second prophet of my order. He is highly skilled in handling artifacts, and helped us create our army of magic beasts attacking the city at this very moment. I think that you'll find his arguments most persuasive."
A burned, wrinkled hand pulled back the green cloak to reveal a hideously malformed face with a fanatical expression and dull silver hair. Ramona recognized him the instant he took off his hood. She instantly looked down and calmed her nerves.
'So that's where he went. F**k.'
**********
Despite being the capital of the most advanced magical nation on the planet, the attack caught the Sarrasak defense forces by surprise. Nafriton University wasn't the only place with issues. Traitors snuck the attackers into the capital, sabotaged its defenses and cut off its communication networks.
The Chinebar National Academy of Magic was attacked first and immediately overwhelmed. Several of their 'missing' professors had a triumphant return to the university. The True Order gained thousands of hostages in minutes.
Next on the list was the Federal Courthouse and the hearing. The Chinebar Republic was led by a Federal President, a Prime Minister, the Senate and City Lords. During the attack, most of the senators and a few City Lords were at the hearing.
The True Order brought out hundreds of hostages as leverage. They threatened to purge the city of the 'unworthy' citizens with low magical talent if their demands were not met. With hostages in danger and no way out, those barricaded in the hearing room surrendered.
Fighting spread throughout the streets as resistance was ruthlessly throttled. Missing wizards appeared in the True Order army alongside rampaging magical beasts. The Prime Minister went into hiding while the Federal President barricaded himself inside the Presidential Palace. Even under threats of violence towards the hostages, he refused to step down.
In one fell swoop the government was crippled. The other senators and City Lords were fortunately back in their home districts and cities. They wouldn't be safe for much longer. The True Order had plans. Big plans for the entire nation.
Sarrasak was used as a spring board to launch a national offensive. The captured City Lords and senators were used as leverage against their homes. Hidden True Order cells were activated and began extensive sabotage efforts. Communications and defense targets were their favorites.
Magic beasts swarmed towards populated areas. The cities of Cuoq, Caplan, Halcyon and Odala were hit the hardest. City Lord Innello immediately sent word of the attack to his father at Nafriton. Stallesso's worries only increased when he couldn't contact the headmaster at Sarrasak.
The investigation at Nafriton continued. Daily life continued as normal in Forest Waypoint. After a couple of days, scheduled train arrivals from the south completely halted. Incoming news slowed to a trickle for the public as the military blocked it.
Unease spread through the military officers and investigators like wildfire. They could still send some messages to other cities and nearby villages. What news did arrive was frightening. Attacks occurred in several towns each day.
Given the recent incident on campus, the military proactively began a mass evacuation of the surrounding villages. Some villages were brought into Forest Waypoint while others retreated further into the wilderness.
Stallesso hesitated to evacuate Nafriton before the situation was clear. He maintained diligent watches and regular scouting attempts. Saintlenee slowly descended into confusion. Suddenly, all contact outside of the province went completely dark.
Days passed without any news. The unease became unbearable in Forest Waypoint. Fights broke out, forcing the mayor to pass a temporary alcohol ban. Foreigners began to flee back across the border.
Two weeks after the hearing began, an official message was delivered from Sarrasak to be read in the presence of all town officials. The mayor and garrison officials were ecstatic! The federal government stepped in to squash the True Order again.
All of the city's officials, nobles and other important people gathered for the mayor to read the message. The mayor hastily broke the seal and began reading it aloud. His voice dwindled to a whisper before another official took it from his hands.
Liboire province and Sarrasak had fallen to the True Order. The Federal President and most senators had fallen into their hands. The Prophet had declared a new government underneath the True Order's rule. Landrienne City voluntarily submitted to the new government after executing a few die-hard resistors, including the family of the City Lord's younger brother.
The message called for Saintlenee Province to follow Landrienne City's example and offer complete submission. All those deemed oppressors should resign and forfeit their ill-gotten properties. Otherwise, the True Order would forcefully liberate the province.
Despair quickly flowed throughout the city. When the message reached Stallesso's ears, he knew that the chances of the Nafriton delegation returning to the university was slim. He decisively began the evacuation to Forest Waypoint.
They could not defend the university without the head faculty. In particular, only the headmaster could completely control the defensive system. His brows furrowed. Did those rats plan this?
There was no time to ponder. He would gather what he could and destroy what he couldn't. Those lunatics wouldn't get anything more from the university. The libraries, vaults and research labs went up in flames after they were stripped of all value.
Only a few restricted areas were left standing simply because the military couldn't break into them on short notice. Soldiers purposefully tripped the defense system to lock those areas down. Any invaders wouldn't get a chance to access those areas easily.
Some extra 'gifts' were hidden across campus as the remaining civilians were evacuated. Now, a former world class university laid bare and empty. Perhaps for eternity.
**********
Aayla watched the military search the residence hall. Dormi had been strangely cooperative with them. It let them basically do whatever they wanted even though the military didn't have any permission.
The soldiers were only concerned with potential weapons and closing the trial grounds. Dormi threw a tantrum when they suggested blowing up the entrance. Even Aayla couldn't calm it down for several minutes. She gently patted on the familiar gate in the rear courtyard.
"Could you please lock the trial grounds, Dormi? We need to leave. Bad people might come back. The ones that kidnapped several of our residents. If they can use the trial grounds, they'll get stronger."
The angry tremors and thrashing trees paused. Like the hackles of an angry cat slowly lowering, the residence hall returned to its peaceful appearance. A few minutes later, several soldiers were thrown out of the trial grounds.
The gate slammed shut behind them. Whirs, clicks and clanks reverberated out from behind the gate. Vines slowly grew over it. When the gate could no longer be seen, a key fell onto the ground with a click. Aayla had seen it last when she first opened the trial grounds.
She clutched the key in her hands as she left the residence hall. The military was forced out behind her. The trees seemed to wave goodbye as she walked down the path with her luggage one last time. Tiny little fluffballs solemnly waited along the path to watch her leave.
A pang of sorrow stabbed her heart. Aayla would obviously miss Dormi, and perhaps the gremlins more than she realized. She might never see the trial grounds completely up and operational. Then that building in the Inner Gardens… Oh well. One visit was enough.
The gates slammed shut as the last soldier walked out of the residence hall. Like a mirage, the residence hall seemed to disappear as if it was never there in the first place. Only forest remained in its place.
I'm pleased to introduce the final bosses in the chapter. Any guesses about the new villain's identity? Hint: He's not a new character, but we haven't seen him in a long time.
I plan on wrapping up several loose ends in this final book. Unfortunately I won't be able to expand on the trial grounds as I originally planned.
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