Mysterious Man

"All of you, start working!" Eris yelled. Since he found this mysterious man, who promised to grant him more power, he had turned into a dictator. Unbeknownst to him, he was only being used to achieve his goals. He gave Eris a little power, and this made Eris greedy for more.

Bruce had left Manchester, a few hours after Stephanie ran away. He remembered the presence he felt, the night Stephanie and the Prince had a misunderstanding. He arrived at Amadeo's palace in disguise, he could see the changes made in the palace, it looked gloomy and dark. He met Crown Prince Eris with a man, this man exuded a strong aura, and silhouetted a dark power. There seemed to be a connection between him and this man. He had brown hair, that looked messy, his tall figure, his— Oh, my! The eyes. "Oh, no! He's back!" Bruce said in a whisper tone. He quickly hid behind the pillar, as they passed.

"Bruce, you're back?" The sorceress asked. "Yes, I am. And I know who killed the king."

"Who?" They chorused. "Mysterious Man." He said.

"Bruce, we are not joking here. Stephanie is still missing." Michael said.

"I'm not joking, my prince. His name cannot be revealed now, for some reasons. He is forming an army, preparing for war. Crown Prince Eris is becoming mad, he is greedy for power. More power. He has become a dictator." The room was silent again. "Are you trying to say this mysterious man has powers?" Duke Lennon asked. "Yes, silhouetted with dark power. A combination of an ancient power."

*The Forbidden Lake*

Stephanie laid on a rock, she stood up, and looked around. It seemed like she was the only one in the vicinity. She couldn't recall how she arrived here. "How did I get here? All I can remember is running away, what—"

"Hello, dear." A voice startled her. "Who… Who's there?" She turned to see a woman in royal apparel, with a golden crown on her head. "Do not be afraid." She paused, "I am Iryz. Queen Iryz!"

"You? You…you were the last person I saw before, before I drifted to sleep. But how? You were a maid, and now?" She was confused.

"I know dear. Let me show you." She switched to being Iryz, the maid, and back to being the queen.

"So, tell me. What happened? Why is it called the forbidden lake? I want to know." She said. "You remind me of myself when I was your age. I'll tell you that, but now, I want you to know these. You have powers, you are mighty. Your father did not abandon you. He locked your powers, to be awakened on the crescent day. Now, war is lurking, you are the key to stop the enemies from annihilating Michael's race, your race, our race. Michael is a fire Prince. Return to Manchester, you shall get an explanation. Remember, the County is depending on you." Queen Iryz said.

"But… My sister— my lookalike? The pendant? How are they making sense?"

"Before you go, I'll tell you what happened to the forbidden lake, and to us."

*Manchester*

"It's been two days now, and Stephanie is still missing?" Duke Lennon whispered to the sorceress. "Wherever she is, she is fine. Believe me." She smiled.

"My Prince, the crescent season is in three days time." Duke Wayne began.

"Yes, and you must perform the ritual. You cannot lock up your powers forever." Duke Clark added. For the past few days, Michael had been restless, Stephanie's disappearance bothered him a lot. "Mike, to be honest with you, I know you have not experienced this thing, called love, but I'm telling you now, you, not only care about her, but you love her. You love her so much, that you didn't realize you've not eaten since the day she left, and you look like a walking corpse." Bruce said to him, after the meeting with the dukes.

"Stephanie, where are you? Please come back." He muffled, he stared at the sky for a while, lost in his thoughts. "My prince, there is something you need to see." Diego, one of his soldiers said, he seemed scared. "What happened?" Michael's eyes widened, a part of the city was on fire, the Gallatin Army fought with the Intruders. He could see his men falling, which meant that, whosoever this people were, had powers. "Bruce, what is going on?"

"They took us unawares. We don't know who they are."

"Everybody, get inside the safe house." He yelled at the villagers. "Sorceress, please secure the safe house."

Michael brought out his sword, and joined the fight. After some hours of bloodbath, the fight ended. Some of his men were injured, and a few died, including Damien. "I see you are powerful, Prince Michael. It was a nice idea to come test your prowess." The man said. Michael believed it was the mysterious man that Bruce talked about. "What do you want?" Michael asked. "I like that you don't beat around the bush. I want you to bring me the Ice Dragon Leader. Let's call her Ice Princess." He smirked.

"We do not have such a person in our midst. Leave now!" Michael roared.

"You're right, she is not here. I'm done here, I just wanted to confirm if she's here, before I start my search for her. I was told she is a frail creature, I'll find her, and take her power." He laughed.

"Who are you?" Michael asked.

"When the time is come, you shall know my name. For now, call me mysterious man."

The mysterious man walked towards the lifeless bodies of his men, he uttered some foreign words, and their bodies turned into ashes, which he absorbed into a jar. He stared at Bruce for a while, as if trying to decode something. Michael looked at the dead men, he was broken. He loved his subjects so much, that he would risk his life to save them. "All of you, listen up. Be prepared, always. We don't know what will happen next. Remember, protect yourself and never die! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." They chorused.

"My prince, I need to speak with you, urgently."