Prologue

Guido exited his headquarters, well situated on the main street of the capital. Usually, a man of his situation would ride a horse or travel in a carriage to avoid the crowd but his doctor had advised him to walk more and to do some exercise whenever he can. Besides, he enjoyed the looks filled with respect the people gave him. Thirty years after opening his first shop in a small provincial town, he now had a commercial empire that went beyond the borders of his country and reached everywhere on the continent. He was at the top of the pyramid, loved by his family and respected by his employees.

Followed by his two bodyguards, Guido whistled on the way home, thinking about what he should do next to yet improve his status. His last, unfulfilled dream was to finally be recognized by the king as worthy of a nobility title. Even though he could probably buy one with ease, his pride told him not to. He would get one by royal decree or he would simply relocate to another country ruled by someone wiser. After all, they needed him more than he did them.

But it was only a matter of time. He knew his day would come and one or two more years wouldn't make the difference. In the meantime, he could enjoy life to the fullest. His young and beautiful wife waited him at his main estate in the countryside, with their sons and daughters. Perhaps it was time to choose an heir.

With that idea in mind, Guido crossed the portal that separated his domain from the street, welcomed by two servants ready to attend to his every needs. They took his cloak, handed him his mail and guided him to the garden where he would usually drink an afternoon cup of tea while reading. But this time, Guido decided otherwise :

"I will go to my office now. Don't let anyone disturb me."

While he secluded himself upstairs, his two bodyguards taking their post on each side of the door, the servants whispered among themselves on their way back to their chores.

"That's weird. Did something happen recently ?"

"Who knows... He looked pretty cheerful when he arrived. Perhaps he received some good news that need his attention."

Indeed, between the letters handed to him, Guido had noticed one in particular, marked by an unremarkable sceal that only he could recognize. He sat down behind the massive desk that stood in front of a french window, from which you could admire the garden, and took the time to serve himself a glass of his best alcohol. He would enjoy this long-awaited moment as much as possible.

Using a silver paper knife, he opened the envelope in one confident gesture and then unfolded the message inside. Leaning back in his comfortable leather chair and sipping on his wine, he read the letter that was encrypted with a code that only he and his partners could understand.

His reading proved to be quite satisfying. Now and then, Guido let out a small laugh, enjoying both the news and the wine.

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Finishing a second glass of wine, Guido thought about what he had learned. "Now that it's done, I guess nothing stands in our way anymore... We can move on the next step of the plan. But before that, I want to take a few days off. I'll use that time to see the kids and put them to the test a bit. Perhaps they'll surprise me."

Guido took a golden bell and made it ring a few times, then waited a few seconds until one servant came in. "Yes, master ?"

"I will spend a few days at the estate. Prepare everything for the trip, we leave tonight. I'm going to finish my work here. Tell me when we are ready to go."

"Yes, sir." The servant took a bow then left while closing back the door.

Guido spent the next hour engrossing himself in the rest of his mail and writing answers for the issues that couldn't wait. The bottle of wine was emptied little by little as Guido drank some more, still in the good mood that the first news brought him.

Slowly but surely, the sun set on the horizon.

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Night had descended on the city. The streets showed their other face, the good family men were replaced by the people of the dark hours and a smell of trouble filled the air.

But none of that excitation reached Guido's mansion.

Right outside his office, two bodies were lying on the floor while the halls were silent.

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Inside, Guido had finally finished his work. The bottle of wine was empty and he was in the mood for a quick snack before departure. "What the hell is taking them so long ?"

Hunger had the best of him and he stormed out of his office. "Come on ! What's so hard that you should take so..." But before he had the time to finish his sentence, he tripped on something heavy, falling face down on the wooden floor.

"What the hell... ?!"

Standing up, Guido took some time adjusting his sight to the darkness. None of the candles were lit so he couldn't see far outside the ray of light coming from his office. But then, he looked down to see what made him stumble and recognized the body of his most trusted man.

"What the... !!"

Guido finally sobered down and realized something was very wrong. Slowly, he took a few steps back, over the bodies of his two men and inside his office, while keeping an eye on the corridors that seemed to fade into darkness. As soon as he was inside, he closed the door hard and locked it in three places. When he felt safer, he ran to his desk and opened his drawers, searching desperately for something.

"Come on ! Come on ! Come on !!! Where is it ? Where is this damn stone ?"

His head down in his drawers, Guido didn't hear the man who slipped behind him. He didn't even feel a thing when the man struck him with something hard, and directly fell into the arms of Morpheus...

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