Suspecting Enemies

I am in the laboratory late in the night when Fallon's sudden presence at the doors makes my blood spike.

Emptying the powder into the beaker, I place the glass beaker back into an air-tight compartment.

The new medicine I am creating has natural mana that can diffuse in the body, helping heal wounds faster.

I clean up my station, before spinning around to look at the man who takes up most of my thoughts lately.

"Hi, Fallon. What are you doing here?"

"Hey. I wanted to discuss important matters with you."

I wipe my hands dry from the sanitizing spray. "Here? Or in your study?"

"Here is fine. I just wanted to run by you your thoughts on the infiltration idea from the inside out in Clairemont."

I shrug out of my lab coat.

"It's a good idea. Clairemont is more vulnerable in the inside, as selfishness blinds many who reside there. However, we are endangering many creatures who do not have a resistance to magic. Despite going up against," I pause, before forcing her name out. "Eaverslaina, one of the most greatest wielders of mana, it would make a subtle difference. It would be fine if our troop numbers were up, but they are not. If I were able to create a form of protection from her magic, it would give us a fighting chance."

Fallon rubs his eyes, tiredly.

"This will hopefully be our last battle. The one that finishes it all. We have a fight chance, like you said. We are really betting on this attack to save the Arcana. Now, I am sure you know what King Maximus had to pay to get such powerful allies."

I nod, grimly replying, "The king has cursed himself and his whole kingdom."

"Do you know the curse of one if they ask help from a witch?"

"Hm, I do. If one asks something of a witch, the one asking is slowly dying by the mana being drained from the witch in exchange. But I do not think that it applies in this situation. Eaverslaina likely wanted something enough to bind herself with such a low being. But what did she want enough to call in a shape shifter indebted to her and work with an untalented king? It could be an item of some sort, but I am sure it has something to do with power enhancement."

"Is that so?"

I shrug. "Eaverslaina supposedly died before she could accomplish her enhancement spell. The device or medium used, though? I have no idea what it could be."

"What I don't understand is the reasoning behind poisoning my father."

"Your father is one of the most powerful pureblood vampires throughout the lands. It makes sense that she wanted to test your father's strength of the deadly disease, that she herself could not overcome."

Fallon sighs. "Why do you think she is here?"

I pause. "Obviously, he is here to take over the world. What else would she do? Take time to serve tea? She missed her first opportunity and now has chance at a second."

"How do you think she revived herself?"

"She didn't. Witches cannot revive themselves. We are graced with many powers, but we are not able to tamper around with life and death. Someone revived her. And if I had to guess, it must have been King Maximus of Clairemont, which explains why she's tied down to him. But... why would he do such a thing? And how?"

Fallon mouth thins, as he weighs the heavy words. "What do you propose we do now?"

I look above at the skylight for some inspiration. And a miracle.

"Give me a week. I will see if I can come up with something that provides resistance to magic. If I fail, we will have to proceed the idea with many deaths of our own in mind."

He comes over and leans on the counter beside me.

"I'm counting on you."

I glance out the window. "Many are."

The prototype is a success. The sleek band of iron laced with mana, and a trace of pureblood should be able to ward off magic from the being wearing the bracelet.

Shaking my hair out of the hat I stuffed it in, I study the band closer. The bluish tinge that radiates out of the bracelet is barely contained, and I hope that it does not break. If it does, many would be in danger.

Mana will burst out of the bracelet, attracted to powerful magic wielders first. If the band does break, it would only be feeding to Eaverslaina's strength.

Leaning back on my heels, I hear the sound of soft humming in the background, and I tune back into present.

Coralie is sitting at the bay seat to my left, reading a book. She glances up, her pale grey eyes lit in gleefully.

"Oh my goodness. This romance is such a whirlwind!"

I snicker. "I am sure you are loving it. Here, come look at the band. Tell me if you can feel any impurities from it."

Coralie stalks over, giggling, before composing herself.

"Okay, sorry, sorry. Ahem, I do not feel anything. It feel neutral."

I nod, before putting the completed band into a box. Now I need to make about a thousand more of them.

I do have a team of scientists that work under me in a different lab in the castle. I prefer to work alone, with the exception of Coralie, in the castle laboratory.

The rest work in the research and science facility near the south wing, by the weapons barracks.

After working with mana for hours on end, I cannot tell the difference between unstable mana anymore.

Maybe if I took breaks in between, I could better the prototype more, but we are all low on time. These iron bracelets have to be distributed in two days.

I pack up the box, delivering it myself. Coralie shuts the lab doors behind us, and I briskly pace myself to the science facility where they can mass produce the prototype. I pray that these work. They may be our only fighting chance.

Over a thousand mana-laced bands have been distributed this morning. The war will start soon. Arcana's insight group has to go infiltrate the inner walls of Clairemont first. If successful, we will light the kingdom up in flames, letting Arcana's army know it's a go to raid the town.

Arcana has the help of three southern empires, Urariel, Benomaean, and Racliaev. They are apart of the alliance made by King Zeren and Queen Ginevra of Arcana. With the help of all kinds of beings, we have a good chance at destroying Clairemont.

It has spread that Eaverslaina is still alive and the news has caused havoc in many neighboring kingdoms of Clairemont. It is up to her now to decide what her limits are.