Start of the Storm

Samael entered the room before he stands at the center, waiting for Lucius behind him.

Numerous things regarding the incident earlier swirl inside his mind, and he tries to arrange them so that he can explain them clearly to his brother. It's going to be better if Lucius can find out what those two suspicious men are going to do.

Lucius' room is very spacious and tidy, with few necessary furniture here and there.

A platform in the middle of the room can be seen that holds a king-sized bed with three big windows on one side that let the moonlight filter the room. The floors are made of polished wood and soft carpets. On the right-hand side is a bookshelf studded with books about magic, while on the left stands a table with two couches.

Gesturing for him to sit down on the couch, the pair of brothers sat and faces each other.

"It's unlike you to be like this in the middle of the night, what happened?" Lucius asked, he get himself a glass of water from the table and also filled another cup for Samael. His mind is wandering about what problem can make Samael this hectic.

Pausing for a second, Samael then finally opens his mouth, "It happened a couple of nights ago..."

Samael started recounting the night when he heard his father say the words that were stuck in his mind ever since, and also what her mother said not long after. Following that, he also explains his encounter with the two strangers in the alley that brought up their father's name, the Grand Priest, and also the Erovian race.

Without a hint of sleepiness, Lucius listens to his brother attentively in detail.

At the end of the story, he can't help but lean back on the sofa with a pondering look on his face. "Are you sure it was a light mage? If he was then father would've sensed him instantly, but there's no reaction from father. On top of that, you said that he's also in the Wizard realm, you must've seen it wrong"

"No! I swear! I saw his eyes glowing with light element, I'm also a light mage!" Samael defended.

Lucius then glanced at Samael with a doubtful look when he heard this, he seems to want to say something but refrain from saying it because he was talking with his brother. "Just say it, I know you're doubting me because you think I'm not a real light mage"

"It's not like th-" Lucius tries to rebut, but he was cut short.

Samael didn't let him continue and quickly said, "But I don't care about that right now. Just trust me this once, brother, that person is definitely a light mage. I can't possibly deny what my eyes are seeing"

Upon hearing this, the room becomes silent once again. It ensued for more than a minute.

"Okay, let's say he was really a light mage that is inside the Wizard realm that can bypass father's senses. What kind of army wants to attack this city? And for what reason? Father choose to govern this city by the decree of the Divine Sanctum of Divinity because it's a humble and peaceful city, there's nobody that wants this city" Lucius replied, trying to really think about the story.

But of course, most of his view was due to him not believing Samael's story.

After all, Samael sneaked out in the middle of the night when he has never stayed up late for years. It might be due to him feeling sleepy that he heard those two strangers' conversation wrong which led him to this state.

Samael stutters for a moment, he also can't find a reason why an army would attack the city.

"Mother seems to know more about this, maybe if we talk to he-"

Even though Samael wanted to get to the bottom of this due to the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, Lucius stands up and sat beside him, "I know you're worried, but father has gone through many things that you don't even know. I can guarantee that he's tougher than he looks, you know... the noble priest look that he wears all the time"

Lucius wraps his arm around Samael's neck, trying to lighten the mood and calm him down.

"If you're still too worried, then let's talk about this to mother tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll accompany you to explain it" Lucius added, but he saw Samael is still hesitant to drop this matter. "If anything happens, I'll protect you. I'll even take the blame for you, I'll take responsibility if anything happens. But for now, let's sleep and talk tomorrow, you can sleep here with me"

Under his brother's persuasion, Samael eventually nodded his head and went over to the bed.

As he lies on the bed, he still feels an uncomfortable feeling like something bad was going to happen, 'But that man said it's in a few hours though...' Samael thought, but his mind is more relaxed than before thanks to Lucius's comforting words.

Since Lucius was going to protect him anyways, he decided to close his eyes and try to sleep.

Despite the eerie feeling that is troubling him to no end, the goddesses of the night's sways eventually put his mind at rest and his soul to sleep. Samael can finally rejuvenate his mind thanks to Lucius's presence.

It seems he was right, talking it out was the best way to help him relax.

Seconds turn to minutes, and minutes turn to hours, the pair of brothers slept together under the illumination of the moonlight. Each of them has a serene expression on their face, enjoying the grace of God that gave them an event called night for them to sleep.

But that serenity didn't last long as the two of them woke up at the same time.

Samael and Lucius look at each other when they woke up at the same time from the bell of distress ringing across the city, the two of them crawl on the bed to look out of the windows and find people filling the street.

Each of them has the same confused look as the ones Lucius and Samael are wearing right now.

"Wait here, I'll go check it out" Lucius quickly said and jumped out of the bed, there was panic decorating his face. "Boosting Ray!" Upon the chant, his body glowed with a brilliant light before the door flung open as he dashed out of the room.

Not intending to wait inside the room, Samael also chased after him outside.

Along the way to the guest room near the main door of the house, Samael came across Lily who was also woken up due to the bell of distress. None of them said anything, but Samael stretches out his hand while Lily grabs his hand before they ran together.

It didn't take long before the two saw Diana, talking with Lucius right now.

"One of the patrolling guards was notified by the scouting post on the north that there's an army of Erovian heading this way, they are only lesser units so you don't need to worry. Your father is already dealing with it, go and stay with your brother" Diana assured, trying her best to keep her son level-headed.

Under a situation such as this, the last thing she wanted is for her son to act up.

But instead of becoming assured by her words, the blood drained completely from Lucius' face and his body began to tremble visibly. He looked over his shoulder to meet Samael's gaze, and at that moment, he let Samael know that his restlessness turns out to be justified.

Looking back to his mother, Lucius then exclaimed, "Mother! Call Father to come back!"

"Hmm...? Why? What's wrong? Is there something that I don't know?" Diana asked, visibly concerned by the expression Lucius is wearing right now. Even from seeing his expression alone, she can feel her heart aching in concern.

As the tension rises by the second, Lucius started to become panic more and more.

"I don't know what did father do, but he's in trouble! Samael heard two strangers talking in an alley that brought up father's name, the Grand Priest, and the Erovian race. Now that this is happening, it's definitely a setup for father!" Lucius continues, and his voice started to crack.

Diana heard this and can't help but sucked in a cold breath, she was utterly surprised by this.

Knowing exactly the gravity of the situation at this current moment, she sprang to her feet to call Fedele to come back as this is definitely a trap for him. But before she could take any further action, her body was immobilized along with Lucius, Samael, and Lily's.

It was due to the screams coming from the outside that ranges evidently throughout the entire city.

Soon enough a couple of knocks can be heard from the front door before the door slammed open, Diana stands in front of her sons quickly in reflex but she soon realizes the two men that enter their house abruptly.

"Lady Diana, we need to evacuate right now!" The bearded man with a wide frame said in a hurry.

Upon hearing this, Diana straighten her back before she inquired about the situation, "What is happening outside? I can feel the mana outside rampaging violently, are we under attack?" She asked with visible worry.

"Yes! The Hailma Family's mages went rampage! We need to evacuate right now!" the man replied.

Just as he said that Diana suddenly felt something on the outside and her eyes went wild. She then grabbed the bearded man by his collar and shouted with a resolute yet desperate look, "Norman! I need you to get my sons away from here! Swear it to me!"

"L-Lady Diana, there's still time. We can still fle-"

"SWEAR IT TO ME!!" Diana shouted, cutting the bearded man called Norman short on his sentence.

Having no other choice as there was no hint of sanity in Diana's eyes, Norman was stunned. But he eventually nodded his head and stutters a promise through his mouth, "Y-Yes, I swear it Lady Diana... I'll get those two to safety"

Not wasting any time, Diana heads over to the stunned Lucius and Samael and gave them a hug.

Under the intense pressure of the escalating moment, Samael and Lucius were unable to think straight. None of them know what was going on, but the scream of agony coming from the outside terrified them to no end. Both of them never heard such painful shrieks in their lives.

"Listen to me..." Diana said as she gently fixed the boys' disheveled hair. "Your father has done no wrong, he's only guilty of being righteous and siding with God. Both of you need to keep on living and grow strong. In the future..." A fierce gleam entered her eyes as she stared at Samael and Lucius one after the other, "Bring forth God's wrath upon them" she snarled. "Do not show any mercy, punish those people that shield themselves behind God's name"

As the two peered into their mother's eyes, they no longer saw the familiar loving gaze they knew.

Never in their entire life have they ever seen their mother's gaze this sharp, she usually has a pliant and gentle gaze similar to their father. But not right now, there was only rage in her eyes that permeates through Lucius and Samael's bodies through her touch.

"Diana! I've come to deliver news that God has ended you and your family's time in this world!"

Suddenly, a voice from the outside can be heard. It's a man, a stranger to Samael and Lucius.

At the sound of these words from the outside of their home, Diana quickly pushes Norman and his companion in the direction of Lucius and Samael before heading for the door. She casts one last smile at her children, which soon shifted into a fierce expression.

"Let's go..." Norman whispered before he and the other man brought Samael and the others away.

Samael was still stunned as he still looks to his back while being pulled away by Norman, he saw her mother step outside of the house to face the man outside. Through the glimpse of the door, he recognize the man to be the light mage he saw in the alley, wearing the same outfit as he saw earlier this night.

It felt like a dream, everything was hazy aside from the sight of his mother's back walking away.

Even though everything feels surreal, he had already realized that this was probably his last moment to view the sight of his mother. It cripples his body, and put his mind in a state of immense disarray, "Mother..."