Aedenstile

A bright ball of fire illuminated the city of Aedenstile. The Sun, as believed by the Light remnants, was the heart of the Light God. Without it, pollution lurking in the darkness would continue to haunt the world forever, until humanity perishes…

It was the major source of belief, that continued to push the Light remnants forward. No matter how much beaten they were, how many setbacks they suffered, and how many times they were crushed into meat paste, they kept rising again and again like the zombies of Death.

Although the remnants of Light were a headache for the authorities and Rogues alike, Cole was indifferent towards them–as he basked in the soft glow of the sun with a glass in his hands.

Drinking his favorite iced tea, Cole stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in his birthday suit as his gaze moved toward East Grovebourne where a blue spire glowed brilliantly, as if overseeing the city of Aedenstile.

Aedenstile was divided into 4 regions: North, South, East, and West Grovebourne.

East Grovebourne, which shared a coastline with the Onobell ocean, was also the trading hub and had the biggest market in the entire Kingdom of Regoria.

Cole's eyes wandered to South Grovebourne. A few clouds of steam and smoke were being released by massive structures, giving it a slightly murky view. Factories, Industries, and Processing plants along with the influx of countless poor looking for jobs swarmed this region.

Then, Cole peered in the direction of North Grovebourne. It was where his target lay. This region was where aristocrats resided. It was opulent with lush foliage, luxurious villas, cottages, and administrative buildings. They even built huge walls around this district to completely segregate it from the areas where North and South Grovebourne intersected–To stop vagrants from entering and ruining their utopia. The contrast between North and South was as heavy as white and black.

Sometimes Cole wondered whether the aristocrats of the past generations developed the regions in such a way deliberately to show off how wealthy they were and reign in the sense of superiority or not.

It was just a passing thought and Cole's dislike for nobles didn't originate because he had hero syndrome.

I am no Hero and never will be… Cole chuckled inwardly and shook his head to collect his thoughts as he gazed toward North Grovebourne and made his plans while sipping on his iced tea.

"Mhm…" A low groan resounded in the room as Cole turned his head and saw the beauty in her birthday suit slouched on the bed slowly regaining consciousness. Her husband, half-clothed was strapped on a nearby chair, unconscious for who knows how long.

As realization dawned upon him, he remembered how he ended up here, in West Grovebourne. It was the region where the entertainment industry bloomed. Operas, bars, restaurants, theaters, gambling, drugs, alcohol, and all kinds of vanity satiated the human desires. It was also the district where universities, and all sorts of major expansion projects under the lead of the government were being developed.

Coming back to the current scene,

"Nobles…" Cole sneered as he picked up his clothes sprawled all over the hotel room and quickly donned himself. Even though he had a strong dislike for nobles, it didn't mean, he would refuse a sheep coming to his doorstep as long as the premise was not too–odd.

A low chuckle escaped Cole's lips.

On top of that, he didn't have any personal grudges against most, if not all nobles. What was in the past, remained in the past. But a certain bitter aftertaste clouded his taste-buds.

Compromises can be made, Grievances can be resolved, and Wounds may heal–but Scars will always remain.

As Cole's eyes roamed the couple, he almost stole their jewelry and money… but taking a deep breath restrained himself.

I cannot break my principles! Cole shook his head to throw aberrant thoughts into the bin.

Composing himself, he took out the crumbled paper camellia.

I wonder whether 24 delivered my message… Cole thought and without hesitation, he snapped his fingers as eerie dark flames engulfed it, burning it to embers.

"Hmph–Praise the Light!" He laughed mockingly as he calmly left the hotel room.

...

Somewhere in Aedenstile.

"Praise the Light!"

A sonorous echo resounded in a bright hall.

On a pedestal – a man whose face was hidden behind a white mask, wearing clean white robes, raised his hands and chanted piously.

White paper camellias were scattered everywhere on the pedestal making the scene look beautiful and serene. The gentle pressure that he exuded, along with the soothing aura emanating from the man, could make anyone sinking in the Darkness revere the Light.

Down the hall, several figures covered in white were chanting their zealot cries along with the man.

"The Lord has ordered!"

The man on the pedestal bellowed, halting the shouts.

"Time for a new Dawn has arrived!

Children of Light, every Minute and Second counts. This is an opportunity to show our piety. Go out, and spread the word in Aedenstile–Light Never Dies!"

With that said–the surging crowd in high spirits clamored in an uproar.

After the crowd left, the man on the pedestal waited for a few seconds longer before motes of light swirled in front of him, out of which, a petite figure – which could be attributed to a female, covered in white appeared. She was kneeling in a subservient manner.

"Mr. Monday, I failed." She said simply.

Cough!

She suddenly coughed a little as she covered her mouth with her hand. When she removed her hand, a few drops of blood came into her and the man's view.

"24, You're injured?" It was a rhetorical question; the man quickly changed it.

"Is he at Order 4 as well?" His eyes widened in disbelief when he realized what he had said.

24 shook her head.

"Probably Order 3. However, he is the only Lamb who has ever crossed the threshold of Order 2 set by his predecessors in entire Kingdom of Regoria, That–I'm sure of. As for now, we have very low data about his combat prowess."

"His powers have evolved into something… bizarre, to say the least. Before I could gauge his strength, he forced me into retreat. My senses were screaming, if I stayed any longer–I would've died."

"You would've died..?" Mr. Monday mumbled to himself. Incredulity stretched over the face hidden behind the mask. With shock, came a sense of concern and anxiety.

Even though he was confident in himself, he knew he was not a match for the woman kneeling in front of him.

The only reason the woman kneeled was not that she recognized his strength, but Lord ordered it. He was a Light Heir. Despite his strength being slightly lower than the woman, he was the one who received guidance from Light–not the woman.

Part of the reason of her unreasonable strength, was that the girl trained her abilities to the extreme and was a natural fighter, and the other part was the man had several responsibilities to take care of–as a result of which, he overlooked himself and couldn't hone his skills to perfection.

"Also…"

24 hesitated for a moment but with determination, she started telling everything truthfully.

"When I was about to flee he left a message for you."

"Me?"

The man's curiosity was piqued as he beckoned for her to continue.

"He said–Mr. Monday, I will come to Bargain with you on Light's annual celebration."

Mr. Monday froze.