The Sorcerer clothed in black attire with his face concealed to expose only his eyes grabbed his neck as Tyran struggled to breathe.
Something about him seemed strangely familiar but Tyran couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Whatttt!—What do you want from me?" he demanded,his voice strained as he stared into the pitch black depths of the sorcerer's eyes.
It was as though he was staring into an infinite abyss that threatened to swallow him whole and the longer he stared,the deeper he seemed to be drawn into the unfathomable darkness lurking within those eyes.
Slowly at first,then with a terrifying speed, the darkness engulfed him.
Tyran could see nothing but darkness.
He tried summoning a flame but was unable to.
"Blood for bloodddd!"The unfamiliar voice echoed in the darkness.
The Aura of death and forbidden magic hung heavily in the atmosphere that it almost made him puke.He could sense the presence of the sorcerer all around him which commanded an intimidating amount of magic energy so strong that he could barely keep his feet.
Has there ever been a sorcerer this strong?
"Whose blood and why?"Tyran forced himself to ask.
A thunderous laugh reverberated through the darkness.
Before his very eyes,the dark void began to take shape,forming strange hands that stretched towards him.
"Noooo!no stay away...stay awayyy nooo!!".Tyran's voice trembled with horror as he fell to his knees but he was only answered with an even louder sinister laughter.
"Your majesty!"
A familiar voice called out through the darkness.
"No no!!"
"Your majesty wake up!"
The hand shook him vehemently and Tyran was jolted awake.
His eyes stared into the face of king Maxmillan who sat next to him with a worried expression on his face.
"Stay away from me"Tyran muttered once more.
"Your majesty be still it's me Max"
"Max?".
"You were having a nightmare".
Tyran blinked realizing where he was his breathing steadying.
"Why have you come?"
"I have been looking all over for you.Good thing I decided to check your study...there is something you must see"
He nodded and King max placed a hand on his shoulder,teleporting him to his own palace.
Tyran eyed the bloody massacre.
Littered bodies of middle tier soldiers filled the hallway,all lying at their stationed position
Their necks had been slit at the same place which only meant the attacker had taken them down with one move.
Yet he could sense no trace of magic energy in the atmosphere.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Your imperial majesty,I have no idea...I just woke up to this horrifying scene.All knights stationed within this perimeter were taken out last night.The knights stationed outside your barrier are also gone but this time... no bodies were left behind".
Tyran turned his way,his brows knit together before vanishing to appear outside his barrier.
The king appeared next to him.
"There's no one in sight...but there's something that might interest you".King max pointed at the vines that had always curled up the pillars directly opposite them.
"The vines you loved.Those creepers have always been there since we were children,I believe no one would have taken them down without your permission".
Tyran's eyes darted around his surroundings briefly.
An unmistakable residual aura of sorcery hung faintly in the atmosphere.
King maxmillian couldnt sense it because he was of a lower magic energy level.
The perpetrator had erased his smell but had made a small mistake by leaving this faint aura behind.
Was that the case or was it that the amount of magic energy he released last night had been too heavy to get rid of without leaving a trace.
Tyran wordlessly walked down the hallway.He turned down a corner before arriving at the fountain in the middle of his quarters.The plants around the fountain were untouched.
"The plants here are intact"King Max said and Tyran crouched low to uproot a dying seedling.
"The imperial gardener would never miss this one.A dying seedling would never miss his keen eyes... Have you checked with their families if they returned home?"
"I have sent a message your imperial majesty".
"They wouldn't dare disappear on duty...and I absolutely see no reason why they should be kidnapped—unless..."
"Unless they were eliminated on the spot along with their bodies"King Max said and Tyran nodded as he got to his feet.
The king had read his mind.
Tyran placed a hand on his jaw,while pacing back and forth.
"I think both occurrences are connected and done by the same person but why would he leave those bodies behind and get rid of these ones".King maxmillian muttered thoughtfully.
Tyran eyed him .
"A sorcerer did this"
"A sorcerer?"King maxmillian raised a brow.
Tyran nodded.
"And there's only one sorcerer foolish enough to commit such atrocity—Dark!"
King maxmillian nodded affirmatively in attempt to make Tyran believe they were thinking alike.
The Sorcerer wouldn't dare.Dark had no reason to take out his knights and Tyran's knowing he wasn't strong enough to take down a barrier erected by the Emperor.
Tyran turned to him.
"I have sensed something similar in the past.Remember the body we found close to the imperial courtyard".
"The one almost burnt to a pile of ash?yes I do".
"His attacker also used dark forbidden magic".Tyran added.
"Your Majesty but all Dark forbidden magic appear somewhat similar....and the attacker back then had left a body but theres none this time.".
"You are probably right"Tyran said dispiritedly.
He sighed,his shoulders collapsing.
"Do you suspect that a sorcerer is hiding amongst us?"
Tyran didn't respond.
He had previously established that his knight used dark forbidden magic,the kind of magic easily manipulated by sorcerers but he wasn't about telling his best friend yet.
Gerald had warned him to trust no one.
"Get Sheba here at once!"
*************************
"I beg you mother!please tell me how to mask this magic level...or anyone would be able to detect the aura of a sorceror on me especially the emperor.I must remain by his side so he doesn't suspect a thing".
Sheba ignored him,her quil pen dancing restlessly on the paper before her.
Zero's brows twitched from rage.
"Don't you go ignoring me!"
He grabbed his forehead,frustrated.
His magic energy had been surging all night that he couldn't sleep and he had tried to get in touch with Sheba who had blocked her telepathic link.
He had teleported earlier to her mansion only to be told she had just left for sorcerer academy and now he had found her in her office but she had been ignoring his every word,behaving as though he weren't even in the room.
To make matters worse,zero had blocked his telepathic link to prevent himself from being summoned for duty before he could resolve his predicament.
He had to find a solution and quickly so no one would suspect a thing, especially not the Emperor.
"Mother!"He pleaded.
Then at last Sheba raised her head.
She set her quill aside,regarding him with undisguised exasperation.
As her lips parted,Zero braced himself for the worst.
"What did you learn at the imperial academy you unfilial child...There is absolutely no way to mask a Semonio's magic energy level".