Summon the Modern Lady!

======================

The rhythmic pounding of hooves echoed ominously through the dense, moonlit woods. Shadows danced across the narrow path, cast by towering trees that seemed to close in on the riders as they pushed forward.

The biting chill of the night air did nothing to ease the tension.

Leading the charge was none other than the Crown Prince himself, Kayer de Ruchuster.

His brigade, the renowned Knights of the Light Oath, followed closely behind him. Known for their valor and unyielding loyalty, they were the same group who had faced the Demon King head-on and emerged victorious.

But tonight, their pride and honor were overshadowed by an unspoken anxiety that seemed to grip the air around them.

"Emette," Kayer's voice cut through the galloping thunder of hooves, low yet tense. His purple eyes burned with a mix of dread and urgency as they darted toward his royal aide. "What did Kalis say?"

Emette rode beside him, his grip tightening on the reins of his horse. He cleared his throat, his expression grim. "Your Highness, Kalis reported that no trace of magic was found. She sent Walt to secure the area, but even with her expertise, she couldn't identify how Lady Cheska disappeared!"

The prince's jaw clenched at the report. It wasn't just the inexplicable nature of her disappearance that troubled him. There was something eerily familiar about the description, something that stirred an old, buried fear.

"Faster!" Kayer barked, spurring his horse forward.

The brigade followed suit, their urgency palpable as they barreled through the streets of Rudenheischt Marketplace, their arrival heralded by the clamor of hooves striking cobblestones. The once-bustling square was now eerily deserted, cordoned off to prevent civilians from entering the area.

"Your Highness!"

Kalis, the maid assigned to Cheska, rushed forward as soon as the brigade halted. She bowed hastily, her usually composed demeanor cracked by the weight of the situation.

"Where?" Kayer demanded, dismounting in one fluid motion.

Kalis gestured sharply. "Follow me, Your Highness."

She led him to a small, dimly lit corner of the marketplace. The area was unremarkable at first glance—a narrow alley partially concealed by the shadows of two tall buildings. The stalls nearby were disorganized, their wares strewn carelessly as if abandoned in haste.

The moonlight barely reached the space, leaving much of it cloaked in darkness.

"This is where she was last seen," Kalis said, her voice tight.

Kayer's gaze swept over the corner, taking in every detail. There was nothing out of the ordinary—no signs of a struggle, no lingering traces of magic. The space felt... hollow.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice quieter now, but no less commanding.

His thoughts were a tangled mess. 

The disappearance of Lady Cheska, one of the royal family's esteemed guests, was troubling enough. 

But there was also Amaranthe. The author had been visibly shaken by the news, her usual composure giving way to a rare vulnerability. She had insisted on joining the search party, only to falter at the last moment, claiming she would be of no help.

Kayer sighed, forcing himself to focus on the present.

Kalis stood a step ahead of him, her expression grim but resolute. She raised her hand, and from her palm emerged a glowing red pearl, its light casting an eerie hue over her face.

"As a member of the Blood Oath," she began, her voice steady, "I promise that my words are true."

Kayer gave a curt nod, signaling her to proceed.

Kalis gestured to the corner wall, her gaze lingering on the spot as if expecting something to materialize there. "It started off fine, Lady Cheska seemed okay when we arrived, though she was quieter than usual. Then, as we passed this corner, she suddenly stopped."

Kayer frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Stopped?"

"Yes." Kalis's voice grew quieter, almost as if she were reliving the moment. "There was a mirror here. It wasn't like any ordinary mirror—it emitted a strange, oppressive aura. Lady Cheska seemed... captivated by it. She couldn't look away."

Kayer's gaze snapped back to the wall. "A mirror?" he repeated, his tone sharp. 

The wall before him was bare— no mirror, no remnants of anything that could explain what Kalis described.

Kalis nodded, continuing before he could question further. "She nearly fainted on the spot and we decided to leave immediately, but Lady Cheska insisted on staying here, on this spot, to wait instead of walking back to the carriage. It seemed reasonable at the time and Sir Walt fetched the carriage. But when we were alone, she claimed she was thirsty, so I went to buy water."

She paused, her fists clenching at her sides. "I kept looking back at her as I walked. She was standing right here, in front of the mirror. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was gone."

The words hung in the air like a death knell.

"No sound. No light. Just... gone."

Kalis's voice wavered slightly, but she quickly composed herself. "When Sir Walt returned with the carriage, he asked where she was, and I realized I had been standing on this corner. But the mirror was already gone, I don't know how it happened. We searched for her but Lady Cheska vanished without a trace."

Kayer's jaw tightened, his mind racing.

The description was hauntingly familiar, stirring memories he had buried deep— a time when strange, unexplainable phenomena had gripped the kingdom.

"You said the mirror emitted an aura," he said finally, his voice measured. "Could you sense anything magical about it?"

Kalis shook her head. "That's the troubling part, Your Highness. There were no traces of magic, at least none I could identify. It was as if the mirror absorbed everything."

Kayer's gaze darkened, his eyes flickering with barely contained frustration.

He turned back to the wall, his hand brushing against its cold surface. The stone was solid, unyielding, but it felt wrong— like it didn't belong.

A faint breeze whispered through the corner, carrying with it a chilling stillness that seemed to settle in Kayer's bones.

"Where is Walt now?" he asked.

"He's leading a search team," Kalis replied briskly, her tone measured but tense. "I've dispatched my familiars to join the search groups. They're boxing the capital from the outside inward."

"Your dogs?" a knight behind them blurted out, his surprise evident.

"Yes," Kalis replied, glancing over her shoulder. Her crimson pearl glinted faintly in the low light, its eerie glow casting long shadows on her face.

Despite the urgency of the situation, a ripple of unease passed through the gathered knights.

Kalis… no, K. Kalis, wasn't just an ordinary maid.

The whispers about her had always been there— subtle, cautious murmurs among those who knew to tread carefully around her.

She was a member of the Blood Oath, a clandestine group whose existence was acknowledged only within the highest echelons of the royal family.

The Blood Oath was not a knighthood.

It wasn't bound by titles or chivalry. It was a collection of individuals chosen for their unparalleled skills, their loyalty forged not through noble lineage but through blood and unbreakable oaths.

Many of its members were former criminals, individuals who had committed heinous acts but had been given a second chance under strict conditions.

They were the kingdom's shadow protectors, its silent guardians.

And Kalis had been working undercover within the palace, posing as a maid.

Her dogs, rather, the hounds. They aren't just ordinary ones— they're attuned to traces of mana, scent, and even vibrations in the earth. 

As familiars, they are blessed by the land and considered as a greater creature.

"If Lady Cheska is anywhere in the capital, they'll find her." She affirm them.

The knight stiffened under her piercing gaze but nodded respectfully.

Kayer's jaw tightened as he turned his attention back to Kalis. "Do you trust them?"

"With my life, Your Highness," Kalis replied without hesitation.

A silence fell over the group, the weight of the situation pressing down on them like a storm cloud.

"I see…" Kayer murmured, his gaze flickering to the faint marks on the ground near the wall. They were subtle— barely visible —as if they didn't belong there.

Kayer said finally, his tone steady. "Keep me informed of any changes."

"Yes, Your Highness." Kalis bowed slightly, then stepped aside to issue commands to her familiars through a silent spell.

One of Kayer's knights stepped closer, his face etched with raw anxiety. It was Reymond, the younger of the twin knights. His worry was plain, each furrow in his brow deepening as he spoke.

"Your Highness," Reymond began, his voice low but trembling. "The last time we had such an incident... it was—"

"The Demon King," Desmond, his older twin, cut in grimly. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Kayer's jaw tightened, his fists unconsciously clenching at their words.

The Demon King.

Even within his trusted knighthood, the truth about the Demon King's identity had never been revealed.

How could it?

How could he tell them that the great evil— the one sealed by the Five Goddesses centuries ago —slipped through the cracks of its prison? That the chaos they'd fought was not caused by a creature called the 'Demon King'?

But rather the one who was sacrificing for all of them? all of us?

He couldn't say it even if he wanted to.

Kayer was under a vow made by Ianthe herself.

He inhaled deeply, forcing the turbulent thoughts from his mind. He shot a sharp glare at the twins, silencing them before they could delve further into dangerous territory.

"Keep your wits about you," he snapped, his voice cold and commanding.

Reymond and Desmond stiffened, nodding in unison before retreating to their positions in the formation.

Kayer's gaze swept over his knights, each one awaiting orders with tense resolve.

He straightened, his voice cutting through the heavy air like a blade.

"Form into groups of five," he commanded. "Fan outward from this location. If you cross paths with the search teams, move farther out than their designated perimeters. This area must be scoured thoroughly."

His purple eyes darkened, his tone brooking no argument. "A signal will be issued once a unified action is decided. Are we clear?"

"Clear!" the knights roared in unison.

"Disperse!"

At his order, the knights sprang into action, their horses galloping into the darkness with practiced precision. The sound of hooves pounding against cobblestone echoed briefly before fading into the stillness of the night.

Kayer remained motionless, watching his knights vanish into the shadows.

The unease gnawing at his chest only grew heavier with their departure.

He couldn't ignore the pit forming in his stomach, the whispers of dread clawing at the edges of his thoughts.

Who— or what exactly —had taken her?

And why?

~~~

Deep within the sprawling Rudenheischt Garden, the air grew unnaturally still under the pale light of the evening moon. The usual rustling of leaves and faint whispers of the wind were absent, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.

The garden, beautiful and serene during the day, now seemed otherworldly.

Shadows stretched long and thin, curling unnaturally as though the moonlight itself bent around them.

Unbeknownst to the people of the estate, a hollow white mana began to seep from deep within the garden's maze. Like veins spreading from a hidden heart, the mana pulsed faintly, growing stronger with each passing moment.

Then, a sound broke through the stillness— soft chirps, faint and trembling, almost like a cry.

The chirps grew louder, frantic, as though excited.

And then, a voice— barely audible, lighter than a whisper —cut through the suffocating silence.

"Find her for me."

The words were soft, yet they carried an undeniable weight, laced with authority and desperation.

Its' command settled into the air like an unshakable force.

The response was immediate.

From the maze, a shockwave of mana erupted, rippling outward in a blinding pulse of white light.

It was not destructive, yet it was impossible to ignore.

The mana coursed through the land in all directions, like a silent scream reverberating through the very bones of the kingdom.

Across Rudenheischt, its people paused, struck by the strange sensation. It was not the kind of mana that caused panic or fear, but its presence was undeniable— an ancient, hollow power that resonated with the core of one's soul.

Kayer, deep in his investigation near the marketplace, felt the pulse like a hand gripping his chest.

He froze, his breath hitching as he instinctively turned toward the moonlight.

From the corner of his vision, a streak of light descended from the heavens, its brilliance illuminating the darkened streets.

The prince's purple eyes widened as he murmured, almost reverently, "…Ianthe?"

The name escaped his lips, unbidden, carrying a mix of disbelief and longing.