Marketplace
Elakashi Cheristi stumbled over to the table where her father was sitting. He was drinking beer, Mild Striker, imported from the Salyan Empire across the sea. He took a sip of it but quickly put it down once he saw her arrive. Interior Guardsmen were stationed all around the marketplace, and the aftermath of the battle in the capital was still visible to anyone who took even a glance at the surroundings. Elakashi's father was here with his squadron of IGs. All were...disturbed, to say the least. Elakashi herself barely had anything to say, even though the last few hours were more eventful than most things in her life as an Interior Guard. The battle was complete hell, and it seemed everyone at the market just wanted to reflect on the events as opposed to talking about it. Well, mostly everyone. Maurikael, Elakashi's father, had plenty to say.
"Well, I'm glad you're alive," Maurikael said flatly.
Elakashi, despite crying uncontrollably just moments ago, was just as stoic and tranquil as Maurikael. She was breathing heavily and exhausted a considerable amount of Essence. Her facial expression may not have shown it, which Elakashi hypothesized was a byproduct of the intense training to become an IG. "Same goes for you. However...I do believe the Emperor was killed."
Maurikael didn't immediately respond.
"You already knew," Elakashi added in the silence. Her father only nodded and took another drink of his beer, avoiding her eyes.
He sighed. "We are the Interior Guards. We are supposed to be the Emperor's eyes and ears. We are supposed to be aware of what's happening and stop it before it gets this far. It's just hard to accept the fact that we...I failed."
Elakashi shook her head. "This is a totally different threat than anything we've ever seen before, father. Fighting an enemy we know next to nothing about won't yield victories instantly."
"You are correct in that regard, Elakashi."
The short conversation the two had was interrupted by an IG running over to Maurikael and informing him of another battle between two archmages whose power was easily the highest he's sensed in his life. He finished by saying, "There was also an archmage who had an aura that was not only massive, but also..peaceful in a way. Almost like a perfect Sage of the Arts."
Maurikael's eyes widened. He, like many others in the armed forces, heard about the legendary battle between the Three Elites and the Chaos Sage. It was often said that Arashi Seji, the archmage who embodied order, personally sealed away Narissa, the embodiment of chaos. Maurikael never saw the Great Sage of Cagia, but the possibility that he was in Kalingway now must mean something else is wrong.
Schedule a meeting between us and the Sayuga and Esquoria families," Maurikael ordered his subordinate. "And as for you, Elakashi, I'll have a Medic tend to you."
Elakashi didn't resist. Her father knew her the most of anyone else in her life. There was no way she was going to hide the fatigue from him. Besides, she wasn't going to complain about getting treated either. Using the Cursed Seal in her eye drained enough Essence to force her body to activate a protective shutdown of most magic, allowing her energy to recover with as little inhibition as possible. Elakashi looked towards the Imperial Palace.
Palace
Asteria Sarranie was usually in a good mood. As long as she had her food, she was happy. But even a person such as herself would be moved by the scene of the battle that took place in the city. Kalingway was in ruins, and IGs and Phoenix Knights used their Earth and Wind Magic to repair the most extensive damage done. She helped out a little, but something caught her attention. Asteria wasn't a Sensor by the literal meaning of the word, but she did have two abilities which acted in a way that allowed her to detect disturbances in her surroundings. Following the conclusion of the battle with the Four Horsemen, Asteria quickly left the area to regain composure. Compulsive binge eating her favorite donuts was not going to solve this problem, unfortunately. There were mages heading towards the palace, and something told her this was going to lead to bigger issues if no one stepped in. She gathered her Essence, and used it to launch into the sky. She located the Imperial Palace and glided toward it.
Adelina Larot's long red hair flowed elegantly as the wind blew past her. She sat on the top of the palace, as she decided to keep watch over the Empress, since she would act as the de facto leader for now. With Noburo's untimely death, and no heir from the Empress, the Allegrodo Dynasty effectively ended today, however, there were still relatives who would do anything to keep the Allegrodo on the Imperial Throne. There were some who even wanted power for themselves. Before worrying about Luther and Alexander Esquoria, the Allegrod family was a large one, and there were bound to be pretenders seeking the throne, throwing the entire Empire into civil war. For now, Adelina decided to relegate the stress of those potential threats to the nobility. Being a Black Phoenix member, she acted only on the word of the Imperial family, now the Empress.
She sighed as time went on. Adelina was unable to support Caimus in the first battle in the Palace, leading to that same Archmage defeating Caimus and later killing the Emperor. If she was able to just land a critical blow, maybe...
Adelina's thoughts were interrupted as she looked down and saw a group of mages traveling towards the palace. The palace grounds were deserted, save for some swords and shields left behind from previous Knights. Adelina's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't the same situation when she saw that Interior Guard and the Great Sage. Something about these mages... was off. She jumped down and gracefully landed. As she did so, she raised her arms, resulting in fire forming a barrier around her. Adelina was considered one of the best Fire Mages in the entire Empire. And with her Explosion Magic, she can simply blow up an opponent, reducing the need for any long confrontation. Adelina wasn't going to attack these mages, not yet anyway.
"Who are you and what is your business here?" She asked.
Allegrodo Estate, Aesyerus
Jade arrived at the Estate, with many guards around it. She thought back to Kiyonari's report of a meeting between the Emperor and the noble families, and deduced that the increased security here was due to a decree the late Emperor made. Nonetheless, the guards here wouldn't pose an issue for Jade. Using her Wind Magic, Jade darted across the fields and behind a guard. Before he could respond, she used her Wind Blades to land a hit with concussive force, albeit not deadly. Being a Sensor and having access to the Cursed Eye of the Cheristi, it was nearly impossible for anyone to launch a surprise attack on Jade. She gave the area a brief search with her eye to see what to go after next, when she saw a mage traveling towards the Estate. This mage was easily more powerful than every one of the guards stationed here. Jade decided to continue launching quick but effective attacks on the unsuspecting guards to relieve her of any unnecessary trouble if she were to fight that mage. She made sure she wasn't seen by any guards to also avoid being exposed.