I fell asleep on one of the balconies to the main room so when I awoke to the strong smell of death and blood and gazed below to see dozens of maids dead my dinner became one with my clothes drenching it in disgust.

It was my first real encounter with death so blatantly shown before me. The bodies were stiff and devoid of life, just the sight brought disgust. 

Before I could gather myself I saw silhouettes of dark figures drawing closer towards me. Quickly without a thought I jumped over the balcony and used my gravity magic to soften the landing.

I landed in front of my mother. She was surprised to see me so suddenly, at least that was what I thought to be the reason for her widely opened eyes.

Until I saw the sword protruding from her abdomen, she fell over as she tried to reach for me one last time, the man in the black outfit smirked as he brandished his sword with her blood.

Shortly after he withdrew his sword from her body it lit with a green flame and her scream of agony echoed through the halls of the villa. 

I was paralyzed as I stared at the torching body of my mother, the assailant lifted his sword over my body. I looked up, welcoming death once more, ready to restart life in another body. 

The hand that lifted against me was instantly shredded to bits. gliding down on some invisible current was my father; he was visibly injured and bleeding profusely from many areas of his body. It was obvious he had been through quite the ordeal, before my father could waive another spell more silhouettes appeared from around the room, forcing him to redirect his magic towards myself.

I was lifted up and pulled towards him, 

“We have to get you to safety now!”

My father tried to escape the black silhouettes when uncle Zetra landed between my fleeing father and the black silhouettes. Uncle Zetra’s eyes lit up in a purple hue and magic from within the atmosphere turned into sharp electrical impulses, seeing that the assailants halted in their steps, they heard Zetra with a murmur under his breath, hardly auditable.

The electricity within the air formed into a dragon that ran through the room instantly vaporizing all black silhouettes.

The electric dragon rampaged around the room instantly tearing through walls and men leaving a trail of charred bodies and demolished walls.

However when the dragon fell upon the swordsman with my mother’s blood it was vaporized by green flames. Zetra's eyes opened wide as his dragon dispersed back into thin air. Normally he would have enjoyed a fight with such a unique talent, however with the life of his nephew and niece at risk he needed a quick escape. 

Another round of electricity emanated from uncle Zetra’s body and flooded the entire room. 

The swordsman summoned a wall of fire around himself and by the time the electricity and fire canceled out each other Zetra, my father and I had already made a clean escape.

“It seems all we had feared has finally come true, all the noble households within the kingdom have allied themselves to take out our entire bloodline while we are still weak in numbers and experience.” 

Zetra explained as he caught up to me and my father. 

“Dammit! After all, we sacrificed fighting a war for Them!”  

My father was deep in rage as we ran, he was frustrated. He had spent most of the war on the battlefield with the family and had lost most of his cousins and other relatives just to defend and expand the kingdom; now those nobles who had profited off the Dimachaeri family during the war had come again to steal even more.

After a minute or so we caught up with another distant cousin of mine, he was called Sigfreed. He was only a twenty-odd-year-old fellow and wore ordinary army standard issue armor; his dark purple hair that flowed down his face made it clear he was a Dimachaerus. He held Trisha’s hand tightly as we rendezvoused, his tattered armor along with his blood dripping face and a few dead assailants about showed he had been through his own battles. 

“Great work Sigfreed, take both of them through the passage behind the mirror, we will hold off the assassins and catch up as soon as possible.”

“Yes Sir.” Sigfreed looked at the two with a worried expression before he touched the large dressing mirror which turned jet black and stepped in, as all three of us passed through the mirror it returned to its reflective surface. 

Looking through I could see dad and Zetra being surrounded by dozens upon dozens of assassins. I could see their lips move however sound did not pass through the glass. After being surrounded a large vortex of wind surrounded Zetra, it shredded the assassins that got close and then lightning from the vortex stabbed through rows upon rows of assassins.

It wasn't until the vortex was slashed through by two warriors whose swing was powerful enough to tear the vortex to pieces did the bloodshed pause.

When Zetra saw the swords descend he stepped back and pulled a sword made of steel out of thin air while my father guarded against the other sword with a green light that shielded him. 

While the swords did not touch either of them directly, the impact was strong enough to blast them back several steps only for them to then be bombarded with minor spells from the reinforcements that arrived. 

Both my sister and I were in shock as we saw both our father and uncle with tattered bodies leaning against the mirror unable to help. We cried out but it fell on deaf ears.

Even in their tattered immobilized states they chanted spell after spell, wind and electricity cut and lashed through the men that got close. 

Both Zetra and my father smirked at each other in their bloody states as they protected the mirror behind them.

  Finally The swordsmen came over, this time three men each wielding a sword and fire element of a different colour, then with one great swing, both their heads were sent rolling.