A muffled but familiar voice reached him, as a figure slowly approached; his vision but a blur, he could only see what appeared to be two silhouettes a short distance from him. His expression creased, his body feeling numb and deprived of strength, as he tried sitting up.
"Your spellforce has been depleted, shadowborn." The voice resonated. His sight regained some clarity, his eyes able to make out who stood before him. "You mustn't over-exert yourself, it will take time for your energy to return." Adhafera handed him a cup of tisane.
"What happened?" His mind remained hazy.
"She found you near the Prismissal Spire." She pointed in direction of the one he had previously saved. "Of all places... this is no coincidence." His eyes traveled to the young woman, a befuddled look on his face.
"Sephora, more specifically, is the one who guided me to you." She explained. "I was one my way to Greystone, when she started acting strange- she seemed distraught, clearly trying to tell me something. So I followed her all the way down through the district, to an abandoned building. Not a soul in sight except you..." His eyes scowled. "Unconscious and covered in debris, as if the structure had collapsed around you." His mind struggled. "I sent her off to get help from Adhafera- a few of her people came and brought you back here."
"Do you recall anything?" The elderly woman wondered. "I'll take it that you were on one of your marks." His response wasn't prompt. "The House of Thecarius is a place of many rumors- tell me, what was it you were trying to obtain?" Moments passed.
"A collection of mythical Essences, and a phial of Immortalis Sap." He answered.
"Rare items, and quite appealing for someone such as you-" She replied. "But were you successful?"
"No." He stood up, a throbbing sensation waved through him; unsteady, unable to focus, and completely drained, he no longer felt like a Spellwarden.
"Easy now." She reached for him in an attempt to aid him, but was met with a silent yet clear refusal. A long silence followed.
The overall feel of the city seemed different, something in the air similar to what he had sensed back at the derelict household. As predicted by Adhafera, he too could sense a shift in the atmosphere; a darkness engulfing the streets, every district slowly consumed by this approaching doom.
"Three men were keeping guard, and a kid that was supposed to be inside." He eventually spoke. "But I found no one- except a man in the basement... he was dragging a body, probably that kid's." He paused. "He was cloaked, so I couldn't see his face... that's all I remember." What he assumed would be nothing more than his usual work, turned into something far deeper than he ever cared for. He lived under his own rules, his lifestyle and habits that of a lone wolf; gathering and preserving rare items and Magicae as his only need and purpose. But in recent years, trouble seemed to have found its way to him; the many threats and hazards upon Platus a firm grip upon the shadowborn.
"Acamor tipped me on that mark-" His expression creased. "Should've been an easy one."
"The House of Thecarius-" Flores turned to Adhafera. "I have heard this name before... many years ago, from my mentor- and I have seen it very recently..." She recalled its inscription in the memorandum. "Tell me-" Her gaze shifted to Tevell. "Did you notice strange markings while you were inside?"
"What kind of markings?" A thought jolted, as he remembered the intricate designs carved on the pedestal.
"Small and arcane, akin to glyphic writings." She lifted an arm, as a silent call to her feathered companion; Sephora landed on her hand momentarily. "Similar to this-" She showed him the ring around the raven's leg. His eyes peered.
"There was something like that in the basement-" He stated. "On some kind of podium."
"Then I must return there-" This course of action could proved fruitful, bringing herself closer to understanding her ambiguous mandate. Tevell's expression creased, unease clouding his mind.
A chill in the air filled the grounds upon which the remains of the House of Pales stood; a misty rain damped the ramshackled district. The night seemed darker than normal, not from the dour weather, but from something more metaphysical. Even rats scavenging the streets seemed strangely scarce in numbers, the frequent bays of nearby strays now few and far between.
"Going back to that house would be unwise." Adhafera addressed Flores, but kept her white eyes upon Tevell. "Unless of course, you were to be accompanied." Her blindness did not prevent her from seeing through him; she could already feel his displeasure towards her allusion.
"I'm a Spellwarden, not an escort." His response was as predicted.
"And what about this Spellwarden business?" He let out a growl, and scowled at her words, for she knew him too well.
"Didn't you say the house collapsed?" He tried to find a way out.
"Do not haste assumptions-" She approached him. She sensed a force, growing amidst Blackfern Square; a familiar but distant feeling, a memory from a long forgotten past. "The House of Thecarius awaits..." She gestured to a young vagrant, her body succumbing to a sudden fatigue; her body feeling drained, her mind strained and in dire need of rest. "Go now, child of the Shadows- and may the child of Illumination guide you..." A firm grip upon the weakened woman, the young man guided her back to her armchair.
"Tevell- please..." Flores implored him. "There isn't much I can offer you, but perhaps my Magicae expertise could serve you well..." Something sparked in his eyes, as she came to face him. "Petra Terraes- the Stone Shield..." She locked eyes with him, her desperation not without uncontrollable effectiveness. A long silence followed, his mind struggling with the plea before him, and his urge to decline its temptation.
