Amidst the darkness of the night, Arthur used the Little Bunting to fly toward the Ricca Oro Household. As one of the prominent and wealthy noble families of Blackcrest, finding the manor wasn’t difficult, nor was it hard to infiltrate it unnoticed, especially since none would suspect a small and harmless bird.

Pretta was the employer of Arman and Amare and as the reward award she had offered would most likely be in the manor. After all, Blood Crystals -regardless of the quality- were regarded as illegal merchandise and banned throughout the Militant Syndicate. Therefore, the best and safest place to keep them would be close to the owner.

The Little Bunting circled in the air, surveying the Ricca Oro manor before landing on the open window, leading inside a cozy small office.

As he had expected, the place was heavily guarded, knights patrolling almost all the halls. It was clear that Pretta did not want the crystals stolen and was wary of any thieves. Then again, security of this caliber was the norm amongst the rich aristocracy.

Arthur put down the cockroach in his beak on the edge of the window and swiftly switched hosts. Admittedly, it was liable to be troublesome to go around the manor using an insect, nevertheless, it was by far the safest option.

The size and speed of the cockroach notwithstanding, Arthur wasn’t planning on finding out the location of the Blood Crystals tonight. However, most if not all nobles would follow the stereotypical procedure of storing their valuables in either a vault or behind a hidden door-like mechanism.

With how small and inconspicuous a cockroach was, Arthur sped through the hallway and visited one room after the other. Avoiding the knight's notice was easy and though the manor’s walls lacked holes to crawl through, the parasite still managed to squeeze his body into the gaps.

Two hours passed by and Arthur was met with no luck whatsoever. He found Pretta’s room and looked at every corner but there wasn’t much he could do using a cockroach as a host. There were no signs of a vault, so the Blood Crystals were probably hidden either somewhere there or he wasn’t wrong about their presence within the manor from the get-go.

Either way, he was powerless to do anything of significance, therefore, he opted to leave.

Unexpectedly, as he used his tiny legs to head to the exit, he heard a subtle noise, and when he turned around, he was surprised to see the same slim and tall man from earlier.

The man with long white hair, the very same person who threateningly talked to Evelyn. He soundlessly opened the door and stepped inside and swept his eyes across the office.

Arthur was inconspicuously hiding under one of the sofas and silently watching the invader.

‘Twas apparent that the man came here looking for the same thing as Arthur. While it was unexpected that he knew of the Blood Crystals so fast, Arthur was able to guess his intentions.

He had ordered Evelyn to eliminate Terden Sidus, who was secretly aiding Marjory Na Xivia and providing her with manpower to attack the South. So, it was reasonable to think that this man wanted to steal the Blood Crystals so that the Vampires wouldn’t get their hand on them.

However, as he was resorting to theft, it could be surmised that he preferred to remain hidden and avoid any direct confrontations with Armen and Amare. Maybe he wasn’t confident in dealing with them himself or he was keen on not letting himself be seen in Blackcrest, especially by the two vampires.

Either way, this attempt of his was to Arthur’s advantage. After all, Arthur’s goal was to steal the crystals and put the blame on the man, yet, as luck would have it, the man seemed to be determined to hinder his foes and weaken them in any way possible.

Two minutes swiftly passed by, in which the man looked for the hidden door only. Unfortunately for him, he was unsuccessful, consequently pushing him to try another riskier method.

He retrieved what seemed to be a Blood Crystal and raised it in the air. The triangular and finger-sized triangular crystal shone with a red luster and when it was moved to a specific direction, the glow brightened ever-so-slightly.

Slowly but surely, the luster emanating from the crystal led the man to the switch, which, unsurprisingly, was a book. Just when he pulled it, the door to the office flung open and a stalwart armored knight attacked the man.

Before he knew it, felt a shock wave that flung him to the back. He was unharmed and when fell back on the ground, he saw Pretta’s loyal knight swinging his sword at the man.

The battle that insured was relatively brief; the Knight displayed monstrous brute force as he slashed with his glistening silver sword, and in retaliation, the masked man either dodged or defended using his bare hands.

It became clear who the stronger one was, but fearing that more would come, the man opted to retreat. The windows of the office shattered, alerting pretty much everyone.

The man jumped off the window and leapt a distance away with the knight chasing right after him, leaving the room wrecked and empty.

The cockroach's disgusting antennas wriggled around as Arthur crawled through the shattered pieces of glass and got into the newly-opened hidden room.

It was cramped and small, and inside laid a metallic crate filled with a bunch of Blood Crystals, all shining with a beautiful red light.

Alas, the parasite was unable to bring any with him, but his objective was more or less complete so he did not linger there longer than needed…

“This is hardly surprising.” Commented the Duke as he put the crude letter on the desk and looked at the bird disappearing into the distance.

In the middle of the night, he received a letter informing him that the South had sent people to assassinate him. Terden was ever a cautious person and even without prior notice, he would always suspect that someone might try to eliminate him. Then again, before becoming a Duke, he was a commander of one of the strongest military legions of the nation, so he did not lack individual strength.

Additionally, he had an all-seeing invisible protector, someone he had met by accident.

“Recently, things seem to be getting out of hand.”

As he mumbled to himself, a disembodied and cold voice echoed throughout the office, one which Terden wasn’t surprised to hear.

“But say the word, and I will take care of everything.”

Terden wasn’t particularly pleased to hear this, he snorted and sat back on his chair.

“Then what? You will ask for a ludicrous amount of Gold… again. Don’t think I don’t know your tricks.”

“That’s how it always has been. You pay me in favors or Gold.”

Soon, the source of the disembodied voice revealed himself; He was a short boy, seemingly in his early teenage years. He wore a golden black tight coat and was exceptionally handsome, whether it was his almond-shaped emerald eyes, his feminine heart-shaped lips, or his straight short nose.

The boy walked near the desk, his eyes staring at the open window, specifically at the direction the bird flew towards.

“Did you hear of the Blood Purge?”

“You mean the massacre that happened in Wilsden? What about it?”

“Well…”

The boy looked at the confused Duke and chuckled, “Many, if not all, say that Leonis Sanguis was behind it, that he was colluding with a Vampire. The interesting thing is that this Leonis, an inconsequential noble living in a back-water settlement, is living and breathing.”

“Isn’t he Sancha’s cousin? Why is it surprising that he’s still alive?”

“A Baron ruling over Wilsden should be under your authority, yes? As a duke, I think you should pay more attention to what’s happening in your den, Mister Terden.”

“Get to the point, Halric.”

“There’s none, actually. Keep being preoccupied with your own affairs.”

“So all this lead up was for nothing? You really have a lot of time on your hand. If you’re done, leave.”

Halric shrugged his shoulders and left thereafter, but even with physical form absent, he still had influence over all the castle and there wasn’t anyone in Blackcrest who could escape his notice.

“You should be careful, Mister Terden. There is nothing more fearsome than the danger you don’t know about.”

That was the last thing the Duke heard before the room returned to its usual silence.

After delivering the letter to Terden, Arthur did not return to the inn but headed outside of Blackcrest. He flew to the spot where he had previously instructed Mort to wait for him every night.

It was a short distance away from the city, a spot in the nearby peaceful forest.

Fortunately, the zombie was loyal and was standing there, seemingly asleep as his head wobbled left and right.

Right next to his feet nestled the white vampiric rabbit, looking the same as before. Mort, on the other hand, had his clothes shredded and was almost fully naked.

His skin, however, looked slightly different; No longer was it light green, instead, it was light blue and he seemed to be taller too.

Undoubtedly, his recent ‘hunts’ had strengthened him and that was cause for a celebration and made Arthur more reassured.

Sensing a bird coming his way, Mort came back to his senses and calmly looked at the parasite, recognizing him instantly.

With no way to verbally communicate, Arthur circled around the zombie and let out soft chirps as if beckoning the two to follow him, which they did.

The process of leading them inside Blackcrest unnoticed wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Eventually, after two hours, Mort and the rabbit managed to enter without arousing any suspicions, though most of the time was spent climbing the towering walls.

‘Chronicles of Lost Eras

Author: Historian and Archeologist François Boulard.

Date Year 684 of the 6th Era.

Chapter 2 : The Astrian Calendar

The Astrian Calendar has been in use ever since the Era of Beginning, and since most of the stars and worlds obey the same Laws of Time, the terminology was universally used by all races and species.

Many think that the naming used was mere happenstance or made up to facilitate how one might grasp the passing of days, weeks, and months. But, there is a deeper meaning to the used terminology and it all goes back to the Twelve Creations Gods.

Each one of the Twelve had immortalised their first deed through the use of a simple Calendar. Each month has its own meaning and History, beginning from the Golden Sun.

To first understand the universal calendar, also used in Astria, one must know the historical event known as the Ascension of the Twelve.

The Twelve Creations Gods came into existence at the same time, however, their unique powers manifested at slightly different periods.

The first month, labelled as the Golden Sun, was manifested from God’s first deed. As one of the six Gods from Primordial Light, God, who remained the only nameless one from the Twelve, conjured a resplendent and gargantuan sun, one which illuminated the cosmos.

That unforgettable manifestation of the Golden Sun brought with it myriad races, be it the lesser Gods, the Human Race, and Heaven itself. Life bloomed, stars formed, and planets were created subsequent to that event.

The second month, called the Red Sun, was by Thyddor ‘The Fighter’. Also one of the six born of Primordial Light, the Godfather of the Titan Race, Thyddor sacrificed his own blood to signal the second month, which, unlike the first, was dominated by a literal storm of blood, one which was harmless but present in every corner of the cosmos.

The Red Sun signaled the birth of the mighty Titan Race, beginning with Uranus and Gaea.

The third month, the Black Sun, was heralded by Medtris ‘Demon Queen’. She commanded the power of Darkness and created a void-like sun, one that, instead of emitting light, sucked it. For a brief period of time, all light was extinguished and the cosmos itself came to a sudden halt, it was as if time itself ceased to exist.

Unlike her peers, Medtris had already dabbled in creation magic before the coming of the Golden Sun. Her finest creations were the Seven Deadly Sins, which were quasi-immortal entities blessed with a sliver of their creator’s essence.

The fourth month, the Golden Moon, wasn’t as dazzling as its predecessors, nor did it bring monumental change to the developing cosmos. It was said that this golden moon, albeit small and seemingly inconsequential, let out a refreshing warmth, one that purged all dark thoughts and caused friend and foe to reconcile. The Golden Moon was one of the handful of times Dmitra ‘Mother Nature’ had used her powers on such a large scale.

The fifth month was the Red Moon, a celestial planet crimson in color and utterly devoid of life. It was created by Timos ‘Savagery’, who presumably was the second weakest of the Twelve. Before the Red Moon was extinguished, the malformed race known as the Cthulhu came to being and spread throughout the cosmos at an alarming rate.

The Red Moon also caused the spontaneous apparition of Hell, which would later be ruled by Hades, the God of the Underworld.

The sixth month; the Black Moon, was not really a moon but an outrageously enormous black-boned skull. That skull let out a reverberating screech that announced the descent of the Undead Race, and Necromancy in general.

The Black Moon was ‘Assassin’ Xyktia’s doing, one of the six born from Primordial Darkness and the creator of Black Magic.

The seventh month, called the Celestial Star, was a golden and brilliant parchment, one rumored to store all the Knowledge in the cosmos. Quhea ‘Creator of Knowledge’, was the most reclusive of the Twelve and, ever since the first Celestial Star, she had never been seen again.

The eighth month, the Silver Star, heralded by Zaarae ‘Parasite Empress’. Ironically, it wasn’t a single Silver Star but innumerable ones, all flying through the vast expanse and letting out intense magical fluctuation that, for a time, disturbed the flow of Elemental Laws.

The solitary Zaarae did not join the rest, instead opting to seclude herself in a world of her own creations, where she took care of her ‘children’ and tried to fend off against the ever-savage Cthulhu, which later invaded her domain.

The ninth month: The Golden Star. Likewise, it wasn’t actually a star but a humongous sword made of Primordial Light. The sword basked in a golden and white light and the mere sight of it was the catalyst in the forming of Faith Energy, harnessed by Sedos ‘Lightbringer’.

The tenth month, dubbed The Red Star, was an ominous crimson crack at the edge of the cosmos. Ventum Malum ‘Gale Devourer’, using his unmatched Sword Mastery and unrivalled Wind Magic had done the unthinkable and ripped the very fabric of reality. The crimson crack lasted for a whole month before it was repaired by a joint effort of Medtris and God.

The eleventh month; the Fallen Star, was a star nova that consequently led to a short-lived sparkling silver nebula. This mysterious phenomena occurred right where the crimson crack was and it was the machination of Tiarius ‘Gamemaster’ that led to that. Some say Tiarius sought to reach the unseen and presumably non-existent plane of existence separate from our own, the one on the other side of the crimson crack.

Last but not least was the Black Star, which was an invisible dwarven star that had a shadow that covered everything. Only later, through the use of the dangerous Soul Extraction Magic, did Scholar Hammond Varn’t learn that the Black Star was, in fact, Moriah himself: It was one of the Shadow Emperor’s many heavenly bodies and clearly showcased the might of his infamous Shadow Magic.

The Astrian Calendar.

1st Month: The Golden Sun

2nd Month: The Red Sun

3rd Month : The Black Sun

4th Month: The Golden Moon

5th Month: The Red Moon

6th Month: The Black Moon

7th Month: The Celestial Star

8th Month: The Silver Star

9th Month: The Golden Star

10th Month: The Red Star

11th Month : The Fallen Star

12th Month: The Black Star

The Twelve

Quhea 'Creator of Knowledge' God Thyddor 'The Fighter' Dmitra 'Mother Nature' Medtris 'Demon Queen' Zaarae 'Parasite Empress' Ventus Malum 'Gale Devourer' Tiarius 'GameMaster' Moriah 'Shadow Emperor' Xyktia 'Assassin' Timos 'Savagery' Sedos 'Lightbringer'