Uncovering the Truth

Adalinda shook her head, her voice trembling. "No, Silas, it's not your fault. We didn't know this would happen. We have to focus on finding out who did this, and why."

As Silas and Adalinda stood in shock, staring at the lifeless bodies of the princess's escorts, Lakyus sprang into action.

She closed her eyes and focused, using her new ability to try and find any traces of who did this.

The world around her shifted, she saw an assortment of colors and shapes, and she could see the faint traces of footprints leading away from the grisly scene.

Without a word, Lakyus set off down the path, following the tracks with fierce determination.

Silas and Adalinda exchanged a worried glance before following close behind.

"It doesn't make sense," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Who would do something like this? And why?"

Silas glanced over at her, his eyes filled with concern. "We don't know yet," he said. "But we'll find out. We have to."

Adalinda nodded, her resolve hardening. "You're right," she said. "We can't let this go unanswered. We have to find out who did this and bring them to justice."

They continued to follow Lakyus until she was at the gates of the Ward estate.

Lakyus opened her eyes and turned to Silas and Adalinda. "I found some traces of the culprits, but it's too dangerous for you both to come with me. It's best if you stay here and let me handle this alone."

"Culprits? How many people are involved?" Adalinda asked, her eyes narrowing with determination.

"I'm not sure, but there were at least three sets of footprints that I could see," Lakyus replied, her brow furrowed in concentration. "It's possible that there were more, but I couldn't discern them."

Silas stepped forward, his fists clenched in anger. "I'm not going to let you go alone, Lakyus. Whoever did this needs to be brought to justice, and I'm not going to sit idly by while you do it."

Adalinda nodded in agreement. "I won't leave your side, Silas. I also won't sit here and wait while someone is out there who wants to harm me or my people!"

Lakyus sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to dissuade them from coming with her. "Fine, but we're going to go get help first. And please be careful. We don't know what we're walking into."

"I know who can help us," Silas said, a glint in his eye. "We need to go see my father."

Lakyus nodded, "He's arguably the most powerful Inheritor in the world..."

With Adalinda and Lakyus in tow, Silas set off toward his father's location. As they approached, they were greeted by mayhem as all the guests were trying to leave after all the chaos.

Silas quickly scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of his father. He spotted Gregorio in the distance.

Gregorio was surrounded by a group of heavily armed Inheritors, all wearing the crest of the Ward family.

Silas and his group made their way through the throngs of people, pushing and shoving their way through until they reached Gregorio.

"Father, we need your help," Silas said urgently.

Gregorio turned to face his son, his expression one of concern. "What happened?" he asked.

Silas quickly explained the situation, his voice low and urgent. "We need your men to help us track down whoever did this. We have to bring them to justice."

Gregorio nodded gravely, his eyes darkening. "Of course, Silas. And I'm deeply sorry for what has transpired, especially under my roof, your Imperial Princess," he said, addressing Adalinda.

As Gregorio gave orders to his men, Silas turned to Lakyus and Adalinda. "We're going to find out who did this," he said fiercely. "And when we do, they will pay."

Gregorio turned to Silas and Adalinda with a stern expression. "You two are not leaving my sight until we resolve this issue. And Lakyus, you are to stay with them at all times."

Silas bristled at his father's words, but he knew better than to argue with him. He nodded silently, and Adalinda placed a hand around him in support.

Gregorio gestured for his men to lead the way, and they set off into the night, following the trail left by the culprits.

Silas, Adalinda, and Lakyus trailed behind the group, Silas' eyes were darting nervously around the shadows.

As they walked, Silas couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. If only they had been more careful, if only they had seen this coming, maybe they could have prevented this tragedy.

If only it wasn't his birthday...

If only he didn't ask for a banquet...

But Silas pushed those thoughts aside. Now was not the time for self-blame. They had to focus on finding the culprits and bringing them to justice.

Silas glanced over at Adalinda, who walked determinedly by his side. Her jaw was clenched, and there was a fire in her eyes that he had never seen before.

He admired her strength and resolve, even in the face of such horror.

With the backing of the Ward family, the culprits were found relatively quickly.

As night turned to dawn, they followed through the forest, the trail growing more and more pronounced as they went.

Broken branches, trampled underbrush, and discarded weapons littered the ground, all signs of the struggle that had taken place.

Eventually, the trail led them to a hidden clearing deep in the woods, where they found a group of hooded figures gathered around a central altar.

At the center of the altar stood a young woman, bound and gagged, her eyes wide with fear.

Gregorio gazed around at the hooded figures, rage burning in his eyes. "Step away from the altar, now, and show yourselves!" he thundered.

The cultists started in shock and fear, glancing at each other nervously. A few began hastily dispersing into the shadows of the trees. However, their leader stepped forward, throwing back his hood to reveal a sinister, twisted grin.

"Gregorio fucking Ward, you think you can interrupt our sacred rites?" the cult leader rasped. His eyes glowed with a sinister light as he stared at them.

Gregorio grasped his massive sword, eyes burning with rage as he gazed at the cultists.

Their sinister sorcery and villainy must have been festering in the shadows, but no more.

The cult leader grinned, grasping his black obsidian dagger. "At long last, we shall awaken the Black Sun," he exclaimed, flinging out a hand. A blast of dark energy lashed out at Gregorio, testing his defenses.

Gregorio conjured a shield of golden light, deflecting the attack with ease. "Your evil ends today," he said, raising his greatsword and charging forward.

The cult leader hurled himself aside, dodging the sweep of Gregorio's blade.

He darted in, stabbing at weaknesses in Gregorio's armor and defenses.

Gregorio parried each blow, searching for an opening of his own.

Around them, the Ward family Inheritors swung into battle, magic and steel meeting as they fought cultists emerging from the shadows, arrows flew and bones cracked, but still more and more cultists appeared.

Silas grabbed Adalinda, forcefully dragging her behind a tree. "Stay here," he said grimly. "Lakyus, go. Help them win this fight, and you must not fail."

Lakyus nodded, her eyes gleaming with. She disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing beside Gregorio.

Her sword and light magic joined the battle, helping turn the tides against the sinister enemy.

Lakyus swung her glowing sword, conjuring a blade of golden light to cleave through cultists.

When an opening presented itself, Lakyus darted forward. She slashed her sword, conjuring a burst of golden light to incinerate a cultist.

At the same time, she kicked out a boot, striking another in the chest to send them tumbling.

Lakyus parried black daggers and obsidian blades, her sword glowing brighter with each deflection.

She dueled one cultist, and then another.

Around her, arrows and magic continued flying. But with Lakyus joining the battle, the tide had turned in the Wards' favor. Her light would overcome the dark.

Gregorio glanced at Lakyus, seeing her resolve and the power she wielded. His lips twitched into a grim smile, hidden beneath his beard. Together, they would vanquish these villains.

Lakyus and Gregorio darted forward as one. Lakyus swung her sword, conjuring countless golden blades, as Gregorio swept his greatsword.

The cult leader shrieked, raising his obsidian dagger to deflect the attacks. But against such power, his defenses were swiftly overcome.

Golden light sheared through obsidian, shattering the dagger into shards. At the same moment, Gregorio stepped forward, splitting the cult leader cleanly in half.

Around them, the remaining cultists fell into disarray, crying out in anguish and rage.

They fled into the forest under cover of night, their villainy defeated for now...

For Silas, the discovery brought back painful memories of his past life as Emperor Alexios, and the tragic fate that had befallen him at the hands of a similar cult...