2 __CHAPTER 1_____________

The alleyways was dark and foreboding, shadows seem to leer at Vivienne as the trio sprinted towards the State Bank. It was Oliver's idea to take the non-direct route, lest they be targeted. And as much as Vivienne disliked shady places (who doesn't?), she had to admit he had a point.

When they emerged on the main road, a pungent smell hit Vivienne's nostrils, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. 'What infernal creature died here?' she thought, noticing Oliver's scrunched-up nose. Xerxes was the only one who didn't seem to be affected by the stench, and simple stood smirking at their reactions ('the bastard', Vivienne remarked in her mind) for a few moments before saying a single word which filled her with disgust: "Zombies."

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"DO THESE THINGS EAT BRAINS?", Xerxes yelled over the ruckus of battle as he grabbed a zombie in a headlock. "Not necessarily", Olivier shouted back, dodging a zombie bite and punching another in the face, causing his fist to be covered in slime. "Ew... they don't specifically go for brains, any part of you is a five-star meal for them. They don't get to eat humans that often, poor souls."

"They really need Gordon Ramsey to cuss out their food tastes someday. Or Leslie. That womans' batshit crazy."

Vivienne stifled a laugh at Xerxes's remark, because laughing on the battlefield isn't exactly a wise choice. Instead, she opted to smash a zombie's cranium into an ATM machine." I highly doubt that Ramsey could take on these things without screaming like a girl, though", she remarked, earning a chuckle from Xerxes as he effortlessly snapped a zombie's neck. "Anyway, we need to spot the leader of the pack", Olivier said, urgency evident in his tone, "or else these zombies are just gonna keep coming."

Both Vivienne and Olivier were craning their necks to look for the telltale mark which signified the zombie leader when Xerxes said sharply, "Olive boy, cover me", and made a beeline for a seemingly unremarkable zombie, except said zombie had a cherry blossom-shaped mark on its nape. 'Quick observation, Xerx', Vivienne appreciated briefly before going back to bashing the zombie's skull in the ATM machine.

Xerxes stretched his fingers, gold eyes taking on an orange sheen, pupils turning slitted. The zombie froze, unable to move as Xerxes delivered a spectacular punch and sent it flying fifteen meters in the air. "Vivienne!" he shouted, turning to glance at her. Vivienne ran through the horde of zombies towards the zombie leader, all of which attempted to grab her. But Olivier muttered a few words of incantation and slightly touching the ground with his rapier. Instantly, the zombies flew away from Vivienne as if they were being repelled by a magnetic force. Without wasting any more time, Vivienne lifted up her talisman and chanted,

"With the might of the Valley of the Sun,

I, the fourth daughter of the Sun,

Exile you and your accursed defilement!"

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash. And then, all went silent. Olivier sighed out of relief as Vivienne thought 'Good riddance.'

"Well, can't say we'll win an award for Best Customer Service, but hey, that was fun!"

Xerxes said, amusement evident in his now gold eyes.

"You could sound less cheerful about that, Xerx."

"Oh come on, Olive boy, laughter is timeless! Haven't you ever seen Disney movies?"

Vivienne smiled one of her rare smiles. "You could say that again. Great job, you two!"

And, with spirits soaring high and confidence soaring higher, they headed back, Xerxes skipping along like a six-year old ("Now that you mention it, the Bank is completely empty... It's just us and the money..."), Olivier fearing for his sanity ("Don't even think about it, Xerx"), and Vivienne secretly being grateful for these idiots she called best friends.

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"... And so, that concludes my report", Vivienne finished, glancing up from the paper to look at the Principal, who seemed pleased. "Well done, Sentinels! I knew I could count on you three!"

"Well, of course lady, what did you expect?"

'This idiot...' Vivienne cringed inwardly, throwing a sideways glare at Xerxes, who was sitting with one hand draped across the back of the chair and feet propped up on the desk.

"Feet off the table, Mr. Laurent", Mrs. Agatha said without looking at him, and flicked her wrist in his direction. Immediately, Xerxes's feet hit the floor with a THUD! eliciting a hiss out of him. Olivier started to chuckle, but immediately shut up at the glare from the half-demon.

"Changing the topic", Mrs. Agatha continued nonchalantly, "are you youngsters going to be present at the initiation tomorrow? You are going to become second years!" 'Oh shoot, forgot about that...' Vivienne thought, cursing inwardly. 'Gatherings aren't my strong suit... Maybe I can make up an excuse...'

"Isn't being present compulsory for second years?" Olivier inquired curiously.

"Well, of course! As you know, some of you are gonna get two first years to guide and tutor for six months!" ('Great, not only do I have to deal with my social anxiety, but also babysit juniors', Vivienne lampooned)

Oliver's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, right! I remember now, we got the same treatment last year; it was kinda fun."

Xerxes deadpanned towards Olivier. "I was paired with Matthew Hearth and our senior was some geek called Lloyd Dare who made us wear identical shirts saying 'play knife with the other kids.' " The he added under his breath, "Corny old man."

"I can't wait to see you kids at the initiation!" Mrs Agatha exclaimed cheerfully, ignoring the tension between the two boys. Vivienne briefly marveled at how the Principal could Remain so oblivious while a war could be brewing under her very nose, but then let the matter slide." You, Vivienne, and you, Olivier, are going to get one student each!" At the confused look from the teens, she elaborated, "Two kids caused some trouble last year," ("You don't say", Xerxes snickered) "so this year, I reduced it to one kid per senior."

Mrs. Agatha went deep in thought for a few moments, then clapped her hands once and said, "Alright, you're dismissed!" Vivienne nodded and rose from her seat to leave, the boys following suit. "Oh, and Mr. Laurent?" Mrs. Agatha added as they went towards the door. "No need to come tomorrow, alright? That's a good lad. We don't want to traumatize the newcomers now, do we?"

"Of course, Mrs. Agatha", Xerxes replied innocently, but Vivienne could sense the gears in his devilish mind spurring already and, judging by the grimace on Olivier's face, she wasn't the only one who sensed it.

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"So are you gonna come tomorrow, Xerx?" Olivier asked the brunet as the three walked towards their respective homes.

"Olive boy, have I ever listened to a teacher before?"

"Well, not exactly..."

"The there's your answer, dear~"

Vivienne could vaguely hear the boys bickering over the music blaring through her headphones, but being with them for the last twelve years, she was used to their shenanigans.

Finally, they reached the crossroads which signified their parting of ways and they bade farewell to each other. Vivienne turned away from the other two as she made way towards her residence, mouth already watering at the thought of her mother's cooking.

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"I'm Home!" Vivienne called out as she took off her windbreaker and put it on the coat hanger behind the front door. "Welcome back, dear!" came back a feminine voice belonging to Lillian Schroeder, her mother. "Are the others with you? Matt? Olivier? GOD FORBID, Xerxes?"

"Nah, it's just me."

"That's great, 'cuz there isn't enough mac-n- cheese to go around~"

Vivienne was busy processing this information ('CHEESE!') When she had the air knocked out of her lungs. It was Lark, her pet spaniel. "That's a good boy!" Vivienne exclaimed, laughing in a way only her beloved dog could make her laugh as Lark jumped around, wagging his tail wildly. "What's the noise about?"

The voice came from the staircase, and Vivienne's older brother, Travis Schroeder descended, rubbing his eyes. "Well hello, Sleeping Beauty~" Vivienne smirked. Travis smiled and embraced her. "Welcome home, Viv. Thank God, I can rest now. Aria's been at it since I came back from my mission."

"Nuh-uh. Not before I eat, Travis."

Said man groaned before going back upstairs. "I'm gonna get changed."

Vivienne smiled inwardly before heading towards the kitchen, taking in the wafting smell of food and comfort.

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The throne room of the castle was beautiful in a devilish way. Softly lit by a purple light, skulls lined the wall to the right; Human skulls, lion skulls and deer skulls. There was a black carpet covering every inch of the floor, and a majestic chandelier hung from the ceiling at the center of the room. Near the back end, there was a black ebony throne partially draped with lush purple velvet.

On the throne sat a man. His long flowing black hair, youthful complexion, grand clothing and crown studded with purple amethysts marked him to be an immensely desirable man, yet his heartless violet eyes promised nothing but death and despair. He was leaning slightly to the left, chin propped up on his hand, and was tapping his foot impatiently in the carpet, apparently waiting for someone.

Suddenly, the huge obsidian doors opened, and four people marched in.

The man on the front had black hair like the man on the throne, but his was shorter, less tamed. He wore a black suit with matching shoes clicking on the floor. A yellow tassel earring dangled from his right ear. His pace was relaxed, yet foreboding, mercury gold eyes sharp, calculating, deadly.

Behind the man in black came a woman with flowing red hair, dark red Armour gleaming upon her body, an axe in hand, it's blade tinged with something that looked awfully like blood. Her finely carved features were elegant and beautiful, yet her eyes did hot match her face. They were hungry, violent.

Behind her came another woman clad in brown, her dark green robes trailing behind her. She seemed collected and held herself with arrogant grace, her like green eyes wise, her curly brown hair wreathed with flowers.

Flying above the three was a boy who appeared to be the youngest out of all in the room. He had white hair sticking up in all directions, his clothing a mix of green and white, hood pulled over his hair, golden triangular earrings hanging from his ears. His clear emerald eyes were meditating, compassionate.

The man on the throne sat up expectantly at their arrival, smiling coldly. The new arrivals stopped in front of the throne and bowed low, raising their heads when the man on the throne spoke, "Rise." His voice was smooth, yet commanding.

"My lord..." the lady in red spoke, her voice quivering with excitement, eyes flashing, "my lord... I am ready for war. I am ready to ravage anyone who dares to come in my path."

"Silence, Morana." the man commanded. The woman, Morana, immediately fell silent. "THIS is the reason I called you all here."

The man on the throne stood up.

"Three thousand years have passed since those infernal twins bested me and stripped me of my powers. I could not return to the Shore of Life for all these years. But now, I am powerful once again. I shall finally be able to take back what is rightfully mine!"

His voice reverberated throughout the room. Morana seemed to be overcome with glee, the woman in green nodded approvingly, and the young boy looked slightly apprehensive. Only the man in black remained stoic. The regal man paused for a moment, then continued. "Of course, there have been many raised rebellions in the past. The tomb-keeper, that Claudius, was the most troublesome of all of them. But of course, my forces are the best." The 'Lord' looked appraisingly at the golden-eyed man at these words. "Now, however. Now we shall rule. The time has come to bring about the Decimation once and for all!"

The man on the throne paused once more, looking at the brunette, who cleared her throne and spoke using rich tones, "With all due respect, my Lord, I believe it would be wise to first send an Advisor to, ah, survey the conditions of the Shore of Life. According to my elves, that Beyonder woman has set up a school for Sentinels. We must take caution."

"I agree with Luell", piped up the young boy. The 'Lord' thought for a few moments. "Very well. Morana, you shall lead a... delegation, to that school of theirs." The corner of his lips curled slightly at the word 'delegation'. Morana nodded vigorously, hoisting her axe on her shoulder. Then, the royal man turned to the boy with white hair. "Zephyr, you shall keep watch from above. No one should get a hint that they're being spied." The boy, Zephyr, nodded in assent.

"Of course, HE would like to stay out of this, wouldn't he?"

Luell glared pointedly at the man in black as she spat out those words. The man froze, then slowly turned his slit-pupilled gaze towards Luell, paralyzing her instantly. "I have no reason to stay out of this, earth elf. If Lord Micah asks me to, I'd be more than happy to oblige." He then turned away from the woman, who unfroze and opened her mouth to retaliate.

"ENOUGH!" Lord Micah roared, then took deep breath and said, "Luell, I need you by my side, you are my best strategist. And Bricriu", he turned his eyes towards the man with gold eyes, Bricriu, "You, as my second In-command and my most trusted advisor, have greater plans made for you. So you shall not be involved in this delegation."

Lord Micah then raised his hand, and a scepter materialized out of the shadows. Just looking deep into the Orb fixed at the upper end filled a person with deep fear and hopelessness. Taking a deep breath, the Lord and the three Advisors screamed in unison," THE DECIMATION BEGINS!"

Their shouts still rang in Vivienne's ears as she suddenly jerked awake, sweating profusely.

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CHAPTER 1 END