A World Of Decree: And The Seven Laws

Rina's face froze in fear. The sheer mention of her sister sent chills down her spine, unsure of how to react.

"My…. Si… Sister?"

"Yes. Violet was an amazing student… You remind me so much of her Rina."

The slow smile on Calvin's face started to fade away. The memories he had with her, couldn't be hidden away any longer.

Calvin stared at the blank paper, holding himself back as much as he could from ripping it to shreds. Rina's sister was 8 years older than her, attending Princewood at the same age Rina is now. She even joined a Guild, merely for the sake of wanting to see what she could accomplish.

She would always go to Calvin for help with anything she had. They even went on borderless missions together, even though Calvin would do most of the work. Her hair was dark like the night sky, along with a slight hint of purple she developed due to her magic advancements. Her eyes were different colors just like Rina's, except one was maroon, and the other black.

However, six years ago she mysteriously vanished without a trace. Some rumors were said she went on a borderless mission by herself, but Calvin knew what truly happened. It was a burden he carried with him everyday.

Six years ago, Calvin, Violet and another boy they were friends with went to explore a mysterious cave in the middle of the mountains. A journey they all regretted as soon as they stepped in. The deeper and deeper they went, the more horrid and terrifying it became. Lots of paths and clearings as big as an open field were traversed by them countless times.

After walking for what seemed like ages, the end of the cave had a small stand, with one sheet of paper on top, and seven large walls all standing aligned to one another behind it. Neither Calvin nor the boy could see any writing or marks on the paper. However, once Violet read the red splattered ink in her head, the cave began to rumble. The darkness was being sprung from the shadows, ready to consume them all. Calvin remembers grabbing the paper, and yelling as loud as he can for them to start running right behind him.

As they were reaching the surface, the darkness caught a hold of Calvin's hand, filling him with rage and frustration. Violet stopped to help as she saw Calvin screaming on his knees, knowing the consequences of her actions. No matter how much Calvin told her to run she stayed and helped him get back on his feet, but unable to erase the marks that will soon corrupt his soul for the rest of his life.

The closer and closer they got to the exit, the more rocks were falling on them, and the closer the darkness got once again. Calvin saw the light of the cave, sprinting as fast as he could with Violet behind him, and no more sign of the boy.

As he threw himself out of the cave, he looked back, seeing Violet standing motionless in the entrance of the cave. Her face was corrupted in dark marks, she couldn't escape the darkness fast enough. The ground beneath her was consuming her humanity, and all Calvin could do is watch his student suffer. The darkness covered the entire left side of her body, all the way to her innocent face.

She started to form tears out of her beautiful maroon colored eye, it was the last thing he saw before she turned around, and disappeared into the cave. The sun started to rise, and Calvin immediately chased after her into the cave. However, once he stepped foot into the entrance once more, everything was gone. It seemed like a normal entrance to an animal shelter, nothing more than a simple 10 foot long clearing of rocks and mud.

Calvin attempted to go back many times before, but no cave or anything even remotely close was ever found. All he had left were his memories, and a piece of paper he couldn't read. He never even asked what Violet read on the paper, or if she even read anything at all.

Jumping back to the present, Calvin told his story to Rina, he couldn't keep his guilt in and knew she needed to know.

"She never mentioned what was written on the paper, and here we are. Six years later and not a single trace of Violet Ambrose. I'm very sorry you had to hear this, Rina."

It was hard for Rina to take in at first, but she realized Calvin never mentioned her dying, giving her hope she might still be alive. Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from exiting the room, and sliding her back against the wall down to the ground. Pushing her head against her knees, praying she would one day find her sister, dead or alive.

After a few moments, she came back in the room, seeing welcoming faces as she stepped in. She sat down, dropped her head down and said what was written on the paper for her in a slow, monotone voice,

"Something sturrs in the depths below,

Glass will break, so enter slow

Darkness crafts the gate of snow,

Deep within, the walls will show. That's what the paper says…" The pain she felt before was back, her eye felt like it was about to catch on fire. She tried to hold it in but Calvin noticed she was feeling unusual, but had no idea she was experiencing pain.

"Rina? Is there something.. wrong…?

"No, professor. Nothing at all."

He could see she was lying, but he took her word for now, trying his best to understand the writing that caused such grief and regret in his life.

Atlas rose from his seat, looking at the paper without any visuals on writing, "Do you have any idea what that means professor?"

"Unfortunately, not at this moment, no. Whatever it means, it was meant as a warning, that I am certain of. Regardless, I will investigate this further, considering this is the first clue I've gotten in six years."

Calvin got up from his desk and walked over towards Rina, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Everyday I wake up from my bed, Rina. Everyday I believe she's still alive out there… Somewhere."

Rina Gripped his forearm, "Please... " She dropped her head down, taking a moment to regain her self control, "We'll find her… No matter what."

She let go of her tight grip, gaining a smile from Calvin in response. He walked back towards the back of his desk to take his seat for good, getting comfortable in the process.

"Now then. Why don't you guys go enjoy the festival! I think I've had enough for the night and Laena is down in the plaza waiting for you guys I believe."

They all happily agreed, saying their goodbyes and running to their rooms to grab masks they planned to wear. After grabbing their masks, they all met up once more at the plaza to try to find others to spend friendly time with. Atlas wore a somewhat funny mustache with a spectacle mask that barely hid his face. Faibel walked out with the same joker mask he had before, thinking it suit him perfectly. Rina however, walked out with a navy blue mask that only covered her eyes. The design on the mask was meticulous in detail from every fiber it was made from. Her eyes blossomed in the moonlight shining through the glass ceiling, outlining her beauty even more. She straightened her hair into a ponytail, with slight bangs to cover a small fraction of her forehead from the left. She wore a simple blue shirt that hung lower than usual, with a small black hoodie she bought not too long ago.

Although her clothes weren't necessarily the most unique, Atlas and Faibel could still see her delicate features they could only dream about.

Rina walked over to Faibel and Atlas, seeing their masks from far away, "Well look at you two all dressed up." The sarcasm was easily detected by them, making Atlas respond the same way after looking at Rina wearing a hoodie, "Look who's talking!"

They laughed, excited to see who else shows up and what to expect from the festival. As soon as they agreed to check out the Lore, an announcement played over everyone's ears that sent pure terror down their spines.

"All students must return to their rooms immediately! This is not a drill! All students must return to their rooms immediately!"

It didn't take long for panic to spread like a disease as soon as one student screamed. Within seconds, the entire plaza was in panic, with massive crowds all over the rifts attempting to reach the safety of their dorms.

Rina, Atlas and Faibel stayed calm, proceeding to one of the only hallways that led out of the plaza.

"Ow!" Rina screamed while placing her hand on her eye again. The same pain impaled her like a spear, similar to when she read the lines on the rigid paper. Getting the attention of Atlas and Faibel, they both eagerly asked what's wrong, "Are you okay?"

"Yes… I'm fine, just something in my eye." It was hard for her to lie to her friends, but she had no other option until she figured out what it was. It was more for their safety, and not wanting to get them involved into something without knowing the side effects.

The hallways got more and more confusing with each step, and they soon started running for an exit. All the decorations that was placed around them along with the announcement made their hearts race with fear. The adrenaline quickly kicked in, making it seem like they were running in circles, unsure of where to go.

After a few more turns, they arrived at a long, windowless corridor with no end in sight except for 4 dark silhouettes in the distance. They all started to rush over to hopefully achieve aid in traversing through endless hallways.

However, the closer and closer they approached, the slower and slower their steps became. The silhouettes started to form into humans, but none like any of them have ever seen. All four people were wearing dark robes, with two wearing dark dresses for what seemed like easy movement. All their clothing blossomed with infinitely red lines that shined bright with radiation. Their faces had wicked smiles on them, like they were ready to kill and laugh about it.

Two men and two women, the tallest man leading the pack. Short, blonde hair, and black marks that covered half of his face. The shorter man had similar marks all over his mouth, with ginger like hair slicked back without care. One of the women had long, brunette hair rolled on her shoulder, with the same smile and marks running along her entire neck. The last one was not visible to Atlas, Rina, and Faibel, but they could see her gorgeous black hair in the back. It had a small strip of violet highlights shining greatly the closer and closer they approached.

They soon came to a stop, with the four mysterious a.d.u.l.ts still approaching them. Faibel grabbed both their hands, squeezing tightly to grab their attention, "I think we should go."

The Mr.Nice expression was instantly wiped off his face, and his veins began to pop from his skin. A breeze of evil and despair hit them hard, however, it was too late to run.

The tall man was now standing about 10 feet away from faibel, with Atlas and Rina right behind him.. He looked down at Faibel, somehow managing to smile even more. His voice was deep, but sharp, "Well if it isn't Polarity, Correspondence and Mentalism. How amazing it is to stub across you three. All alone." His eyes widened with blackness, as did the other two behind him.

They all started laughing in joy, "To think it would be this easy to find you three just casually running to us... Ah, perhaps I should introduce myself. Abbadon Sylver, a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you."

Atlas didn't have a single idea about what he was talking about, while Rina and Faibel attempted their best to stay calm and understand the situation. None of them had a word to say, prompting the tall man to speak once more, "Wow, you kids seriously have no clue do you now?"

The three of them laughed once more, except the girl in the back staying quiet, trying her best to avoid the situation and stay hidden on purpose. The tall man spoke once more, but had a little more seriousness in his voice, "Tell me Atlas. Where can I find the other four?"

Atlas stared in his eyes, which seemed to suck the soul right out of him. Before Atlas could answer, Faibel stepped in front of him with his hands spread to his sides. His pupils started glowing a scarlet red essence, prompting the man to step back a step as if he was actually afraid. However, the grin on his face returned and his words became more precise, "Whether you tell me or not Atlas, It doesn't matter. You will all come to us, One. By. One."

He laughed once more until a bright, eye-blazing light penetrated their vision from the distance, forcing them to close their eyes in response. After a moment, when the light seemed to be gone, Atlas, Rina and Faibel opened their eyes slowly. Only seeing The Grandmaster, along with Calvin and Elysia Gradheart running towards them as fast as they could, with the mysterious four people completely gone from the premece.

Atlas was still dazed from that man's devilish face, stuck in his head from the event that took place. However, he was quickly woken up by the worried looks staring at him from the three professors that just arrived.

"Grandmaster Selvis! Professor Gradheart!" Rina yelped as they arrived, "Where did those people just go?"

The professors looked at each other in horror, until the grandmaster nodded to Calvin to explain the situation.

"Rina… There was no one here.... The announcement was made because something incredibly dangerous was detected on school grounds… We felt it coming from this hallway and we saw you three from the distance talking to…" Calvin paused, unsure if he should continue or not. Grandmaster placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to take a step back knowing he won't be able to continue speaking.

The Grandmaster's soft, yet intellectual voice continued explaining, "Young students. There is something your beloved Guild advisor and head of combat has not yet told you. The situation seems to be more dangerous than we could have imagined-"

"Wait!" Rina interrupted the Grandmaster, quickly realizing what she did and immediately began apologizing countless times until she was ready to speak again.

"His name!.. Ada… No Abbadon. Abbadon Sylver. The man said his name was Abbadon Sylver."

The professors looked at each other in disbelief, knowing the face of the man that name belonged to.

Professor gradheart walked up to them, "Atlas, Rina, Faibel… Abbadon was a student from Princewood. He died 24 years ago."