The time had come for Diana to depart the southwest of the Imperium. Her retinues stood prepared outside the Governor's mansion, waiting for her command. It was still early morning—the sun had yet to rise beyond the horizon—yet the estate was already alive with activity. Servants hurried through the halls, soldiers secured supplies onto carriages, and armored guards patrolled the courtyard beneath the dim glow of lantern light.
Several days had passed since Diana had removed the former governor from power, installing an interim ruler personally loyal to her authority. Reports had already been dispatched to the Senate detailing the atrocities she had uncovered within the southwest—corruption, exploitation, and crimes severe enough to stain even the fractured dignity of the Imperium.
Now the Senate had issued its reply.
She was being summoned back to the capital.
The request demanded a full account of the situation and the names of those involved.
Standing near the carriage line, Diana silently watched as the former governor, Valcion, was escorted in chains toward the second carriage. His once-proud appearance had withered into exhaustion and fear as the guards forced him inside like a common criminal.
Diana understood the danger surrounding him.
From everything Valcion had confessed about Senator Varro and the influence of his family, she knew it was only a matter of time before assassins were sent to silence him. Men like Varro did not allow loose ends to remain alive for long.
And fate itself seemed to whisper the same warning to her.
Her intuition stirred uneasily beneath her skin, a quiet sense of inevitability pressing against her thoughts. Someone would come for Valcion before they reached the capital.
Diana narrowed her eyes toward the dark horizon.
No matter what happened, she intended to keep him alive long enough to face judgment for his crimes.
"About time we left this place," Kallus muttered.
He leaned heavily against his trident, looking utterly exhausted, his eyes bloodshot as though he had spent the entire night drinking instead of sleeping. Beside him stood Benji, his longtime comrade from the Red Jaguar Mercenary Company, quietly checking the straps on his gear while surveying the courtyard with sharp, restless eyes.
Diana was relieved to have both of them accompanying her. Something about this journey unsettled her deeply. Whatever awaited them on the road to the capital, she doubted it would be simple.
Once the final matters concerning the governor's administration were settled, the convoy finally departed from the mansion.
The capital was still several days away, and the route between the southwest territories and the imperial heartland was infamous for its danger. Bandits, rogue Mystique wielders, political assassins—every road in the Imperium carried its own threats.
Benji rode ahead of the convoy to scout the roads for ambushes or unusual movement, while Kallus remained near Diana's carriage. He rode alongside it atop a dark-coated horse, his trident secured across his back.
Inside the carriage, Diana sat quietly examining the crystal shard she had recovered from the hidden forge beneath the village of Kolma.
It was the last shard remaining in her possession. The others had already been entrusted to Alaric, who would deliver them to Helena for further study.
The crystal pulsed faintly in her palm.
A subtle vibration resonated through it, almost like a heartbeat.
Diana narrowed her eyes.
It was reacting to her.
No... resonating with her.
This shard had already revealed fragments of insight regarding their enemies, and her intuition—strengthened by the Mystery of Moira—only deepened her unease. She slowly raised her hand. A luminous blue thread emerged from the tip of her finger, drifting toward the shard like a strand of fate seeking connection.
The moment the thread touched the crystal, the vibration intensified.
"That thing..." Kallus said from outside the carriage, glancing inward. "It almost feels like a Mystery shard."
Diana looked up at him.
Mystery shards were relics left behind after the disappearance of the gods—physical manifestations of fractured divine truths. Each shard was believed to contain traces of universal concepts, fragments of laws once governed by the divine.
Yet this crystal felt... different.
"They call it Aethertech," Diana said quietly. "But you're right. It resembles a Mystery shard."
Her gaze lingered on the glowing crystal in her hand.
"Except this one feels artificial," she murmured. "Like a forged imitation."
"A false Mystery shard," Kallus said.
"Something like that," Diana said quietly.
With a subtle motion of her fingers, she withdrew the luminous threads back into herself, severing the connection before it could deepen any further. The shard dimmed slightly in her palm, though the faint vibration within it remained.
For now, she decided against probing it any further.
They were still on the road, far from the safety of the capital, and Diana had long learned that curiosity could become fatal at the wrong moment. Whatever secrets the Aethertech carried, she could investigate them later. At present, her instincts warned her to remain alert.
So she stored the shard away and shifted her attention outward.
For most of the journey, the road out of the southwest province remained uneventful.
The convoy passed through scattered villages, abandoned watch posts, and stretches of open plains where the cold wind swept endlessly across the land. Occasionally they encountered merchants or patrol units traveling in the opposite direction, but nothing unusual occurred. Even so, Diana never allowed herself to relax. The feeling of danger lingered constantly at the edge of her thoughts, like invisible threads tightening around fate itself.
As the days passed, the atmosphere gradually changed.
The roads became narrower.
The settlements grew sparse.
And eventually, the convoy entered Blackwood Forest.
The ancient woodland stretched endlessly across the borderlands like a sea of shadow. Towering black-barked trees rose toward the sky, their twisted branches weaving together so densely that very little sunlight pierced through the canopy above. Even during the day, the forest felt dim and unnaturally cold.
Long ago, before the expansion of the Imperium, Blackwood had belonged to the Dionian tribes. Countless battles had been fought beneath these trees during the old conquests, and many believed the forest still remembered the blood spilled within it.
The soldiers grew quieter as they traveled deeper inside.
Even the horses seemed uneasy.
The only sounds were the creaking of wagon wheels, the rustling of leaves overhead, and the distant cries of unseen creatures somewhere in the dark.
Diana slowly opened her eyes inside the carriage.
Her intuition stirred violently.
Something was wrong.
Outside, Kallus straightened slightly atop his horse, his exhaustion fading as instinct sharpened his expression. Ahead of the convoy, Benji suddenly raised a hand, signaling for everyone to stop.
The entire procession slowed.
Silence fell over the forest.
No birds.
No wind.
Nothing.
Then—
A sharp whistle split through the air.
A light tore out from the darkness and pierced straight through the throat of the lead soldier. Blood sprayed across the forest road as the man collapsed from his horse before he could even scream. The next instant, the forest erupted into chaos. More beams of light erupted from the darkness. They tore through Diana's retinue with terrifying precision.
Heads burst apart one after another as the concentrated blasts pierced through flesh and bone alike, spraying blood across the forest road. Soldiers collapsed from their horses before they could even react, their bodies twitching lifelessly beneath the rain of luminous fire. The driver of Diana's carriage was struck through the skull, his body snapping backward as the reins slipped from his hands.
"Ambush!" someone shouted.
Benji reacted instantly.
Dropping to one knee, he slammed both palms against the ground. The earth beneath the convoy trembled violently as stone ruptured upward from below. A massive boulder surged from the forest floor, positioning itself between the incoming attacks and Diana's carriage just as another barrage of light crashed against it.
The impact shook the entire forest.
Kallus raised his trident and spurred his horse forward toward Benji's position. The air around him rapidly turned frigid as the power of his Mystery spread outward. Frost crept along the ground beneath the horse's hooves, and a cold mist began forming around the weapon in his grasp.
Inside the carriage, Mira crouched tightly against the seat, trembling in terror as the sounds of death and explosions echoed outside.
Diana remained still for only a brief moment.
Then her instincts screamed.
A dreadful sensation pierced through her mind—far stronger than the previous attacks.
Her eyes snapped toward the depths of the forest.
Something enormous was gathering there.
A blinding light began to manifest within the darkness between the trees, growing brighter with every passing second. The atmosphere vibrated violently. The ground quaked beneath the sheer pressure of the energy condensing in the distance, warping the air itself.
Diana's expression darkened.
"Fall back!" she shouted.
Wind exploded around her body.
In the same motion, she summoned a powerful gale around Mira, wrapping the terrified attendant in spiraling currents of air to shield her from the coming impact. Then Diana drove upward through the ceiling of the carriage, splintering wood apart as the storm carried her into the sky.
The instant she rose above the convoy—
The light fired.
A colossal beam of radiant destruction tore through the forest.
It pierced straight through Benji's boulder as though the stone did not exist, swallowing everything in its path beneath a flood of incandescent energy. Trees vaporized instantly. The ground split apart. The very air screamed as the beam carved a burning trench through Blackwood Forest.
Then came the explosion.
Flames erupted outward in all directions as the beam detonated upon impact, consuming soldiers, wagons, and shattered earth alike. The shockwave blasted through the forest with catastrophic force, igniting trees and hurling debris high into the air while everything touched by the light disintegrated into ash.
Diana landed behind one of the massive blackwood trees, the impact scattering leaves and ash across the forest floor. She gently placed Mira against the trunk before stepping away from her attendant.
"Stay here," Diana ordered.
Mira nodded shakily, too terrified to speak.
A pulse of luminous Aether flowed through Diana's arm as she summoned her spear into existence. The relic materialized in her grasp with a sharp hum, its surface glowing with pale blue radiance as strands of wind spiraled around the weapon.
Without hesitation, Diana rushed forward to regroup with Benji and Kallus.
Both mercenaries had survived the blast, having narrowly evaded the beam before the explosion consumed the convoy. Even so, the devastation surrounding them was catastrophic.
Diana turned toward the road.
Or rather, what remained of it.
The convoy had been annihilated.
Burning wreckage littered the shattered forest path. Trees smoldered in the aftermath of the blast, while pieces of overturned carriages and charred corpses lay scattered across the torn earth.
The prisoner carriage was gone entirely.
No debris.
No survivors.
Valcion had been erased from existence the moment the beam struck.
Diana's jaw tightened.
There had been no opportunity to save him.
"My Lady, you should retreat—" Benji began urgently, but Diana cut him off immediately.
"It's the enemy," she said coldly. "This… this is undoubtedly the power of Aethertech."
Her mind flashed back to her battle against the Hierophant of the Iron Guild.
Even now, the memory unsettled her.
The man had worn armor forged from Aethertech, and the strength it granted him had rivaled her own—perhaps even surpassed it. She had barely survived that encounter, relying on every ounce of her skill, strategy, and Mystery to defeat him.
And this attacker…
This presence felt far worse.
If the Hierophant had merely been a prototype, then this was something refined. Stronger. Deadlier.
They had sent a true assassin this time.
As if responding to her thoughts, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness between the trees.
The enemy stepped into view calmly, seemingly unconcerned by the destruction around him. His ambush had succeeded. The primary target was dead.
Now only the secondary objective remained.
The man appeared unremarkable at first glance—around five-foot-eight, with short brown hair and a lean frame—but the moment Diana looked closer, she noticed the strange uniform he wore.
It was unlike anything she, Kallus, or Benji had ever seen.
The fabric was dark and fitted close to the body, reinforced by unfamiliar metallic lines and glowing seams that pulsed faintly with residual Aether. Its design did not resemble any military attire from Erytheia.
Foreign.
Completely foreign.
Most unsettling of all were the gauntlets covering his fists. Strange mechanisms embedded within them emitted faint streams of radiant energy, as though the metal itself was alive with power.
The assassin's cold eyes swept across the three Mystiques standing before him.
Within those eyes, hidden Aethertech implants silently analyzed them—measuring output, physical capability, Aether saturation, threat levels.
Strong, he concluded.
Strong for this continent.
But still beneath him.
Marek felt no fear.
The power flowing through his body was divine. The blessing granted to him by the will of Deus Factus had elevated him beyond ordinary mortals. These people still clung to primitive Mysteries and fractured remnants of the old gods, ignorant of true ascension.
He had crossed the sea and abandoned his homeland for the glory of his family and the fulfillment of the one true god's will.
Failure was not an option.
"Did Varro send you, false one?" Diana called out, tightening her grip on her spear. "Are you here to kill me as well?"
Marek gave no response.
He never spoke to targets.
And he certainly would not waste words on some uncivilized princess from a decaying nation.
A flicker of radiant energy ignited beside his hand.
Then a blade materialized.
A gladius formed entirely from condensed Aethertech light extended from the hilt with a sharp mechanical hum.
And then—
He moved.
The sheer speed of it stunned everyone.
Kallus and Benji reacted a fraction too late, caught off guard by the assassin's monstrous acceleration. Even Diana—already anticipating inhuman capabilities—felt her body tense in shock as Marek crossed the distance instantly.
Only her Fate senses saved her.
Her instincts screamed moments before the strike landed.
Diana twisted her spear just in time.
Steel collided against radiant energy with an explosive shockwave.
The impact sent a violent tremor through her arms. Wind-infused Aether spiraled wildly around her spear as the force of the parry hurled her backward, her boots tearing trenches through the earth.
Marek did not pause.
He came again immediately, his gladius carving through the air toward her throat.
Kallus intercepted first.
Aether surged through the mercenary's body, enhancing his physical prowess as freezing mist exploded outward around him. His trident swept toward Marek with crushing force.
But Marek pivoted effortlessly.
His movement was unnaturally precise.
He slipped around the strike and redirected his blade toward Kallus in the same motion—
Only for Benji to throw himself into the attack.
Enhanced by Aether, Benji's body hardened like living stone as he forced himself between them. Marek's glowing blade slammed into his arm instead of Kallus's neck.
The impact sparked violently.
Though the assassin's blade failed to sever the limb, it still cut through Benji's reinforced leather armor and carved deep gashes into the hardened flesh beneath.
Blood splattered across the forest floor.
Benji gritted his teeth and held his ground.
"What a monster…" Benji muttered through gritted teeth. "It's like fighting a Daimon."
For the briefest moment, Marek felt disgust.
To be compared to those corrupted abominations offended him on a fundamental level. Daimons were impure creatures—failed beings ruled by instinct and decay. He, on the other hand, had been chosen. Elevated. Perfected through the will of Deus Factus.
Still, he did not allow emotion to interfere with the mission.
His attention immediately shifted back to Diana.
Secondary target: eliminate.
Marek pivoted sharply and accelerated toward her with terrifying speed. As he moved, he raised his free arm. The gauntlet wrapped around it began to glow brighter, intricate lines of Aethertech igniting across its surface as energy rapidly condensed within the mechanism.
Then the weapon discharged.
Multiple beams of concentrated light shot toward Diana in rapid succession, each one precise enough to punch through stone.
Diana reacted instantly.
Wind exploded around her body, spiraling outward in violent currents as she propelled herself away from the incoming barrage. The beams tore through the forest behind her, vaporizing bark and blasting holes through entire trees.
She spun her spear through the air, manipulating the surrounding gale with practiced precision. Razor-sharp currents of compressed wind curved toward Marek from multiple directions, slicing through branches and carving deep scars into the earth as they converged on him.
Yet Marek moved through them effortlessly.
His body twisted and shifted with unnatural precision, evading every cutting gale by fractions of an inch. His eyes continuously analyzed Diana's movements, predicting the flow of her attacks before they fully formed.
Diana's expression hardened.
What she was witnessing made no sense.
She reached deeper into the Mystery of Moira, allowing her intuition to expand as invisible threads of possibility spread through her awareness. Against the Hierophant, she had sensed flaws—tiny fractures in fate that revealed weaknesses within the Aethertech armor he wore. That insight had allowed her to survive.
But this time…
There was nothing.
No obvious flaw.
No instability.
No vulnerable point hidden beneath the enemy's equipment.
Because the equipment was not the true source of his power.
Diana realized it instantly.
The strange uniform Marek wore was merely attire—foreign in design, yes, but not what empowered him. Even the gauntlet and the radiant gladius felt secondary, more like extensions than origins.
The power was coming from him.
From his body itself.
That realization sent a chill through her.
This assassin was fundamentally different from every Aethertech user she had encountered before.
Marek suddenly appeared beside her.
Too fast.
His blade descended immediately, aimed straight for her neck.
But Kallus was already moving.
Frost erupted across the forest floor as the mercenary unleashed the full force of his Mystery. The temperature plummeted violently, freezing the moisture in the air itself. Ice spread outward beneath Diana's feet while jagged icicles rose around her in an instant, forming a crystalline barrier between her and Marek's strike.
The radiant blade collided against ice with an explosive crack.
Marek immediately understood the situation.
As long as the two mercenaries stood in his way, reaching Diana would be difficult. Their coordination, combat instincts, and ability to pressure him simultaneously made them dangerous enough to warrant elimination first.
So he changed priorities.
Kill the obstacles.
The gauntlet on his arm flared brightly as multiple beams of concentrated light fired toward Kallus in rapid succession.
Kallus reacted without hesitation.
His trident spun through the air, intercepting the incoming blasts with precise movements. Each impact sent freezing sparks and shockwaves bursting outward as the beams were deflected into the surrounding forest, exploding through trees and tearing apart the landscape.
Unlike many Mystiques, Kallus was not reckless.
Years spent surviving battlefields, mercenary wars, and countless life-and-death encounters had sharpened his instincts beyond ordinary fighters. And under Helena of Themyskira's brutal training, he had learned one simple truth:
Underestimating an enemy was the fastest path to death.
The moment Marek appeared, Kallus had already understood.
This man was not someone he could hold back against.
Cold mist poured from Kallus's body as he tightened his grip on his trident.
He called upon both of his Mysteries simultaneously—not only the power sealed within his relic, but also the lineage Mystery flowing through his blood.
The air trembled.
[Logos Hydros — "Truth of the Flowing Sea"]
Liquid Aether erupted around Kallus in violent streams.
Massive currents of water manifested from nothingness, spiraling around him like a raging tide. The pressure alone cracked the frozen earth beneath his feet as the summoned waters surged through the forest with crushing force.
Then Kallus raised his trident.
The ancient power sleeping within the relic awakened.
[Logos Kryos — "Truth of the Sea's Frost"]
Instantly, the flowing waters froze.
The transformation was absolute.
The entire tide crystallized into dense ice imbued with overwhelming pressure, releasing a burst of freezing force powerful enough to distort the air itself. Frost spread violently across the battlefield as the temperature plummeted.
Marek's body was struck by the sudden cold.
His lungs burned.
His muscles stiffened.
For the first time since the battle began, his movement slowed.
Kallus thrust his trident forward.
A colossal frost shockwave exploded outward from the weapon, carrying the crushing force of an entire frozen sea. The attack slammed directly into Marek and blasted him through the forest like a projectile.
Trees shattered apart in his wake.
The ground ruptured violently as his body tore through stone, ice, and bark before finally crashing into the depths of Blackwood. For a brief moment, silence fell. Then heat erupted. The ice imprisoning Marek began to melt almost instantly.
Steam hissed into the air as radiant energy pulsed from his body in waves. His internal body temperature rose to inhuman levels, counteracting the cold through sheer thermal output. A sheath of luminous energy wrapped tightly around him, resembling a layer of condensed light protecting his body from the freezing force.
Marek slowly stood amidst the collapsing ice. Completely unharmed. Only now did Diana fully understand the terrifying truth. The assassin was adapting.