Alaster opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. It was a short hallway, only three other doors before the hallway split and turned both right and left. Wooden floors and stone walls. Recently built, Alaster assumed from how fresh everything appeared.

He began preparing to send out several Shadow Assassins to scout the area before he realized there were already several nearby.

Alaster decided to take a moment in the empty hallway to examine his surroundings through the ethereal eyes of his Shadows.

Just as Belgroth had said, he was in Onigas, and it had seen some significant changes.

The outer wall was no longer a hastily constructed fortification, but instead carefully crafted from the ground up with reinforced battlements and each tower equipped with a multitude of Siege weaponry. Each bridge connecting the two walls now had Fire Enchantments carved into them, capable of being activated at any time to cause the bridge to explode.

Tunnels also connected the two walls, but could similarly be destroyed at a moment's notice.

The garrisons were fully manned and armed. Storehouses were filled to the brim.

Even the roofs of select buildings throughout the city had been cleared, flattened, and manned with archers and smaller Siege Weapons such as ballista.

Patrols of Guardsmen marched down every street.

It was as if the entire city had been militarized.

Alaster just hoped that it would be enough.

The building he found himself in was a small manor, but he did not recognize it, which likely meant that it was not merely a refurbished Manor, but had instead been built completely from scratch. Of course, there was a possibility that Alaster simply forgot which Noble Family this Manor belonged to.

It had been quite some time since he last checked the Nobles of Onigas. For all he knew they could have knighted some people or even created another Noble House.

Regardless, the Manor was all but empty. There were only a few servants moving around, keeping the numerous clean. However, within said rooms, Alaster spotted evidence that they were being used, though there were no belongings.

After a few moments, Alaster finally found what he was looking for.

Evelyn was currently eating at a large table with all her friends and party members. Alaster actually recognized the table. He had sat at it many times to enjoy a meal or merely to chat. He even remembered when he and Isabella had attempted to steal one of the deserts one of the chefs had left out to cool by hiding underneath the table. Unfortunately, Felix had gotten to it first.

How the giant of a man wearing heavy armor had managed to sneak one of the treats without the two children directly underneath it had not heard him, Alaster still questioned. If the man had been some sort of Stealth or even Magic Class, it would have been plausible. But Felix had no such capabilities, at least none granted to him by the System.

The Siphas Manor was only a few minutes away even for the average person, but Alaster did not want to bother walking. Instead, he decided [Swap] with one of his Shadows within the Manor.

He examined each one, careful not to choose one where someone could see him, let alone while in a comprising position. He did not want another incident with Iris.

He quickly found one and used [Swap] on it, appearing where it had been and vice versa.

Alaster closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The Siphas Manor still smelled the same.

It was a comforting scent. One of the only few things that had stayed constant and safe after his parent's were murdered. Something he was still set on avenging, even with the Invasion.

Even now, he had Shadows searching the wilds for any trace of the Duke. Unfortunately, It seemed many of the Argalon were capable of spotting his Shadows and just as capable at destroying them. A very annoying capability. It was making it very difficult to track down the Duke.

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The empty hallway Alaster had appeared in did not remain so for long as a servant turned the corner carrying a broom and wash cloth.

"Lord Alaster! I did not know you had arrived!" The servant hastily bowed, panic in his movement and expression.

"No one does. Though if you would be so kind, could you locate Lord Siphas and ask him to meet me in his Office in… lets say thirty minutes?"

"Apologizes m'lord, but my Master is at the City Lord's Castle along with many of the other Nobility, discussing the War. I do not know when he will return."

"Alright. Thank you. You may return to your duties."

The man bowed again, this time more calmly, "Thank you m'lord."

The man hastily walked past Alaster and around the next corner.

Even if the man knew of Alaster on a more personal level due to his employment at the Siphas Manor, and knew he was not some power hungry Noble, the man had still heard the many stories of Alaster wiping out the Tarian army like he was a Monster himself.

Alaster didn't wait for the man to turn the corner before he started walking towards the dining room. He knew how to get to the room from any other location in the Manor. Alaster was only short walk away, so he decided to walk slowly, reminiscing the years he spent among these halls.

The memories seemed to ease his ever-present migraine.

Many servants and guards crossed his path, but none stood in his way. They stepped to the side and bowed or curtsied, offering their greetings.

In just a few short minutes, Alaster reached the doors leading to the Dining Room. He took a moment to brush off his clothes but found them tattered and dirty. With a sigh, Alaster instead commanded his Pact Armor to mold around him, intentionally taking on the appearance of light armor. The kind that would not look out of place within a city.

Satisfied, he finally opened the doors without much ceremony.

The cheerful laughter and conversation quieted down as all the children turned to face the newcomer. Once they saw who it was, they shot to their feet and bowed, all but one.

Evelyn was seated not at the head, but in the middle of the table, engaging as anyone else. She stood with everyone else, but instead of bowing she rushed over, examining Alaster from all angles.

"Are you alright? What happened? I came out to check on you and you were groaning in pain."

Alaster felt his heart tug, as the image of his mother's worried face overlaid Evelyn's own. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

"I'm alright. Your brother is actually a Master now! My advancement was just a bit more rocky then usual." Alaster turned his voice to the others, "I hear that you had to fight off an Orc War Party to get us to Onigas safely. An impressive feat, even if you did have my Undead aiding you."

"It was mostly Liam, Tyron, Illa, and Ulex."

Alaster was able to match names to faces, but only barely. Nonetheless, he looked at each and gave them a nod.

After he did, his face turned hard and serious.

"As much as I would love to sit down and chat with you all, especially my sister, as you might have noticed, there is a war on. A war unlike anything our history has recorded.

Everyone will need to help if we have any chance of surviving this."

Their faces turned serious as well, gone were the expressions of glee and humor. Whether they liked it or not, they were experienced in such matters, at least in some capacity.

"I will explain matters more in depth later, but until then, stay together and in this Manor."

Evelyn spoke up from beside him, "What about your?"

"Mine?"

"Yeah, the one you woke up in? Lord Siphas said that it was yours."

Alaster shrugged, "News to me, but if Lord Siphas says so, then I'll believe him. Very well, stay together and in this Manor or mine. Rest, train, and prepare. Because whether you are still children or not, you will have to fight. But I need to leave now."

Alaster turned around, but before he could take more than two steps away, Evelyn jumped in front of him as the others returned to their conversations, much more muted than before.

"Do you know where Luke is?"

Alaster hesitated to answer, not sure how to best answer, "No. Not at this moment, but I have my Minions searching for him."

Evelyn hit his arm with a glare, he barely felt it, but she winced, "Don't lie to me. You aren't looking for him."

Alaster sighed, "No, I am not. But I am looking for his father. And in my studies of the man, he is not the type to leave behind his family for any reason, even if he has no issue destroying others."

"What will you do when you find them?"

Alaster stared at his sister, wondering if she actually wanted to know, he eventually decided that honesty would be best, "I plan to turn him inside out and display his corpse in public for the dogs and crows. I have no issue with Luke, he seems like a kind and sensible lad. But hopefully he is sensible to stay out of my way.

However, until my Minions find him, this is all but pointless to speak of. We have much more important matters to discuss. I must speak with the City Lord, until I return, run your party through some exercises and scenarios. Right now, they are used to fighting in small teams. But this is war now.

The sooner they learn to fight all together, the more likely they are to survive. And as much as I would like to keep you away from the battles, I know I can't, not entirely."

Evelyn smirked, "No you can't."

But Alaster did not smile, "That is not a compliment. You want to be involved in the war? Congrats, you are. You will quickly realize the reason Nations so desperately try to avoid it. I just hope when you see what one person can do to another, it does not break you."

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