As the sun slowly disappeared from the horizon Amara watched as the blazing trail of the comet shower lit up the sky in a magical fiery gold hue. Everyone stared up in wonder - she did as well - as they released their paper lanterns towards the sky making their wish.

Amara made the same wish every year. She never asked for much. Her family was already living comfortably. All she ever asked for was for her life to be more than what it currently was. She didn't want to be constrained within the parameters of their tropical island. She wanted much more. She wanted a freedom she would never find here in Korin.

She wanted to sail the vast Plaegeian sea and all its hidden secrets. She wanted to visit Lythos and Terra and learn about them. She wanted to unravel the mysteries of The Void and find out if the chilling stories about it were true. Whatever it was, as long as it was not here in Korin, Amara longed to find it.

Perhaps that is why she truly came alive during the Fire festival. This once in every five years celestial event was her one chance of interacting with people from across the world and hearing stories of the worlds she longed to be part of.

As she watched her lantern float upward, Amara had an odd feeling that this time her dreams would surely come true.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard a sudden commotion. Looking around she finally found the source. A well known merchant had run into the crowd looking all haggard, his eyes wide filled with fear and his breathing loud.

“They're coming… oh my god they're coming!” He yelled frantically as he tried to push through the crowd.

“What are you talking about, Victor? Who's coming?” One man from the crowd asked with an awkward laugh, probably wondering what the hell was going on.

“Ghosts! The Kanes…. They say they want their money back! They want to take me with them!” The man screamed, he looked absolutely out of it.

As everyone stood there baffled wondering why he had suddenly gone bonkers they watched as he began to scratch his eyes out in hysteria. The crowd let out startled screams and someone tried to detain him. Amara also watched the scene frozen in shock. For a moment her eyes wandered in the crowd and it was there she found a familiar figure standing on the opposite end hidden in the chaos that began to arise around him. Zayn.

He stood facing the crazy merchant with a finger subtly pointing at him and a faint glow at the tip. Amara noted that his blindfold was gone and his eyes glowed a beautiful iridescent violet color. As if sensing her eyes on him, he turned and looked directly at her. It was at that moment she figured he was blind at all. Could the blindfold have been an act?

Suddenly there was an explosion, the merchant had bumped into the fire cauldrons that had been placed by the shore and as the cauldrons fell over they exploded. People screamed as they rushed to flee the scene to safety. Amara tried to run but someone shoved at her and she fell forward. All she could do was sit there shielding her face from harm.

When next she opened her eyes the ground was clear but flames raged all around her, the heat scorching and unforgiving. She could feel the panic rising inside as the flames rose higher around her and the winds fanned them even brighter. Then, as the heat attacked her senses, she felt her heart beat faster as something within her pulled the fire towards her until it formed a ragging tornado around her.

Moving mechanically, her arm reached out towards the fighter and immediately she felt her body releasing a burst of energy. The air slowly cleared and the raging fire around her formed a large silhouette before it dispersed. The visual had only lasted for a few seconds but it had been long enough for everyone to see it clearly. Annatah.

✴️✴️✴️

The Governor's office was chaotic, everyone talking at the same time trying to get the Governor's attention. Governor Magnus tried to zoom them all out. He pushed past the reporters at the reception before he shut himself inside his office.

His assistant, Paige, stood there with her diary and a dozen binders which she proceeded to hand over to him.

“Before I look at them, how bad is it?” He asked with a weary tone as he slowly eased onto the leather desk chair.

“It's horrific. Dozens of identified bodies… a few are missing, presumed dead and among the few unidentified bodies the coroner has listed.” Paige said quietly as she tried to keep a calm exterior.

“And my daughter?” Even as Magnus asked the question, he feared the answer.

“There hasn't been any sign of Cassie. We only got a glimpse of her from the footage we used to identify everyone in that train. Her body hasn't turned up. Even among the unidentified ones there was none that matches her description so that's a good sign.”

He did not know whether to be happy or not about the answer. Being in the dark about his daughter's whereabouts left him on the precipice of despair. Before he could say a word the door to his office opened and a new figure stepped in. Seeing the newcomer, Governor Magnus felt a little relieved. For the entire day the public had been asking him what the Order of The First was doing about all these attacks and now that their leader was here.

He was known as the Archon of The First, the strongest of the Order and their last line of defense. His presence here would surely reassure the people, especially those who had been questioning the Order’s lack of action. With the Archon's arrival in Lythos, the public's opinion of the Order would surely improve as it was proof that they were doing something.

“Gaeus, you finally decided to come, did you?” Governor Magnus asked with a frown despite his shoulders visibly sagging.

He gave a slight nod to Paige who turned and left the room to give them more privacy.

“Forgive me, old friend, it appears I may have taken too long.” The Archon walked over to the only other chair and the room and took a seat.

“Damn right you did. The people are all but ready to chop my head off. Pretty much labelled you and your entire crew useless. Tell me why these Brotherhood bastards are running rampant in my city and no one's bothered by them?” With each word he spoke, Magnus slammed a fist onto the mahogany desk in frustration.

“I have been looking into it, Magnus. But you must understand the Omniarchy will not allow us to detain suspects without proof. Up to now the Brotherhood has kept the identity of its members secret and until we figure out who they are we cannot make arrests.”

Unlike the Governor, the Archon kept a calm exterior. The only telltale of his true feelings were the dark circles under his eyes. Although he sounded nonchalant, it seemed he too was facing the pressure from these horrible set of events. The only difference was that the Archon knew how to keep his emotions in check.

“You know where they operate from, don't you? Raid their bases, or torch the place, I don't care. Just stop sitting on your asses and doing nothing!” Magnus pointed out.

“Then we would be no better than them dragging innocent civilians into this."

“My daughter is missing! For all I know she's… No, if you won't have the guts to flush the Brotherhood out then we will do it ourselves.” Clenching his fist, the Governor took a deep breath to steady his emotions before looking his guest dead in the eyes with determination.

“Magnus, calm yourself. There is no need to act rash.”

“Don't tell me to calm myself when I do not know what has become of my little girl! I promised Helena I would look after our little girl… I couldn't protect my wife … and now you want me to do nothing to save my daughter?”

“What happened to Helena was a tragedy and I'm sorry for that. I promise you I will help you find Cassie but please, Magnus, let me do my job. Do not make this harder for both of us.” He reached out a hand to pat the Governor's shoulder only to be shrugged off.

“I'm sure my people would appreciate an update on what your organization is doing to ensure their safety given the recent attacks. Lucky for you they're all gathered outside demanding answers already.”

The Archon knew that the Governor's words were final and no amount of talk could reassure him now. At least not until his daughter had been found.

“Very well. I will go and address the public. You should stay here, take care of yourself. I know you are very stressed now and dealing with the crowds will not be good for you.” With that, the Archon turned and left.

His own aides were waiting outside the door for him and they promptly followed him as he walked towards the balcony. It would be easier to address everyone who was waiting down below from there. As he stepped outside, the crowds took notice of him and immediately started hounding him, demanding answers.

Just as he took a deep breath about to address the crowd the door behind suddenly burst open. Augustus stumbled into the balcony breathing heavily, his eyes wide and red. With shaking fingers, he pointed at the Archon.

“You - you killed him!”

“What are you talking about?” The Archon asked in confusion.

“My brother is dead, you killed him!”