Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

Outside the Daname family mansion, Lousie and Antoinette walked the trimmed lawn side by side. 

The early morning sun was climbing high in the sky casting down its warmth onto the land.

"Ugh, I think I've had my fill of this worthless kingdom," Louise said with a soft sigh, her red eyes scanning the ground before her.

Antoinette chuckled. "Is that your way of saying you want to go home Lady Louise?" She asked teasingly, "Your ship is still docked in the port, we could leave now."

Louise frowned, pulling her lips back as she narrowed her eyes. "If I go home now Camilla wouldn't let me hear the end of it, besides, aren't you still talking with that Pathfinder fellow… what was his name again?" She asked, her expression turning slightly perplexed, "Bale, Ten…"

"It's Ben," Antoinette said with a reserved sigh, clearly irritated but careful not to show it.

"Ah yes." Louise said with a point to Antoinette, "Ben, yes weren't you and home talking with each other?"

Antoinette turned as gaze from Louise as she rolled her eyes. "Yes my lady I am talking to Ben, however, your safety is my priority." She then grinned as she turned to look at Louise. "Unless it's you who doesn't want to leave, because of Alexander."

"As if!" Louise said as she stomped her small foot into the ground. "that buffoon is nothing more than a people pleaser." Louise then threw her hand in the air as she shook her head, a frown crossing her lips. "The fact that you'd even have the gall to suggest such Idiocracy…" Louise's frown grew as she narrowed her eyes. "When have I ever…"

As Louise went on a long and dramatic rant, Antoinette stood still, her eyes narrowing as she stared do the path leading from the Daname mansion and the front line. 

She spotted someone running do the path with something large in their arms. 

"Wha–" Antoinette's expression grew confused as she instinctively reached for the Mauser on her hip. 

But as the figure in the distance grew closer, she began to make out more of their appearance. 

It was a young man, presumably in his twenties. 

He had short blonde hair that stopped just at his ears. His face was covered in mud and blood.

He wore the blue uniform of the Fallen kingdom's pathfinder's, but it was ripped and badly damaged, with those same stains of mud and blood.

In his arms was a young boy who looked to around six or seven, he was dressed in brown pants, black boots, and a simple long-sleeve shirt. 

His hair was light brown and just like the Pathfinder who held him, he was covered in mud and blood.

It took a moment for Antoinette to process what she was seeing, but when it finally clicked, her jaw dropped. "Ben." She whispered under her breath.

"Ben?!?" Louise said angrily as she turned around to Antoinette no longer paying attention to her. "Hey, are you listening to me, Antoinette?" Louise said itterably as she snapped her fingers at Antoinette. "I am speaking to y–"

Antoinette sprinted away from Louise mid-sentence, heading for the gate that separated the mansion from the outside world. 

"How rude!" Louise shouted as she ran after Antoinette, struggling to catch up in her dress. 

Reaching the gate, Antoinette pushed past the guard who began to open it as he saw her approaching, knocking him on the ground with a hard thud.

 "Oof," he moaned as his cap popped off his head.

"Ben!" Antoinette shouted as she moved to intercept him.

Upon hearing Antoinette's voice, Ben finally began to slow down as he looked up. 

Upon getting a better glimpse upon his face, Antoinette finally grasped the true desperation and exhaustion Ben looked to have faced. 

His eyes and cheeks were sunken in slightly, and cuts and bruises were painted across his face. Whatever situation he was in must've been dire as it appeared his world energy reserves were drained completely.

"Antoinette," Ben whispered, his voice hoarse as he stood before her. "Antoinette…" 

Ben attempted to speak further his labor breathing made it difficult. 

Antoinette, her expression slightly concerned, placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "Ben, what happened?" She asked calmly.

Ben took a moment to catch his breath as he cradled Alexander in his arms tightly. "So much." He said between pained breaths, his throat was dry and his ragged breathing made it difficult to speak. "Lines broke, the empire killed everyone…" 

Ben's weakened body began to shake as he started to lose his balance. 

Antoinette quickly caught and stabilized him, yet her expression grew grim. "The front lines were broken?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly, almost as if she didn't believe it. "How?"

"Grand… mages." Ben said as he dropped his head on Antoinette's shoulder, "So much death, so much chaos, white flames everywhere…"

Ben continued to convey the situation to Antoinette using choice words and phrases. 

"And where are these Grand Mages now?" Antoinette asked, her voice carrying a softer tone as she supported Ben, keeping him on his feet. 

"Coming," Ben replied. 

"What is this nonsense!" Louise exclaimed as she finally caught up to Antoinette, along with the guard who stood at the gate. 

"Ben!" The guard exclaimed as she spotted his comrade in such a dire state. "Are you alright?"

Ben looked up from Antoinette's shoulder with a broken expression. "Water." He whispered, his voice barely audible. "Frank, give, water."

The guard- Frank, hurriedly reached behind his back and retrieved a water canteen from his back. 

He then shook it towards Ben as he reached it out to him. "Here buddy, take it." 

Ben shook his head as he looked down to Alexander who he still held in his arms. 

Antoinette glanced at Frank briefly, before glaring at him. "Are you stupid?" She asked him in an irritated voice.

She reached a hand to the canteen from Frank, its liquid contents sloshing inside. 

She then brought the canteen to her mouth and unscrewed its cap with her teeth. 

Spitting out the cap she looked to Ben.

"Up." She commanded firmly.

Ben silently obliged, looking up as he opened his mouth.

Antoinette slowly began pouring the water into Ben's mouth, his parched throat finally finding relief, albeit small. 

When Ben finally finished drinking, he took a deep breath as he dropped to one knee. "They're coming," he finally said, his voice much clearer than before. "The western empire broke through our lines with Grand Mages, and killed everyone, Lance, Napoleon, Camilla, I think even Marcus was… she was…"

"My sister and father are… dead?" Louise said as she raised a hand to her mouth, a confused expression befalling her face as she fell silent.

Ben nodded. "Yes, and we are too if we don't get moving." He said as he tried to stand up, only the crash back down to one knee due to his lack of strength. "We… we need to warn the others, Lady Olivia, Lady Erica, Elise, the servants, the butler."

Ben shook his head as he looked down to the sleeping Alexander. "And we need to get Lady Ava and lord Felix, and…"

"No, we need to leave now," Antoinette said in an urgent tone. "If they broke the front lines, we're looking at maybe two, three hours at most before they reach this mansion."

Ben looked up to Antoinette with an astonished and shocked expression. "W-what?" He stammered as he squinted his eyes at Antoinette. 

"We need to leave, now," Antoinette repeated.

Ben hesitantly nodded. "Yes." He replied somewhat confusedly, "After gathering everyone that's exactly what we'll do."

Antoinette sighed deeply as she frowned. 

There was a tense moment of silence as Ben looked up to Antoinette, and Antoinette looked down upon him. 

"Ben." She said softly as she pointed back towards the city. "In two hours that city will become a war zone, with panicked civilians and overwhelmed pathfinders." she then adjusted her point slightly southward. "In the coastal city of Foca, Louise has a return ship that is ready and loaded to head off to Ambur at any time."

Antoinette then looked back to Ben, carefully not to raise her voice or seem threatening. "If we leave right now, and I mean at this very moment, we can get ahead of the chaos and be out of the kingdom in two days."

As Antoinette waited patiently for Ben's response, a tense atmosphere befell the group.

Ben's reaction was slow as he digested what Antoinette was suggesting, as it slowly marinated in his mind, his expression grew increasingly digested and appalled. 

Until finally he verbally responded. "How dare you suggest I abandon Lord Lance's family!" He shouted in anger. "I would rather die, than ever even consider such bullshit!"

Antoinette gritted her teeth in frustration before quickly calming herself. "Ben." She said again, her tone slightly strained. "Think about this logically, if you warn Lady Olivia and Erica of what's to come, then you understand they'll panic right?"

Ben hesitantly nodded.

"And after a few wasted minutes of panicking, the first thing on their minds will be their children, who are in the capital attending their respective academies, correct?"

 Ben again nodded.

Antoinette took a deep breath. "If we go to get their children, that's a major detour further into the kingdom and away from the coast, meaning the journey towards the city of Foca will be that more challenging."

Ben frowned, "It's only natural a mother protects her children, and if a detour is necessary then I'll gladly guide them through it, I'm not a coward."

He then looked to the sleeping Alexander. "Besides, lord Alexander has already lost his father, the least I can do is save the rest of his family."

Antoinette took a sharp breath as she quickly moved away from Ben, placing a fist on her forehead. "So you would soon risk both yourself and Lord Alexander," she said, pointing towards Ben, "over escaping with both of your lives guaranteed?!"

Ben's eyes flared with a mixture of defiance and desperation. "I can't just leave them!" He replied, "Lord Lance trusted me with Son, the least I could do is save the rest of his family or die trying."

Antoinette shook her head in genuine disbelief. "You know what." She said, throwing her hands in the air, "Go right on ahead, Ben."

Antoinette moved to grab Louise's hand, "but good luck finding a ship when the coast is burned and your people slaughtered."

Ben Frowned as he watched Antoinette pull the silent Louise by the hand. 

The two of them headed for the stables.

"You're a coward!" Ben shouted after her.

"The Danames opened their mansion to you and Lady Louise, and you repay them with betrayal!"

"At least one of the Novas will survive this massacre!" Antoinette replied as she continued walking towards the stables, "Can you say the same for the Danames?" She challenged, refusing to turn around.

"Hurk–" 

Ben opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out.

As he slowly closed his mouth, he looked down to Alexander, who peacefully slept in his arms. 

Ben hand knocked Alexander out during the run from the battle, as a precaution and so that Alexander could finally rest.

Ben closed his eyes as he thought of what Lance had told him.

Run, and don't ever look back.

At the time Ben took that to mean protecting both Alexander and the rest of his family.

But now… he wondered if Lance meant to run not just from the immediate danger, but from the threat altogether.

Ben knew Antoinette was a realist, he knew she was right about how much of a risk he'd put both himself and Alexander in if he warned the others.

Would it be better to save one Daname over losing them all?

After seriously thinking about it, Ben knew the answer.