The Corrupted Syndicate

"Let's hope Lunaris will not."

The dragoness remained silent, her wings slicing through the still air as she began her slow descent, gliding effortlessly through the veil of clouds. As the mist parted beneath her, the landscape below revealed itself in a haunting, surreal beauty.

What stretched out before her was a ghost town, its once-vibrant streets now swallowed by decay.

A dense layer of mist clung to the ground like a shroud, curling around the skeletons of broken-down buildings, their crumbling facades telling silent stories of abandonment and ruin.

The eerie stillness was punctuated only by the occasional gust of wind, whispering through the shattered windows and hollow doorways.

The scene was beautifully macabre, a perfect blend of tragedy and mystery. The dragoness could almost feel the weight of the forgotten souls that had once lived there, their presence lingering in the mist like phantoms.

She hovered for a moment longer, taking it all in—the quiet, the desolation, the unsettling beauty of a world left behind. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, she descended further, her gaze steady as she prepared to land amidst the ruins.

"A graveyard is hardly a proper place to station one's base of operations..." grumbled Matt as he slid down Mavislin's tail.

"I think it's perfect... No sane person would dig up a tomb without any valid reason..." responded the dragoness as she reverted to her usual form but still sprouted a smaller version of her wings.

"I agree. Especially when the entrance would belong to the grave of someone so young..."

Both Matt and Mavislin turned simultaneously, their gazes locking on the spot where Zenos stood, transfixed. The dragoness's eyes widened, the scene before her matching perfectly with the haunting vision from her dreams.

A wave of nausea rolled over her, and she tore her eyes away, heart pounding. Forcing down the unease, Mavislin clenched her fists and drew in a deep breath, steadying herself. Meanwhile, the rabbit crept closer to the grave, oblivious to the storm brewing within her.

"Iblianne Cordein... Aged 16... Not even a small epitaph or dates of her birth or death. She seems unloved by all," noted Mattheos as he gently touched the grave that was covered with moss and cracks.

"I've heard that name in passing before... But I can't quite place who or where..." noted Mavislin as she closed her eyes.

"Ah, I'll figure that out later. Well then, shall we decimate a tomb?" said the dragoness as she snapped her fingers on both her hands, turning them into her giant talons.

It didn't take long before she reached the stone casket. With a swift, brutal swing of his greatsword, Mattheos brought it crashing down, shattering the lid and exposing a yawning dark pit beneath—a hole that seemed to stretch endlessly into the void.

Before anyone could react, the Viceroy leaped in without hesitation, his boots striking stone with a dull thud. Mavislin and Matt exchanged a glance before plunging after him.

Pitch blackness swallowed them whole, and the rabbit quickly summoned his Spark, sending violet flames flickering through the air, igniting the torches that lined the walls.

The unnatural purple glow bathed the cavern in an eerie light, but it was better than the oppressive darkness.

As the flames revealed more of their surroundings, both Mavislin and Matt stood in awe. The passageway stretched far beyond what they'd imagined, its sheer width intimidating.

Yet at the end of the long, shadowed hallway, only a single door awaited—a lone sentinel in the vast emptiness. Something about it unsettled Zenos, a silent question lingering in the air.

"Why? Perhaps Lunaris just wanted a hallway at the entrance for visitors to rest? Or it may have been here before she came along..." questioned Matt.

The Viceroy remained silent, merely gesturing for Mavislin to move ahead. She approached the door, a heavy wooden barrier framed by stone with black metal hinges and a worn doorknob.

As expected, it was locked when she tried to turn the handle. Before the rabbit could move to destroy it, Zenos stepped forward, delivering a swift kick that sent the door crashing open, revealing a room unlike any they had seen before.

They stepped into a massive cavern, the walls lined with greyish-blue stones streaked with white veins. Above them, long, sharp icicles hung from the ceiling, poised to fall at the slightest disturbance.

Small wisps of snow swirled lazily through the air, and Mavislin, feeling the biting cold seep into her bones, instinctively stepped back, her wings retreating as she suppressed a shiver.

Mattheos was the first to leap into the chamber, seemingly unfazed by the sudden drop in temperature. Zenos, noticing the dragoness's discomfort, moved with quiet grace.

Without a word, he removed his black and gold cloak and draped it over her, the fabric falling softly around her small frame.