Nightmare Mythos

The banquet will be held at Castle Hearth, located right in the middle of the City of Lights.

This castle stood in this city for hundreds of years and became a bastion for humanity, which has been used to adjust to the unending influence of the Nightmare. It has been well-maintained by the Mayor of the city and the people who have been living in the area.

But for Cesar who was entering its premises could only feel nothing but dread.

The castle looked like a trap designed for him to finish it all in one swoop without leaving any loose strings.

If he were to die here, it would cause a commotion but that's just it.

Whoever was pulling the strings behind will just pull some bullshit that will weep on his death and the world would forget about him a few months later. His suspicions only proved to be right since his enemies are very elusive and still unknown to him up to this day.

Well, they are right to be cowering in the dark. If Cesar discovered them, he would definitely chase them until the edge of the world.

Tak!

Observing a lot of attendees at the banquet, Cesar slowly made his way inside. Unlike the others who were handing out their invitation cards to ensure 'security', Cesar and a few other people didn't have to go through such a hassle phase.

When Cesar got recognized by the guards and a few passersby in the line, he was immediately exempted from it and entered Castle Hearth.

The walls of Castle Hearth were made out of solid stone walls that had been fortified with a few artifacts to maximize the security it was giving to the attendees.

However, it didn't give any antique vibes as it was clearly maintained like what it boasts outside.

This was just the entrance.

Cesar explored the Castle Hearth while still going through the main hall where the event will be held.

Eventually, he was able to come to his destination.

The huge hall he was in consisted of very important people who were chattering amongst their peers and friends.

Wearing the most exquisite and expensive clothes they could wear to flaunt their riches and positions, everything complements the theme of the whole Dawn Breaker, the City of Lights.

'These are the kinds of people I had to watch out for, huh? Most of them are already flaunting how powerful they are while some of them are very discreet about how much strength they possess... The people who hide their capabilities are something I had to keep an eye out for...'

Cesar mused inwardly as he scanned his eyes around trying to spot familiar faces. However, he couldn't see a single one.

All of them are new faces.

And not a single one of them seemed dumb and incapable.

Some might be less intelligent but their strength should be nothing to scoff at. The same as strength but very intelligent. It can work either way after all.

'I couldn't see the people who managed to pull this banquet together because of their reputation. A Nightmare, if that is even real, is already out of the picture. The Administrator of the Academy can be considered out as well since not even the students of the Academy knew about them.'

Cesar halted his thoughts as he continued' But it's entirely different at that High Ranking Official. From what I gathered, I heard his name is Franklin Donatello.'

Remembering the name that Arnold had mentioned in the passing for him, one glaring description he had given is that Franklin Donatello was a Colonel.

From that alone, Cesar researched that Franklin didn't have a good reputation.

He was involved in countless scandals, political disputes, and numerous corrupted deceptions. However, because his achievements are nothing to scoff at, no one more powerful than him was able to touch even the hilt of his clothes.

Cesar couldn't find this specific figure in the crowd. But it's not like he was the only one he needed to watch out for.

After drinking a glass of champagne, Cesar was approached by a woman.

"Hey, Mr. Sparrow. I'm glad to finally be able to meet you,"

Cesar cast a glance beside him and raised a brow.

"Who you might be?"

The woman wearing a long red dress with a red high heels smiled as she stretched her delicate hands to initiate a handshake.

"The name's Ciara. Though anyone knew me as The Velvet Blade. Does that ring any bell?"

Cesar pondered for a brief moment before becoming more suspicious. "Velvet who? Are you famous?"

The woman, Ciara, made a strange expression as she raised a brow.

Her velvet eyes tried to find the fault of Cesar's words to see if he was joking but his face was full of innocence.

It looked like he really didn't know.

But who wouldn't know The Velvet Blade?

It was probably only Cesar.

He should've been grateful that she was the one who approached her and not the other way around. If it was other knowledgeable people, they would already be on their knees and kissed the floor.

It somehow hurt her pride.

"What did you even do to have that name? If you have it, you must be somewhere in the Army. Or you're probably Shaded of the Third Order."

'He really didn't know...' Ciara mused inwardly with a shake of her head when Cesar added questions. Your adventure continues at empire

Then, she declared, "Do you want me to demonstrate the power I wielded?"

Cesar nodded once, his voice a bit sarcastic, "Please show me senior,"

He really didn't give a damn what she was about to show. But to keep the woman entertained, he just let her do her thing.

Ciara chuckled, amused at Cesar's actions before taking a whistle once.

Whistle!

The moment she did, hidden individuals emerged from her shadows. All of them immediately tried to defend Ciara, threatening everyone to kill who went on their way.

Because of this display, everyone stopped talking as their attention was put on Ciara and Cesar.

Ciara chuckled and stated, "Now, do you think I gave you an answer to your question earlier?"

Cesar frowned as he sighed, "You don't need to be flashy. Was that really necessary?"

Ciara shrugged, "Yes. Now, do I have your attention?"

Cesar shook his head as he mused inwardly, 'Yeah, this person is very attention-prone. For someone like me who didn't like attention a bit too much, Ciara is someone I had to avoid.'

But that thinking of his soon died down when he realized that a group of people began to approach him. Mostly went for Ciara but the rest went to know Cesar.