Battle of the Two Cities: Begins with the Mage

The full moon hangs high outside the window, and the dense fog obscures the surrounding village from time to time.

More than half of the houses in the town had their doors and windows closed, and the afterglow of the candles shone through the hanging rice ears, and the dark red fireflies swayed like blood.

"Snake...Lightning...Darkness...Blade...Sea..."

"Snake...Lightning...Darkness...Blade...Sea..."

"Snake...Lightning...Darkness...Blade...Sea..."

Repeated whispers came from house to house, people whispering and giggling from closed doors and windows...like lunatics, no one could understand what they were saying.

It sounds like everyone is going crazy, like being stuck in a room talking to another scary self.

A nightmarish haze began to cover the entire village, and the shadows swept away like long legs.

Then the lights started to go out.

House after house, the doors and windows were all nailed with wooden slats, but the lights were weakly extinguished.

People's mad words also began to disappear, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet, as if the entire village fell into eternal sleep at the same time.

There was only one voice left, which was particularly harsh.

Something hoarsely screamed in the fields behind the old smithy, muttering to itself something like "Snake...Lightning...Darkness...", like a human language, but with no words It came out weird.

"Demir?!"

Someone groped for the blacksmith shop and asked in a low voice tentatively. He walked through the long and deep row of houses with a lantern, and the light of the lantern shone strange shadows in all directions.

"Snake...Lightning...Darkness..."

The hoarse cry rang again, and the sound was very evil, as if someone had stirred his brain with a red-hot iron drill, and drilled into the depths of his heart.

The hoarse tone was getting higher, and it seemed to be approaching the blacksmith's shop.

"Demir?" called the man again, raising the lantern.

"De, Mi, Er." Something responded to him.

But it was definitely not Demir himself. Although the voice was very similar, it felt like it was squeezed out hard, and the throat was like corroded rust, crunching, stinging, and piercing the longing voice of the dead.

At this time, the man holding the lantern stopped, feeling scared and wanting to step back, and the weird, creepy response terrified him.

I don't know when, it seems that at the moment when the fear was born, he saw a face-if "face" can be used to describe it.

The face was looking at him, the whole face was completely crooked and twisted, the skin was made of simple burlap, the body was stuffed with yellow straw, and the mouth was spitting out rusty iron fangs...

Facing this face, the man's face instantly turned pale, and he almost screamed.

There is no doubt that the person in front of him is not human at all, not even a living thing.

"De, Mi, Er." The weird voice just now came out of that mouth again, even with a hint of ridicule.

"No! Mage!! No—" The man finally recovered from the utter panic, he shouted hysterically, and ran out like a madman.

quack--

Almost at the same time as he exclaimed, hundreds of crows threw out from behind the distorted face.

Many eyes, scarlet rays of light swept across, and in a shrill scream, the lantern fell to the ground.

It came and went quickly, and everything was silent again.

The lantern that fell on the ground was lifted up by a few crows and sent to the straw-strewn hand, not... It would be more appropriate to call it sharp claws.

"Ha~ha~ha! Fi...dd...lest...tic...ks!"

The owner with sharp claws and straws tilted his head and held a bright lantern, like a demon who used gold coins to confuse mortals.

"Ha~ha~ha, Fi...dd...lest...tic...ks!"

In an instant, all the crows disappeared, and the rust-like hoarse voice echoed in the boundless dark night, like the bells of midnight horror.

The thick gray fog over the village gathered, isolating all the light, and lingering for a long time.

......

Sadvina City, Jinpo Town.

"Lord Silas, we have conducted a preliminary search, and the whole town... no one is alive."

When Sadek reported, there was an unspeakable emotion on his face, some sympathy, some lamentation, some shock... Of course, it was more fear and awe...

The person he reported to was Silas, who had just arrived in the town. The other party was taking off his hood and looking at his surroundings.

This is a remote town in eastern Demacia. On the surface, it looks no different from other places, but in just one night, the town's people and livestock disappeared out of thin air!

Except for a few traces left in the panic, there are almost no clues.

This thing sounds very strange, and what is even more strange is that this is the fifth case that has occurred after the ban on magic was repealed, and it has to attract the attention of the big figures in Xiongdu.

"Lead the team to thoroughly investigate this place and use everything that can be used. I don't want us to find any clues before Mrs. Laxana comes here." Silas retracted his gaze and said in a cold tone. Order.

His deep eyes were as indifferent as before, and Sadek was a little uncomfortable with the sharp eyes of a hawk.

Sadek complained inwardly, but he still responded:

"Yes, my lord, I will let everyone look carefully."

They were still locked in the dungeon of the magic seekers a few days ago. Before being caught, they were just a group of ordinary people. Even if they are now identified as Demacia's magic department, they don't know how to search.

Silas also knew the quality of this group of people and gave a direction:

"You all came from the countryside before, don't think about using those professional or magical methods, and use the common sense you see or hear on a daily basis."

"Understood, my lord!"

Sadek realized immediately, and he simply responded and left to rummage from house to house to find clues.

Silas was still standing in the center of the town, his eyes lowered, his brows furrowed, his fists slightly clenched.

"Damn, don't let me know who's behind the scenes!"

In less than 10 days, 5 villages and towns were killed one after another, and nearly 10,000 innocent people were implicated.

Such a sensational event has not happened in Demacia for a long time.

"Um... Kimpo Town, Decron Town, Sutter Village, Huron Village... and LaRook Town."

Silas walked around the town at will, thinking about the murder sites.

The whole town was silent, except for the sound of the mage's search team's actions, there was no other change.

However, Silas didn't feel safe, quiet, and relaxed. He always felt that he was under some kind of gaze, and this town, no matter from which angle, had a strange feeling.

He's not one to believe in feelings, but the danger is so strong that it's hard to ignore.

It's a pity... he couldn't find any trace of magic, no trace of exploration and tracking, which made Silas extremely annoyed.

The only thing that can silently make all the villagers disappear in just one night is magic, and magic can be found as long as it is released.

He can perceive all traces of magic, whether it be people... or things...

This is his innate talent.

But now, there is no sign in the town.

Not only Jinpo Town, but other villages and towns have the same result.

What kind of magic would it be?

Why these villages?

No magic... how did the villagers... disappear?

Judging from the traces left at the scene, everything went unbelievably smoothly. It looked like a voluntary disappearance that was negotiated, with no signs of resistance or struggle...

This is quite unreasonable.

...Many doubts were entangled in Silas' mind, and he stepped forward a lot, sinking and looking around.

He is quite sure that Jinpo Town must be hiding some secrets, and he needs to feel and observe it more carefully and carefully.

This incident has been classified as a magical incident by Xiongdu. Laxana will investigate the matter in person when she handles the matter at hand. Silas, as the first army, went to the town to obtain information on the scene.

The only thing that all villages and towns have in common at present is the extreme hatred of magic. These towns have more or less captured and killed mages, and they are firm enforcers of the prohibition of magic.

For these people, Silas naturally wanted them to die sooner, but they couldn't die at this point in time, by unknown magic.

Otherwise, it would be very bad for Laksana.

The Demacia of his dreams hadn't been established, it was just the beginning, and he never wanted to go back to that cage.

For no reason, the scene of the dungeon's torment replayed in Silas' mind, repeating...expanding...something seemed to break out from the bottom of his heart and blossomed with fear.

It seems that some mysterious force is slowly evoking painful memories...

"S...s..."

A vague voice sounded in his ears, and Silas was a little confused, as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff, and he was only one step away from falling into the bottomless abyss.

"Lord Silas!"

Another call took him away from the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff.

Silas regained his senses completely now, his eyes quickly focused, and he realized that the person standing in front of him was Sadek who had completed the search.

He pressed his temples, leaving his past memories and messy thoughts behind, and asked in a deep voice:

"Sadek, is there anything new to discover?"

"Everything is normal." Sadek shook his head regretfully. "There are many people in the town who have half-finished work in their homes. It gives the impression that the owner of the house is only temporarily leaving for something, and will return for a while. Will be back."

That said, but Silas and Sadek knew in their hearts that these people would never come back.

Overnight, without any resistance, all were killed.

"No blood, damage, or animal footprints?" Silas simply refined the question.

The resident population of the town is about a thousand people and hundreds of houses.

Only the villagers are missing, but the houses and facilities have not suffered any damage, which is very abnormal.

"I didn't find out, everyone seems to have agreed to die in their sleep... Uh, although it's a bit impersonal to say that, I really can't think of a suitable description..."

Sadek suppressed the chill in his heart and continued: "The only problem is the night watchman's residence."

As he spoke, he led the way and led Silas to the entrance of the village.

After the two walked away, Silas was near the shadow of the sturdy and twisted old locust tree. I don't know when or who inserted a scarecrow there.

The scarecrow looks very inconspicuous, the kind that is common in ordinary fields, and no one from the search team even noticed it just now.

At this time, I don't know if it was because of the scattering of light and shadow, its face made of withered grass seemed to ignite a cluster of scarlet rays of light, obviously it didn't have any facial features, but it gave the illusion that it was laughing.

...Silas followed Sadek to the entrance of Jinpo Town.

"My lord, this is supposed to be the place where the night watchman is on duty."

Sadek pointed to the overturned table and chairs, as well as the countless papers scattered on the ground.

"Our preliminary judgment is that the incident happened late at night. Generally, villages and towns have an early rest time, and life is very regular. And here, perhaps the first scene of witnessing the murderer."

"The first scene?"

Silas looked around and motioned for Sadek to continue.

"This is just a conclusion based on our common sense, and we don't know if it is right or not." Sadek said truthfully:

"It can be seen from the overturned debris that the night watchman responded and resisted to a certain extent, but if the village was killed first, it shouldn't be so messy here."

After looking around, Silas tapped his chin to confirm his statement.

Indeed, compared to the peaceful village, this place is unusually chaotic.

But the chaos shown here...is completely different from the chaos in which a head-on conflict occurs.

Tables and chairs fell to the ground, shards of utensils and cooking utensils were scattered on the ground, brazier and torches went somewhere, the charcoal basin for heating was upside down on the ground, and soot was scattered everywhere...

It doesn't look like resistance at all, but rather like a mad person, losing consciousness and wanton destruction.

"Go on." Silas waved.

Sadek opened his mouth and said hesitantly:

"My lord, based on the similar situation in the previous small towns, we infer that this may be a large-scale black magic."

"Dark magic? You still understand this?"

Silas questioned and looked at Sadek strangely. Before the magic awakened, he was just a merchant.

Let him be the team captain this time, but because he has a fairly smart brain.

"That...I don't understand at all." Sadek scratched his head embarrassedly, "But I heard some stories during the time I was guarded."

"Tell me."

The clues are basically cut off here, and Silas doesn't mind listening to it.

"Cough cough..."

Sadek coughed twice and said seriously:

"I heard that there is a kind of black magic that can swallow people into the darkness. The mages stretch out their hands and all the people who are sleeping will be swallowed by the darkness... And those who are still awake will eventually be due to various Crazy for such reasons, kicking things over, smashing pots and pans, working like crazy... and finally losing energy and sinking into the dark."

"Hmph, with such strong magic, Demacia would have been wiped out long ago." Silas didn't believe this at all.

"Why? Lord Silas, can't magic reach this level?" Sadek asked inexperienced. He didn't realize what a stupid question he asked.

The story just now is actually the horror magic that he made up after seeing these scenes when he entered the village.

He clearly imagined that these would make him feel uncomfortable, panic, and tremble, but he just couldn't restrain himself from thinking about it.

even...

He had countless horrific illusions, in the shadows of the bushes, on the top floor of the house, behind the tree trunks, in every corner where the sight and sunlight could not penetrate, a pair of peeping eyes were watching him! A scarlet glow.

There were only him and Silas here, but he seemed to be in a lively street.

Sadek didn't know how Silas felt. Under this strange contrast and atmosphere, his whole body was tense, and the cold air ran up his spine as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

hiss...

Sadek shuddered.

"Okay, don't think too much, magic is not as powerful as you think." Silas comforted casually. "This kind of magic really needs to be common, and it was learned by Noxus and used on us."

If there were really a few people who possessed such terrifying power, he would never have imagined what the other party would want to slaughter these small villages.

With such strength, Demacia can't resist the whole country, why bother to bully some remote villagers.

"Hahaha, that's right and right, the adults are right."

Sadek laughed dryly. After thinking about it carefully, he did think that Silas had something to say. He subconsciously reached out and touched his back, as if to cheer himself up.

"Sir, then I'll look around and see if I can find any clues," Sadek said.

"Go, don't worry, even if it turns upside down."

Silas nodded at him, not caring where the other party was going. He lowered his body and picked up the papers that had fallen on the ground, collected them and quickly browsed them in his hands.

Most of the above records are some recent information from Demacia, the news about Laxana's succession as the Minister of Magic, and a series of related information about the change of the magic seeker.

Flicking through the papers, Silas didn't even think he'd find anything.

These are nothing more than readings for the Night's Watch to pass the time, nothing to be concerned about.

When the page was almost at the end, Silas's eyebrows suddenly lifted, and he picked out the paper in his hand and browsed silently.

"Ten kings, ten thrones."

"The crown is nine, and the crown is on the head."

"Only one person left, dig and bury."

"The crow is left alone, neither dead nor alive."

Although it was only four short lines, Silas read it over and over again.

It was a Demacian poem that had been around for hundreds of years, and Silas had heard it too.

The hand he was holding the paper began to tremble. The paper on which the poem was recorded suddenly became extremely heavy. The dried ink on it was like a carrier for the spread of shadows. Silas was shocked.

he knows!

He got it!

Ten Thrones...this poem...was a bard's verse of fear, of demons.

Fear... the devil...

Silas's pupils suddenly dilated, he couldn't care about other things, he ran frantically towards the village.

When he ran back to the old locust tree, where he was afraid just now, he couldn't find any suspicious traces.

"My lord, have you found anything?"

Sadek saw Silas running in a panic from afar.

"Sadek!"

Silas' voice was colder than ever before, even with a trembling that could not be concealed.

"Is there something under this tree just now?"

"Under the tree?"

Sadek looked curiously in the direction Silas said.

In his field of vision, next to the old locust tree, in a place covered by a shadow, several black birds were landing there, pecking at each other.

"Are you talking about those crows?"

"No! Before I said that, there must be something in that place!"

Silas clenched his teeth tightly, the veins on his forehead burst out, and his heart was filled with unspeakable anxiety and indescribable horror.

No wonder he couldn't feel the existence of any magic!

demon!

is the devil! Everyone disappeared, and it was the devil who was playing tricks.

Damn, why didn't he think about this before!

The answer has surfaced, but it seems that it is not only the answer that is exposed, just as the surface of the ice is always only a small part, and the volume below the surface of the water is always unimaginably huge.

Silas shuddered uncontrollably, when another poem suddenly sounded in his mind:

"When the fields are dead~www.readwn.com~the wind dies down..."

"Run...go home..."

"When the crows cover the clouds, the night falls..."

"Immediately...hide..."

"..."

"Sir, are you all right. Shall we retreat first?"

Seeing that Silas' expression was wrong, Sadek hurriedly stepped forward to support the crumbling Silas.

"Withdraw..." Silas looked ugly, "Damn... I'm afraid... it's too late."

Somehow, the sunlight above their heads... disappeared.

Overcast clouds and mist filled the air, as if early evening had entered.

The contours of the surrounding shadows expanded wildly, and even the wind attached to the skin seemed to have completely disappeared...