Yuu-Jin sat staring intently at the array of small crystals in front of him. His room was completely shrouded in darkness, save for the small sphere of light given off by his nether-tech desk lamp. The one benefit of being grounded was that it surely afforded him plenty of time to consider new projects and revise old ones. Presently his project was a bedside clock, which worked perfectly fine previously as a wind-up, gear driven alarm clock, but which he thought could be improved upon. Without access to the Academy's laboratories and store rooms Yuu was forced to make due with whatever materials he found around the estate, and which he could scavenge from items people 'probably' would not need; the result was laid out before him.

His concept revolved around a gentle, but stern mother... in the form of an alarm clock. Ideally instead of sounding an mind crushingly annoying bell the clock would begin to emit the light of a sunrise, going ever brighter.  Then if the sleeper tried to hit the snooze button it would shock him with a small electrical charge; not really painful, but certainly enough to wake a person up. It was easy enough to put together one or the other and fit it into the small confines of the clock, the trick was to do them both in the same space. The young mage had tried dozens of configurations to no avail; either half of it would not work, or both would work with meager effect, or nothing would happen at all.

Gritting his teeth Yuu went at it once more, nimbly interlocking crystals with conducting filament, adding the right amount of residual nether energy at the the proper points, hooking up the wires, transistors and nether transformers for the electrical system and gently fitting it all into the clock housing. With everything in place he charged the clock and set the alarm.

A few seconds later the mage was blasted with a blinding flash of light followed by a stern arc of static electricity which sent him sprawling back in his chair covering his eyes.  Lying on his back Yuu formed a smile, he was getting closer; with the proper power levels in place he just needed to find a way to  regulate them. Such progress called for a break, and so Yuu excused himself from the project for a stroll in the courtyard.

The night was pleasantly cool for late summer, the humidity clinging like a soft sheet rather than a smothering wool blanket. A quick glance around reminds Yuu that this is not just another summer night as sentries are posted at regular intervals and a roving patrol can be seen on the far side. He had never experienced such tensions in the capital city before, but upon doing some historical investigation he learned this certainly is not the first time. His thoughts drifted to Vanyra and Zelpuz and the information they had uncovered and a pit began to form in the bottom of his stomach, and he searched for the nearest bench to collect himself.

Despite the guards the rest of the household was quite and dark, and judging from the position of the moon it was likely much later than Yuu had thought... not that he had anywhere to go in the morning. As Yuu sat on a bench near a koi pond and fountain fatigue started to take its toll, or so he thought; after rubbing his eyes and shaking his head the area had indeed grown darker. Glancing up the moon was suddenly obscured, not from a cloud as was to be expected. Rather it was simply darkened, as if someone had draped a great cosmic shade over it. Scanning the courtyard Yuu was not the only one to notice the strange lighting as the guards are visibly agitated. Moments later he could hear shouts of alarm from the opposite side of the manor. This was not a good sign.

The positive vibes of progress from Yuu's earlier experimental success drains away, and is replaced with cooling drone of fear.  Not the kind that holds one frozen, but the kind that knows something bad is already happening.  Moons don't simply shade over, and guards don't just cry out alarms.

The budding mage takes to his feet, and purposely makes his way towards the opposite side of the manor.  If you're going to run away from something, it's always better to know what you're running away from, so as to better prepare oneself.  And what better time to learn of that something, then when lots of people better qualified in a fight are around to distract it.

As the intrepid mage traverses the courtyard in a crouched gait he can hear what he imagines to be the sound of battle ahead.  Arriving at a corner pillar he plants his back against it and looks around in trepidation. The scene beyond confirms his fears; a group of five house guards is battling a pair of Gardax. It would be odd enough to see any Gardax in the civilized lands of Ossylia let alone in his family's compound. As he tried to process puzzle his attention was ripped back to the other side of the yard. This time the sounds of more familiar, nether magic could be heard amongst more shouting.  Back in the direction from which he had come he could see a large number of shadowy figures charging through a shadowy hole in the wall.  Each of them carried nether-tech devices, and they moved in the familiar patterns of Ossylian military troops he had observed so often growing up. No matter what the final key to this puzzle was, things were certainly spiraling out of control in a hurry.

Yuu curses under his breath, watching what should have been loyal Ossylian soldiers mounting an offensive on his home.  The mage instinctively reaches down to his hip where his utility belt would be, and realizes too late that it's still up in his room.  Dangit!

Think quick...

'I've got to slow them...' he thinks.

'Okay......' pressed again the pillar in the shadows, he begins to summon friends to assist in just such an endeaver.

A swarm of angry little fiends converge out of the shadows around Yuu Jin. In the darkness of the night their forms appear to shimmer in and out of existence as they dance across the shadowy courtyard towards the invaders. At first the traitor commandos do not seem to notice the oncoming horde, focusing instead on dispatching the house guards. This focus suddenly shatters into cries of alarm and surprise as Yuu's minions stampede into them. The scene quickly devolves into a chaotic melee.

The budding mage cackles delightfully to himself.  A particularly nasty instructor from Yuu's college had nearly failed him when Yuu presented the spell for his final research project.  Words used were "unsophisticated", "mischievous-driven", and "lacking in destructive capacity for war one would expect from one with his family's stature".  Feeling rather indignant, Yuu retorted with a fire ball of a power level over 9000, incinerating the entire field and it's assortment of dummy targets, and causing a two day's delay for the remaining students.  Most of whom were pleased to have two extra days to prepare while repairs were made and new targets could be built.

Yuu left the shadows of his hedge and sprinted to a side door of his home.

With the rear invaders distracted for now Yuu enters the mansion proper; all is quiet inside, as it should be. Despite the effectiveness of his spell the young mage does not give his shadowy friends much chance against the commandoes, but they have certainly bought himself and perhaps some of the house guard a few precious moments to regroup.

Moving further into the house Yuu can now near hushed voices, some in fear and others issuing commands. It would seem that the interior has been made aware of assault as well.

Yuu sprints through the corridors, and up the narrow servant steps to the third floor, where his and his sister's bedrooms are.  Staying hidden, he peaks into the hallway.

The corridor is largely cloaked in darkness broken with islands of light provided by the wall lamps. A couple of the house servants can be seen at the end of the hall, hurriedly banging on doors to awake the occupants. They have not arrived at Qwe's room, but a faint spill of light can be seen from the bottom of her door.

Yuu crosses the corridor, content to stick to the shadows, and stops at the door of his sister.  He leans an ear against the door.

Though light may be filtering out from the door there is nothing but silence reaching Yuu's ears.

The young mage pulls quietly on the door handle.

Inside the chamber Yuu spots his sister crouched near the window, her attention glued to the violent scene unfolding outside. Without seeing the mage can tell the battle continues due to the occasional flash of light, and shout from the soldiers below.

Keeping crouched himself, Yuu takes half a step into the room.  "Psst, Qwe...."

Qwe spins around from the window, her jet black hair fanning out like a living shadow. Her expression belies her anxiety and excitement, "We're really being attacked!" she replies in a barely contained whisper.

"Yeah, I know.  Some kind of Ossylian military force is invading.  Come... we're going to grab stuff from my room, then see where Mom and Dad are."

Yuu waves for his sister to follow, then leans back into the hallway.  Seeing nothing threatening, he leaps across the hallway to his own door, and checks back for Qwe.

Qwe following diligently after her brother, the sheen of her silk robe reflecting the moon's light filtering through the sky lights. "Why would they be attacking us; Mother is a general after all?"

Yuu cracks open the door to his own room, and let's his sister slip in behind him before clicking it shut.  He straightens, and begins rummaging through the various piles of artifacts, clothes, and gizmos.  Qwe trades looks between her brother's random pickings, and the door.

"Yeah, I know.  I think it had to do with that thing they were talking about at dinner.  Someone is trying to get control, and Mother and Father were obstacles.  Those soldiers... they're traitors."  Yuu growls out the words with anger he didn't fully feel until now.  They were traitors.  They were betraying the trust of the king, his mother, and the city they were supposed to protect.

Satisfied with arrangement of gizmos and utilities, Yuu tightens up his utility belt, and walks quickly back to his door, face still flush with anger.  "Come, let's find Mother and Father."

The young mage crouches at the door, pops the handle and peaks back out.  Seeing it clear, he motions his sister and steps quietly along the shadows of the corridor towards the stairs to his parents floor.