The Myst Complex is one of the main manufacturing plants for the Valefore Industries. The enterprise specialized in defense contracts for the government. In theory, anyhow. Over the years, the executives have became more and more elusive to the public. They answer only to the emperor and often could not be reached for comments in the media.

It was a night under the new moon when conflicts arose at the Myst Complex.

Jumping from building to building, Artyom found himself in a dog fight. One would have thought the entire complex would be under red alert for intruders. That was not the case and the guards at the outer perimeters seemed oblivious to what was happening. It was as if they were fooled by some sort of spell. The persons that engaged him instead appeared to be imperial agents.

Elena also found herself fighting off several imperial personnel in the alleys. She knew something was off as Myst is a private property. Under normal circumstances, no imperial entities should be on the premise.

The pair was dispatched to investigate a rumor in regards to Valefore Industries. Their welcoming party suggested that they might have been onto something. 

In an impressive display of sword play, Elena was fending off five agents at once. Suddenly, another one tried to lunge her from behind, as there was an opening. When the agent got within strike range, he stopped. One of Elena's scimitars had already impaled him and his comrades had already fallen dead.

"So fast...White...Silver..." he gasped as he fell to the ground.

On top of the roofs, Artyom gradually overpowered the assailants. One of them attempted to use invisibility to sneak up on him. As he was about to strike, Artyom reached out and grabbed his face. He froze in fear.

"Oh, you are good. None of us managed to make you draw your other sword. You handled us with just the butterfly sword. They don't call you the Black Shadow for nothing." said the assailant.

The assailant fell by his feet and died.

---

The pair rendezvoused, they headed to the main lab on the complex. To their surprise, there weren't any guards of security at the main building. Instead, they sensed a terrifying presence. This feeling could only be described as darkness. Something of great malice lurked deep within the lab underground.

Elena suggested that they go together to look for information. Their primary objective was to gather evidence of unscrupulous activities in the area. As they searched the administrative area, they found out that the place had not been in use for some time. It would appear the employees have long been let go by the corporation. The most recent memos were dated several years ago. Artyom concluded that the facility had been under the control of demonic forces. He and Elena decided to venture deeper into the facility.

"No guards. No security. Wonder if it's a trap?" said Artyom.

"Whatever it is, it's also jamming my divinity ability," said Elena, "I can't seem to see anything clearly."

They came across a holding area resembling an underground warehouse. Shipment containers filled the space. Curious, the duo unlocked one of them. To their disgust, it was filled with people. Artyom and Elena proceeded to unlock the containers one by one. Each of them contained various people: homeless, immigrants, the poor, etc.

The most disconcerting thing was these people seemed calm. Their eyes seemed lifeless, as if they were under some sort of spell. Suddenly, the lights turned on. Hooded figures began to surround the area. A gleeful laughter could be heard from a distance. On the far side of the room, a figure emerged from the shadows. She had crimson red hair, athletic build, and looked like she was in her twenties. Aside from that, nothing about her seemed human. In fact, she was the looming presence felt outside of the building.

"My, my, what brings the Oathbreakers knocking at my door?" she exclaimed.

The pair tried to assess the situation. The hooded figures had military equipment and they have surrounded the area. The situation looked bad as there are dozens of civilians in the area as well.

"End it quickly," Elena suggested to Artyom.

"Oh don't be like that," said the woman, "the name is Xela, a humble servant of the Crimson Drake: his truly Irus Titanium! I didn't come here to fight you today, but to send a message."

She continued, "The emperor of this nation wants weapons research. Clinical applications for the military. And much more! And we are merely granting his desires to strengthen his nation."

Artyom seemed visibly annoyed. Neither him nor Elena could get a read on Xela. It was as if she was not an organic entity, but a magical construct. At the same time, she appeared to be a sentient being.

"You see, the worth of souls is great in the eyes of gods. And these soldiers here have offered their greatest sacrifices in the name of the empire. I don't expect them to beat you, though."

Her countenance shifted into something incredibly evil and callous.

 "Things will have to look mind-boggling here tonight." Xela grimaced.

She laughed cheerfully and teleported away. The hooded soldiers began to open fire. The Oathbreakers began to counterattack.

When the conflict was over, dozens of bodies laid about the area. Artyom and Elena surveyed the scene. The carnage would definitely leave a lot of questions for the inquisitive mind. For them, they found out that their adversary had infiltrated the bureaucracy.

As they started to make their way to the exit, something detonated and brought the collapse of the labs. The pair made it out unscathed.

---

Armstrong arrived at the scene in the morning. The incident was dismissed as an industrial accident to the public. The preliminary report he'd seen suggested unethical experiments conducted by Valefore Industries. The dead civilians did support that claim. The spokespersons for the enterprise could not be reached for comments.

The fact that the security did not notice anything bothered him to a great extent. Even from a magic perspective, that seemed unlikely. Imperial agent casualties also raised alarms. The imperial house had not agreed to share intel with his agency. If the Oathbreakers were targeting the unethical experiments, why did they kill everyone? Why did the military personnel target civilians? The plot was thickening and things didn't make sense.  

Roger did not know what to make of the incident. But, he recognized some of the damages on the dead bodies even before autopsies. They were consistent with the Oathbreakers' dual wielding style recorded in history. One of scimitars. The other of butterfly sword and dao. 

He decided to keep an eye on things.

---

In the endless void, two entities could be seen playing chess.

"So you are finally moving one of your knights?" said Uchima.

"Do you ever get tired of only using your bishops?" retorted Irus.

Both of them smiled. Neither of them was cordial to the other.