Despite being human, Frederick could feel the suffocating power in the air.
It made sense since the small gathering of people consisted of some of the most powerful maestros and novices in the world.
The individuals gathered at the La Kala military base were each quite monstrous in their own right.
Even without sitting on the council, each person present had received recognition by the council and acknowledgment from the respective Heads of their Houses.
On one side of the room, Drake Varas, the man known as the Spectre of the House Varas, sat nonchalantly with his eyes closed. In the same room, Luke Sanguine, the Hound of the Thanes, was also seated.
Despite being indoors, he wore a pair of dark sunglasses that hid his eyes from view.
Raphael Mordrew, the light blade, notoriously known as one of the fastest assassins to walk the Earth. He’d earned the nickname of lightning blade because those who had worked with him claimed that they’d only seen a flicker of light, and in the next moment, his targets would be dead.
Raphael was 5’11 and he wasn’t particularly muscular or intimidating. His deadliness came from his speed, which was legendary even among the maestros.
His dark hair was stylishly sleeked back, and he wore a signet ring that marked him as having direct kinship with the main bloodline of House Varas.
Representatives from each of the Great Houses and even the lesser Houses were in attendance.
" What are we still waiting for?" Conrad quietly asked Luke.
Conrad and Frederick sat slightly behind Luke, since Luke was in charge of the trio for the duration of the trip.
" From what I can see, everyone we need is already here. We should get this over with and leave as soon as possible."
A small smile appeared on Luke’s face, his eyes shimmering slightly behind his dark glasses.
" There’s still one more person we’re expecting."
Right on cue, the space next to the chair at the head of the table shattered, and then cracks slowly spread through it.
The air rippled, compressing in on itself, then one long rift shimmered into existence.
A tall, grey-haired man in a crisp grey designer suit and white shirt stepped out.
In one hand, they held a dark cane with an owl engraved on its head, the symbol of House Snow, and on the middle finger of his other hand, he wore a dark silver signet ring that marked his status as a member of the Council of Assassins.
His azure eyes scanned the room, taking in the people gathered for the meeting.
Every person silently rose to their feet and then bowed slightly.
Marcus chuckled lightly.
" At ease, everyone, there’s no need to be so formal and uptight."
Marcus Snow, the Patriarch of House Snow, also known as the Dark Mist, had arrived.
The maestros in the room could immediately tell there was something different about the usually jolly Patriarch.
For one, his presence had undergone a much more profound transformation.
It was subtle and yet quite evident.
Luke frowned slightly, then threw a furtive look at Conrad.
Conrad nodded almost imperceptibly.
"He has changed. He’s still a maestro like the rest of us, but there’s something different about him. It’s almost like he’s on the verge of becoming a Lord. What else could cause such a qualitative change?"
Marcus sat, then formally began the meeting.
"Alright then, first item of business. How far with the human faction known as the Star breakers?"
The governor cleared his throat and then spoke.
"The Star breakers have been lying low ever since one of their most recent space expeditions encountered difficulties light-years away from the planet due to certain complications. The ship they’d sent, the Argonaut, disappeared inexplicably."
Marcus grinned slightly.
"Did we have anything to do with that?"
Rudeus shook his head.
" No, from what little information we’ve been gaining from our inside men, the scientist that we only know as the J-man thinks that there’s another faction other than the Brotherhood and Praesagius that is orchestrating these events from behind the scenes."
Marcus frowned slightly, leaning back in his chair.
"It seems that this J-man is quite the astute fellow. Is there anything we can give him to persuade him to work for us instead?"
Ian Wright, the city councilor, leaned forward in his seat.
" The J-man has been given several offers to work with different organizations, but he has refused them all. He insists on working alone."
Rudeus nodded in agreement.
"It also seems that he has held an especially strong grudge against the Brotherhood. But so far, his faction of anti-paranormal militants hasn’t done anything drastic enough for us to take action."
Marcus grinned, drumming his fingers on the large table.
Marcus muttered something under his breath, the words barely audible, except to those who had enhanced hearing.
Rudeus and Ian both looked at him. Rudeus was the first to ask.
" I beg your pardon, sir?"
"They haven’t made a move yet, "Marcus repeated.
" That, of course, could change at any time. I’d like to know which side that faction would take."
"But fortunately, we have much bigger fish to fry."
Marcus’s cold azure eyes swept over the people in the room.
The temperature dropped a few degrees, a slight tension permeating the room.
" I take it you all know what happened recently at the Pyreptar academy, yes?"
" Excuse me, sir. If I may ask a question." The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Marcus glanced at the man who had asked the question.
" Cornelius Forsythe, sir of House Forsythe."
"From the umbralis I can sense, he’s probably a novice." Marcus inwardly thought.
Maestros were able to instinctively roughly gauge the threat level of others because of the intricate degree of control in umbralis manipulation that was required when one became a Maestro.
House Forsythe was one of the lesser Houses under the stewardship of House Mordrew.
Raphael Mordrew threw a casual glance at the man, his eyes lighting up in curiosity.
Marcus scrutinized the man for a while, then nodded.
" You may speak your mind, Cornelius."
Cornelius bowed slightly, then spoke.
" We do know that the reason we’re here is connected to the events that transpired at the Pyreptar academy, sir. But most of what we’ve heard is mostly rumours and hearsay from others."
Cornelius paused for his words to sink in.
Marcus nodded for him to continue.
" With all due respect, we would like to know what happened from you, since the Council was present that day."
A dangerous smile appeared on Marcus’s face.
Frederick felt a slight chill run down his spine.
Despite being one of the few mundane people present, it didn’t take a genius to recognize the abrupt change in the atmosphere in the room.
The changes were subtle but undeniable. A few shifts in posture, eyes became sharper, and the tension in the room became palpable.
Conrad glanced at Raphael, then at Cornelius.
" Well, he’s got balls, I’ll give him that."
Cornelius’s somewhat innocent question was in fact quite the bomb.
In one fell swoop, he questioned the Council’s capabilities since the whole catastrophe had occurred in their presence.
In the same breath, by asking the question in the presence of the representatives of House Mordrew, he brought the Great House under scrutiny since House Forsythe was a vassal of House Mordrew.
" This should be interesting."
" Mr Forsythe, those ’rumours’ you’ve heard are most likely the truth. The academy was attacked by a lone maestro, rogue assassin, from the looks of things. That man is the reason for the disappearance of the aspirants."
A somber silence filled the hall.
"Rescuing the aspirants is our utmost priority, and even as we speak, several exploratory teams have been mobilized to undertake this task."
" Then pray tell, why are we here, Lord Snow?" Raphael Mordrew spoke quietly, but everyone heard him.
" I, too, would love to know why we aren’t a part of these exploratory teams you speak of, Lord Snow," A feminine voice spoke, entering the mix.
Conrad and Frederick turned in unison toward the speaker.
"Nadia Varas," Frederick thought in curiosity.
" My, the young cub has matured into a bear." Conrad thought, grinning in amusement.
"Now, now, let’s not get impatient," Marcus smiled.
" You may have noticed each one of you here is outstanding in one way or another, and that’s precisely why you’re here. The Council of Assassins agreed that there’s a need for a change, progression."
"And what sort of change would this change entail, Lord Snow?"
Marcus’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
" The Council wants to usher in the first Lords. To that end, the council has organized an expedition to the Draconarius plains."
A shocked silence filled the room.
Marcus continued speaking without pause.
"We hope that the experience will be, shall I say...enlightening."
"Aren’t the Draconarius plains a death zone?" Raphael asked, in puzzlement.
Marcus turned to him, a somber look on his face.
"That, they are, but you see, that’s exactly why we believe we can discover the necessary techniques for more Lords to come to arise."