I opened the door to my room, and came out into a pristine hallway. Unlike the blue painted bedroom I just came out of, the hall was painted with a soft milk white color, although to my eyes, it seemed to have a hint of yellow, but that would be due to the glowing bulbs of yellow crystals that lighted up the hallway. After walking forward for about six meters, there were two doors on the left and right of the hallway. They were probably two extra rooms, I moved on till I reached the end of the hallway and came out into a living room that was divided in half by an archway.
The other side was a dinning area as I could see a long table capable of sitting eight people at a time there. The wood it was made from gleamed under the silver light of the glowing crystal. However that part of the living room was painted a light blue, with hints of a dark blue paint creating whirlpool like swirls on it's surface.
The glowing crystals in the living room, were silver as opposed to the yellow from the hallway. The living room had six sets of massive sofas arranged in a circle with three armchairs and a table at the middle. It looked really nice of you asked me, especially with the color of the paint used. It was still the same blue, however the light and dark blue paints were mixed and painted on the wall in such a way that the image of a roaring lion was imprinted on it. It was quite spacious, and a window that led outside was open letting in a cool breeze that made the entire setting seem serene.
But my cursory inspection of the living room did not escape the gaze of the people who were currently sitting on sofas. I thick I actually saw them, but in my excitement I had chosen to ignore their presence.
"You're awake!" Nisi exclaimed with obvious excitement.
"well obviously, he's standing there is he not?" Teluna answered dully.
I couldn't help but shake my head, even with everything that's changed, it seems somethings would still remain the same. Well there's no need to get riled up over a little kid. I turned to Xaseah and Asha, giving both women a wide smile. They both got up and made their way towards me. What followed was a series of hugs that left me a little bit bothered in certain areas. Yeesh, at this rate, I would be loosing control a whole lot earlier than I expected.
"So what have you guys been up to?" I asked as I took a seat on one of the sofas, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
"well, we've been planning out a definite route of development for the tower and the life of it's inhabitants." Asare answered.
"Oh!, well what have you come up with?" I asked.
I was genuinely surprised, though one part of me seemed miffed that they were making plans behind my back. But I snuffed that feeling out immediately, I was used to doing things alone. And to be honest in the end it left me too busy and without enough time for myself or to do really important stuff. But that was just the mundane repercussions of being and doing things alone. One of the worst thing to have happened to me because of that, was that I was arrested, turned into a vampire, lost my memories and thrown into a prison. Allies were a good thing to have, especially so when there's just too many things to take care of.
"Well first of, we've sent old man Dwayne to the outside world. He was once a merchant so he should be fine." Asare said. I turned to Xaseah and asked.
"Why would you all send your grandfather outside?"
"The tower is in need of supplies, we have a need for things like the elemental crystals used by the tower, clothes or better yet, a way to make them, and cattle just like you wanted. Though that's just part of the reason as my grandfather also has to gather information regarding the house of Cor and send a message to your sister." Xaseah answered simply.
"Oh is that it?" I asked surprised and expecting that there would be more.
"No it's not. Apart from getting supplies for the tower, Dwayne was also going to get the equipment needed for him to start a forge here in the pit. And he has a secret objective as opposed to every other thing we've mentioned." Asha answered me. She looked at me in the eye before she continued.
"I've sent Dwayne to summon the Pride."
The moment she finished speaking, my mind shook as my heartbeat sped up. My blood boiled as there was such an excitement and fervor coursing through me at the sound of that name.
Then I remembered, I understood why. Quite a number of forces in the Core universe are known and feared, apart from the pirates, there are confederacies, federations, Alliances, Theocracies, and Royalties. Each of these powers had special groups of fighters or soldiers that were famous, feared and respected.
These divisions of warriors were divided into five grades based on popularity, ability and the strength of the power they served. The grades were fifth class green division, fourth class red divisions, third class blue divisions, second class white divisions, and first class black divisions.
Each grade were infinitely more powerful than the next with the black class being the top, and belonging to the collective forces of a major power. A black class division, would have the collective strength of all of Shearath and it's collective assets from subjugated planets and other planes of existence.
The Pride of the Cor family was only a third class blue division, but that was due to their small size in numbers and the fact that they belonged to a major family rather than the forces that controlled an entire government. They were terribly strong and would only be summoned when the Cor family is about to go to war.
"Do you think such a course of action is necessary?" I asked Asha with worry on my face. But it was Asare who relied.
"It is my Lord. At this point in time, it would be quite hard to hide you or your abilities. With the rapid changes the tower has gone through, changes that could now be seen from outside, it's bound to draw attention. The moment you unsealed Nisi, the need for a capable force to help us subjugate our enemies and keep you and the mistresses safe arose. At best you can keep the secret that you're a weaver for another three to five days, maybe a week or two and then everybody in this pit will be after you. We need a powerful defense to deter them." He explained.
"But even then, with what I can do, what it is that I'm offering. A chance at freedom. I don't think the elders would be deterred by the fact that I have the Cor Pride with me. It wouldn't be enough."
"Of course it wouldn't, that's why we're going to take over the pit In it's entirety. Every advantage we might have, from the things the tower can create, to the unsealed vampires that will go through the ceremony of [Ébó] and serve you with all loyalty. Has to be utilized to make us a power in the pit that can't be ignored. If we can do that, there's a possibility that we might be able to keep it a secret that you're a weaver for a very long time. And that would be beneficial to us."
What she said made perfect sense, but I was stumped by something she said, and I couldn't help but ask her to clarify.
"When you say the unsealed vampires that would swear an oath to serve me, what do you mean. Because in a way I think you're saying that only vampires who swear to serve me, should be unsealed."
"That's precisely what she's saying." Xaseah answered
I got confused.
"Why?" I asked making sure to look at both Xaseah and Asha in the eye, so that they both know I don't really approve about this course of action.
"Not every vampire here can be trusted. And I know you want to help them all, but at this point in time, that would be suicide. You could unseal the wrong person, and everything we've worked for will come crumbling down and the elders might capture and keep you somewhere as their own private Unsealing machine, or the guards will hang your head from their freaking tower. We have to be shrewd and careful about this, until you get strong enough that you don't need to fear anyone in the pit or from the outside, you would have to receive an oath of fealty before unsealing any vampire as this doesn't just protect you, but also your family." Asha answered
She made a good point. But the very idea of taking advantage of the vampires need to be unsealed, and having them serve me in the process left me feeling all kinds of wrong. I am a good person, at least I like to think so, and I always try to make the best choices that I possibly could, choices that will leave everyone happy and content. What Asha just proposed was the hard choice, but in the end, in a manner of speaking it was the best choice for me and mine.
Taking this route would definitely change the way people see me, it might even change the way I look at myself. It was a conundrum, but the tricky part was that I felt the need to agree with it. It was the hard choice, and even though there were easier choices available, choices that won't call my morality into question, this was the choice that would help me protect myself and my family.
"You don't have to worry about this way of doing things, but I would like for you to think of it as another way for you to help the vampires. This way you can keep an eye on the people you unsealed, and find better ways to help them. The only difference here is that this won't be charity, it would be a master taking care of his servants. Regardless of how you look at it, it's better you than any other elder, vampire or even the humans who would use and take advantage of the people you unsealed, especially the children." Asare said as he tried to comfort me.
He was right though, even though I did not like the "better me than someone else" way of thought, this was a way I could help them. The universe was not built of roses and chocolates. It was a hard, cold, selfish and beautiful place. And it was that beauty that brought the worst out of everybody.
"Fine, but any child from fifteen and below will be unsealed without any strings attached, I'm not changing my mind about that. On Shearath a child comes of age once they're sixteen, they can be considered adults then, so that way they can decided for themselves, and for the younger kids it could be considered charity."
I looked at them with challenge in my eyes, daring them to disagree. But they all looked at me with amusement. I felt stupid, but I guess they would agree with me anyway. There was no need for me to be so aggressive about it.
"So what else are we planning?" I asked.
"The next step lord Kael lies with you." Asare said.
"Me! Why?" I asked surprised.
"Believe it or not lord Kael, but the fact that you're sealed has left many of your capabilities sub par and unable to keep up with how rapidly the pit is changing since you arrived. Apart from the church of the one god, the gang lord and leader of the top coven in the blue district has began to make moves, annexing every other power in the blue district that might be a challenge to his rule. And rumor has it, that he's coming for the one person that could pose the biggest threat to him, and that's you." Asare paused, trying to see my reaction about this.
There wasn't one, I felt calm, I was feeling two things at the moment. The first was that I sort of expected this to happen, and I was not too surprised about it. The second however, was that I felt anticipation, my journey into seals and the unlocking and assimilation of my memories as Jason had instilled in me a calm for tough situations and a thirst for a good fight. I really wanted to see what this sealed gang lord was actually capable of. Seeing I wasn't saying anything, Asare continued.
"We fell it's imperative that the next seal you remove should be yours. That way you won't just gain the ability to use ether, and properly train and interact with the WAY, but your connection to the tower would be more solidified as you would be connected by not just your soul, but also by your systems, giving the tower access to help improve you abilities."
"Errr.....what! No, no, no. I promised Xaseah that I will be Unsealing her next, I can't just go back on my word. What would she think, I...…."
"Stop!" Xaseah spoke up stopping my impromptu tirade as I tried to tell them about my promise.
"I'm the one who suggested it. They were all for letting you unseal everyone at your own pace, letting you go as slow as you want since this is a rather serious and important part of the lives of everyone here. However, you're our leader, you have to be unsealed and ready for anything. In the time we've spent together, I know how you act. If you unseal me next, your morality won't let you focus on yourself, and you would probably unseal everybody in this tower before yourself.
And there's no guarantee that by the time you're done, there wouldn't be more people coming, and with their arrival you will neglect yourself and give yourself wholly to helping them. It's not a crime to want something for yourself too Kael, but everyone knows unless we force you to be a little selfish you would probably be selfless to the grave. And for a leader, in a place as dark as the pit, such a character will get you and your people killed, taken advantage of, or starving."
What could I say, I knew she was right. Which meant I had to do this. Being selfless was good, but as a leader, that could cause more harm than good. I was still thinking like someone who just wants to lend a helping hand, however that was no longer he case. This was one of the mistakes I made that got me imprisoned and huge chunk of my memories still missing. I had to change how I thought and how I did things, because at this point I was no longer just a helper, I had to live, breath and think like a leader.