I opened the file and the first page showed a portrait of a man with blackbuck-like horns. His face resembled that of Sidapa's but the portrait's body was bulkier and his face was more defined, no hint of mischief or playfulness like Sidapa's. Below the portrait, the word 'Masaken' was written.
I wondered if he was a god or something.
I turned to the next page and started reading the report.
Masaken was one of the older gods who used to rule the underworld when this world was still young. He was the god of death and plagues. He was worshipped mostly by the demon race who were also his followers.
He was supposed to be god whom the living beings were not privileged to see, just like Parsua and the other deities we know, unless he had chosen a vessel that could summon him. But Masaken was different. He not only showed himself regularly, he also made the demon race loathe the humans and make them into his followers. He would require them to offer living sacrifices in exchange for power.
Necromancy was his teaching. The living sacrifices made in his name would make him feel elated, as more spirits enter the underworld, his power also grew. It was like a drug to him. Wanting to feel the ecstasy, he told his followers that if they offer sacrifices, they would gain more power and longer life. The followers started offering numbers of human sacrifices to him, which in turn gave him more power. To hide what he was doing to the other gods and goddesses, he gave his puppeteer ability to his followers. The puppeteer ability made the followers think that they have received the ability to control death when all they gained was the ability to control the dead's body.
No matter how much he tried to hide his wrongdoings, the other gods and goddesses still found out. A quarrel broke out between the twins, Parsua and Sidapa, against the older god, Masaken. The quarrel grew and turned into a full blown fight. The other deities sided with the twins and tried to stop Masaken from destroying the world they created.
Masaken, being offered non-stop living sacrifices was stronger than the twins. Even when the other gods and goddesses were already helping them, they were still not able to apprehend Masaken, who escaped back to the underworld. The other gods and goddesses followed him there and saw the horror of the trapped souls there. The underworld was filled with souls of the people that were sacrificed to Masaken.
Another bout of fighting happened in the underworld where the spirits of the dead helped the gods and goddesses to pin down Masaken and refrain him from moving, letting the twins be able to suppress him. As a deity, Masaken cannot be killed. The only way to stop him is to trap him somewhere he could never be free from.
Two gods, Ofag and Bunag sacrificed themselves to create an impregnable prison under the lowest part of the underworld, where Masaken was imprisoned until this day.
He was not dead.
He was just imprisoned somewhere in the underworld.
I closed the file and placed it together with the new hires' files. Since I will be sending it to Athy, and Athy is directly related to the underworld, she should know. It would also be good for her to know it to be able to watch herself.
I glanced at the two who were now on a standstill and staring at the map on the table.
"Are you guys still not done?" I asked them as I walked closer and stared at the map. "What is this?"
"We apologize, my lady." Sebastiene sighed. "We are having a discussion whether we should catch the rat alive or kill him."
"Alive." I replied without hesitation. "I want him in the dungeon with the other two."
"I understand, my lady." Sebastiene smiled and placed the black queen chess piece on the map. "This should suffice."
Klaus stared at the map while rubbing his chin. After a few moments, he nodded his head. "It is indeed the most foolproof trap."
I did not get what they were talking about so I did not comment.
"If possible, I would like to keep the members of the Black circle alive as well." I told them and sat down on the chair, leaning forward to see the map.
"If we are able to immediately apprehend the little rat, we could refrain the Black circle from fighting." Klaus smiled and sipped the tea he was holding. "This would depend on how well the knights fight though."
"I have faith on the strength of the Knights of Noktis." I replied seriously.
"Then everything is settled with the plan." Klaus proudly said. "But I have a question, my lady."
I looked at him and tilted my head.
"What is it?" I raised a brow while asking.
"Who are these 'two' in the dungeon that you speak of?" He asked.