No one expected this to happen, especially Cyliam.
"How in…" His eyes could not move away from the bloodshed sight.
45 minutes earlier
Cyliam was not wearing his outfit, instead choosing to wear a simple getup with a black cloak to hide his body when needed. The cloak hung around his waist, wearing a light blue t-shirt with brown cargo pants.
He had his own reasons for being here, something else caught his interest instead.
A familiar figure appeared in his field of view. He grabbed the person by the sleeve, his eyes staring right into theirs. Their neon turquoise coloured eyes staring at his soul, in a way judging their actions.
"You are--" He was cut off by them dragging him to a more secluded area.
They dragged them through the bustling street, night market where all sorts of food and souvenirs were sold. It was relatively popular with those visiting the city, some even saying that you had to come here at least once in your lifetime.
"I'm surprised."
His voice was deep, one that resembled a wolf growling. Even with what little words came out of it, he still felt like an animal giving off warning. His features did not have any resemblance of a wolf yet his behaviour would give him off to those paying attention.
Cyliam narrowed his eyes, "Owl, God of Darkness. Owl is your nickname, correct?"
"What about it?" He ruffled his insanely messy yet thick grey hair.
"Why are you here?" Cyliam could not hide the worry in his tone.
He tilted his head up while staring back, Cyliam could not help but feel inferior. His eyes and posture gave off an all-consuming dominating feel, one that most would not be able to stand up to even if they tried their hardest.
Owl did not answer him, simply gesturing to him and walked away.
Cyliam was curious, still he could not deny the fear he held. He followed him along anyways, his curiosity had gotten a greater hold over him than his fear had. They walked through crowds after crowds, only stopping once he bumped into Owl.
Owl pointed in a general direction. At first, there was nothing of interest. He could only see people eating and hanging out. He looked back at Owl and raised his eyebrows, trying to figure out what he was conveying.
Then, he noticed someone.
"Diane?" He mumbled while she disappeared into the crowd.
Owl walked away with his arms crossed, "Something interesting."
Despite Owl being taller than most people here, he had somehow managed to vanish. Cyliam could not find him again afterwards. He chalked it up to him having authority over darkness which led him to have an easier chance of disappearing.
"Something is definitely not right…" He mumbled while walking around.
He was unsure who exactly he had been looking for, though seeing Diane here made him search for Amelia. Despite Amelia's generally room defining aura, when needed she could hide herself as well as Owl could.
After walking around for a while, he sighed and decided on giving up. He brought some meat skewers, eating it while thinking over some things. He tried not to bump into anybody.
'If Diane is here, then Amelia must be here too. But why is Amelia here, is there anything that is important?' His mind pondered.
He finished the first meat skewers, then started to eat the other one. He left his mind blank and enjoyed the freshly cooked meat, he hummed lightly when biting into it. His lips curled up into a small smile.
Once he finished the skewers, he threw the stick away. There was a feeling that dragged him to the middle of the street, he was not sure why. He felt like someone had pushed him towards there.
There was nothing very different about the intersection, only bright streetlights and chatting filled his surroundings. He tried looking around for anyone recognisable, but gave up after ten minutes.
"Why did I even walk here…" He sighed and was ready to walk out of there.
There was a disturbance, yet he did not think much of it.
A chant. A persistent chanting filled his ears.
He shook his head, 'Am I hallucinating now?'
When he closed his eyes and placed his hand on his forehead, he could feel the chatter around him die down. The chanting got louder and louder until the point where it annoyed him.
"Shut up!" His eyes snapped open and shouted.
He realised that something was wrong. His surroundings became dark as the chanting continued. He could see a thing and did not recognise whose voice it belonged to. Still, there were more than one voice chanting.
"Seriously, what---" He could not finish his sentence as his surroundings came back into view.
The intersection of the street came back into his field of view. The streets looked the same, somehow something felt different. The lights looked dimmed, there were no stands as far as he could see.
The skies were dark, a full moon not covered by the clouds. It was shining down on the streets which built up dread in Cyliam. There was something off about it all.
It was dead silent, except for the chanting in his ears.
He began speculating what was happening. He did not entirely understand his situation as it all happened too suddenly. He froze on his spot, could only stare at his surroundings with a slightly opened mouth.
Something came into view, fading in like mist.
He saw a lot of people with their hands tied, it was a handcuff with runes engraved on it. They were forced to face forward, staring at what was in front of them. He looked at where they were looking at.
'These people felt familiar.' He thought to himself.
A person with their head masked by cloth, their hands were tied up by something, only runes were visible on their wrist.
A person wearing a cat mask that only hid the upper half of their face. Their lips did not express any emotions, only spoke out loudly to make sure everyone could hear. However, once their voice was heard, his heart began beating wildly.
"Hello there everyone. I'm sure you all are paying me attention." She tilted her head.
It was Amelia. He stood still and stared at the person kneeled down on a makeshift platform. He took some steps forward, making sure to not step on anyone. Her lips curled up into a smile as she took off the cloth.
It was Salem beneath it.
His breath turned ragged as he stared. The people around him wailed in terror and panic, some only watched on in silence. The air turned incredibly tense, one that swallowed him in.
He noticed a staff in her hands. No, a wooden sheath that looked like a staff.
He knew who owned that weapon. Somehow his eyes still could not move away from Salem's expression. He understood something when looking at her, the wailing around him only got louder and sharper.
Salem's face had no fear, panic and remorse.
Instead, it was joy. A kind of joy he did not understand.
She was smiling happily even when death was at her door. Unlike most people below, she did not struggle. Her eyes eventually met with Cyliam's, a loud laughter bursted out. She found it incredibly amusing.
He did not understand, he was not sure if he ever needed to understand what was going through her mind. Amelia unsheathed the sword and raised it above Salem's head. The wailings only turned sharper which almost broke his ears.
"Do you have anything left to say to them?" Amelia shouted loudly, her voice pierced through the wailings.
Salem simply chuckled and said, "Absolutely not."
Amelia's hands came down, slicing Salem's neck. Her head eventually came off, dropping down onto the ground in front of the crowd. Blood began flowing down on the platform, staining it in crimson red.
Their wails turned into painful cries, crying for their now deceased leader. Yet, it was so different from the expression plastered on Salem's face. Even in death, her expression never changed.
He could not help but wonder, 'No matter what… she had never cared for anyone but herself.'
The body fell on the platform and the runes on her wrist faded. Amelia continued to hold the sword in her hands, walking down to the mourning crowd with a mocking smile. Her eyes met with his, though he was still staring at Salem's dead body.
"How do you feel?" Amelia scoffed at him.
Blood pooled on their feet as people's heads came off of their necks. It was quite a sight, seeing peoples' bodies fall to the ground one after another. There was something decapitating them, but Cyliam could not see what it was.
He stuttered, "Why…"
Her reply was laughter. One that filled her mind and would not leave no matter how hard he tried. He understood why she found it foolish, amusing even, that he would ask her such a question. This whole time, she was simply ridiculing him.
"A demonstration."
That was the answer he was left with.
He went ahead to grab her, somehow she had faded away. He ended up grabbing an innocent passerby, he apologised and let them go.
The streets returned to how it was, the moon now hidden away by the passing clouds. He stood still, perplexed at what she had shown him. He realised that it had happened a while before he got here, and what was shown was recreations of what had transpired.
'A demonstration? Of what?'
That thought lingered in the back of his mind, the way her lips curled up into a scornful smirk was one that would not leave. In a way, he had fallen right into her hands. He had chosen to help out his nemesis and caused the destruction of one organisation.
He was sure that the sight must have been heavenly for Salem, if she had the chance to witness it.
He walked out of the intersection, his eyes turned distant. He was unsure if he had blamed it all on himself for letting it happen, or there was this unavoidable feeling of delight… His ears started to buzz, his surroundings started to spin.
"Be honest. You wanted her to die."
He began running somewhere, his mind unable to think correctly. His legs were carrying him while his voice began to ring in his head, Noir's voice was deliberately high-pitched. He mimicked Amelia's voice and repeated the same words.
A demonstration.
Of what you ask? My… aren't you a purposely innocent man~?
He could imagine Amelia's expression when Noir said it. Noir laughed observing his reaction, doing it on purpose to toture him. He knew all the things that Cyliam would not ever admit to, taking it as an advantage to get him riled up.
Noir had no actual reason, he plainly wanted to see Cyliam lose it.
Cyliam ended up hiding himself in a corner. His vision was too blurred to see whether there were people nearby that could hurt him. He sat down on the ground with his arms wrapped around his legs, placing his head behind it.
"Stop…."
A demonstration.
Of what you ask? My… aren't you a purposely innocent man~?
"Stop it Noir…"
Tears started to gather around his eyes, the feeling of fear consuming his soul. He closed his eyes and let the darkness around him swallow him whole. Noir's words continued to echo in his head like an alarm in the morning.
He understood no matter how hard he tried, Noir would continue. He did not have control over him so he could only withstood whatever Noir was doing. Noir laughed louder and louder every other time he repeated it.
He breathed in and out heavily, losing control over his feelings. He could feel himself drowning in a spiral of nothingness, falling deeper and deeper. Dread and anxiety filled every ounce of his being, unable to do anything about it.
Cyliam wanted Noir to shut up, wanting him to stop what he was doing.
His eyes flared up as he stared at Noir, a visualisation of him. He now had cut off all contact with reality, staying in a fabricated space in his mind. He gripped on a long sword and walked towards Noir.
Noir only smirked at him, walking in closer and leaned in.
Hehehehe… What do you think you're doing?
Cyliam raised it up and swung it from beside his head, "Trying to get you to shut up."
His blade was about to slice his neck clean off when a hand gently held his, their voice pierced through the haze in his mind.
"Don't do it."
He knew that voice, a gentle and soft voice. The woman sounded genuine, pleading for him to not do it. Tears streamed down his right eye when he heard it, his sword halted in midair. He did not go through with the strike.
He was glad that he did.
"Ridiculous."
Owl stood in front of him, his shadow covering some of Cyliam's body. Owl stopped the blade with one finger, it looked like he was effortlessly raising it up. His iries turned sharp, glaring at him.
"My apologies."
The sword on his hand disappeared as he bowed, his breathing was heavy but less frantic. His emotions began to calm down, his heartbeat had slowed down into a calm rhythmic pace.
Owl did not say much like usual, staring at him with a scowl. Cyliam could feel his surroundings getting brighter unlike the dark corridor he was hiding at. He slowly raised his head up after a while, after Owl remained completely silent.
"May I ask…" His eyes wandered around.
Owl answered with his eyes closed, "Go ahead."
They were now near a pond surrounded by the forest, moonlight reflecting off of the water. It was a beautiful sight, seeing sparkles all over the crystal clear pond. Cyliam stared directly at the moon, his eyes too enraptured by it.
Owl turned back into his wolf form, or what his original form was, his fur was grey like his hair including his eyes as well. Yet, there was a mix of neon turquoise in it. There was a symbol on his forehead but currently it was invisible.
Owl growled, "Talk."
Cyliam snapped out of his daze, "Ah, I'm sorry."
He had to bow down to Owl no matter what as he did not want to lose his life right here right now. Although he truly would not mind making this place his grave, somewhere so peaceful and shining.
"Why did you save me?" He placed his hands together and narrowed his eyes at her.
Owl laid down on the ground and closed his eyes, "Because."
Confusion was expressed on his face, "Just because…? Nothing else?"
"What were you expecting?" Owl said loud enough for him to hear.
He shook his head, "Something… a bit more. Malicious even."
Owl did not make much of a reaction, he was still laying there. It seemed like he was expecting his answer, though it also felt like he did not care at all. There were things Cyliam was referring to and implying, Owl knew it all.
"I'm not that kind of person." His voice was cold and harsh.
Cyliam knew that his words were true, he did have quite an odd amount of encounters with Owl. Perhaps he kept looking for something which led him to have an intense desire to seek out the God of Darkness.
"You don't associate with Amelia?" He walked closer to the water.
One of Owl's eyes opened and peeked at him then closed it, "Not entirely."
"I still respect her." He continued.
Cyliam turned his head over and stared at him. They remained silent while letting the atmosphere between them take over. Owl let the breeze sway his fur, Cyliam could not help but stare at it.
"It's time for you to go back."
He noticed that Cyliam was staring intently at his fur, yet he decided on completely ignoring him. Owl yawned loudly, remaining laid down on the ground. Cyliam eventually took a step forward.
He felt like he was pushed forward by Owl, the feeling of unknown filled his mind. His surroundings were covered by darkness, able to see Owl one last time before nothingness took over.
He could feel him falling down, there was no visible ground below him. The feeling of infinite falling gradually got stronger, like earlier there was no real way for him to stop it as much as he realised it.
It felt like the same void that consumed him earlier.
But this time, there was something to keep it at bay. It was questions, questions that he could not answer by himself. He was too lost to answer it or too in-depth to see the whole picture.
Sometimes he wished she was alive, so he had a person to hold him down on the ground.
He eventually landed somewhere, his mind was in such a blur that he had not realised he had stopped falling. Even so, the questions he had would not leave his mind.
'Why did Owl save me?'
He gave him an answer, but it was not a complete answer. He understood that Owl had no real intentions of doing things, like most Gods, he only did things because it was intriguing to them.
He was reading too much into it, possibly.
'Why did Amelia kill Salem and had to show it to me?'
The first one was simple, even Noir who only liked to observe and say nothing could answer. Because she wanted to get rid of an annoyance. But why did she had to show it to him?
Was it getting a reaction out of him and/or Noir?
"A demonstration… of what? Power?"
Amelia was powerful, she was Queen of Gods so it was natural. Power should be out of the conclusion. Yet… his mind lingered on that hypothesis. He was sure that it had no grounds for it…
Why could he not move away from that conclusion?
Noir answered for him, "Because you're still too weak to stand against her."
His eyes widened up as Noir's words clicked in his mind. It would be true for Amelia to show off her power to them, showing him how weak and vulnerable he was. As if being in a contract with a devil did not change a thing.
It reminded him all those years ago, what had happened on that day.
His mind was tired, wondering about a lot of things at once. He did not know why certain things could make him have such feelings. He was not sure if he wanted to understand or anything that wanted to clear up the smog.
"A madman talking."
The comment made him instinctively draw his sword towards whoever it was. But… there was nobody in front of him. He was in a familiar forest, one outside of his base.
The voice sounded like Amelia's, but it could be Noir's. He was unsure who had talked to him just now and was uninterested in knowing. His body gave up and laid on the grass, staring directly at the moon.
"I'm tired…" He mumbled.
Cyliam did not want to move at all, the feeling of tiredness took over him. He knew the vulnerability by lying here as most people could find him easily. Still he did not care at all.
His eyes closed, his breathing light, letting the breeze calm himself to sleep.
"Why…"
This time, the voice was not Cyliam's. It was a child, someone incredibly familiar with him. He did not say anything, just stared at her. He did not understand why or how, his mind was too hazy to make an actual conclusion.
"How are you…"
He was sure that he had sliced her head in half, maybe even seeing her brains. Yet she was still alive, standing up like nothing had happened. Her head hung low as black strings patched her head back together.
"You really are… not human…"
She walked towards him, her head remained lowered and spoke, "Why did you have to do it?"
"Huh?"
Was his head in a haze? Possibly. He felt like his mind was not here while going through with all of it, though he would not deny that he was doing it. His grip on the axe loosened, trying to come up with a reason why she did not die.
"How are you alive…" He mumbled.
Her head raised up, blood still gathered around her hair and forehead. Her eyes were blank, somehow her iris felt much darker than usual. In his state, he did not understand why her eyes looked like that or what it felt like.
She did not answer his question, "You don't need to kill them. They have done nothing to you."
There were three more corpses around him, them being his colleagues that he had worked with for a few years. The blood pooled beneath his shoes, even staining his body with it. The dimmed lighting made him look like a devil.
"They… have."
What was he replying to? He did not know. He only knew that he wanted to get rid of Amelia and the people around him. The axe fell to the ground making a loud sound that would alert people of his presence.
She pointed at him, "You're lying."
"You're so horrible at lying, mister Cyliam."
She walked much closer to him, close enough that he could kill her again. Although he did not move at all, only staring at her but not at her eyes. She bent down and grabbed the axe, despite her size she picked it up with little to no problem.
The smell of blood premated through the air, it was so heavy that people walking near it could smell it even not really breathing it in. Eventually someone decided to drag others for help.
She swung the axe with very little effort, it sliced through his arm and some of his body. The arm fell to the ground, the axe dropped to the ground. His adrenaline was vanishing as he felt the pain.
Besides the blood sticking to his body, now his blood was gathering into the pool. His body fell to the ground, paralysed at what had happened. She stared at him for a moment before walking away.
His limbs tried to move yet he could not, somehow his body had paralysed from the strike. His eyes began to close, the sound of footsteps were the only thing that filled his mind.
This darkness was terrifying to him, it reminded him too much of his past.
He could feel someone carrying him, though he was still too limp to do anything.
"Such a pitiful young man."
Clouds masking the moon as if it wanted to go away without anyone being able to notice its disappearance as anything odd or unusual. The light faded away, making the forest pitch dark once more.
Cyliam laid on the grass, peacefully asleep.
He would deny it when he woke up, a stray tear falling down his cheeks. Those memories brought him back to something he did not entirely understand yet knew enough of what he did.
Consequently, this was what had brought them to a crossroads.
Amelia did not have a fun day. Aside from committing mass murder in front of Cyliam and Salem's followers, she had to review all sorts of paperwork about the last (hopefully) raid that would be conducted soon.
She normally would not have minded, if he did not decide that he wanted a word in.
"No."
"Think about this---"
"Absolutely not."
She was in Mizuchi's palace, a palace that was so large that it housed most of the marine lifes that he governed over in it. It was designed to look like something straight out of an ancient chinese soap opera.
Despite Mizuchi's usually questionable taste, he did not change anything about it when he had taken over. Aside from some replaced furniture and brand new brush set, he kept everything else like it was before he had it.
They were currently in his study room, which had some rows of scrolls placed neatly on the shelves. A larger pine chair for his height and a pine table that reached below his chest.
She had to share the table since there was only one. She still placed the finished ones on the floor, not minding that water might have soaked it. She did make a safe area around the floor just for it.
He twirled the ink brush around his fingers and laughed. She ignored him and continued working, not even sparing him a single glance when he said something remotely questionable.
"Look at you, you have no respect for your elders." He scoffed.
She laughed bitterly, "Says the brat who thinks he's so cool for being stoic and cold."
He leaned in and tilted his head, "Huh? Aren't you the same as well?"
"At least I don't think I'm cool~" She chuckled.
He shook his head and continued writing, "That's why people hate you."
"Not that I was ever popular, personality wise."
She continued, "Should I find out who is the least popular amongst the workers? It would be interesting."
He glanced over, "Sounds like a prime opportunity for war."
"True. But I can rub it in your face if I'm more popular."
He clicked his tongue and stopped. He continued to write on the scrolls, movements showing that he had mastered the art of calligraphy a while ago. The brush strokes swift and gentle like he was drawing.
"Seriously though why---"
She sighed, "It's none of your fucking business."
"Oi, don't swear now."
"Fuck you."
He shouted, "OI."
She laughed loudly as it irked him, he glared at her while she was laughing at it all. He eventually gave up and continued his calligraphy, her laughter rang in the back of his head.
"Is it that important for me to not be able to participate?" He mumbled.
She shook her head, "I don't think you're taking it very seriously, Mizu."
"Don't give me a nickname."
She shrugged, "Sorry that I couldn't care about your opinions."
"Sounds sarcastic." He narrowed his eyes.
She stopped writing and looked up at the ceiling, "Do you think this is a child's play?"
"Don't ignore me." He gripped the brush.
She tilted her head, "So it's a yes then. Well, I don't blame you for not caring."
"When did I even agree with what you said?" He questioned her.
His question was valid, by the way that Amelia had talked, however it was clear that she had held enough evidence and experience to accurately predict his reasons for wanting to have a hand in it.
"You just want to see something to threaten your place, don't you?"
Her movements were sudden which threw him off. Her eyes trailed down to his, deadly staring right into the crystal clear ocean eyes. It was a sign of warning and threat. That ominous feeling of death crept into the air.
He had to choose his words correctly, or they might just fight right now.
"So? That does not align with that motive." His gaze was as serious as hers.
She could tell that there were cracks in them, "It does."
"You see, if you had a hand in it one of them would definitely come looking for you. Whether it be a higher rank or lower rank, you just want some thrill."
She leaned forward and smiled, "And of course, more blood in your hands."
He did not say anything, instead he gritted his teeth. In a way, he was proving that what Amelia said was true, that was all he wanted. He might have more bases, but that was the basics.
She leaned on his chair and sighed, "All of you are so easy to predict. It's getting boring at this point."
"Even Falak?" He spoke up.
Her hands moved as she spoke, "Falak by himself is a predictable individual, at least motivation wise. As for what he would do to achieve it, well it is a bit more random."
He placed the brush down, "You're taking a potential betrayal lightly, miss."
"To be honest, I don't really care. So long as none of you get in my way, there is no reason to do anything about it."
He tilted his head, "Even with your head on someone else's plate?"
"Even with my head on someone else's place." She repeated.
"It's hard to tell how truly stubborn you are." He clicked his tongue.
She chuckled, "I think that's a good thing. I'd like to remain that way."
He called in a person and they took the brush away, he placed the scroll somewhere to dry the ink and grabbed one from the shelves. He opened it and placed in on their shared table.
She was finishing up however much paperwork she had brought along. She took interest on the stroll as there were illustrations and words about something. She did not pay it too much attention initially.
Until those few words came out of his mouth.
"You've been looking into something, haven't you?" He said while looking at the contents.
She looked at it, "Have I grown shitty at hiding my outside workings?"
"No, I just heard it from someone."
He did not name them intentionally as she knew who it was. She began reading through the contents and found some things that would aid her in searching for something. She placed a hand on the aged stroll.
"I'm pleasantly surprised that they even wrote and drew it."
It was talking about something that happened a long, long time ago. During the time where no other humans existed everywhere else but in the world that they currently occupied. One deeply related to the old magic system.
The stroll was named, A Sunken Ship
The content was as followed:
Who did not wish to have infinite power that could rival Her Majesty, Rose Malibur? The power to create laws and rules, worlds and universes, be adored by all living beings as the God/Goddess who could do no wrong.
Mortals, could never comprehend such power.
There will always be those foolish enough to attempt it, only to end up in a never-ending agony that follows them until their grave.
This was no different. Such a catastrophic war happened simply because ...
Foolish. Foolish mortals who think that others' lives revolve around them; Foolish mortals who think that power can solve all your problems; Foolish mortals who idolise those in power so much that they can't see the truth.
...…
Could we have prevented such tragedies? … I'd doubt that there will be an answer that satisfies this feeling of powerlessness. Like everyone, I simply live and die by the laws of this world.
.... All for nothing. There was no glory to be felt after it all. Only this feeling that we were made the same as them, that we could eventually die by their hands.
.....
That man, is certainly alive. I just had a feeling that he would not die so easily. I could find her to clarify it yet I hold this possible lie close to myself.
.....
To think even I have such heart.
Some parts of the writings had turned illegible, perhaps they were kept too long. Even with pristine care, all things would eventually succumb to time. It would not be degrading soon but it was enough information for her.
"First person rantings. So Poseidon was that kind of person…" Mizuchi mumbled.
She was listening to him, though her attention was caught by one particular illustration.
It was a woman with long braided hair that had flowers in them. Her hands were placed together with her eyes closed, praying for something. Maybe she was hoping it will all end soon.
Or, it was something else instead.
"Why would you be looking for things this old?" He stared at her.
She did not reply immediately, instead staring at that illustration. Something about it seemed to have resonated with her as she did not answer him when he was calling for her, like she was thinking about something.
He understood from her reaction and said, "I have some more documents about this over there. You can either send it to mister goat man or the P.D.D to restore it."
"So you do call him mister goat man." She raised her eyebrows.
He placed his fingers on his temples, "His name is hard for me to remember alright?"
She rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say."
He went ahead and grabbed everything relating to it that he could remember from memory. He placed it neatly and stacked on top of one another. She still did not look away from it.
"This man Poseidon mentioned is related to the water kingdom's destruction."
She said all of the sudden which made him drop the strolls. He stood still and blinked for a few moments. He snapped out of it and picked it up from the ground. She looked over and stifled her laughter.
"Glad that you find it incredibly funny." He pouted and said.
She laughed and waved her hand, "Just seeing you… stunned is really… hilarious."
She laughed loudly again which pissed him off. He sighed and looked through the strolls he had just placed, making sure that it was all related.
"So there is another person that had lived this long." He said while staring at her.
She looked through the strolls quickly, looking through their contents. There were things mentioned here and there that caught her attention although she did not linger on them for long. She was not too concerned about it right now.
She raised her eyebrows, "Another person?"
'"I'm just referring to Aeon." He waved his hand.
There was suspicious behaviour coming from Mizuchi, Amelia had an inkling of what it might be. She did not want to expose all the information she had gathered about this event to him, yet.
"I'm sure that I do need to do something in return for this amount of information."
A grin appeared on his lips, "Am I that superficial to you?"
"We all have our own goals. Besides, if you didn't want a hand in it, you wouldn't have given me all of these." She pointed at the scrolls.
He sighed, "You seriously are a buzzkill."
"It's just that your motivations are as thin as ice." She retorted.
He glared at her, she crossed her arms and stared back, "What do you want to know?"
"Not giving me anything beforehand?"
She sat on the edge of the table, "You will know during the briefing. Also, you knew that I've been looking into things, so you would know that too."
"Tch. You seriously know too much." He sat back down on his seat.
One of her arms extended to the side, "Straightforward."
He placed his hands on the table, "So Salem is dead. Then where did the vital go?"
"The vital was found empty. They had used it for something, the G.I.S.D are looking into it."
He propped his arms up, "I want your answer."
She glanced at him, the corner of her lips visibly grinning, "They had used it for a creation. I call it creation because it was a mix between two different kinds of creatures. Siberian Demon Wolf and Praying Mantis."
"Why would they do it?"
She looked back to the door and said, "It's what Salem was looking into. Combining souls of different creatures for a new creation."
He leaned back on his chair, "It's different than how you got Asura?"
"Not fundamentally, the soul would still look like half wolf half mantis. It's the physical appearance and gift that it would have." She explained.
"Sounds fascinating." He mumbled.
She chuckled, "If you look too much into it, you will turn as insane as Falak."
He frowned, "I'm simply interested."
"Whatever."
"OI"
Her arms were placed on the table, palms touching it, "Answer me something beforehand."
He had a gut feeling about what she was going to ask, he still let her anyway.
"Who did you get that many things from?"
Her voice was stern, a sense of death lingered in the air. He was unfazed by it, finding humour in her behaviour. He stifled a chuckle and grinned, though she did not meet his eye as she talked.
"Wherever the water is, my home is there. So I heard from observing you from time to time."
As weird as the explanation is, she took it directly. It was not the first time he had done so, having found out who she was by observing the nearby pond while training. She was a teenager at the time.
That was how she found out that Gods do exist.
He leaned forward, making a mockery of her for asking, "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Find a more entertaining pastime."
She cut him off before he continued, "What's next?"
He lowered his head, disappointed in not having enough time to taunt her. He still continued his questions, "If Falak was behind all of this, wouldn't the snakes be a more recurring presence?"
"After all, Falak likes turning people into snakes and using snakes as his proxy for causing chaos." He continued.
Her head tilted, "You would be right. But he only does that to people that he is unfamiliar with. And he's plenty familiar with me."
"Because I can't deny or confirm that Falak is the one behind it and controlling them, so he still had my suspicions."
He nodded, "Makes logical sense."
"There is something interesting I want you to tell me, since you brought it up yourself."
His tone turned serious, "There's more to their death than meets the eye."
She turned around, continued to lean on the desk, "I'm surprised that you didn't know all of it. Did they hide it from you?"
He crossed his arms, "Not that you don't know the Council likes to hide information."
"It is a pretty long story. But if I do tell you then…"
She smiled, "I want you to have less of a hand in the raid."
A slight frown appeared, "Fine."
"Then tell me, what actually happened before and after your adopted sister decided to burn the whole kingdom down."