The kingdom was bustling with the sing-song of birds and the sun beaming. All around, people were going about their business, shops were open, and laughter could be heard. It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear blue, with not a cloud in sight. A perfect day for a stroll through the kingdom. That's what Matheo thought, but it seemed his colleagues had a different idea.
"Ugh~," he sighed as he looked over the mountain of paperwork on his desk. It seemed like every day, there was an endless amount of work to be done. Of course, he didn't mind it, but sometimes he just wished he could take a break. Maybe go for a walk or something. Just enjoy the day.
"Hey, Matheo," a voice called out from the doorway, interrupting his thoughts.
"Yeah?" he responded, looking up from his work.
"Sirus has called a meeting in the Hall of Monarchs. You're expected to attend."
A young woman stood by the door, a stack of papers in her arms. Matheo groaned inwardly. A meeting? Now? He just wanted to finish his work and go enjoy the day.
"Can't it wait?" he asked, hoping she would say yes.
"I'm sorry, but Sirus says it's important. So you're required to attend."
With a heavy heart, Matheo got up from his desk and followed the woman. She was his assistant, and it was her job to keep him in line. He didn't mind, but sometimes he just wished he could do what he wanted.
The Hall of Monarchs was a grand room with a large table in the centre. Around the table were chairs for each of the kingdom's rulers. Matheo took his seat next to Beric, his close friend within the group.
"What's this about?" Matheo asked, getting straight to the point.
"We're still waiting for the others," Beric replied.
The room collapsed in silence as they waited for the others to arrive. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they arrived. Jessica, Ennith, and Runo entered the room, taking their seats at the table.
"Now that we're all here," Sirus began, "I'll get straight to the point. We've received information that some of the lower-ranking Yal households are colluding with each other."
A murmur went around the table as everyone took in this information. Matheo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He already knew all of this. Just the night before, he saved a young boy from the clutches of the Nightbride house.
"It's not uncommon for smaller households to band together for protection," Jessica spoke up. "What makes you think this is more than that?"
"We've been receiving reports of strange activity. Thanks to Beric's investigation, we have found they are purchasing illegally sold zeros and using soul-binding bracelets to control them."
Zeros are people without any restarts. They are considered to be the raw beings who had not been touched by the Arcana System. They are also scarce. In all his years, Matheo had only ever met one. So, for these small households to have multiple was more than just suspicious.
"Dark rituals," Ennith spoke up, breaking the silence. "They're using zeros in dark rituals."
Ennith is a Neenie, a race known for knowledge and raw control over ether. Ennith is a short woman with pointed ears, dark skin and long black hair. She has a small, delicate frame, but she is deceptively powerful.
"From what I have gathered, they have been doing this for over a year. I believe they are using the zeros to make a powerful elixir." Sirus said.
"And what do they need this elixir for?" Matheo asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"It must be something related to ether. Maybe they're using zeros to become one with ether? It's known that the Arcana System distances you from the ether with every restart, so maybe they've found a way to get around that?" Runo mused.
"No matter their purpose, it's clear they are up to no good. Last night Beric and Matheo saved a young boy who was about to be used in one of their rituals."
At this, Matheo perked up. He had almost forgotten about the boy.
"Is he alright?" he asked.
"Yes, he's being taken care of. But we must act fast. We can't let them continue these rituals. I believe the next full moon is next month." Sirus said, "However, now they know that we're looking into them, so they might delay for another month until things die down."
They continued to discuss their plan of action, and soon Matheo found himself getting lost in thought. He couldn't help but wonder what these households were trying to achieve. What was this elixir they were trying to create? And more importantly, why did they need zeros for it? And what did they do to that boy last night? Matheo's heart ached at the thought of what that boy might have gone through.
"Matheo," Sirus said with a hint of impatience, "What do you think?"
Matheo snapped back to reality and realized he had been daydreaming. He hurriedly thought of an excuse.
"I'm sorry, I was just thinking about the boy. What do you need me to do?"
"We need you to go undercover. We need to know what their purpose is. Find out everything about this elixir they're trying to create."
"How do you expect me to do that?! They're your people. Wouldn't it be wiser to find a Yal to go undercover?"
"It's too risky. They might try and flee if they find out we're onto them. Talk to the ex-servants of the Nightbride house. You may be able to use them to invade the houses that associated themselves with that household. We need to put a stop to this before it gets out of hand."
Matheo nodded his head in understanding. He would do whatever it took to protect the innocent. He would find out what these households were up to, and he would put a stop to it.
"Matheo, who is that human boy in the infirmary?" Ennith asked.
Everyone turned their heads towards Ennith. She was a quiet person who often kept things to herself unless she had valuable input. She often stayed in the background, so it was rare for her to speak up.
"I found him when we infiltrated the Nightbride house. He was collapsed on the ground, and he has yet to wake up."
"Did they do something to him?" she asked, her voice unchanging and monotonous.
"He wasn't breathing initially, but after a moment, he vomited the chaos energy from the ritual."
"I see," she said, frowning slightly.
"Is that all, then?" Sirus asked, "Matheo, I'll leave it to you to investigate the matter further. Everyone else, use your resources to try and track down these households. We need to put a stop to this as soon as possible."
Although everyone was equal within the Hall of Monarchs, Sirus was the one who usually took charge during these types of situations. This is because he was the one with the most experience, and so everyone trusted his judgement.
Matheo left the room and made his way to the infirmary. He was worried about the boy. He had been unconscious for days, and Matheo was beginning to lose hope that he would never wake up.