"We have reasons to believe the seventh finger general has a spy in Aetheria. My informants have alerted us of an attempt to link Bashomon to the other gate in Hallow Mountain. Evelyn and I will find out who the traitor is and put an end to their plans." Sol read out the final lines of the deceased sixth tribe Kahi'k.
He closed the dusty old journal and placed it on the desk beside his bed. He sat silently while thinking on what to do with the information he had acquired so far.
"Could the spy be within the Ark race?" Sol pondered with knitted eyebrows.
While nothing in the journal indicated such, it didn't refute such possibility either. The other Kahi'ks from all five tribes in the Ark race seemed to have turned on the sixth, but no one knew why.
The former sixth tribe Kahi'k believed it was due to his affair with his mother, Evelyn. However, Sol believed it was more than that and there was something he was missing.
From what he understood about the inhabitants of Aetheria, four alpha races resided here presently. Vampires, werewolves, witches, and then the Ark race.
As things stood, the Ark race was arguably the most powerful race in Aetheria. So they could have easily banded together to save the sixth tribe Kahi'k, but they never made a move and even gave the young and innocent Sol up for a dangerous ritual that they knew may end his life.
If not for anything else, trying to preserve the Sixth Kahi'ks family lineage would have shown their good intentions, but they didn't even do that much.
Knock.
Knock.
Sol looked towards the door as he heard the gentle knocks and sighed.
"Come in." He said.
Clank.
The door swung open and his butler, old man Chamberlain walked up to him with a worried look on his face. He approached with his stooped posture that hinted at a lifetime of service. His face was filled with wrinkles, yet his eyes sparkled with keen intelligence.
The old butler was dressed in his usual crisply pressed black suit, which looked ridiculous at first, but Sol had gotten used to it.
"You look worried." Sol asked with a raised eyebrow.
Old man Chamberlain seemed a bit hesitant to answer at first, but after a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke.
"The other Kahi'ks somehow found out about your recovery, and now they are demanding an audience." Old man Chamberlain said with a troubled expression on his face.
Sol knew the main reason for them demanding a meeting was to intimidate him and control him now that the sixth tribe is weak. This way they will control the activities of the sixth tribe from the shadows, but that didn't bother him one bit, instead he was focused on another problem that he considered more important.
"If the Kahi'ks got to know this, then there is a spy in this castle." Sol said with a light chuckle.
His words left old man Chamberlain stunned, as he never considered that. He was so focused on the bad news that he never bothered to think of the reason behind the bad news.
"W-what do we do now?" Old man Chamberlain asked.
"What else? If they want an audience with me we will give them one." Sol said with a light chuckle and a cruel smile on his face.
If they think the person in this body is that weak kid they can manipulate, then they will be shocked by how terribly wrong they are.
…
Walking through the lonely corridors of the castle were the five Kahi'ks, each bearing a unique presence. The guard leading them forward seemed nervous, his eyes occasionally glancing over his shoulders.
In the time of the previous Kahi'k of the sixth tribe, their tribe was the most feared in all the tribes of the Ark race, but now they were merely a shadow of themselves.
They reached the towering bronze doors of the throne room, and the guard pushed them open with a resounding creak. The five figures stepped into the area, drawing Sol's attention.
The first was the Kahi'k of the first tribe, Vaela, her eyes glowed with a shimmering luminescence, and her silver hair cascaded down her back in elegant waves. She wore pitch-black robes, embroidered with fiery motifs.
Vaela looked like she was still in her mid to late thirties, but Sol had this feeling that she was far older.
His gaze shifted to the second tribe Kahi'k, Thalos. His most eye-catching features were his broad shoulders and weathered face. With a glance, Sol was able to tell that this man was most likely a warrior during his younger days.
His piercing gaze was framed by a pair of spectacles perched upon his nose, seemingly complimenting his robes of deep crimson, adorned with arcane symbols and glyphs.
Right beside him, Rhea radiated an aura of serene tranquility. Her long, flowing robes of pure white billowed around her slender form. What caught Sol's attention was the circlet of silver worn around her head.
The next was the Kahi'k of the fourth tribe, Darius, who stood tall and proud. His muscular frame complimented his golden battle-scarred armor, but this left Sol wondering why this man would wear it to a meeting if it wasn't to try and intimidate him.
Finally, there was Lyra, Kahi'k of the fifth tribe. Her flowing robes of emerald green swirled around her like leaves caught in a gentle breeze. Clasped in her weathered hands was a staff of gnarled wood, carved with runes of power, occasionally pulsating like a beating heart.
The cold gaze of all five Kahi'ks fell on the red-haired youth, looking down on them from the throne placed on an elevated platform. His eyes seemed void of all emotions, and for some reason, they felt strangely uncomfortable.
"Speak." Sol's voice rang like a bell, echoing around the room.
Even the old man Chamberlain standing beside him shuddered and looked at him with a shocked expression. These five were Kahi'ks and Sol was just the son of the former sixth tribe Kahi'k.
Status wise he wasn't even on their level, yet he spoke to them like they were of a lower status!