Vem's mind was still spinning from his confrontation with Uwell as he left the council chamber, stepping into the shadowed corridors of Cevastein. The stone walls felt colder than usual, and he could feel the weight of Uwell's words pressing down on him, like a shadow following his every step.
The Black Sea mission had been shrouded in mysteries from the beginning, but Uwell's interrogation had only deepened Vem's suspicions. There was a hidden connection between Uwell and the Succubus, something that felt painfully close yet just out of reach. Vem knew he couldn't shake the feeling until he uncovered the truth.
He made his way down the narrow corridors toward the barracks, where Aislin waited. She was pacing in the dimly lit room, her brow furrowed with worry. As Vem entered, she turned, her expression shifting from worry to relief, then back to concern as she took in his face.
"What did he say?" she asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.
Vem ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long, frustrated breath. "Too much and yet nothing at all. Uwell was evasive, as if he wanted me to share details he already knew. He wanted to know about the Succubus, about its behavior, as if he expected it to act a certain way. And there was something else—something he didn't say directly, but it was there, like a thread connecting him to it."
Aislin's face hardened. "I felt it too, Vem. The Succubus… it wasn't just any creature. There was something disturbingly familiar in the way it moved, the way it looked at us. It wasn't a mindless beast, that much I know."
Vem nodded, the memory of the Succubus's gaze haunting him. "And he hinted at… control, or persuasion," Vem continued, lowering his voice. "He suggested that perhaps it wasn't an enemy. Almost as if he believes it could be… aligned with him."
Aislin's eyes widened, and she took a step closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Do you think he… created it? Or at least had a hand in its becoming?"
Vem's gaze darkened. "It wouldn't be unlike him. He's been known to use unorthodox methods to keep Cevastein under his control. But this… this feels personal."
They stood in silence for a moment, each lost in thought. The weight of their discovery, the idea that Uwell could be behind something as twisted as the Succubus, hung heavy between them. It was almost too monstrous to believe, yet Vem couldn't deny the evidence that seemed to point in that direction.
Finally, Aislin broke the silence. "So what do we do now?"
Vem clenched his fists, his gaze hardening. "We keep our eyes open, and we look for answers. If Uwell is hiding something, we're going to find it. We can't confront him directly, not without more evidence. But there has to be something—a record, a witness, something that ties him to the Succubus."
Aislin nodded, her face set with determination. "Agreed. But we'll need to be careful. If he suspects we're onto him…"
Vem's eyes narrowed, a grim smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Then we'll make sure he doesn't suspect a thing."
They spent the rest of the evening planning, speaking in low tones as they mapped out their next steps. It was risky, challenging the authority of someone as powerful as Uwell, but they had no choice. The Succubus was a threat to everything they stood for, and if Uwell was involved, then they had a responsibility to expose him.
As the night wore on, Vem felt a renewed sense of purpose and the doubts that had plagued him earlier began to fade, replaced by a fierce determination to uncover the truth.