The cold stone walls of Pangaea's prison cell seemed to press in on Lily and Lard, amplifying their fear and uncertainty. The kidnappers, huddled in a corner, whispered amongst themselves, their bravado from earlier completely evaporated. The silence was punctuated only by the drip of water and the distant sounds of the city.
"What's going to happen to us?" Lily whispered, her voice trembling. "These… half-bloods… they're going to hurt us, aren't they?"
Lard placed a reassuring hand on her arm, though his own heart was heavy. "I don't know, Your Highness," he admitted. "But we must remain calm. Panicking will only make things worse."
They knew the history, the whispered tales of the last Galactic War, a conflict that had pitted humans against the half-bloods. The stories painted a grim picture of brutal battles and deep-seated animosity. The thought of being at the mercy of these creatures sent shivers down their spines.
Hours passed, each one stretching into an eternity. Then, the cell door creaked open, and a tall, dark elf guard entered. His features were sharp and angular, his eyes cold and calculating.
"You," he said, pointing at one of the kidnappers. "Come with me."
The kidnapper, his face pale, stumbled to his feet and followed the guard out of the cell. Lily, Lard, and the remaining kidnappers watched anxiously as the door closed behind them.
After what seemed like an age, the kidnapper returned, his eyes wide with fear. He was shaking uncontrollably.
"They… they took me to some kind of… creature," he stammered. "It… it read my mind! It knows everything!"
One by one, the other kidnappers were taken, each returning more terrified than the last. Finally, it was Lily's turn. She walked out of the cell, her head held high, though her heart was pounding in her chest.
She was led to a dimly lit chamber, where a creature sat on a raised dais. It was an incubus, its features both beautiful and terrifying. Its eyes glowed with an inner light, and its voice was smooth and hypnotic.
"Welcome, Princess Lily," the incubus said, a sly smile playing on its lips. "We have much to discuss."
The incubus used its powers of hypnosis and mind control to delve into Lily's mind, extracting information about her world, her society, her technology. It learned about the High City, its social hierarchy, its economic systems. It discovered the existence of aether matter, the energy source that powered their technology, and the rare individuals known as aether users, who possessed unique abilities.
The incubus also asked about their methods of identification and registration, the neck implants and information watches that were mandatory from birth. It inquired about maps of the region, about trade routes, about alliances and rivalries.
Lily, under the incubus's influence, answered all its questions, revealing secrets she had never intended to share. She spoke of the Stellar Federation, the overarching galactic nation to which her world belonged, a revelation that surprised even the incubus. It seemed their world was merely a support station, a cog in a much larger machine.
When the interrogation was over, Lily was returned to her cell, feeling drained and violated. Lard, seeing her distress, rushed to her side.
"What did they do to you?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Lily recounted her experience, her voice barely above a whisper. She told him about the incubus, about the questions it had asked, about the information she had unwittingly revealed.
Lard listened, his face growing grim. "They're trying to understand us," he said. "They're trying to learn our weaknesses."
Hours later, Lily and Lard were escorted from their cell, not to the interrogation chamber, but to a grand hall. At the far end of the hall, seated on a raised platform, was Caine. He wore a white mask, concealing his features. On either side of him stood his four sovereigns, Metatron and Lucifer on his right, Ymir and Tiamat on his left.
Lily and Lard were brought before Caine, their anxiety reaching a fever pitch. They knew that they were being judged, that their fate hung in the balance.
"Princess Lily," Caine said, his voice amplified and distorted by the mask, "and… Lard. We have learned much about your world, about your society. But we require more information. We need to understand the intricacies of your High City, its power structures, its economic systems, its social dynamics."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over them. "Tell us about your royalty," he commanded. "Tell us about your dukes, your barons, your merchants. Tell us how you conduct business, how you maintain order, how you enforce your laws."
Lily and Lard, still under the lingering influence of the incubus's mind control, began to speak. They described the complex hierarchy of the High City, the intricate web of alliances and rivalries that governed its politics. They explained the economic systems, the trade routes, the flow of aether matter. They revealed the secrets of their high society, its customs, its traditions, its hidden agendas.
Caine listened intently, absorbing every detail. He was building a mental map of their world, a map that would guide his future actions. He was learning about their strengths, their weaknesses, their vulnerabilities.
The interrogation lasted for hours, with Caine and his sovereigns probing every aspect of their society. They asked about their military, their technology, their defenses. They inquired about their relationships with other worlds, their alliances, their enemies.
Finally, when they had extracted every last piece of information, Caine dismissed them. Lily and Lard were returned to their cell, their minds exhausted, their spirits broken.
Caine turned to his sovereigns, his face unreadable behind the mask. "They have revealed much," he said. "Their world is complex, their society fractured. They are powerful, but they are also vulnerable."
"They are a resource, my lord," Lucifer said, his voice smooth. "A resource that we can exploit."
Caine nodded slowly. "Indeed," he said. "They will serve Pangaea. They will provide us with the knowledge and the resources we need to thrive in this new reality."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the holographic projection of the Stellar Federation. "But they are also a threat," he added. "A threat that we must neutralize. We must be prepared for any eventuality."
The sovereigns bowed their heads in agreement. They understood the implications of Caine's words. They were not just exploring a new world. They were preparing for war.