"Where is the emissary?"
In a different part of the Endless Sea, an urgent meeting had been called in the same place where the man from the TriCobra Sect had made his acquaintance with those who had decided to choose neither the Church, nor Angaria in the upcoming conflict.
It was the head of the Sect of Hedon who said these words in urgency, and as he turned his head furtively to match the eyes of all those he had gathered, all he saw was doubt and panic.
The man they had invited at great risk to themselves…had suddenly gone missing.
BANG!
A loud sound was suddenly heard as he gripped his fists tightly, and it was hard to believe that it had simply been caused by the air frantically escaping from his iron-like grasp.
Because the faces of all those present were hidden, it wasn't visible that he was gritting his teeth, but from the way his entire body was shaking, it was obvious that he was very, very angry.
Finally, after a few seconds, putting his anger aside, he glared in a certain direction and began to advance toward the one who stood there.
"Calm yourself. We always knew he would be a slippery eel. It is not her fault that he escaped her surveillance. The means of someone from a major sect in the Mainland are, after all, far beyond anything we can conceive."
A gentle, but authoritative voice interrupted him, causing the head of the Sect of Hedon to pause where he stood and let out a deep breath.
After taking a few seconds, he nodded and turned around before saying, "Thank you for arriving quickly. Yes, she might not be at fault, but the situation is definitely something to be concerned about. The TriCobra Sect is known to be a treacherous ally, especially if no official contract has been made. It is what has allowed them to survive and thrive even though they are the newest force to enter the league of those who qualify to become Seafarers. We must find him at once."
Bowing while his words echoed in the circular chamber, he took his place, and for a while, there was silence.
"It's useless. Even I must admit that I have been thwarted, but unlike you, I am not worried. Remember this, everyone. Our only goal is to survive the war, and then kill that King, and everything he represents. Initially, we were all prepared to even side with him if it means that we can get back to our long lives of leisure afterward. But…the moment he exposed his wish to unify the continent and take away the special status that we, and all those who share our blood hold on Angaria, he became a threat to our future. We all know clearly that only by taking away from the poor, can we ensure that we will continue to be rich. Only by stepping down on others, can we rise above. Only by ensuring that the Central Continent stays as it is…can we be sure that our families will continue to exist for a long, long time, allowing us and our ancestors, in turn, to pursue life beyond…"
"Ahem."
The one who had begun to speak was the same man who had stopped the head of the Sect of Hedon from attacking the innocent Hero who had been in his path before. With every word he spoke, he had started to get excited, but suddenly…as a low sound emanated from one of the corners of the chamber, even this man, who had been the receiver of many reverential gazes from almost all the Heroes in the room, froze and stopped speaking before sitting down.
"I…digress. The decision has been made. Let us wait for his return, and ask him regarding his absence. The TriCobra Sect always weighs the odds, and chooses the winning side. Whatever it may be…we shall choose it, too, and act on our other goals after the war is done. Everyone, disperse."
…
Except for the rumbling thunderbolts above and the crashing waves beneath, silence hung over the Endless Sea, much like a veil that had been cast over something which was too terrifying to be revealed.
The basilisk, Alastair, was staring at the King of Lanthanor, waiting for an answer, with patient eyes that had clearly seen millennia after millennia of time pass by.
Meanwhile… The king was transfixed where he stood, mainly because of everything the system was saying within his mind.
[Advanced transmission formation detected. Unknown spell technique detected. Unknown form of magic detected which does not use elementary particles. Phenomena Analysis Module is attempting Analysis. Phenomena Analysis Module has failed to analyze the spell technique and form of magic. Complexity of phenomena being observed is far above what system is capable of. Upgrades required to reach the necessary complexity for analysis: 2.]
Even now, he was replaying exactly what had happened in front of him.
After the man from the TriCobra Sect had gouged out his eyes, Daneel had been expecting to see some kind of advanced formation come to life which must need a pair of empty eyes in order to transmit one's voice from a faraway place.
It was strange, but there were even stranger spells in existence.
Straining his eyes, Daneel had been ready to analyze the way the elementary particles moved so that he could see whether there were any clues he could find in the type of spell used.
Only…there had been nothing to see.
Absolutely nothing!
The most basic thing that all children were taught in Angaria was that magic was the art of arranging elementary particles in formations so that they can result in whatever is desired by the spellcaster…but here, a spell had been cast, but the elementary particles had not been disturbed at all!
Daneel's whole world was upended, and at first, he even thought he was seeing things.
However, the system had confirmed it: it had mentioned a new form of magic, and that was definitely what he had seen.
It was incredible!
The King of Lanthanor felt as if he was someone living on Earth a few tens of thousands of years ago, when the only way to make calculations involving large numbers was to use something like an abacus. If such a person was shown a calculator from the modern age which could do the same using integrated circuits, wouldn't they be amazed? Wouldn't they think they were dreaming?
It was such a radically new and unthinkable way of doing things that it might even make that person fearful, and that was exactly the King of Lanthanor began to feel.
As if sensing this, the Basilisk, Alastair, spoke again, but this time with a smile.
"Oh, I remember that look…my face had the exact same expression when I saw Dimensional Magic for the first time, too. Don't think too much about it, though, and don't try to figure it out- only death awaits you if you embark on something so foolish without crossing the realm of Heroes. You do realize that you're making one of the three leaders of the TriCobra Sect wait, right?"
The last sentence was delivered in a slightly impatient tone which made Daneel jolt to his senses, as for some reason, it almost felt as if he was disrespecting a god that had chosen to appear in front of him.
[Host is under the influence of a Peak Hero-level Illusion spell.]
Well…that explained that feeling.
Powerful beings always used methods like these to make those who were inferior to them feel all the more weaker, so that they could command them at will.
So, normally, this would be completely normal…but in this case, it exposed something vital.
An elementary particle-based spell was being used.
What this implied, though, was lost on Daneel, at the moment, as he was still too caught up on what had just been exposed to him.
First…for the first time, he had experienced something that was truly related to the realm beyond that of Heroes.
And, second: there was much more to magic than he had imagined.
After coming so close to the Hero realm, and knowing what was waiting for him when he got there due to the many interactions he had had with Hero-level individuals, Daneel had thought that he had a firm grasp on this quintessential power that was desired by so many.
However…he felt like a foolish child who had mastered the first-grade textbook, and had begun to think that he was ready to tackle the world.
His cheeks began to burn with shame, but after a second, Daneel's face lit up with excitement, as he could sense what all this meant.
This…was what was waiting for him in the Mainland.
Initially, he had thought that it might just be a place vaster than Angaria with nothing that groundbreaking to be discovered, but now, knowing that there were many mysteries to uncover, many things to learn, and certainly many more areas to conquer just like he had done here, the King of Lanthanor was ecstatic.
But first, though…Angaria had to be saved.
Taking a moment, he set aside all of these thoughts and then spoke.
"Emperor Fenoras's memory fragments are in my possession, but…"
"Stop with the pretense. I don't know how, but I know that his consciousness is still intact. It's muddled…but its there. Bring him to me, and I can fix him. It's the least I can do in return for saving my life. If you really consider yourself his disciple, then do not deprive him of the only chance he has of recovery."
The dread that Daneel had begun to feel ever since this being had manifested in front of him suddenly multiplied when he was interrupted in this way.
No one knew that the Emperor had been saved by the Chamber of Golden Lightning a moment before his death. It was supposed to be even more secretive than the Order, so how had this being detected him?
As if sensing his obvious question, Alastair spoke again.
"You're wasting time, boy. It's not easy to maintain a connection from this way away, even if I am using Dimensional Magic. Fenoras and I…have a bond. That is what allowed me to feel his presence which was exposed to the World for some time recently, in…that place that is called the Kingdom of Arafell. Oh, so that b*tch is still well? I should have known. No more games. Bring him to me."
Hearing the Basilisk, for once, Daneel had no idea what to do.
It had been quite a long time since he had felt weak in front of someone…and he had definitely not missed the feeling.
For quite some time now, he had reached a level where he didn't have to fear much, or even anything at all, on Angaria.
Hence, he had been making decisions based on that knowledge, but now…being weak changed a lot.
Before he could decide on his course of action, though, the Basilisk spoke again, and this time…her words made cold sweat appear all over the King of Lanthanor's body.
"I know you have a lot of questions. But you forget the position you are in. Let me make it clear with a single sentence. Bring Fenoras here, now…or I might just let it slip in the Mainland that one of their 'Conversion Memory Fragments' has made its way into the hands of the King of Lanthanor. Yes…I know you're blocking communication, and it's an admirable plan. After they put two and two together, though, with my help, do you want to bet on your master making it out alive? No? Then go, and obey!"