"The Tribunal." Theoren began, his tone cautious. "They are planning something big, something dangerous."
Arwen inquired, partly out of curiosity, partly out of worry. "What are they planning, and how do you know this?"
Taking a deep breath, Theoren replied. "According to my sources, they are planning on declaring their independence from Scholastica."
Melita gasped at the side while Arwen’s look turned thoughtful.
Seeing this, Theoren added. "As for how I got to know this, it’s simple, actually; I have some contacts working in the council hall. Unfortunately, the man who helped me with the tip disappeared after I got the information from him. It was during my attempt to find him that I was abducted as well."
"Did you find him?" Arwen asked with Theoren shaking his head, a regretful look on his visage.
"Not yet. I’m guessing he’s being kept somewhere else, if he isn’t already dead yet."
"Any idea how the council plans on declaring their independence?"
"Not exactly, but I believe it might have something to do with the supernatural. There’s no other reason for them to kidnap so many people from the lower districts if not to use them as sacrificial lambs in some twisted quest for power to fight against Scholastica."
"I see." Arwen nodded in understanding, quite agreeable to Theoren’s thoughts on the matter.
Just then, she recalled something, prompting her to shift her attention to the beggars, seemingly in search of a person.
After searching for almost a minute with Theoren and Melita struggling to understand what she was up to, Melita spoke up.
"Are you looking for something?"
Arwen shook her head, paused, then nodded. "Actually, yes. I’m looking for a man, a miner who goes by the name Leokhares. He has a daughter, maybe 6 or 7, no older than 8. Scraggly beards, bad hygiene, hysterical."
Melita and Theoren exchanged looks, then turned back to her to shake their heads in response.
Disappointed, Arwen turned to the beggars and asked the same question to them, only to receive the same answer.
Pursing her lips, she wondered if Leokhares’ situation was like Theoren’s informant within the council hall.
If not, then they were definitely missing something.
In truth, Alex was hardly the first Mystic to speedrun a Wheel.
He wasn’t the first, nor was he to be the last.
There were many from history and even in modern day that have done the same, with them being referred to as Blessed by their peers.
Of course, those who were older, more experienced, knew better, and instead of calling it a blessing, referred to it as a curse, one that ensured an early grave.
Unfortunately, their evaluation proved to be correct as most of those who speedrun their Wheels always ended up dying early in life, even when they managed to graduate from the seventh Lock to the eighth Lock, which symbolized the transformation from a mere mortal to a divine being.
In any case, it still remained that there were those capable of speed running the Trials given by their Guardians and even more that disregarded the dangers of such an act all for the fulfillment of a goal.
Councilwoman Thera was one such individual.
Alex took a deep breath to calm his nerves while taking the time to pull up everything he knew about her.
She was an enigmatic fellow, appearing some time last year only to grow from a common merchant to a member of the council, the greatest power in Sklaviunt, within the space of a single year.
Such a feat proved she was not only capable, but brilliant as well.
A foe like her would definitely not be easy to defeat, especially considering the Domain she held control over.
"How skilled is she?" Alex asked, breaking the silence that persisted from the moment Azazel revealed Thera’s true nature.
I have never seen her fight, but my instincts scream for me to be cautious whenever I am in her presence. She is mad, but perhaps even she does not know it.
"A mad person that doesn’t know they are mad," Alex muttered while rubbing his chin, moving into deep thought.
All things considered, if he were to face Thera, he could momentarily suppress her with Nyx’s Authority, but if it ended up resulting in the same scenario that occurred at Copenhagen back in Ra’as with the Mother of Lost Souls... Alex shook his head, disregarding the possibility.
No matter what, he has to avoid ever needing Nyx, or he would lose what little attachment remains of Earth.
He couldn’t allow that.
Which meant Nyx’s Authority was out of the cards, leaving him with his Authority, which was on par with Thera’s, if Azazel’s evaluation was correct.
Speaking of... "How can you be so sure she’s at the 5th Lock?" Alex asked.
Because my brethren and I were instrumental in her growth.
Abyssal, Lover of Despair, Visitor, Origin of Madness, Lunatic... Each of these Locks, save for the third, requires human subjects to be completed. Under normal circumstances, she would need to gather the subjects herself, however...
"However, you helped her gather the subjects." Alex grimaced. "How many people have you taken exactly?"
Alex paused, then frowned as a peculiar thought came to mind.
Indeed. We took mostly beggars and scavengers from the lower districts, people that would not be missed.
"Theoren and Melita?"
"The printing press owner and his granddaughter."
Ah, they were taken for getting involved. We planned on releasing them once everything blew over.
"Leokhares and his daughter?"
Alex’s lips parted as he thought to describe the fellow, only to pause, then he shook his head.
"Forget it. Are you sure about the number?... Only eight hundred?"
Indeed, I am certain.
Alex’s frown deepened as he thought to himself.
The total population of Sklaviunt is a little over a hundred thousand, and more than fifty percent of that number was situated in the lower districts.
Even if Azazel had taken eight hundred beggars, there was no way it would put a dent in the lower districts’ population, after all, they were quite good when it came to making babies.
This meant that if Theoren and Melita hadn’t been taken, he would have never known about Azazel and his crazy plan with Councilwoman Thera until it was too late.
However, the empty streets and dilapidated buildings in the lower districts were a telltale sign of the fact that something had drastically reduced the population.
If it was not Azazel and his cohorts, then who was it?