Embrace The Ether

Most clans existed alongside cities, ensuring security and protection of a certain Lord"s faction. The stronger the Lord was, the st.u.r.dier the clan"s foundations were.

This wasn"t always the case, however, as some clans tended to move further away from their Lord"s influence, all in an attempt to break the mold and grow stronger.

There had been many plots throughout the past where a Lord would fall, being replaced by a clan leader who had manipulated things from behind the scenes. This, however, could typically only be done with the aid of another Lord applying severe pressure all the while.

"No, it"s certainly impossible for anyone to predict everything up to this point with such pinpoint accuracy… it"s much more likely that they simply adapted as things went on, using my actions to their advantage." Deus attempted to reason with himself, doing everything within his power to come to terms with what he had learned.

The forces of Direfell had intended to lure Rol"an to this exact location, using several thoroughly confusing methods and plots. Deus feared the other side"s mental abilities if his own insignificant plot had been used for their benefit without him knowing.

Noticing the awkward silence, Rufus braced himself as he went to interrupt everyone"s thoughts, "Don"t worry too much about it, I"m sure all of it can easily be explained once everything outside calms down."

"Everything outside?" Deus asked, remembering what had been happening before his sudden arrival there. "Oh, right! Whatever happened to Roland, Elias, and everyone else?"

"They"re still outside," a female voice sounded from outside Deus"s peripheral vision. To his shock, a youthful woman approached him, dressed in a fine linen outfit that seemed to be entirely out of place within not only this interior bunker but Midnight in general.

"Who are you?" asked Droh as he clenched his little fists.

"It"s a pleasure to meet you both, truly. My name is Evelien Walhof, I am one of the many servant protectors of Direfell and it"s informational sectors, which is also known as the "Many-Eyed Crow" by the great Lord. If you wait a moment, I"m sure I can bring you up to the top so you can watch the Orion clan"s final stand."

They both froze as her words pierced their very souls. The final stand of a clan? Many-Eyed Crow? Deus bit down, clenching his teeth together as he practically shouted out, "How can I trust anything you say? Answer me this… if you want me to believe in anything you say!" His emotions had gotten the better of him, but it was understandable. Everything up to this point had been far too sudden for him to comprehend it all.

"How did Droh and I get here in the first place? We both heard a sudden voice, only for us to appear here… were we drugged? Kidnapped? Teleported? Explain yourself!"

Evelien smirked as her gaze met his own, she noticed Deus"s restraint and concern.

"Don"t worry, we didn"t drug you… we wouldn"t have had to, so there"s no point in that."

"No point?"

"Indeed," Evelien slowly stepped closer towards him, "You were brought here by the grace of my master, the overseer of us crows…"

Deus still didn"t understand what she meant, but he was glad to hear that he hadn"t been drugged without his knowledge. Who knows what he could"ve divulged with the wrong drug in his system.

"So, how exactly were we brought here, if not through drugging us?"

Evelien sighed, "You"re quite worried, aren"t you? Afraid that we"re simply playing around with you? How about this… I"ll take you three above ground, to the top of the tower, from there we"ll have a wonderful vantage point to watch everything down below. Many of your answers should be resolved once you see for yourself."

As she finished speaking—to everyone"s shock—she turned back around and shouted out into the hallway where she had originally come from.

"Hey Reinout, get over here so we can head to the top!"

"Reinout?" The name wasn"t familiar to Deus, but that didn"t mean anything. As he suspected, soon after Evelien called out for someone, the beastly soldier from before slowly appeared. His eyes immediately fell upon Deus as a harsh glare formed. "Hmph, these kids causing you trouble Evelien?"

"Trouble? No, no trouble… not really. Besides that, what if they were? Did you think I"d just let you kill them, even if they were?"

"Eh," Reinout could only mutter out as the giant seemed to instantly turn into a simple oaf, scratching at his chin awkwardly.

"Don"t forget Reinout, we"ve fought many times before… who always won?"

"You did…" He abashedly shot out, lowering his head as he became quite shy. Seeing this, Deus couldn"t help but swallow his own tongue, coughing out.

Evelien only laughed at seeing this reaction, which caused the giant Reinout to once again break out into a harsh glare. Murderous intent spread throughout his body as he physically towered over the two strangers in the room.

"Don"t mind him, he"s a big idiot at times… he"s reliable, though," Evelien explained, "He works as a sort of enforcer for us crows, allowing us to move in and out of the shadows with ease. I strike within the darkness, while this big guy dominates the light, attracting all the attention while he"s at it."

"So that"s how it is…" Deus whispered out. "So what exactly are the "Many-Eyed Crow", and what do you do within Direfell?"

That question lingered on his mind for some time, growing until he couldn"t help but ask. In truth, he had remembered hearing about crows before, back when he was enjoying a simple meal of mushroom soup with Droh.

"The Many-Eyed Crow, or otherwise known simply as the crows… we"re a special reconnaissance force for the upper-echelon of Direfell. Information regarding Mythgarde? That came from us. Private intelligence into Orion"s plans? Us, again."

"Impressive… so their recon and stealth abilities must be top notch, especially to gather invasive and deep knowledge even on Roland and his clan." Deus was mentally jarred, both impressed and terrified. From the sounds of it, the crows were capable of all sorts of things. It was likely that if they wanted you dead, you wouldn"t even be able to know how you died in the afterlife.

"I know this might sound a bit… sensitive… but from the sounds of things, the crows had some sort of falling out with Direfell"s leadership, right?" Even though Deus asked this, he still wasn"t sure if it was the right call to bring up something like that out of nowhere.

Droh was sent back upon hearing this, finally remembering what Deus had remembered.

"Right! Those soldiers had been purging the city street by street, wiping out what they called "crows". How are you able to remain functional even after all that?"

Evelien was clearly shocked as she listened to their explanations, only beginning to laugh out loud as they finished. "You"re too easy to fool, it seems. In truth many are! Yes indeed, the crows were purged from Direfell, and our great master was personally banished."

She continued, "Or was that all but a simple illusion, cast throughout the city so as to lay an intricate and terrifying trap!"

"T-trap…" Deus mumbled, his teeth rattled as he spoke. "Everything? It was all a lie?"

"Perhaps… after all, even if we sacrificed some nameless bunch for appearances, so what? Those so called purges were but shows being put on..." Evelien was clearly teasing them. "Enough of that for now, we"ve got to hurry if we want to watch before the outcome is decided."

It was Droh this time who spoke up, clearly taken aback by everything that had been said. "I know Roland… there"s no way he would fall for such simple tricks… he"s plotting something, even without your knowledge!"

"There is nothing that is beyond our realm of knowledge," Evelien chimed in as Reinout stood behind her, slowly nodding his head in agreement. Even Rufus could do nothing but silently listen, absorbing every bit of information he had heard while trying not to let it overwhelm him.

"What a truly terrifying world…" Deus sighed with a whisper, his voice no louder than an exhale of breath.