A few minutes ago, in the main hall of the Eskilon mansion.
Around a long dining table, 60 men and women sat uncomfortably as the one at the head looked at each of them, in turn, while standing with his hands behind his back.
All of them were dressed as if they were going to a fancy party, with the women wearing jewels and long gowns, and the men dressed formally in robes made of expensive materials.
There was one thing that was common among them all, though: all the clothes that they wore were of one color - grey, to match the first line of the saying of their house: "We stray in the grey, for it is survival we crave".
That… And the fear that was visible in all of their eyes.
To an extent, it could be seen even in those of the man who was standing, but his face was set sternly, and he hid it well under the guise of authority.
He was an old man, with wisps of hair on his head and wrinkled skin that everyone knew he could change if he wished.
He was stubborn, though, in many things, and this was one of them - he would let time take its toll, so that he could look in the mirror every morning and be ready to fight against its endless march.
As for the others, they were quite varied - a few seemed to have adopted his methodology, as they, too, did not change their appearances, as Heroes were wont to do. That was not to say that everyone present were Heroes, as there were some who seemed too old to hold any power. These were the true elders who had lasted for generations after reaching the peak of power, and with time, their level had decreased until they could no longer be counted among the strongest of the house.
The individuals who had mimicked the man standing all also had a reverential look on their faces, as if they looked up to him.
Among the others, some looked into the distance, as if they were thinking of things and places far away, and others were absorbed in studying the table in front of him, as they did not want to look up at all.
Finally, when it started to look like the entire day would pa.s.s before any words were said, one of the oldest among those who were seated said, "Enough of your anger. You occupy the high seat, so you must learn to better control your emotions. What did you call us for?"
Many of those present secretly thanked this elder, as the wrath of the strongest member of House Eskilon was legendary. Whenever it was let out of its tightly sealed cage, men and women would die, and none of them wanted to give up their lives, especially now that they had only recently escaped permanent captivity, or worse.
The elders were individuals that even he had to respect, so the high seat bowed slightly, and spoke in a curt tone.
"I beg your pardon, respected elder, but the decision we took to leave those who almost jeopardized our plan to save ourselves with naught but a slight slap on the wrist irritates me. It bothers me day and night, and I even dream of seeing them roasting on a spit until they beg and plead that they will never make a mistake again."
His words made all those individuals who had been looking down s.h.i.+ver, as they imagined this fate.
They knew there were worse things that happened to those who hadn"t done well in the eyes of the house, but they had just been thanking their stars that they had been left alone.
To their relief, the elder spoke again, and this time, his tone was firm.
"Let bygones be bygones, my son. In these troubled times, all hands need to be on deck, and that is not possible if you would rather they be ripped off and ground to dust. I know of your fondness for punishment where it is due, but this is an exception. The vote has been pa.s.sed, so we shall not speak of this again. I ask again: what did you call us for?"
Hearing the elder, the man who had been standing until now sighed, but then put aside his anger with visible effort.
With that, almost the entire atmosphere seemed to change, and everyone looked up to finally find out the reason behind the gathering.
Putting his hands on the table in front of him, he spoke.
"The elder speaks true. The past is past, so we must look to the future. I don"t think I need to mention that the plan to attain eternal life, or at least, life that is not bound by the bounds of this backward continent has now failed. If it weren"t for the timely findings of elder Weimar, none of us would have been free today. I suspect that most of us might even have been dead, as I still remember clearly each strike that took the life of an enemy during his onslaught. I still shudder at the very thought of facing him on that battlefield, so once again, let us all thank the elder."
As soon as he said this, everyone at the table stood and then bowed low to one of the members of the elders, who actually seemed to be the youngest among his kin.
He accepted the praise magnanimously, just as he had accepted all the gifts and resources that they had given him in appreciation of his discovery.
After everyone sat down, the high seat continued.
No one said anything about him talking so openly about his fear, as he had always been one to speak the truth, no matter how it was. Even if that meant exposing his own weaknesses, for the good of the house, he was prepared to do anything, and that was half the reason behind his appointment as the leader among them.
As for the other half… Rumors spoke about how he had sacrificed his own elder son to the house due to the risk of having their secrets exposed. He had done it himself, instead of leaving the task to others, and this had made many admire his devotion to the house, which had led to his swift rise.