Mizin sat quietly, her crimson eyes scanning each of her disciples. On the far left was Zin, and on the far right, Stugvilk. Most of them had grown considerably—especially Rogers and Zin. Their auras were sharp and honed.
Next were Ariel and Ai-lyn, followed by Aroalan. Stugvilk wasn't a fighter, and she didn't expect much progress from him. His place was in the forge. But Anyenx... he was the problem.
He had barely improved. A constant thorn in her side—always trying to belittle others to elevate himself. Mizin had tried every method of discipline she could think of, but Anyenx never took correction seriously.
After a moment of silence, she spoke.
"The Shadow Clan is on the move again."
Shock rippled through the room. Only Zin remained calm. Ai-lyn, who had been undercover as a shadow agent, already suspected this.
Zin raised his hand. Mizin nodded her permission.
"I met Amy again," he said.
The room fell silent.
"The woman I told you about appeared out of nowhere. She brought a man with her—he was corrupted. We sealed him in a room."
Mizin's brows furrowed.
"He escaped," Zin admitted. "Since then, we haven't found any trace of him. He had a connection to Gilly—they were discovered together at the lakebed. Before his disappearance, we let Gilly see him once. She seemed emotional, but afterward, she acted completely unaware he was missing."
He paused, letting his words settle.
"Everything we said or did seemed strange to her. The first time she saw mana—magic—she looked amazed. Like someone who had never seen it before."
Zin went on to recount every major event since Gilly's arrival—her behavior, her reactions, her progress. Finally, he described her appearance.
For the first time in years, Mizin's expression shifted. A faint smile curved her lips.
Everyone was stunned. The idea that Mizin would smile? Unthinkable.
"Seems like Saramiel was right after all," she murmured.
The room buzzed with speculation and hushed discussions.
Mizin, deep in thought, whispered to herself:
"Even if she is Elna's child, it's strange. When we used the artifact to search for her, nothing happened. We even enlisted help from the Darkone. For over four hundred years—nothing. Perhaps she was in a hidden dimension... one of those remnants from lost civilizations. It's possible... but still…"
Her gaze turned to Ai-lyn.
"Did you look into what I asked?"
She sipped her tea, her tone calmer now.
Ai-lyn nodded.
"Harazil has been moving... but he hasn't left the Noir continent."
Mizin's expression shifted again—this time toward the entrance.
A figure stepped through the door.
He looked majestic—like a noble dressed in a sharp black suit. Like Rogers, he had horns, but his were longer, exuding a faint red aura. Long black hair flowed freely behind him.
"Interesting," he said. "Didn't think you'd start without me."
His golden eyes settled on Rogers, who clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"If it weren't for her," he continued, "I'd have tortured you long ago."
"Demon King Aby," Mizin said, welcoming him. "Perfect timing."
They quickly brought him up to speed on what had been discussed. Aby listened silently, his expression shifting from intrigue to shock as details were revealed. He had fought alongside Mizin during the Draconic War—and they all knew Elna well.
Elna had disappeared long ago—found with Gilad's child. Though Gilad had once been hailed as the Hero King, the elven royal family had never accepted halflings, even if their father was a king.
Elna had been hunted. Gilad died protecting her—from her own siblings: the Royal Guard Commander Garinil, and Elin.
Aby sighed.
"Things are getting troublesome again."
"So what do we do?" he asked.
The room went still.
Finally, Mizin spoke.
"I suspect the Shadow Clan already knows about Gilly. Her corrupted friend vanished without a trace. If that's true, we need to be careful. Since she saw Amy, she may be marked for death."
Aby looked around, then back at Mizin.
"Do you feel it?"
She nodded.
Zin nodded too.
They were the only ones who felt it—a distant trembling.
"Two demigods are fighting," Aby confirmed, more to himself than to the others.
Gasps spread through the room. The last time two demigods clashed was during the battle between Gilad and Garinil—four hundred years ago.
"In any case," Mizin continued, "we'll leave Gilly's safety in Zin's hands. I trust he can handle it."
She turned to Aby again.
"Keep your eye on Harazil. He killed Elin. We don't know what he'll do next."
The discussion shifted to politics—the upcoming Elven Council, the Demon Council, the Demigod Summit, and the Gathering of the Divine. The disciples shared minor reports, and the meeting continued deep into the night.
When Seras returned to the cave where she had left Cyx and Katharine, two more figures were already there.
Seras smirked.
"I see someone's looking older."
"Seras, is that how you greet family?" replied the woman, her long green hair cascading over her shoulders. Her golden eyes matched those of Ephini and Seras.
"Saramiel, can we focus on why we're here?" the other newcomer grumbled.
He was an old man with a long, flowing beard—The Sage.
"Sage is still as impatient as ever," Seras teased as she took a seat.
"For someone over three thousand years old, you sure enjoy talking trash," Saramiel shot back.
"That's rich, coming from you," Katharine added with a laugh.
Their banter continued until Cyx slammed his fist against the stone table—splitting it in two.
"Tch. Show-killer," Katharine muttered.
Everyone took their seats. Silence filled the chamber.
Saramiel began the meeting.
"The Shadow Clan is on the move."
Not surprising—but her next words caught everyone off guard.
"Amy has reappeared."
A visible frown crossed their faces. Amy had vanished shortly after Elin's death, and rumors of her presence were always followed by chaos.
Seras recounted Zin's encounter with Amy in Elnor. She included details about Gilly as well, though she carefully omitted the part where she had seen the tome herself.
No one was truly surprised by Gilly's return. In fact, Saramiel had prophesied it years ago. She claimed the revelation came from one of the gods—an elusive figure worshipped in the far north, known only asthe Sleeping God.
The Sage shifted focus.
"In the southwestern continent, the Kingdom of Tema has begun militarizing. It seems they're preparing for war."
That alone was suspicious. Tema worshipped the Fallen Deity. It was likely that the Shadow Clan was manipulating them behind the scenes.
The continent ofLoatim, far to the southwest, was home to the human race—devoted worshippers of theFallen Deitysince the First Era. The movements of the Shadow Clan were far more active there than in any other region. With most factions holding little sway due to humanity's self-proclaimed superiority over other races, it was difficult for outside powers to intervene or influence events on that continent.
The group discussed the connections between the Shadow Clan and the Fallen Deity, trading updates and warnings.
They spoke little about Gilly. Saramiel had prophesied her significance, and that was enough.
Suddenly, they all paused.
All this while, Cyx had remained silent, his eyes closed. He hadn't been asleep—only watching events unfold from afar. For an ancient dragon like him, such feats were trivial. None in the room could match the ease with which he drifted between presence and perception.
A ripple in the air.
"Two demigods are fighting," Katharine said flatly.
Cyx smiled but said nothing. In truth, the battle had already raged for over an hour. He had been observing it the entire time—silently, effortlessly—his mind stretched across the distance like a breeze through old trees.
"I wonder who. Aside from Mizin and Harazil, there aren't many who would dare cross each other," Sage mused.
The fight was far to the north, so they didn't concern themselves with it.
Then, Saramiel subtly extended her mana—implanting a message into everyone's mind.
A hidden truth.
The new god's artifact had surfaced.
That was the reason the Shadow Clan had resurfaced—and why the goddess herself had started to move. Saramiel was one of her Apostles. Sharing this meant she needed help.
Across the room, Seras sat quietly.
Katharine glanced at her—and immediately understood. She recognized that Seras had figured it out.
The artifact was the Tome. The very one Seras had inherited from her. Only Katharine knew the tome's true content.
This was dangerous.
But since no one suspected them yet, they said little—offering mild suggestions and keeping their real knowledge hidden.
Saramiel spoke once more.
"It seems... the Shadow Clan is no longer after her."
The weight in the room lessened. Gilly was vital to destabilizing the current order within the elven dynasty. Protecting her was paramount. That's why Seras had assigned Zin to her side.
Katharine stood.
"Since we've shared everything, I'll take my leave."
Seras followed her. Together, they vanished in a pulse of light.
Saramiel watched them go, suspicious. While Katharine was Seras's master, they hadn't always been on good terms. But she found no solid reason to doubt them—at least, not yet.
She turned back to Cyx and the Sage, and the three began planning countermeasures against the rising threat from the Tema Empire.