"It should not matter whether you trust him or feel the need to keep an eye on him," Karthus began with a step forward. "I trust him. Erumon, Syldir, Aurae, and even Ryfon have put their trust in him. They have all seen the limits he will push himself to accomplish his goals; none of which align with those of the Scourge," he continued with a slight scowl.
Careful not to scare the traitors off, Ryfon thought privately.
"He has wanted nothing more than to protect his homeland and those he cares about. His little escapade to gather new allies and train old ones is something that should be praised rather than frowned upon, and the mere fact that you cannot see that for yourselves is troubling, to say the least. It almost makes me believe none of you have learned your lessons," he continued, getting a few gasps in surprise as a response.
There was a pause, a slight lull in the pressure that nearly gave way to a full-on verbal battle. Teeth were bared, eyebrows were furrowed, and yet nothing was said aloud. There were, however, a few of them who had nodded in agreement with his statement.
Well, that's a surprise, Ryfon thought idly, realizing that Nisul had been one of them.
Terwin glanced around the hall at each of their faces and gave a tired sigh as he closed his eyes momentarily. "Ryfon, I am going to ask you this not as the current head of the Eyes, but as an old companion," he began, his tone grave and weighted as if there were a burden almost too great for him to carry on his own. "I am listening," Ryfon returned in a tone that suggested he was going to take this request seriously, immediately silencing the others.
"Wha-... What do you think about this Thoma Fayren, truly?" he asked, prompting more than a few confused glares in his direction.
Something's off, Ryfon thought privately, not even sending it to Mediator, his older sister, who was well within range to notice even the slightest shift of his expression.
However, there was no significant change that would have revealed anything other than the fact that he was considering the right words to say. For a heartbeat, it almost looked as though he were going to burst out into a chuckle.
Regardless, he maintained his composure, save for the smallest puff of air through his nostrils.
"I believe that Thoma will be one of the harbingers of the new age; If he is properly trained and nurtured to reach his full potential, that is. Be that as it may, I know that Essentia herself wouldn't have gotten involved if she hadn't seen something in him that we have failed to," he said with a subtle wink aimed at Mors, whose eyes widened once more.
"And do you believe that this gives him the right to challenge our authority over his realm? Do you also believe that he may be able to put a final end to this war of attrition?" Fyke asked venomously, but Ryfon only shrugged. "Who am I to say?" he grinned smugly, prompting Fyke to click his tongue. "Have you not looked into his core?" Arba asked urgently, but Ryfon only sighed.
"You are all so worried about your authority over Kavrass that you are missing the point entirely," he began, pinching the bridge of his sharp nose. "We have an anomaly, rather, an opportunity to do something we have never done before, and here you are, angrily pointing talons at us for wanting to take full advantage of it?" he said, flicking his thumb between himself and Karthus.
"What opportunity?" Terwin asked flatly, his left brow curling in mild curiosity.
There it is, Ryfon understood with an immediate sinking feeling in his gut.
"The opportunity to prevent another Great Partition and bring an end to Mideia's machinations once and for all," Ryfon said, getting more than a few glares in response.
He went on to explain everything that had happened until the events that had brought him, as well as the others, to the forgotten city in the Gramm Isles. The tale did its part in filling in small gaps in their knowledge, such as the resurgence of the hegraphenes, the deaths of Nexis Pelantyr and Balgrim the Druid of Narin.
There were a few moments where the newer members of the Eyes asked a few questions, which both Ryfon and Karthus were glad to explain in their own way; however, many of their responses were left intentionally vague, while others were flat-out lies.
They mustn't know he's here. They wouldn't dare use their skills on Polarion itself, lest the entire realm turn on them. Continue to keep your answers tightly woven with mine, Karthus sent him, to which Ryfon nodded subtly.
Meanwhile, Terwin listened to the events with a level of concentration Ryfon had never seen manifested in him before. "And how do you explain the fact that he was able to stand before all of us, even in our combined mana-form? Was it truly only because of his supposed Authority?" he finally asked, breaking down the walls of his curiosity.
Are you going to avoid telling the whole truth with your next reply? Karthus sent him after realizing what Ryfon was doing. I want to know how deeply set his corruption is. Sister, can you…? Ryfon asked, but Mediator shook her head. If I do that, it will give away your intention. Just play along for now, she sent promptly without even giving him a glance.
"I wish I could tell you, but I could hardly believe it when Syldir told me herself," Ryfon sighed. Terwin's eyes squinted momentarily, scrutinizing every word and twitch of his muscles. A few tense heartbeats passed, but Terwin ultimately gave up the search. "If you say so," he trailed off, nearly making Ryfon sigh a breath of relief.
"In that case let it be known that whenever he reemerges into sight that we would speak to him about his role in the near future, but remember this, Ryfon: we will not go easy on him if he is everything you have told us he is," Terwin continued with an air of finality, letting those who still remained in the center of the hall hide a sigh of relief.
"To say that I expected anything less would be a lie, Terwin. In fact, I almost wonder how he would handle being in here," Ryfon gave a wide gesture around the room. "I think he would handle himself quite well if this is the best you could do," he continued with a subtle grin aimed at Arba, causing Aella's curiosity to spike.
Unfortunately, this caused more than half the council to erupt into a fit of rage. Mana flooded the entirety of the hall, and while the others were shouting, Ryfon had spotted one who looked at him with an almost sinister grin highlighted by pale, green eyes.
"Silence," Mediator said again, overpowering the flood of mana with her own in its entirety, prompting everyone to resume control of their faculties and return to their seats. "You look like you have something to say, don't you, Yarathea?" Ryfon asked with a wry smile after everyone had calmed back down.
She rose from her seat slowly, her deep, green robes gently flowing from her seat as she approached the railing that lined the upper level of the hall. "Ryfon, my dear. How long has it been?" she asked in an almost sing-song voice that nearly sent a chill down even Karthus' spine.
"Not long enough, judging by the look on your face, but ask your question. It will be the last one we answer," Ryfon said, to which no challenge was uttered. Her eyes closed slowly as she tilted her head to the side, allowing a few loose strands of hair to frame her fine features and pearl-like skin.
"Must you always cut so deeply with your words?" she asked almost snarkily. "If your daughter hadn't betrayed Erumon on the surface of Naraya, I might have greeted you differently. Now, ask," he replied with a finality that reminded everyone of his position.
"Very well, very well. I will do as you say," she raised her hands placatingly. "While I have not had control over my daughter's actions for quite some time, I feel obligated to ask you whether you feel that Thoma would be prepared to deal with Mideia on his own if the situation called for it?" she asked, and for the first time, Ryfon allowed for a slight shift in his expression.
It wasn't one of fear or worry, but rather caution.
How much does she know about Mideia's intent? Is she another I will have to keep an eye on? There are too many variables to consider right now, but I have to keep my answer in line with everything else I've said, Ryfon concluded in the heartbeat that followed.
"As I have said before, I will put my faith in him if it comes to it," he said, not bothering to elaborate further, which earned him a nasal scoff and a nod of understanding. "If you say so, then it shall be so. Nevertheless, if you ever need my assistance, I would be glad to help train him," she said with an unnerving smile.
"I will keep that in mind. Thank you," he replied with a nod, but the gears of his mind began to turn at an alarming rate. "Then with that, this session has ended," Terwin said as he rose from his seat, prompting the others to do the same.
"We will take our leave, then. Call on us if you need us, but there will likely not be a need for everyone to be here," Ryfon aimed his words at Fyke, who was still glowering at him. "And so we shall. Farewell, Dukes," Terwin said with a nod and a dismissive gesture toward the door, which Mediator led them to.
Once they had exited the hall and were well beyond earshot, Karthus clicked his tongue in frustration. "That wyrm Yarathea is plotting something, I just know it," Karthus spat with a balled fist at his side. "Calm yourself. She wouldn't have done that if she knew the others would have picked up on whatever she may be planning. Sister, what do you think?" Ryfon asked after giving her a sideways glance.
She sighed and shook her head. "I am not fond of speaking about others without them being present to defend themselves, but she is a master of Leech mana. If this Thoma is to stand a chance against him, it might be wise to risk having her as an ally rather than a potential enemy. It would also stand to reason that she may be seeking Mideia's demise as a way to assert herself as a Realmlord candidate, much like Essentia did all those years ago," she replied with a hushed tone.
"Do you think that his connection to the Wraith realm may not be sufficient for him to win in a one-on-one fight if it came to it?" Karthus asked with mild concern. "Provided his Wraithborn abilities are as good as you say they are, he may stand a chance through brute force, but there are subtleties to Leech mana that only someone like her would know," Mediator conceded, prompting Ryfon to sigh.
"I suppose we may have to incur the wrath of the Eyes once more once they find out he's been training here with Kanarin in my private dome," Karthus said tiredly, prompting a slight expression of surprise to show on Mediator's marble features. "He's here? But that would mean…" she trailed off, catching herself before whatever emotions she was suppressing took over.
"Yes, he's here. I won't go into how that came about, but if you would like to meet him, I think he would be elated to meet another member of my family," Ryfon said with a grin, causing the pale mana in her eyes to flutter slightly enough to let him know she, too, wanted to meet him.
"Come, let us see just how far he's progressed under Kanarin and Vauv's instruction," Karthus said with a wink.