CHAPTER 10: EXALTED
"Is the Pantheon going to execute me?" Siah wore a gloomy expression, his voice heavy with unease. Cael Ardour stood with his back turned, shoulders squared as though the question barely grazed him. "Our goals align to an extent."
Siah's brows knitted. "How?"
Cael Ardour still didn't turn. "She is good bait."
Siah let out a shallow breath, a faint sigh of relief escaping him. So I am not the only one trying to free mother, he thought, a spark of hope igniting in his chest.
An orange appeared in Cael Ardour's palm as if summoned from thin air. With slow, deliberate movements, he began peeling it, the soft rip of skin and fruit filling the quiet space. "The Red Bane was part of a very powerful organization with mysterious motives."
Siah's excitement flared, almost betraying his composure—until Cael Ardour's next words snuffed it out. "It is not what you are thinking."
He set the peeled orange gently on the table and moved toward the window, gazing into the distance as if the horizon itself might answer him. "The Red Bane held one of the highest positions in the organization that call themselves STALE. She was one of their four molds of Stale a leading position that allowed her to wield a sacred totem of the organization at status two Code black the Eidolon Pantheon and STALE are searching for it."
Siah's shoulders loosened slightly, tension easing. "How strong was my mother?"
Cael Ardour turned then, his stare sharp and unyielding. The weight of his gaze made Siah shudder involuntarily. "The Red Bane was a status three stillness. Now that I've answered your questions, it's my turn to ask."
Siah drew in a deep breath. "Will my answers help my chances of survival?"
Cael Ardour shook his head slowly. "Your fate is not in the hands of the Pantheon but in the hands of House Gullet and House Chagrin."
The blood drained from Siah's face. Cael Ardour's lips curled into a low chuckle. "Do you want to answer my question now or after their fight is concluded?"
Siah's mind spun. "After the fight."
Cael Ardour nodded, reclaiming his orange from the table. The world shifted around Siah. Clouds churned beneath his feet, and far below them stretched the endless, glimmering sea. His heart lurched.
Did I give him the wrong answer? Why are we so high? Is he planning to drop me? Wait—how am I even in the sky?
"The fight is nearing its end," Cael Ardour said calmly.
Siah's face turned ashen. He wants to hand me over to the winner.
Cael Ardour split the orange into neat segments and extended one toward Siah. He hesitated, then took it. "Where are we?" His voice carried a tremor.
"Above the Wise Men Sea."
Siah exhaled. Good… still in the Eastern Hemisphere. Yet the reassurance was hollow—he had no means of resisting whatever came next. His gaze followed Cael Ardour's, but the horizon showed nothing unusual.
"Where is the fight taking place?"
Cael Ardour's mouth curved into a faint smile. "Gaston Gullet's gambit has landed on Kael Chagrin, causing fatal damage."
The words sank into Siah like lead. If the patriarch of House Chagrin is killed… I'll suffer a fate worse than death.
His worry deepened into dread. "What is a gambit and why can't I see them?"
Cael Ardour chewed a slice of orange, deliberately slow, gnawing at Siah's patience. "The two are fighting in the Lower Astral plane. Anyone below status three will not be able to see them."
Siah gasped, unable to hide his reaction. They're as strong as my mother… I have no hope of surviving without the Eidolon Pantheon's help. Was this that bastard Theal's plan to tie me to them?
Cael Ardour extended his hand, palm open in silent demand. Without hesitation, Siah returned his orange slice.
"It seems you aren't in the mood to eat. If you somehow survive, I will expect payment for answering your Gambit question."
Siah only nodded, thoughts racing. How am I supposed to pay him back? I have nothing.
Another fresh orange appeared in Cael Ardour's hand. "A stillness has a trinity combat system, and a gambit is one of them."
Siah's brow furrowed. "What are the other two, and what do they do?"
"A stillness has an ability from his bestowment or blessing," Cael explained, peeling with unhurried precision. "That ability is stored in their consciousness. When that happens, the consciousness begins producing Hue to feed your stillness ability everyone's Hue has a special property that affects your ability making it unique."
He tore away another strip of peel, his gaze narrowing toward the horizon. "The resulting unique effects is your Gambit."
Cael Ardour squinted. "Kael's lightning is too bright."
Siah looked around at the empty blue sky. Nothing.
"An Etch Technique," Cael went on, "is a Technique you develop yourself, using your consciousness to manipulate how your Hue property affects your stillness ability the result you get from that is your Etch Technique unlike your Gambit the effects are within your control. Its better to rely on an Etch technique in a fight it might be weaker than a Gambit but a Gambit consumes twenty percent of your Hue, so it's not advised to use it multiple times in a fight its also unpredictable."
Siah nodded, listening carefully.
"The last part of the trinity combat system is the trump card of all high-status stillness—the complex plane."
He dropped the orange rinds carelessly to the wind, clasping his hands behind his back. "A complex plane can only be used by stillness who have broken the restraints of the physical plane: a status four of the ethereal plane, a status three of the lower Astral plane, and a status two of the higher Astral plane a complex plane is a house you built in those planes to house your consciousness away from your soul."
Siah's mouth fell open in shock, his eyes widening. "So… all high-status stillness consciousness aren't in their souls?"
Cael Ardour's gaze sharpened ignoring Siah's question. "The fight has been concluded. House Gullet's patriarch has retreated."
Siah froze, heart pounding. "What does that mean?"
Cael chuckled. "Ask the patriarch of House Chagrin. He is about to descend."
In the blink of an eye, the man appeared before them—tall, his light-blue hair cascading past his shoulders, sharp dark-blue eyes narrowing at Siah. Blood trickled from his mouth and ears, staining the torn high collar of his layered garments. His faint stubble framed a jaw that seemed carved from stone.
He gave Cael Ardour a curt nod before vanishing in a flash of lightning.
Cael turned back to Siah. "It seems like the fight is postponed. Are you still interested in answering my questions?"