Sayorin said:
"What should we do?
Should we apologize?"
"But we informed the guild of her loss... Anyway, are you sure it's her?"
"Yes, it's her; nothing different about her except she's become taller.
Who else would incarnate in the form of an ordinary person but her?"
"Annn... I suggest we confirm."
"Well said."
Helena was stuffed from the heavy food and collapsed on the table, so Jaspen said:
"Come on, let's move a bit so the food can settle."
"I can't believe dream food is actually filling."
"Yes, it is, but it's fake fullness; your sleeping body on the bed right now is still hungry. What connects you to your body is only the awakening cord, and it's like any ordinary cord it doesn't transmit neural signals or sensations. Your body could be getting beaten right now, but you wouldn't feel it."
"What? Getting beaten!"
"Calm down; that's just an example. Come on, let's go; there's still something we need to do."
Jaspen paid for the food, and they headed to a market to buy some items for their adventure, while Rory and Sayorin followed behind them.
Helena stood confused about which weapon to buy from those strange weapons: whether a wooden rifle that fires different types of attacks based on the magic scroll attached to it,
or
a sword whose blade heats up with sharp angles,
or between
swords with explosive blades,
and
pistols that shoot seeds that grow instantly upon penetrating the target...
Helena stood bewildered; each weapon was better than the last.
"Jaspen, help me."
"Buy this sword."
"What?!! It's an ordinary sword with no special attack."
"I started with these simple things... As for the explosive swords or those that fly in the air and fight for you, they're dangerous for a beginner like you."
Helena replied in a voice tinged with disappointment:
"Fine."
Meanwhile, both Sayorin and Rory stood next to them, but it seemed Helena didn't recognize them, until Jaspen spoke, saying:
"Why are you two following us?"
Rory said:
"We just thought the girl with you is someone we know."
"Your auras seem familiar."
"Ammm.."
"It seems we're not the only ones mistaking people's identities."
Jaspen said:
"Then... Do you want to team up?
I've discovered a tough environment fifty thousand kilometers north."
"That's way too far... By the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Jaspen, and this is Margot..."
Helena looked surprised but tried to hide it.
".... And what are your names?"
"I'm Rory, and this is Sayorin. You look strong to reach all that distance."
"No, I rarely come to the kingdom of FableKeeper; I'm from the kingdom of DreamEater in the north. We won't transfer directly but through several servers until we arrive."
"Hmm, fine; we've been looking for something to do anyway."
Jaspen formed a phone with a touchscreen, waited for the other side to answer, and said through it:
"Rudy, I've found them; come on, pull us in."
Suddenly and without warning, everyone was enveloped in solid bubbles. Rory sensed danger and tried instant transfer, but his technique didn't respond. Then suddenly
"tit.. tit"
The sound of the Ontometer device that measures the level of reality changed, registering the reading 345j 321k.
"Damn."
The bubbles exploded, transferring them outside the spacetime of that reality to the midst of a council a massive council with a floor gradating between black and white ground tiles on the right and left. The bleachers of the seemingly innocent journey were actually to lure these two intruders, who were caught by massive-built guards. Jaspen said:
"Rule 6 from the dreamers' guide: 'Don't trust strangers'...
It seems you two came to me and saved me the trouble of searching for you."
Sayorin said fearfully:
"Helena, is that you?
Don't you remember me?"
Helena didn't know how to respond, but she felt something that made her speak firmly:
"I don't remember who you are, but I feel the body's owner's hatred for you two."
Both were dragged and bound to the ground with shackles preventing them from changing shape, and their mouths were sealed. Then that Archon with the flayed face who had startled Helena earlier began the trial with his terrifying encrypted voice:
"The wheel of time has turned, and the criminals have returned to the crime scene..."
Helena whispered to Jaspen, saying:
"What did they do?"
"Shhh... They stormed the council and killed some members. Put this earpiece in your ear and follow the orders."
Helena put on the earpiece and heard a voice that instilled some relief in her amid the accelerating events:
"Hello, Helena; I'm Rudy. I'll guide you through the stages of joining the Earthlings' council. Relax until your turn."
"... These backward ones who destroyed planet Earth have returned again and killed five of our brotherhood's members. We are the minority in the world; the majority targets us and bullies us.."
Rory tried to defend himself and say that everything that happened was a misunderstanding, but to no avail.
"... But justice will take its course today. We have a new member who will join the brotherhood..."
Helena changed her clothes to black ones full of straps and walked under Rudy's orders to the spot between Rory and Sayorin, placed her new sword on the ground, bent down placing her hand on her knee, and looked down as the judge continued:
"... What we have established is that our rituals for joining require the utmost token of loyalty, which is sacrificing a living person as proof that nothing stops the newcomer
No conscience
No humanity
No mind
No search for reason
All meaningless in the face of orders coming to him from the higher ranks..."
A person approached Helena carrying a tray with a small hammer and an ice pick in the shape of the letter T and black surgical gloves. She stood from her place, put on the gloves, and returned to her position holding the hammer and ice pick.
"... Now say the oath..."
"By the orders of the leaders of Paleroma, I am guided
From them my support and upon them I rely
My lords, spare me the error and guide me to the correct boredom."
"... Offer your sacrifice..."
The floor binding Rory and Sayorin rose to a level where Helena could work, and they were injected with a drug causing paralysis.
Her hands trembled when she realized what she had to do. She started with Rory, and Rudy said to her:
"Think of a person and feed the surgical pick with your request; perhaps it's their soul that gets summoned.
Right turn six degrees, left six degrees, up six degrees
...
You've missed."
Helena saw the blood rising gradually from Rory's eye. Helena felt panic; it was the end. She thought about what to do now.
"No problem; many fail the first time... Take the other operation pick and do the same stages in the other eye..."
She did, following the stages until the middle of the handle lit up.
"You've succeeded, but usually if you summon one of their souls, they'll suffer some disability. The important thing is to move to the other girl."
Helena had learned the method and returned to the spot between them to complete the oath.
"... With this sacrifice, I ask for your approval
Do not reject me and accept me as one of your servants
And if you see betrayal and hypocrisy from me
Take my soul and consider that atonement for the error."
Silence fell in anticipation of the decision. Rudy reassured her:
"Don't worry; Sophia will convince the other Aeons."
The judge spoke:
".. The decision of the Paliroma council
'After it has been proven the loyalty of Jaspin Demonophila and her ability to perform an operation in utmost secrecy and professionalism, it is decided to raise her from degree 40 to 51
And it has also been decided by the majority of Aeons that Helena Freadgam complete her sacrifice by annihilating the body of her first victim and completing the rituals of the second.'"
Rudy said:
"Jaspen said use the sword she bought for you and cut off his head with one strike."
She picked up the sword from the ground and brought it down on Rory's throat. His head separated, and his body began to disappear gradually. Rudy said while eating something:
"The disappearance of the body means the person's actual death; you've destroyed him on the soul level."
She turned to Sayorin, climbed over her body, grabbed the two handles, saying in her mind:
She turned the two handles 90 degrees in opposite directions toward the inside. Sayorin's body began to disappear, announcing her death. The judge said:
"..Welcome to the new member."