A full day had passed since his small training session with Morgan.
Honestly, the fight had been quite fun... limited to hand-to-hand combat, that is. If it had been a sword fight, well, one of them would have ended up dead. And Shade had no plans to die anytime soon, not to mention he had always been hard to kill.
Currently, he had about three days before leaving with the Song clan to another siege city near the ports, to secure the evacuation routes of Antarctica. After that, he would have free time to spend as he pleased.
That's right... I need to give Iroh the corpse of the Sun Prince from the Chained Isles, Shade thought as he walked calmly through the streets of the fortress city, ignoring the furtive glances passersby threw his way. Some were respectful, others wary, a few were genuinely fearful. He received them all with the same polite indifference.
Shade moved unhurriedly until a familiar scent stopped his thoughts.
Blood.
It wasn't a fresh wound or the smell of a slaughterhouse. It was something more subtle, more ancient. Following the trail, he noticed the scent came from ahead. Advancing a few meters, he observed a figure he hadn't seen in a long time: gray skin, black hair of subtle beauty, dressed in a blood-red suit. Without a doubt, it was Seishan.
She noticed him immediately, so Shade approached unhurriedly, stopping a few meters away with a slightly amused smile.
"Well, well. Lady Seishan, it's been years since we last saw each other."
"Master Uriel," Seishan greeted, with that calm voice that always seemed to measure more than it said.
"Oh, come on, not you too. We're old comrades. You can call me Uriel."
"I see the ascension has treated you quite well."
"The same to you." Shade nodded, then looked around, gauging the flow of people. "Do you have some free time?"
"Yes."
"Good. Would you like to join me for something hot to drink? There's a nice, quiet restaurant, free from all those prying eyes."
Seishan let out a soft laugh, a sound as sharp as it was elegant.
"Of course. Though, would you mind if I invite someone else?"
"Not at all. There's a saying: the more, the merrier," Shade said with a shrug.
Uriel waited in silence alongside Seishan, leaning against a stone wall, watching the comings and goings of people. Until a woman of dazzling beauty arrived, with regal bearing and a serenity that seemed to bend the air around her. She was Beast Master, one of Ki Song's eldest daughters, as well as a consummate Transcendent.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Uriel. Or do you prefer 'Lord of Darkness'?" said Beast Master with a calm voice, though her eyes gleamed with sharp interest.
"Uriel is fine, Saint Beast Master."
"I must say, you are impressive. I hope to be half as cool as you when I become a Saint."
"Oh, I would say you are quite cool. All your deeds... you're changing the world."
"Oh, please," she replied with a measured smile, "I only do it for the good of humanity. And also for the money. You know, you never have enough money in life."
Seishan observed with a calm yet analytical gaze the casual exchange between Beast Master and Uriel. Two predators sizing each other up with compliments.
"Well," said Uriel, turning on his heels, "let me guide you, then. It'll take us a few minutes to get there."
He led the Saint and the master through cobbled streets, navigating markets and plazas, until they arrived at an elegant restaurant with a discreet facade. There, Uriel received a complimentary VIP area: private, with a good view, and quiet enough that the walls had no ears.
After going upstairs, the waiter brought red wines and the menu. Shade ordered medium-cooked meat. Both Beast Master and Seishan decided only to drink.
"By the way, Master Seishan," Shade asked with genuine curiosity, "how are your castle's maidens?"
"They are quite well. They will soon begin to challenge their Second Nightmare," Seishan said without revealing much, though a slight tension in her fingers betrayed that the topic was no small matter.
"Master Uriel, tell me something," Beast Master interrupted, resting her elbows on the table. "Does the name Shadow Garden ring a bell?"
"Hm." Shade made a thoughtful face, twirling his red wine glass between his fingers. The liquid reflected the light like diluted blood. "Yes. It's a mysterious group that wanders the Dream Realm, saving Awakened from nasty trouble. Or so I've heard."
He looked directly at Seishan.
"Do you think I have some connection to them?"
Seishan neither confirmed nor denied it. Her silence was more eloquent than any words.
"Well then," Shade said with a shrug, "the answer is yes."
"You admit it quite easily," Seishan commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Please, Seishan. We've known each other a bit since the Forgotten Shore. You're intelligent, so you deduced that Shadow Garden was connected to me. Though..." he paused, letting the silence stretch a second too long, "it's a bit amusing to pretend this kind of trivial chat to extract information with mind games and all that."
"True," admitted Seishan, taking a sip of wine. "You're more the direct type. Like your plans on the Forgotten Shore."
"Yes. But in the end, it worked, didn't it?"
"At a great cost."
"Only four hundred Sleepers died. And eighty-five percent of them were Gunlaug's hunters. Likewise, the rest managed to get out of that forgotten area." Shade cut a piece of meat with surgical precision. "And speaking of forgotten areas... I suppose the reason you had me recruited was because of my knowledge of the unexplored zones I found."
"Yes," confirmed Seishan. "Though that's only a small part."
It was then that Beast Master spoke, her voice no longer pretending to be casual.
"We'll get straight to the point. We want you to join us as a member of the Song clan. Not as a vassal, but as an adopted son of Song. You would receive the title of Prince of Song and all the benefits that come with it."
Shade set down his fork. For an instant, his face was a blank canvas.
"I must say, that offer is tempting. Being backed by a great clan, with access to power and knowledge... But what do you want me to do?"
"You're a clever person, Uriel. It wouldn't be surprising if you knew that a war is coming. A war that, one way or another, you will have to participate in on one side. You are an invaluable resource. If you join us, you would tip the scales."
"I know that." Shade sighed, playing with his glass. "War. It's always war. Though that's inevitable given human nature."
"So," insisted Seishan, "what is your decision? Will you join the Song clan or the Valor clan?"
He looked her in the eyes. Then at Beast Master. And smiled.
"I will join you. The Song clan. However..." he raised a finger, "I will do so when the Antarctic campaign is over."
"Agreed," nodded Seishan. "Then, welcome to the Song clan, Uriel."
"Is there a ritual? Do I have to drink the blood of some Fallen Titan or something?"
"No. You only need to consume a single drop of blood. We'll give you the details later."
At that moment, the waiter returned with Shade's food. He began to eat slowly, and then, from his dark storage, he pulled out two pieces of raw but gleaming meat.
"It's meat from a great eel-type monster. A courtesy from me."
"When did you kill a great monster?" asked Beast Master with genuine interest.
"I did it in Falcon Scott, after dealing with a troublesome thing." That was all he said.
Beast Master and Seishan began to eat the fish meat. Despite being raw, it had a delicious flavor and a texture that melted on the tongue.
After finishing, Shade paid for everything and resumed his walk.
Now it was official: once the campaign ended, he would join the Song clan. And with that would begin the division of humanity: those who would support Ki Song and those who would support Anvil.
Since both Shade and Nephis were the most promising — the rising heroes of humanity — the domain of both Sovereigns would grow. Meanwhile, he would silently execute his own personal plans.
Shade ventured into the darkest places of the fortress city, where the shadows were so dense they seemed to breathe. He stopped completely. Closed his eyes. And then said something he never heard, but felt he needed to say.
He didn't know if they were words or a thought. He didn't know if they were meant for someone or no one.
Then, he continued moving through the darkness.