All those who had survived the incident were here – except for Ill of course.
It was Cathina and her brother Ujinski – the reasons behind all of it. The Knight and its army – the perpetrators of the destruction. Guilos – the lead Researcher, the one who had been left in charge of it all, only strategically left alive. The extras being – the forest folk – ranging from those who were just fine and to those having lost their sight completely. The extras also included the subject who were just like the brother – barely alive corpses.
And of course, the strange addition to the Knights entourage – former researcher Yellow, also formerly one of the Knights Vermin – now to be known as General Kitrino.
The Knight had just arrived after teleporting here – the army teleported to a lower branch. The Knight found Cathina lifeless and cold – emanating a chilling mist and cold breeze – her brother standing there doing nothing, his hand frozen onto hers, as she hadn't let go. His hand was purple, so frozen it could break off at any moment.
Guilos had this lost in thought expression as Yellow – Kitrino put her down. The others were like statues. The forest folk were different. Each minded their business, sitting in a circle, placing those who were blind in the centre, to prevent them from wondering off.
They had all been here for a couple of hours now. The sudden arrivals didn't even distract them from their train of thought… that is until…
"So, who are they?"
"Why don't you go ask them yourself?"
She went around observing and bothering everyone else. Leaving the Knight to speak with Cathina.
"So, what is it you want to do now?"
She had had enough time to think over her situation, so she answered after a few short seconds. "I think I'll just lead you to that friend of mine that I mentioned and ask them to help with your search. After that I think I'll find a quite place to hide from the organisation until my brother's body passes."
The Knight then looked at Ujinski. He had little to no desires within him. So, the Knight had an easy time permanently engraving it with a set of desires that would make it easier for Cathina to go around with him. The knight then looked at the ordered mess of wills within him then turned and walked to Guilos.
"How did you do this?"
Her desire to speak returned, and she spoke calmly at that.
"He arrived like that from HQ. we only changed some of the arrangements, making minor changes, tweaking them, trying to guide the soul further that it could go."
"So, do you know how he ended up like this."
"I understand just a little – the boss, only sent me a limited manuscript of his work."
The Knight then turned around and headed for the group of forest folk. It will have to question her more later. It walked through them and inspected them and only stopped at one. A curios one – Princess Forg. It had found her here as well but mostly avoided contact – It had heard she had gone missing, but it never thought she'd be here of all places.
"You, you're that sleeping knight."
She said as she finally recognised the Knight. She had failed to do this in the dark of night and constant turmoil of the raid. Even her subjects didn't recognise her – she looked different, just like them her hair had been cut, just some growing back.
The Knight identifies through souls, so it had not missed her. The forest folk should have as well – being able to see souls, but the constant torture to their eyes, made it slightly hard to pick her out. Even those who could still mostly see like her had some trouble.
"How did you end up here?"
"Oh, that! It was shortly after you left. I heard some trouble about a group having been seen doing suspicious activity. The reports seemed to indicate that they were the same people responsible for the regular disappearance of native residents every year – the forest folk abductions. So, I took just two guards – due to the state of security of this place – and headed for the site before they escaped."
She sighed.
"Only to find that the group had actually been larger than reported. The guards took down quite a lot of them, but once a second party interfered, we were overwhelmed. They were killed in battle – my adversary however was the second party, and they seem to have spared me, and instead took me along.
I later heard them whisper about how they were going to use my eyes – but I couldn't make sense of the rest as they began speaking a tongue I didn't even recognise. Then I heard an explosion, then all hell broke loose. I watched people willingly walk into a monster, with these gratified grins on their faces, some dying horribly, others vanishing. It was like all hell broke loose.
The strangest part of all is that they were avoiding us – and I knew my mother had no such power over monster – so that left me even more shaken. Then we came into a tunnel and stopped and eventually teleported here by you and your friends. I should have expected as much from a knight Bachelor.
But why? I thought you guys didn't intervene in such matters?"
The Knight then pointed to Cathina – "It was a favour to that one."
'Being owed a favour by a Knight! She must be something special.'
She then lowered her gaze and stared at the space between the Knights legs. This also prompted the Knight to look as well. And right there sat Kitrino – sitting and listening to the story like a child at bedtime. Her head resting on the Knights greaves (bottom leg armour).
"What? Everyone else here is boring."
This made the princess smile, just a little. She had not been freaked out by her soul – since she had been instinctually using [Arbitrary Concealment].
"Who is this?" She said as she realised the girls' clothes looked like those of the researchers, but the one before her was nothing but a child.
She wasn't far off – the lack of mental stimulation from the Vermin's side has consumed most of her senses and thus resulting in a permanent childlike state of mind. Even with her high knowledge stats and stature, her mind couldn't help but act like a restless child.
"She's … my… spy."
"A rather young one."
The Knight had not come with its army here; it had sent them elsewhere. It should have sent her as well, but it still wanted to study her and make sure to find a reliable way to keep her out of trouble, as she possesses impulses, something the others in the vile army didn't.
'Maybe that's why whisper Identified her as a General earlier – that should be interesting – I could get more use out of her yet.'
Then the Knight picked her up and dragged her elsewhere, it was going to deal with her now while it still had the chance and before she creates any more trouble. As she was hanging by her clothes on the Knights fingers, the whisper spoke.
Offspring not complete!
Will is now vacant!
[Infuse with Will of Wisdom]?
'Thank you, Whisper, unlike some bothersome newcomer, you know to wait till the right time to act. I bet you've been waiting for quite a while.'
I have been made with convenience in mind.
'Mugaw has been silent for quite a while.'
"Just observing, really nothing for me to talk about Boss."
'Anyway – Infuse her with the will of wisdom.'
Infusion has begun…
.
.
.
Will of wisdom has been successfully infused. Syncing of power to knowledge status has also been completed.
Something small but subtle changed – she felt more complete as a being, just as it had become in the darkness that one fateful time.
She then began jumping around – "woah – this is so cool."
She then punched the branch they were on she barely left a scratch – but earlier when she tried this, she hurt her hand. Then her and the Knight heard something.
Requirements for power [Form of Touch] is now available.
"I can use it now? What did you do to me?"
"Enjoy it. From now onwards – it will take way more from you to grow stronger." – Remembering how it could not raise a single level with all the training in the world. It would rather not think about how it would have suffered if the humans didn't roam into the dungeon.
"What do you mean by that?"
The Knight had just realised something strange – how Kitrino had come to be was similar to how it had been made. Sure, it had taken longer and an even higher amount of effort had been put into it that her, and more beings than two had been involved. Since this labelled her as its [Offspring], would that make it the offspring of the being of the Void? Then it realised something.
'All those of the void are. But aren't they spawn?'
It then moved on to noting that in the woods of Elleria, it had attempted something the Beginning and End did – the nothingness, and what the one of the Void does – by creating Kitrino. Even if this achievement was assisted by the whisper of darkness. Just as it was thinking over all of this, the luggage it had been dragging spoke again.
"Why do you have so many believers and spawn?"
"Uncontrolled use of power – but I refuse to simply not do as I please. Wait? You can see my stats?" – it answered her, as now it was stuck with it – and what's one more companion.
"I can… why?"
'This means I can see hers as well.'