"Hehehehe..." Sai chuckled lightly.
Sai knew that the fact Aizen wasn't able to decipher his thoughts simply implied that they were not fully in sync yet; there were still synchronization adjustments to be made.
"Trust me, man, you'll see what's coming eventually. But one thing's for sure—I ain't dying anytime soon," Sai said, folding his arms as a smug grin crept across his face. "In seven days, I'll be at that hearing, and I'm pretty sure things are gonna get real interesting from here on out."
. . .
Back in the distant dark cathedral, illuminated only by flickering flames from handheld torches mounted on the brick walls, the Hooded Death Stalkers gathered once more around the Spiral Spectrum, now imbued with symbols and etched with glowing mana.
This time, however, there was a difference.
Varn was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Lord Varn?" one of them spoke up.
He possessed an average build, his head bent so low that only strands of his short yellow hair were visible.
"Lord Varn's not here yet?" a short, black-haired young man asked as he flicked back his hood, exposing almond-black hair that stopped at his neck.
His face possessed delicate feminine features that could easily be mistaken for those of the opposite sex, but his deep bass voice erased any doubts.
The reflections of the hovering spectrum danced across his dark-purple eyes.
"I'm leaving," he uttered.
His tone was low and subtle as he turned to exit.
"Wait, Nagumo!"
A huge hooded figure called out.
The upper half of his face remained concealed beneath his hood, leaving only his caramel-colored lips visible.
"It was Wraith who called this meeting. We won't be seeing Lord Varn today."
His bass voice reverberated throughout the cathedral like a drumbeat, even deeper than Nagumo's.
Upon hearing Wraith's name, both Nagumo and Von scoffed simultaneously, openly displaying their lack of respect for him.
Nagumo let out a deep sigh.
"I suppose I could spare a bit of my time."
His expression remained completely emotionless.
"Thank you, Nagumo," the large hooded man replied.
"You may take the stage, Wraith."
He gestured toward the man standing opposite him directly before the glowing spectrum.
A slight smirk instantly appeared on Wraith's face.
His aura felt different today, radiating a powerful sense of confidence—one calm and collected.
"Thank you, Slade. First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the sudden meeting, which has coincidentally interrupted some of your brooding time. However, I'll do my best to keep this brief."
"So why did you call us here exactly?" asked the hooded blond figure.
"Well, as you know, our recent plan to either manipulate or forcibly abduct Sai failed miserably."
Von scowled.
"And thanks to my failure, the kingdom now knows about our interest in Sai and has therefore arranged a trial for his execution in order to prevent us from acquiring that boy."
"Then... shouldn't we go rescue him or... something?"
A gray-haired young man spoke lazily.
His tone was sluggish as he scratched his head with his index finger. His hood rested halfway across his head as though it were a cozy blanket.
His lazy eyes displayed a mixture of boredom and nonchalance, as though he had been forced to attend.
The glowing symbols reflected across his face as he stared blankly at the spectrum with mild interest.
"That will be unnecessary," Wraith said casually.
His smug smile remained as blatant as ever.
"Hmm?"
"Why so?" Slade asked.
"Because Sai will not be executed."
Wraith's voice carried complete certainty, as though his mindset and Sai's were perfectly synchronized.
"...?!"
"How the hell could you say that?" Rudo exploded.
"If that brat dies, our plan is utterly screwed! Do you even have the foggiest idea what could happen to us if the Magical Bureau discovers our existence and sends the five Guild Masters after us?!"
"Trust me, Rudo. Sai will not be executed that day."
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!"
Rudo's lips trembled with frustration.
"Sai isn't the only outcast to have been tried. Many before him have gone through this rigorous process. You know how discriminatory the Bureau is! No outcast—and I mean no one—has ever escaped a death sentence before!"
Rudo clenched his fists tightly.
"The trial itself is basically an execution already!"
Rudo's right.
The trial is considered a death sentence already. They do not pardon outcasts or curse users for any reason whatsoever.
So this so-called trial is merely a formality.
A sure-fire gateway to an outcast's death.
At most, the trial could be postponed.
Sai's fate, however... is inevitable.
Nagumo thought silently, his eyelids narrowing slightly upon reaching that final word.
"Inevitable."
"It is true that Sai is an outcast, and under normal circumstances he would be executed. However..."
Wraith paused.
"The Bureau needs Sai Takka just as much as we do."
"They just haven't realized it yet."
"Hmmm..." Nagumo exhaled softly.
"What do you mean, Wraith?" Slade asked calmly.
"It is true that Sai is the key to releasing the Demon King from the Underworld—"
"Yes! And that's exactly why we need to capture him before the trial!" Rudo interrupted sharply.
"RUDO!"
Slade's voice boomed through the cathedral.
His aura radiated the presence of a leader among men.
"Please let Wraith finish. Despite his weakness, he is undeniably the most intelligent among our ranks. I trust he has his reasons."
Slade's gaze sharpened.
"So stop acting like a spoiled child and listen."
"Thank you, Slade."
Wraith nodded.
"As I was saying, while Sai is the key to the success of our scheme, he is also the perfect tool that could be used to thwart it."
"...?!"
"Please explain," Slade urged.
"Look at it this way."
Wraith folded his arms.
"If Sai is executed, yes, it would permanently interfere with our plans. However, they don't know that."
"Only we do."
"If there's even a single competent strategist among them, they'd assume we could simply discover another method eventually."
His smirk widened.
"Think about it."
"If they kill Sai, the Death Stalkers still exist."
"We can always find other methods."
"Create other plans."
"But if they use Sai instead, they can easily devise a strategy to thwart us, seeing as he's currently our most immediate option."
"Whether as bait or through recruitment, they could use him to lure us into the open."
"That would make it harder for us to capture him and easier for them to apprehend our members."
Wraith closed his eyes briefly and sighed.
"Regardless, it is still a gamble."
"The possibility of Sai being executed does exist."
"But that possibility is extremely low."
"So how sure are we that someone will think of that?" Rudo asked.
"Trust me, Rudo."
Wraith's confidence never wavered.
"Regardless of the Bureau's hatred toward muggles like Sai, someone with a functioning brain will recognize his value in this conflict against us."
"Besides..."
A knowing smile appeared on his face.
"Sai undoubtedly has allies."
"I highly doubt they'll allow him to die so easily."
- - -
A pin-drop silence followed Wraith's words as a cold breeze swept through the cathedral.
A slight smile appeared on Slade's lips.
"You've truly outdone yourself this time, Wraith."
"I expect nothing less from a genius of your caliber."
"I trust your intuition."
"So..."
"What's the next plan?"
"Hehehehe..."
Wraith chuckled lightly.
His eyes remained fixed on the glowing symbols within the Spiral Spectrum.
"Here's our next move."
His gaze slowly shifted back toward Slade.