Twenty-sixth day of Sapta’xhar, 4044 AOT

  Undisclosed Location

  Three people are sitting around a C-shaped table inside the conference room. In front is a large monitor with smaller monitors in both sides. Those only displays static while they are waiting for the meeting to begin. In one of the empty seats, a tablet and a speaker is set up.

  “So, how’s your wound, Yhor?” A lady in her late twenty’s asks. She has short black hair styled with bobby pins on the left side, emphasizing the crescent moon and inverted cross tattoo around the orbit of her left eye. She is wearing a semi-formal attire.

  Yhor’s hair color returned to brunette and his eyes are bluish gray. He touches the bandaged wound over his white polo. “The bullet has been removed and I am recovering fine. I didn’t expect them to have one made of trandium.”

  “I thought they were joking when they said you got injured.” She scoffs. “There’s no way they could have hurt you while your magic is activated… So, that’s how it is.”

  “You think too high of me, Diana.”

  The tablet suddenly lit up and then a man’s voice cracks.

  “Is it time already?” The tone is low and cold. The image it provided is dark and out of focus. His glasses shines as it reflects some light while he removes his lab coat revealing neat long sleeve polo. “I’m not late, am I?”

  “No, you still have a few minutes.” Yhor responds.

  “Ah- the three of you are already in the meeting room. No-. Just two. Malikk just sent a clone again this time.”

  The quiet man dressed in a black hooded cloak opens his eyes showing his sharp purple irises. “I can’t move a lot right now.”

  “Maybe I can help you with your condition if you would just allow me.”

  “Hawkweed, I’d rather have you focus on the task that was given to you instead of me. My condition does not need to be resolved.”

  “Sounds like you have already accepted your fast approaching death.”

  “You sound a lot like an ass right now, Hawk.” Diana interrupts.

  “Well, excuse my blunt personality.” Hawkweed replies without remorse. “Anyway, where’s Sylvan?”

  “He is not attending today’s meeting.” Yhor answers.

  “I see. He’s out taking a mission.”

  The screen suddenly buzzed. It turns on and shows a dim image of a man. He has long white hair and face covered in white beard and mustache. His skin is pale and wrinkled. He keeps his eyes partially closed as the screen becomes clearer. He looks drowsy while leisurely sitting on his throne.

  “Is everyone prepared for the end of mission report and evaluation?” The old man’s tone is deep and dense. Despite his weary look, his voice packs power within it.

  “Yes, Lord Zedus.” They all answered except Malikk.

  “I have just received the news of the successful prison break from Sylvan.” Lord Zedus states. “Our forces have been successful. We were able to break out our three valuable targets. Sylvan, fill them in with the details.”

  A smaller black screen with only their organization’s logo appears on the lower right side of Zedus’ screen. The logo looks like a tree with extensive roots and branches circling around it.

  “Operation New Moon has been a success.” A deep man’s voice rings. His tone is calm and polite. “Our targets namely, Warren, Odessa, and Gamble have been released from Lunaria International Prison. We also broke out every other prisoner on the way. Unfortunately, the head of K’sharm perished while we were being pursued by ICA’s Special Forces, the White Tiger Corp that was led by Magnus Rouge.”

  “Magnus, huh…” Diana recalls. “Heeeeeeeeeee~... That guy… What a pain in the ass. For him to personally step in… We must have pissed them off so bad this time.” She frowns and then laughs mockingly.

  “That Magnus is an unparalleled electromaster.” Sylvan continuous. “The moment he and his army stepped in, they managed to subdue over half of the running prisoners in less than five minutes. Some of these prisoners definitely died in the process while most have fainted or was left paralyzed. At the same time, we also lost dozens of our people. If there was another official in Magnus’ level, we wouldn’t have been able to make it.”

  “And we have to thank Yhor and Malikk’s successful operation for that.” Lord Zedus added as he cues them in to report.

  Yhor nods. “Operation Blood Moon is… mhm… I’d say semi-successful.”

  “That’s an interesting choice of words.” Hawkweed interrupts.

  “Indeed,” he smirks. “It is a large operation with several goals to fulfil. Some were met, some failed, and some seems to have earned an acceptable outcome. It isn’t entirely a failure but it certainly not a success either.”

  “First is we wanted to infiltrate AB Academy and terrorize the students there.” Malikk states. “Next, to locate and acquire the ancient artifact, Acheron. Third, to leave a spy and a gift. Fourth, weaken Sylphid Pandora. Fifth, lure the House of Kirihara to defend their precious academy. And sixth, introduce ourselves as a genuine threat to ICA. But then, we found out the unexpected presence of the Heaven’s Wing.” He sighs. “We needed to make some last-minute changes to our plans and assess the situation accordingly.”

  “Right, the main reason why my team was having such a hard time tracking her is because she’s in that damned academy.” Diana clicks her tongue. “I was seriously worried that I might be getting rusty.”

  “After testing the situation, we decided that it’s not the time yet. However, we did add a seventh objective, which is to determine and test her strengths and weaknesses.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “I suppose that’s the reason why you’re rushing me.” Hawkweed scoffs.

  “I’d say…” Yhor crosses his arms. “Numbers… three, four and five were achieved. The second objective is a complete failure. For the first one… let’s say, its half achieved. I don’t think we’ve completely terrorized them. The students seem to have acquired some combat experience instead. However, the faculty might be a bit anxious now. As for the sixth, we’ll know the result in what action ICA would take after this.”

  “And the Heaven’s Wing?” Hawkweed asks, his tone filled with obvious curiosity.

  “We have gathered the data. You should be able to access it soon after it’s been organized by our people.” Yhor answers casually.

  “And this takes us back to Operation New Moon.” Sylvan’s voice rings again. “Because the Kirihara and their Black Tortoise Corp needed to respond quickly to protect AB Academy, we were able to start our mission smoothly. We were able to sneak into the prison, but we know that we will not be able to leave without getting detected by the security. To solve this, we released as much prisoners as we can to create diversion. The security will be split to catch all escapees. However, that alone is still not enough to ensure our escape from the highest security prison in all of Nai Dunya.”

  Lunaria International Prison is the most secured prison that ICA has built after they have strengthened their foundation. It is a prison located somewhere in the middle of Zhi Ocean. The exact coordinates are never revealed to the public. The only way for someone to be able to get there is to become an official of ICA or be a convicted criminal sentenced of lifetime imprisonment. It is a place where the most dangerous criminals and people that are threats to the peace and order are to be imprisoned never to see the light of the sun again. Anyone who is sent in this prison are never meant to leave. Thus, it is also called “The Demesne of Everlasting Night.”

  “We have thanked our friends in K’sharm.” Lord Zedus says while wearing a faint smile. “Their contributions and sacrifice will be remembered, and we shall make sure that none of it will be in vain.”

  “What happened? Didn’t you take out their leader too?” Diana raises a brow.

  “We did.” Sylvan responds casually. “Unfortunately, the old man died while we were running away. When the White Tiger Corp arrived, Magnus prioritized capturing him. Since we came with the strongest fighters of K’sharm, they fought back violently. It seems that Magnus didn’t want to waste too much time on them and decided to execute them on the spot.”

  Hawkweed laughs coldly. “And with that, they have fulfilled their role.”

  He nods. “ICA definitely does not want to go through the same ordeal that they did with K’sharm all over again. They served as great diversion to give us enough time to prepare our way to escape. Your disciple, Lahir, proved his exceptional ability in this operation.”

  “I’m proud to be of great help.” Malikk replies. “He still has much to learn. Participating in that operation sure have helped him grow a little. Having actual experience is better than just reading a bunch of books.”

  “You are way too humble.” Lord Zedus praises him. “You both have greatly contributed to our success. How is your condition?”

  “There is nothing to worry about. Lahir is taking good care of my weary physical body.”

  “I hope you get better soon.” Diana turns to him.

  “Don’t hope. It’s such a sad word. I will pass everything I know to Lahir and make sure that he will become an S-tier Illusionist before I leave this world.”

  “If you’d only permit me.” Hawkweed lights a pipe and then smokes. “Give me your body… I am very interested.”

  “I shall give you all my blood. However this body will be left in Lahir’s care, he will bury it, and you shall allow him to grieve. That is our agreement.”

  “What a waste.”

  “You have my word, that agreement will not be broken. We owe you that much.” Lord Zedus reassures.

  Malikk nods while Hawkweed sighs before puffing a smoke.

  “If it weren’t for Sir Malikk’s disciple, Operation New Moon wouldn’t be successful.” Sylvan adds as he eases back into the report. “Lahir’s illusions were so flawless, he masked our presence and made the enemies believe that they have captured us. I do not know how long it took for the illusion’s effect to wear off, but it’s all the time we needed to escape safely. We have created several dummy tracks. We would have already returned to the headquarters before they could have figured out that all leads they followed are dead ends.”

  “How I wish I have talented people like yours.” Yhor says while looking at his phone.

  “Why? That new guy, Lyrus, and Asna are both very strong.” Diana scoffs.

  “Strong. Yes, but they are lacking in many other areas.” He sends a message before looking up the screen. “It seems that Asna will take more time recuperating this time. Opening that many portals for a long time takes a big toll on her body.”

  “I see.” Lord Zedus touches his long white beard. “She can take her time to rest. We won’t need her abilities in a while. What is your evaluation of Lyrus Yumeru?”

  “He is very fitting. Train him well and give him adequate amount of experience and he is bound to become a skilled officer in the future. He can command his own squad that specializes in destructive battles.”

  “I’ll leave him in your hands. Do as you see fit.”

  “I shall hone him to the best of my ability.”

  “Diana,” Lord Zedus calls turning his sight towards the woman. “Your role in gathering the monsters and demons at the right coordinates and time were very precise. You’ve work hard. Use this next week for you and your squad to rest. You will receive your next mission afterwards.”

  “Understood.” Diana’s tone becomes firm.

  “Hawkweed.” He calls again.

  “Yes, my lord.” Hawkweed responds readily, setting his pipe down.

  “Any progress?”

  “We are done with the initial design. We are currently building the first prototype. After that there will be a lot of testing, adjusting and fixing. We need to figure out what are the right materials to use. So far, the process is smooth.”

  “How long will it take you to complete it?” Yhor turns to the tablet.

  The screen displays the glint from Hawkweed’s glasses. “Hmm… If I put my all into it, everything can be completed within half a year. However, you know I have other research too.”

  “We are not in a hurry this time.” Lord Zedus proclaims. “We will not make any big movements for the time being. We will focus on smaller operations in order to prepare to strike again. Next time, we will not hold back.”

  “I see... Then give me a year.” He grins. “I will complete that restraint, and I shall also present you results of my personal project, the Dark Sphere.”

  He briefly smiles. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Does that mean, we are going to leave the Heaven’s Wing alone?” Diana asks.

  Yhor leans back. “Why? Do you think you can mess around that academy after this?”

  “Well… Weren’t we supposed to convince her to take our side?”

  “It might already be too late for that.”

  “What did you do?”

  “…”

  “The way I see it… It seemed that she has fitted herself among the people of ICA.” Malikk’s image blurred for a second. “She is already under their protection and she has accepted that. She is no longer in a position that we can negotiate with. And with her kind of personality, using threats won’t be very effective either.”

  “It’s not that she won’t listen, it’s just that we’ve already lost the chance to make her.” Yhor adds.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Lord Zedus states then a brief silence follows. His eyes look weary but at the same time they are sharp. “She will have to return to her roots. For now… Observe ICA’s activities… we will move in response to theirs. Meeting adjourned.”

  The communication cuts off and then the screen turns black.

  Malikk nods. “People make decisions based on what they want to protect the most.”

  Hawkweed laughs. “I’ll leave those trivial things to you. I’m a busy person.” Then he cuts off the call.

  “What trivial things?” Diana grumbles and then sighs. “I’ll go ahead and brief my subordinates. Get well soon, you two.” She makes her way out.

  “Sure.” Yhor answers with a smile. “Out of everyone in this meeting, you’re the only one who is not truly part of Sentinel. I have high respect for you, Sir Malikk. However, from what I’ve observed… you harbor different belief from our goal.”

  Malikk’s image starts to become slightly see through. “My time is up as well.” He says while his body dissipates like smoke in the air. “Mhm… I don’t care about your goal. ‘True equality,’ is it? I made a deal with your boss. I want to protect something. I want to see it through before I’m gone.” After relaying those words, he completely disappeared.

  “Lord Zedus allows it…” He says softly as he makes his way to the door. “It may be no cause for concern… but I should look into it more, just in case.”