Aurelie rushed back to the primary tower of the red faction. Her goal was not the official headquarters of their faction, that one was mostly there just as a symbol. Instead, it was the place where all their covert actions and secret training grounds were coordinated from. It was the hub where most of their activities were decided, controlled, and planned. The public knew the place as the tower of a particularly sociable, if a little old, member of the red faction. It was not odd for her to have visitors, though even she couldn’t mask the goings of so many people and agents without extra measures. That’s why many members of the red faction had other ways of getting there.

Aurelie often used a teleportation array located in the side room of a particular restaurant known for its affordable but relatively high-quality cuisine. Her gluttonous nature was well known by anyone that paid attention to her, so it would not seem strange for her to visit this restaurant. Still, it would be suspicious if she frequented the restaurant too often. As a result, she had similar coded arrays in other establishments around the city. She was also aware that other factions used some of those same locations for very similar purposes. The members of the red faction weren’t the only ones to respect their privacy.

As soon as she passed through the array, she was met by one of the extremely competent assistants that kept things running in the absence of their bosses. “Lord Aurelie. We have managed to establish contact with the specified operative. Here is his dossier.” The woman handed her a folder with all the gathered information on the individual known as Hassan-i-Sabbah.

Aurelie was familiar with much of the information as she had been briefed on the man before, but their operatives had managed to add more detail and confirm several things that had been mere assumptions before. The man’s list of old aliases was as long as her arm, and the list of skills and areas of expertise the man possessed was many times longer. Even she had to silently admit to being impressed. ‘Genetic engineering, Authority manipulation, grandmaster level expertise in body modification, similar level of expertise in military training and intelligence gathering, what the hell? Who is this guy?’

She didn’t show any of her thoughts on the outside of course. The odds were the man had been someone important in the past despite their faction leader’s words, but there was no need to advertise her guess just yet. “Have we managed to make contact with the leader? He wanted to be patched in as soon as we managed to contact the operative.”

“We reached master Fawwaz just an hour ago and he has just finished a battle with the dragons. Apparently there was some sort of internal struggle between the dragons which allowed him to ignore the presence of the Black Dragon Aspect and he managed to push the Dragonflight’s forces from the world he was protecting. It is advised to keep the conversation brief.” The assistant showed her professionalism by providing added details that would allow the meeting to go well. Little details like knowing that Fawwaz was likely tired would not give her a huge advantage, but every bit helped. Assuming they had a correct read on the other participants of course, and they usually did.

“What about the operative?” Aurelie asked as they approached the specially constructed communications array.

“Attending the meeting willingly. He displayed no outward hostility towards those that we sent to make contact, but he showed no deference either. It is assumed that while he carries a certain amount of good will towards the Assembly, he does not consider himself subordinate anymore. His behavior has implied that while he is posing no danger at this moment, that may change if the situation turns hostile.” The woman’s report was abstracted to the conclusions and included none of the true reasoning, but it was enough for now.

“That is within the assumed parameters for this negotiation. Not optimal, but tolerable.” Aurelie stated as she reached the magical array. “No observation of this meeting due to the unknown factors. You are dismissed.” The assistants were often allowed to be present during these kinds of meetings so that they may react accordingly to emerging situations, but Aurelie decided against that this time. There was no way of knowing what kind of information might surface during the discussion, and while she had a degree of confidence with the loyalty of the assistant, she was not about to take chances for the sake of convenience.

The magical array showed that all three parties were present and ready, and when the signal was given, the array brought their minds together in an illusionary room where they could all observe and communicate with each other freely. Dee would’ve recognized the room from the communication device Hassan-i-Sabbah had given her so many years ago, although there were some differences. The three participants silently observed each other for a few breaths of time, before Aurelie moved forward to make introductions.

Before she had the opportunity to do so though, the red faction’s leader waved her back. “There is no need for introductions Aurelie. Hassan and I are old acquaintances.”

The shadowy figure that had assumed the form of a young elven female, something the two others knew to be a deliberate illusion, gave a small but strained smile. “That is…one way of describing things. Aurelie was it? Now why does that sound familiar. Aurelie…Aurelie…ah! Another one of the chimeras created by the hells.” Hassan’s tone made it clear that his moment of recollection was entirely faked. He knew exactly who she was. The question was how?

“As usual, you’re well informed.” Fawwaz stated, not bothering to hide anything or even ask questions.

“Of course. Knowing such things is only obvious considering the most likely reason you’re trying to contact me is because you made contact with her.” Hassan’s emphasis on the last word was not missed by either of the two red lords.

“So, you even know one of the reasons why we are contacting you.” Fawwaz stated with a sigh. He had been afraid of this. This would make things both easier and infinitely harder. They didn’t need to do the dance where he and Aurelie tried to ask questions without actually asking questions and or tried to probe for information without revealing anything. At the same time, he knew they were dancing on Hassan’s palm the whole time.

“What’s your connection with Lord Haydee?” Aurelie asked curiously. Unlike Fawwaz, she didn’t truly know this man hiding behind the illusion of a small woman. She was more interested in his connection with Dee.

“Lord Haydee? Little Dee already became a Lord? But of course she did. She always works fast and it only makes sense. Before I answer your question, you can in return answer one of mine. Is the red faction trying to recruit her?” A small smile was tugging at the side of Hassan’s lips. He knew the reds and Dee were a good match so it only made sense.

“You know we are.” Fawwaz replied. “Everyone would try to recruit a rank thirteen being that young.”

Hassan shook his head. “I would advise against that. Once she finds out you’ve had anything to do with me, she is more likely to kill all of you than join you. Incidentally, she’s very good at that.”

Neither Aurelie nor Fawwaz were pleased by his words. “Why? What’s your connection to her? If you say she is good at killing, then that means she’s very good at that. I heard the reports on her tests, and as impressive as they are, that’s not enough for your endorsement.” The red faction leader demanded.

This time Hassan had real trouble keeping his expression neutral. “Oh, I’m sure she didn’t show more than a fraction of her true power. After all, that’s what I trained her to do. She has become a bit more open since then, but there’s only so much you can do to change habits that are deeply conditioned into your being.”

“You trained?” Fawwaz’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t tell me. She’s the result of one of those plans you had for training children? What level? How hard did you go on her? How much damage did you do? You know those ideas were rejected for a reason!”

“Now now, no need to get so agitated. I learned a lot since I broached the subject with you. Admittedly it required the lives of countless children, but I became very good at what I do, and she was the perfect seed for a weapon, just waiting to be cultivated. I subjected her to a level harder than the ones I proposed to you before. Think of the omega level training I proposed, only amplified. But, and this is the important part, little Dee was subjected to the training only for the amount of time and severity she could take. She was never broken mentally. Not completely. After that, I let her go and allowed her to grow on her own. She has mostly recovered, only much stronger than before.” The pride in Hassan’s voice was clear.

Fawwaz hissed in anger. “Now we’ll never gain her allegiance. I’m surprised she hasn’t hunted you down already.”

“Omega level training? Could you explain?” Aurelie asked the faction leader quietly. She had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

Angrily Fawwaz gave a simple rundown of the planned training, including the bone engravings on a non-sedated child, who was then subjected to training that would make a grown man insane and homicidal with rage. “The plan was rejected as we knew no child could maintain their sanity long enough for the training to bear fruit. Even if the children would become strong, they would be useless if they were broken or resented us. Our longest projections estimated even the most mentally strong children would turn catatonic within two years.”

Aurelie felt like throwing up. She had thought the training that the chimera had been subjected to was cruel, but this was much worse. “How long?” She asked in a hollow voice.

“Oh, roughly five years. But like I said, your information is a little old. I learned how far someone could be pushed. Still, I have to admit that little Dee is a unique success story. She was more skilled as an assassin before reaching the age of ten than most red faction agents are when they become veteran operatives. And that was while she was a second or third rank weakling. I’ve actually been in contact with her after I let her go, and we have reached an understanding of sorts.” Hassan stated, obfuscating the facts just a little. “That doesn’t mean she’ll be happy to know you had anything to do with me of course.”

“Dammit, Hassan! We need her! I just found out that even the Dragonflight forces are looking for her!” Fawwaz exclaimed angrily.

“Wait, what?” Aurelie asked as her revulsion towards Hassan was replaced by confusion.

“That’s why they have been catching the red Lords alive.” He explained quickly. “Apparently one of the Aspects wants to kill her, while Mneventh wants her alive for some reason. That’s why the Aspects are now having internal issues. Apparently, there was a fight and Mneventh won easily. It seems the dragons are planning on even opening negotiations because of her!” Fawwaz had just learned some of this so he wasn’t yet sure what to make of it.

Hassan cracked a small smile. “It seems little Dee has become extremely popular. No wonder. She is in many ways wholly unique as an existence. Still, this won’t matter soon. Everyone involved will have other things to worry about soon enough.”

“What did you do?” Fawwaz demanded. Now he was becoming genuinely worried. The matters concerning Dee were annoying, but Hassan’s words promised something much worse.

“Old friend, you know why I must make a move, and you know why I haven’t done so before. Now that I’ve helped forge the perfect weapon, why would I bother holding back anymore? It is time for me to get my revenge. It’s a wonder what you can find on Pantheon if you look in the right places.” Hassan stated and the relief at finally starting on what he had desired for so long was like a heavy cloak falling off his shoulders.

“No! Hassan, we can’t afford a second war! Now that the demons are gone there’s very little stopping the dragons and the angels from crushing us together. They don’t need a reason handed to them on a silver platter. We can still stop whatever you have set in motion!” Fawwaz knew Hassan’s revenge would not be light, and the response from the angels would be even heavier.

“You misunderstand. It’s already done. I gave the order before this meeting. You should start getting reports any moment now. Besides, I think you misunderstand. It’s not the Assembly who will get ganged upon. You can thank me later.” Hassan’s form suddenly disappeared and both Aurelie and Fawwaz knew that the agent they had sent to make contact would most likely not be returning. Hassan would not be found as easily in the future.

Fawwaz turned to Aurelie. “Send all our operatives and agents to find out what’s going on. You are free to command every Lord as well. We need information and we need it now! Let me know as soon as you hear something. I’m returning as quickly as possible.” Then he too disappeared.

Aurelie had a feeling she had just been run over by a dragon. “That’s why I hate negotiations. They all go to shit at the worst possible time.” She mumbled to herself as the array shut down. She could already see several assistants waiting with urgent reports.

---------

One of the Seraphim guarding the entrance gates to Paradisia received a signal that another caravan was about to arrive at the platform he was in charge of. This was the hundredth caravan just today, and he was genuinely getting bored. Still, he was not going to allow his vigilance to slip. He and his kind were the frontline keeping the home of the angels safe and protected. True servants of Order would never allow simple boredom to give their enemies the opportunity to strike. Still, the report stated that the caravan coming through was one that had made the same trip for decades, and was transporting food. They would be inspected nonetheless.

The magical formation controlling the gateway powered up and complex glyphs danced around the platform. Suddenly the guard noticed something wrong. The glyphs were starting to twist in odd ways, and the first ones were already changing color in ominous ways. “Call for the mages! Something is wrong! Signal the other gates as well! We have trouble!” Suddenly the magic powering the gate started collapsing completely. The guard noticed a weird build-up of energy gathering at the center of the collapsing formation. “Everyone run!” He yelled and started flying away from the platform.

He had moved just in time. Many of the veteran guards had obeyed his command without a thought and that saved them. However, the less experienced guards and the nearby civilians turned to stare at the gate with stupid looks instead and suffered for their mistake. The gateway collapsed in a storm of spatial energy that shredded anything and everything that it came to contact with. As the guard turned back to observe the damage, the whole gateway and everything in the immediate vicinity was simply gone.

“What the hells was that?” The guard asked with a curse.

One of the mages that were stationed nearby flew closer. She had been close enough to see some of what had happened but not close enough to do anything about it. Not that she had the ability even if she had been close enough. “The transit was interrupted. Something disturbed the spell mid-transit, and all the gathered power required for the spell to succeed exploded outwards. Or that’s what I’m assuming.” She didn’t sound very certain.

“Natural or sabotage? What about the caravan being transported? Also less assuming and more making sure!” The guard yelled in a heated voice, preparing to send a magical communique to his superior.

“Definitely intentional sabotage. There’s no way the spell would fail like that accidentally. The caravan was likely lost in transit.” The mage stated after a moment of consideration.

“Try to contact the other end just in case. Make a new portal manually if you have to!” He started sending the report but was interrupted by the mage.

“Sir! I can’t contact the other side! The whole pathway has collapsed!” The mage yelled with an obvious look of distress.

“What pathway?” The guard demanded. Despite his post, he was far from being a spatial mage. He was here for security, not to make gates.

“The teleportation spells form a natural pathway after repeated use. Without a pathway, we’ll have to form a new connection manually. Sir, it’s like there’s no connection between our two worlds anymore. It might take weeks to even calculate the spatial coordinates needed for a manual gateway, not to mention actually casting the spells required!” The mage had never seen anything quite like this.

As he listened to the reports flooding in, the captain of the guard in charge of the gates turned from worried to panicked. It seemed that all their gates had been attacked at the same time. That meant hundreds of attacks carried out almost simultaneously and seemingly by groups and caravans they had worked with for decades or even centuries. If what the reports were saying was true, then Paradisia had just lost all contact with the other worlds. Even their communication spells had trouble connecting due to the magical disturbance created by the collapsing gates and pathways.

That wasn’t the worst of it either. The last communications they had received told a grim tale of other worlds facing the same problem. Apparently few worlds simply had their gates destroyed, likely due to lack of traffic, and a couple of worlds had been hit before Paradisia. However, the information didn’t get to them in time. “This is a disaster.” He looked towards the lieutenant serving under him. “Contact the Archangels. I’m fairly sure we are under attack. I just don’t know by whom just yet!”

-------

Hassan listened to the reports given by Asahim with a rare pleased smile on his face. Their agents had performed admirably. Many of them had died to accomplish their mission, but even those that died had done so in a way that would not leave behind evidence. “And what’s the extent of the destruction?”

“Master, we estimate that 60% of the gateways used by the angels have been completely destroyed and another 20% have been disabled. We left the outer world alone as you instructed. We also have confirmation that every pathway to Paradisia itself was completely shattered.” Asahim reported dutifully. Paradisia had been their primary goal and the most important part of the plan. They had lost many people, but it was worth the price. They had planted the spells they used over several years, so mostly it was just a matter of triggering them. That still left a few of their agents stranded, but those left behind were also the most loyal people who knew what to do if they were at risk of being discovered.

“Good. Both the Assembly and the Dragonflight should soon discover that the border worlds of the angel are now stranded and dangerously undersupplied. I doubt they can resist this opportunity. Did our agents succeed in planting the evidence?” Hassan asked in confirmation.

“Yes. We planted evidence implicating everyone from the Assembly and the Dragonflight right down to demon communities on Pantheon and even the Solarians. We also made it looked like several internal factions within Paradisia might have taken part. That should eliminate the risk to us in case some evidence was left behind.” Asahim replied. In fact, they had planted some evidence implicating them just in case. That would not seem odd in the sea of other evidence.

“And the casualties to the angels?” Hassan asked.

“Around a hundred thousand lost during the immediate aftermath, either during transit or as the gates exploded. We estimate that at least four million will starve or die to other causes due to being cut off the gate network during the first two weeks. The losses on the borders are hard to estimate as we can’t be sure how aggressively Assembly and the dragons will react. There’s even a possibility they might help, as unlikely as that seems. Further casualties depend on how long it will take for the angels to start making new stable connections.” Asahim read off a list he had prepared beforehand.

“Hmm, not as much as we hoped, but good enough for now. The rest is up to others. We might have to prod them further, but at least Dee should take this opportunity to make her move. Well done.” Hassan gestured for Asahim to leave. They had just shown that immortals were not the only ones that mattered during a war. As the servant left, Hassan idly caressed his pendant again. This was not enough, but it was a start.