The Phenomena Society, the world’s most prestigious research institution dedicated to the discipline of magick. Anyone brave enough to call themselves a ‘magician’ or a ‘mage’ or a ‘wizard’ had high aspirations of entering the Society. They dreamt of the troves of resources and connections, they dreamt of the geniuses and prodigies having congregated under one roof for one sole purpose of human advancement, they dreamt of awards and honors for new discoveries and innovations and thus immortality within academic books.

Of all the organizations in the globe, the Society was one of the most influential. The research conducted here was the trailblazer for the rest of the world to follow, like how the Sovereign Magus had inspired the Founder by enlightening him of the wonder of magick and mystic arts through [First Magic].

The idea of pursuing the secrets of the university was a romantic one…

Too bad such idealism was spoiled once a junior Phenom stepped one foot inside. Almost all retired members of the Society had nothing but awful things to say, especially a certain man named Zuhail Alzahrani, one of the most outspoken critics of his former employer and wished the entire thing would ‘blow up and take the rest of us with it’.

And now…

Nathan was fidgety in his seat as the Binah Sephirah saw him as one would view barbarians rolling in the mud. She had the dignified air of a dominating elder, the scent stronger than any pretentious perfume or cologne could make—enough where no reasonable person could withstand for more than a few seconds without choking. Her hair was a swirl of cosmic blue and azure sky and mature gray, yet despite her age, those star-pupiled dark eyes made Nathan feel so very alone in the cold of the universe.

Maysa Hamidi shed no smile for the world’s strongest Slayer.

“I’ve asked you a question,” she stated frankly, her tone revealing no emotions yet there was a bubbling frustration within. “Where is the so-called ‘universe splitter’ in your—ahem, in Angels Guild’s possession.”

Nathan did not answer.

“You are more than intelligent enough to understand the consequences.” The Sephirah shifted in her chair in a subtle way to emphasize the collar of her uniform: three golden interconnected zeroes were clipped on. A symbol of her position.

Again, Nathan refused to give her an answer.

“To think the world’s strongest Slayer would suddenly come to his former guild’s defense. There are a hundred more worthwhile endeavors you can pursue and yet you are here. You remind me of some of the Aurs: wanderlusting, impinging, self-important. For a man who has a Christian as a wife, you clearly follow no god’s code but your own.”

“You don’t understand,” Nathan finally said after some thought. “This is not a negotiation.”

“So this is a detainment. You are keeping me and my colleagues here and away from the site of note—whatever and wherever that may be. That is a serious offense you are committing, both in the all-seeing eyes of international law and the Society. This could jeopardize our contracts with Angels.”

“You may leave.” Nathan gestured to the door.

Hamidi clicked her tongue.

The small conference room settled tensely into quiet. Outside sounds of feet and voices, inside sounds of the ticking clock and air conditioning. Electricity crackled and distant gunfire was heard. All the two occupants did was fixate their eyes upon the other, locked in a silent battle of stubbornness.

The battle was intruded by the turning of the door’s lock, and someone rushed inside like an emergent wind. A small figure in a large cloak, then the hood was dropped and a young boy appeared underneath, taking Nathan’s side of the table, preferring to levitate than sit.

Hamidi frowned seeing him. “Morgan, so the rumors are true. You went and cursed yourself.”

“Sephirah Hamidi,” replied Problem, equally displeased to see her. “For the amount of enemies after your head and Phenoms after your seat, you haven’t dropped dead yet. Surprising. Isn’t it time to step down and recommend a sorry pupil of yours to the Founder?”

Somehow the tension between these two were more perilous than the enemy they’d made in the Guards. Morgan’s snake-like eyes were razor-thin like a blade’s edge, and Hamidi maintained her cold, clinical expression without a single facial muscle twitching.

Nathan was sweating underneath his helmet.

After some time, Hamidi spoke as her hands gently folded into one another on her lap: “It is a tremendous surprise that you had recruited the favorite student of that rotten oaf’s, Kosmos. How did it happen? Did Morgan come to you out of his own will?”

“On the contrary, it was a chance encounter with the man known as Conqueror, and from there everything coincidentally aligned with my greater goals,” Morgan answered in Nathan’s place. “I did not intend to leave Glory but bigger pastures await. Unfortunately you are still stuck in your small pigpen. I’d give you my sympathies if I had any left.”

Hamidi began tapping her fingers against the back of her hands, but nothing in her expression broke. Although she acted more robot than human, the eyes spoke the truth of her small heart: she was getting increasingly disgruntled, powered by her guttural hate of any creature outside the walls of her station.

“I’d give you mine for devolving into your inner self,” retorted the Phenom, “but like you, my sympathy has long since been missing. Like my patience. I suppose what Kosmos said is right: this is not a negotiation. I do not believe I can convince you both into relinquishing the universe splitter and whatever cosmic material you’ve seized. As we speak, the Global Guards are reaching out to the President and his executive agencies but we both know nothing will come of those talks. He's a spineless coward who prefers letting the guilds run amok. No matter, the Guards will push in a their candidate when the next election season rolls around.”

Problem astutely surmised, “Thus the hard way.”

“Thus the hard way.” Sephirah Hamidi allowed herself the slightest smile. “Once the Guards have exhausted all goodwill they have towards Angels Guild and their ex-founder, then they will simply take it under whatever law they have on the books. Once that happens, then…”

She shut her eyes, imagining the possibilities.

An intentional break in her speech. She wanted them cognizant of the consequences of their actions; everyone here was more than aware of what’d happen if the Guards decide to march into Angels, rifles at the ready. But would they do it, if they too knew of the reputational damage they’d suffer from the Slayer communities worldwide when ‘goodwill’ was needed the most?

That was the question indeed.

“—Your time is running short,” Hamidi told Nathan directly, and he recalled that Duskfire had said the same thing. “Whatever defenses you have around your wife, they will crumble. I have no personal opinion of what she’d done during the Disaster, but this is an objective fact. Whatever happens after is what an empire does when their head of state has been decapitated.”

She stood from the table. “That’s all. Me and my people will remain in Ordo until further notice. And Morgan.”

Problem glared at her.

“I’ve heard rumors of your master reappearing.” Master Alzahrani had shown himself in Remembrance Plaza during the Disaster. Eyewitnesses are a thing. “Are they true?”

“Would you care if they are?”

“No. I am deciding whether or not I should consider this variable.”

“Then please do. It’ll make my life a lot more interesting and enjoyable to see you squirm.”

“Don’t let your arrogance curse you again.” The Sephirah took her leave, and there she would be escorted by Angel personnel and leave the premises alongside her Phenoms she’d brought here.

Nathan released his stress through a loud sigh. The Phenomena Society never brought him any good conversations; from the beginning they were interested in studying his body and on multiple occasions, the Founder had reached out to him. There were officially three Slayers who’d reached Rank SSS according to the System. The most well-known (and falsely considered to be the only) was Nathan himself, the latest was Archknell who’d forcibly ascended and passed from the transformation and his accumulated injuries.

And while this was an unproven theory, Nathan suspected the Founder of the Society to be the last mysterious SSS-Rank. Either him or the First Elder of the Wulin Circle, a fifty-fifty toss-up.

So what was he doing now that the world was in danger?

“What are you thinking about, Kosmos?” asked Problem, his eyes chained to the door Hamidi had left from.

“About the Society’s next actions. There’s a non-zero possibility that the Founder himself will give direct orders to Hamidi. But at the same time, Hamidi is following the Guards’ lead. She can’t get started on anything until she and her Phenoms receive the merchandise. They aren’t the ones holding the authority.”

Problem added, “So the Guards must obtain them through an asset seizure. A very bold political decision given the landscape. They need the trust of both sovereign nations and the international network of Slayers to achieve their goals of global unity; to, then, attack one of the most internationally well-known guilds won’t only shoot themselves in the foot but also in the spine.”

“There’s one problem…” Nathan thought back to Hamidi’s warning. “Public opinion. This is the closest we’ve been to total annihilation and this sets a new precedent. Look at your phone and open whatever social media app you have.”

Obeying, Problem did so, his phone levitating before him. “The top ten trending are Disaster-related: Conqueror, Ordo, the Guards. Number two is ‘United States’. According to the top posts, they’re resisting attempts at cooperation according to a leaker who’d recorded one of the backroom discussions. There’s mixed reactions.”

“Yes. Let’s assume that social media reflects the general public.”

“Never.”

“Make the assumption anyway, Problem. Each day where no significantly visible action is taken, the public gets more nervous. They’d call for explosive action even if it has negative long-term effects down the road. When the media finally breaks the investigation on Angels… No, there’s rumors spreading. When Angels is already feeling the stress…”

“Then we’ll suffer from the same public pressure. I see, that’s what that witch was referring to. Seraph won’t bend, will she?”

“Never, she’s headstrong. But that’s unimportant. Once the public turns on us for not ‘cooperating’ with the ‘guardians’ of this planet, then we lose one of our strongest defenses. Once the support drains, so will our trust we’d built with our allies across the globe.”

“Exactly what the Guards want.”

“Absolutely. They have all the tools and time in the world, and we don’t.” Once enough trust had been damaged, the Guards would have enough reason to break into Angels without suffering long-term political damage. In fact, they’d be hailed as heroes by some large organizations like the media or international influencers.

That was one avenue of reputational attack: time. Not even the most damaging.

It, of course, was the investigation about Devoy’s involvement.

If time was the fire, then the investigation was both the gasoline and spark.

Problem was, unfortunately, linked to both the investigation and the cosmic materials. In the event where worse came to worst, he would go into hiding and prioritize the materials as long as possible.

“What’s most important to you as of this moment, Kosmos?” Problem asked, seemingly noticing his sudden downturn after realizing how close the walls were.

“It has always been Conqueror,” he answered. “He is the most important piece to the puzzle, and we are losing our hold on him by the day. Somehow, we need to navigate this. For right now, the most beneficial action we can take is…”

He thought back to Royals and how they were involved, he thought back to Glory and Silverhonor’s predicament, then onto Martials…

That was it.

He made a call.

~~~

“You’ve gotten paler last time I’ve last seen you, Empress.”

“Please don’t talk about my health; I’ve already received a stern talking to from a terrifying doctor…” Leona held her hands at her lap, fidgety, recalling the thirty-minute long scolding Shinzo had bashed her with. Thankfully, Kosmos had rescued her so she could go onto another mission.

It was also then Kosmos was properly informed of the SOS at the Hospital and the hyper-surveillance of the eight-fourteens. Leona had to leave the site through underground tunnels and pop out miles away to protect the secrecy of the location. All so she could make an unannounced stop at the guild whose Guild Master was a perfected monster to behold.

Guild Master Righteous Jin Tiehan, sitting in his father’s chair with a knife-like smile on his thin lips. Comparatively to Silverhonor and Glory, the succession was shockingly simple and well-received. He was destined to succeed his father anyway, plus from his body language he’d been preparing for a long time.

Leona gulped down her fear. This feeling dwarfed the one Mystic had created; it was similar to the bloodlust that Hunter and Lee Seung-hyun emitted during their confrontation. Yet while they had anger, Jin Tiehan possessed something else. Something above humanity but not quite godhood.

She did not like him very much, and this was one of many reasons.

“...Is it her?” he inquired.

She knew who. “I don’t believe I’m understanding the subject.”

“Shinzo,” Jin Tiehan recounted. “The former Journey of Healing. Is it her?”

“Yes,” Leona replied simply.

His expression went unchanged. Did he really care about her? No, perhaps not anymore. Her and Alma had left Martials Guild (the latter already packed his bags and returned to his home country); like how Silverhonor purged Mystic and his faction, he probably did the same to his dissidents. The two Journeys would’ve been removed anyway. With them leaving on their own accord, the issue resolved itself and so he didn’t care anymore. He didn’t have to.

The engineering of Operation Wolf Prowl left zero evidence, and so he was free to acquire that bastard’s body for whatever potions or alchemy products he wanted.

So naturally, Carn was missing.

Jin Tiehan wistfully sighed and stared off into the side of his new office where his family’s trophies hung on the walls. Accomplishments. Fellings of great beasts, trophies from winning competitions like the Guild Wars.

“How is Conqueror?” he asked, changing the subject.

Leona bit her lip, her fidgeting worsening. “Fine. He’s doing fine.”

“Good. I’ve devoted much of my thoughts to him. Mainly theories and speculations for his newfound power behind erasing Kreutz from existence. I could share them with you but you wouldn’t answer my questions. Understandably so. Secrets are more valuable than gold in this industry. We all have them.”

Like Carn’s body, but from the look you’re giving me… Behind, on the other side of the desk, her fingers were playing piano with one another. “My visit isn’t for pleasure, Guild Master. It’s—”

“The Society,” Jin Tiehan answered on her behalf. “The Binah Sephirah has arrived and that means the Guards are now acting to coerce Angels and Martials into handing over their well-deserved gains. Don’t fret. If you’re here out of your own concern, I’m afraid Martials have zero leads on where our missing merchandise went. Or should I take your visit as a message from your superiors? ‘Do not think about cooperating with the Guards.’”

Leona gulped; normally she could respond under pressure but the gravity exuded by this man could rival the sun’s.

The Guild Master showed sharp teeth. “I’m no informat. It’s as I said, Empress. Secrets are valuable, and the Guards wish to stroll every skeleton we have from the closet. If Angels wish to correspond with me to mutually handle the new threat, tell them to message me whenever possible. I have no particular preference for who exactly, even you.”

It seemed this physical visit was unnecessary; she did not expect him to follow along this easily but the Guards made themselves an easy enemy to band against.

As she thought about leaving, the Guild Master’s expression told her he’d added another item to her agenda.

She waited for him to speak: “I am curious, though, Empress. About Conqueror. I want you to tell me more about his background; he’s an extraordinary man capable of extraordinary feats. What little time we spent during Wolf Prowl left me famished for more information. Tell me something that will satisfy me for a short while.”

If I don’t tell him anything, then would he reconsider allying with Angels? This is a clever move: putting his aid on the table but following up with a request that could not be denied. All of this makes my head hurt.

She did her best to endure the headache. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Guild Master. He’s a prodigy. I’ve seen him take down ten Apocalyptics by himself—you know that. It’s due to his training he received from his role models in his life.”

“His father.”

“And his uncle.”

Jin Tiehan raised an eyebrow. “He never told me his uncle knew combat.”

If I have to give up information, it might as well be something easily known. “His uncle had been a Marine in the States but that’s all I know. I suspect he might’ve been apart of a secret unit you’d find in a cheesy action movie, but that’s it. That’s all I know.”

“I see. His uncle’s name?”

”Alistair Romanos.”

”Thank you. Conqueror keeps getting more interesting…” Jin Tiehan scooted forward in his seat. “And your thoughts?”

“My thoughts? I don’t understand.”

“On this entire affair. How does the only daughter of Hwaseong Heavens feel?” Kindness was not present in his asking; instead there was a psychotic interest lurking behind courtesy, like a lion stripping down a gazelle with powerful eyes.

How I feel… She thought back to Shinzo’s words and they burned bitterly in her chest. “My personal feelings aren’t relevant to my missions. As the Celestial War Empress, I have a job to do, Guild Master.”

“Your ‘job’.” There was a distasteful smile in his eyes. “Yes, you are correct. We have jobs.”

There were a couple knocks on the door before it opened. Leona couldn’t hear the footsteps of the intruder: the stunning outworlder assassin, Vice Guild Master Blackviper. Having her steps muffled to the point where regular human ears were useless, she approached the two with nary a change of expression. Briefly she nodded at Leona before bringing news: “Catalyst says the Sephirah’s already at her lab.”

“How coincidental. I’ll meet her personally, then.” Jin Tiehan stood and neatly stacked a tower of papers together. As he came around the desk, Leona stiffened into a log, then stiffened into a statue as a strong hand was placed on her shoulder. “Your mission here is complete. Have your Angels message me in regards to the Sephirah I will meet shortly. Maysa Hamidi, was it? Alzahrani’s ex-wife?”

“Yes,” she answered quietly. “The one and only.”

“A troublesome woman but I met worse. Allow me to show you out, Empress.”

The three of them left the office. Blackviper filled in the details of Sephirah Hamidi’s visit at Catalyst’s but Leona wasn’t paying attention. None of the information was useful anyway. She could not forget the various expressions of that cultivator; seeing him interpret her words in unorthodox understandings that it perplexed her.

What did he want out of her? His main focus was Conqueror but he took the time to pry who she was…

Now he knew, so it didn’t matter. She prioritized her job, and yet…

“Firebrand used every free minute he had to visit Sage. Meanwhile, you haven't visited him once. His sister had, but not you.”

Guilt seeped through the cracks of her mind but weak plaster filled in the gaps. It would hold just long enough.

The next two days passed as chaotically as the last, all the while rumors of the investigation began to dominate media headspace. Soon that was the only thing anyone was talking about.

To relieve some stress, Althea asked for Leona to visit Ordo University.