Vontravis silently stared at Aster's back, now heading for the underground stream. He repeatedly pressed his stopwatch open and closed it successively like a mannerism.

"Follow me." He motioned Priest Harin to come, planning to initiate a private talk as his mind wandered at the Aegis Dome's anomaly.

As soon as they reached a suitable place to talk, Vontravis went straight to the point.

"Why have I heard nothing of the Aegis Dome's peculiarity?"

"Pardon? What of the Aegis Dome?"

"Are you really asking your head to be cut off?"

Upon hearing Vontravis's seething emotionless tone, he quickly prostrated to the ground.

"Please speak in a way this lowly one will understand, Your Reverence."

"I'm referring to the Aegis Dome's anti-runic mechanism."

Harin lightly raised his head in confusion.

"That's...we've never encountered such a problem before."

Vontravis decided to speak more clearly in detail. He still didn't trust Harin, but stating his findings could also be utilized as a binding threat to not make him speak of this matter elsewhere.

"I clearly felt it. As soon as I activated low-level rune spells, it felt like all the other runes etched onto my body have been been repressed by something. Coincidentally, the hexagonal arrangements in the dome glowed slightly."

"...Could that be because of that?" Harin unconsciously muttered.

"Because of what?"

"Well, all runic weapons possessed by knights under Kuanos Genesis are legally registered and recorded. They're normally tracked by the rune spell's signature engraved in the weapons to maintain tight security among the knight personnels."

"So?"

"But, two years ago, after a rebel organization started its notoriety, Kuanos Genesis suddenly announced that all runic weapons outside their jurisdiction be registered legally in order to use it, or else the runes' power will be neutralized. We suspect it was to render the rebel party's weapons into scraps, but it was ineffective for some reason. But it's surely not because their neutralizer itself was ineffective."

Harin pulled out his dagger hidden from the folds of his robe and unsheathed it in front of Vontravis.

"Do you see this, Your Reverence?"

He pointed at the black star engravings next to the runic spellform in the blade.

"This is proof that the runic weapon has been registered. Based from what you say, it seems the Aegis Dome itself is the neutralizer that weakens foreign spellforms that weren't registered in Kuanos Genesis' data."

Vontravis involuntarily frowned.

"Then, you mean to say that since Sorenians can directly engrave runic spells in their bodies without weapons, we're basically powerless anywhere inside the dome."

"It is this lowly one's mere guess. I've also only learned of this matter today, as Nephilims like us do not have strong vessels to contain the power of soren that the deities have graciously granted us. We inevitably need weapons as a medium. As long as we cooperate with the current system, we don't face any problems. I speak the truth, Your Reverence."

Vontravis motioned Harin to rise, which he slowly did. The latter still remained bowing his head. He soon chuckled dryly at the absurdity of what he just heard.

"What nonsense is this? Haven't they basically turned the continent into a godless place? And they still have that thick skin to worship us and live with our customs for protection."

"But if that's the case, then what about those who received the soren of the Draconem—the Heathens? How were they able to roam freely around the Continent?"

"That...is hard for even me to answer, Your Reverence."

Vontravis silently gazed at Kaisellin from afar, who submerged himself in the stream's warm water. He seemed to have a lot of thoughts as usual.

'The runes suddenly weakening drained my body more than I anticipated.'

"I'll rest for a bit. If Aster needs anything, serve him with the best of you abilities."

"I understand, Your Reverence."

Aster remained submerged in the hot stream, emptying his thoughts. His jet-black hair floated freely in the water, with his senses focusing on the subtle vibrations of the waterfall hitting the stream.

It took him a while to rise and wrap himself with the large towel placed on a huge rock, enveloping his wet skin and his well-toned muscles. The towel turned slightly see-through as it absorbed the water, tightly clinging onto his skin and revealing huge scars in his back where his wings used to be. He twisted his hair to prevent it from dripping on the grassy floor bed as he trudged.

"I've prepared your clothes in the east room over there, Your Reverence." Harin immediately guided Aster, trying his best to look away from his half-naked state that even a married man like him would admit that it looked more than simply attractive.

'He would have been the envy of many young men if it weren't for those hideous scars...'

He shook off his thoughts in silent panic as if he was committing a grave sacrilege.

"Where's Vontravis?"

"He's resting in the meeting room. Is there anything you need, Your Reverence?"

He donned in a sleeveless tight-fitting leather top and a loose cotton vest to layer it.

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"How many branches of Phantoms are there in total?"

"47 in Vendalius, 83 in total throughout the Continent, including our main branch."

"Send a message to the heads of each branch. Tell the ones here in the kingdom to gather, while the others remain on standby."

"It'll take a few days before they manage to receive the reply..."

"It is fine, as long as they understand the message. Those who fail to gather here within a week will be excluded from the current affairs."

Aster took a quick glance at Vontravis who was leaning his head on a chair with a handkerchief placed on his face, before turning to the mountain of paper works containing various intel and reports neatly placed on the round table.

He inwardly sighed and cracked his neck.

'This'll be a long night...'

♦️♦️♦️

The sun already began to rise when he finished the last pile of reports. As soon as he arranged them, an envelope lodged into one of the piles fell on the floor.

He picked it up in curiosity, immediately seeing the insignia of Kuanos Genesis stamped at the front.

It seemed to be a letter addressed to Harin, whom he recall have went to lead a mass earlier at dawn along with the other Phantoms.

Carefully reading it, the contents were revealed to be a letter of invitation addressed to Harin himself and not the Cathedral. They requested his presence as a judge of the upcoming written exams in the knight academy. Its date states the 23rd of month Lunios.

'Isn't that today?'

He flicked the letter and returned it to the envelope.

'Wasn't Kuanos Genesis maintaining a neutral stance with the Cathedral and the Templar? For what underlying reason did they needed a Phantom's presence?'

He took a careful glance of Vontravis who was still fast asleep on the chair before ascending to the long flight of stairs.

'Perhaps I should check it out.'

He knew he had to go there sooner or later to investigate, knowing it's the last place where the relic's trace was found.

A few minutes later, Vontravis awoken with heavy eyelids. He removed the handkerchief in his face and arched his back in the chair, stretching his limbs. He looked around with Aster occupying his thoughts first, only to find an empty round table with neatly piled paper works on the floor.

'Did he go somewhere?'

He shrugged it off and placed the handkerchief back at his face while his other hand massaged his temple.

"Eh. He'll be fine. He's like, 18 now."

He closed his eyes with the sole thought of sleeping. Unfortunately, his sleepy state quickly disappeared as if he'd been doused in caffeine while having the thought of Aster getting lost and causing trouble.

"Like hell he is!"

He stormed up to the spiral stairs to head to the ground floor.

"He's barely an infant in Adonisian ageeee!"

Upon seeing Harin, he grabbed him by the shoulders while trying to calm himself.

"Harin!"

"Harin. Do you know where Aster went?"

Flustered, Harin tried to answer.

"Wasn't he with Your Reverence? He was reviewing all the reports all night long."

Vontravis clicked his tongue in a daze and limped like a vegetable, realizing that Aster went somewhere without telling Harin.

He decided to return to the underground of the Cathedral, but stopped his tracks. His head abruptly turned to look ahead, as if something within him clicked. He hurriedly headed to a secluded alleyway and shifted to his raven form. He was thankful that their ability to undergo metamorphosis didn't require soren.

A paper boy's lively yell could be heard across the distance, riding his bicycle and waving newspapers around.

"Scoop! Scoop! The notorious assassin Orion strikes again! Get the latest news for only 3 shillings!"

"Over here, kid!" Zyler shouted from a distance. "I'll buy 3, give it to me for 7 shillings."

He rummaged his pockets, shamelessly haggling at the paper boy. As the perpetrator himself, he didn't need the details of last night's event. Still, he insisted on buying newspapers, curious of what they've written about him.

"Brother, are you trying to rip me off?"

"Ehh, don't be like that. Things haven't been going well in Isen Detritus lately because of those rebels."

Zyler openly complained.

"...Alright, alright. I'll let it be just this once since your living conditions are plenty pitiful."

Giving in, the paperboy handed him three newspapers and received payment.

"But you look neatly dressed, brother. Is there a special occasion?"

Zyler grinned and sneakily pointed at the open gates ahead of them, where numerous aspiring cadets from different regions flock around.

"I've been wanting to test my luck in that academy for some time now, I finally got the chance."

"Do you even know how to read?"

Zyler rolled his newspaper and smacked the back of the paper boy's head in annoyance.

"Of course I do, what do you take me for? I'm off." He waved his hand, his back facing the boy who scowled at him while clenching the 7 shillings he was paid.

"That son of a..."

Zyler casually entered the wide open gates of the knight academy, openly admiring its gallant view.

A few commoners who recognized him quickly shot excited yells. Zyler thought they were probably surprised to see him in an academy for knights of all places, considering his troublemaker image. Someone approached him and nudged him at the side.

"Think you'll pass?" He teased Zyler.

"Bet I will." Zyler shot an arrogant smirk in return.

The commoner scoffed. "I've never even seen you study."

"Buddy, I don't need studying when it's all stored in here." He pointed at his temples before going ahead of his commoner acquaintance, trying to find the area for application as a cadet.

He almost let out a long sigh, suppressing his mixed emotions with exaggerated upbeat expressions.

"Geez, I never would have thought I'd end up coming here if it weren't for the madam..." He muttered inaudibly.

As his eyes trailed off to observe the cadets hailing from different backgrounds, his hazel eyes caught a certain priest's flowy jet-black hair amidst the crowd.

'Huh? The snob priest?'

Aware that it was easy to slip into the crowd of applicants, Aster lightly ruffled his hair to cover his light-colored illusory eyes.

His reason for coming here was simple. He had to seize the rare opportunity of the Academy opening its gates, where all he had to do was blend in. He didn't have to go through the normal ways of bypassing their tight security.

After he finished reviewing their reports, he realized the Phantoms' investigation had come to a dead end here. Whether its their incompetence or the relic's ability, he didn't bother pinpointing it.

He knew he had to take the initiative, double-checking for any clues left behind that those who can't feel soren aren't aware of.

Because Aster couldn't trust anyone, even the reports. Even the Phantoms had shown their wills of defecting and switching sides, so how could he trust if the reports of the previous branch leaders were purely factual?

Although the chances were slim, Aster could only hope that the Heathens haven't erased the traces yet.

He trudged the marble pathways and passed by intricate hallways with ease, taking in the academy's interior with an odd feeling of nostalgia.

'Strange. Do you feel it too?'

[This strange sense of familiarity? Yes. Oddly so.]

The structure felt undoubtedly familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time.

If he were to describe it, it was like passing through an unfamiliar forest but managing to take the perfect routes.

He observed his surroundings keenly with mixed feelings.

'I'm sure of it. I've been here before. But how could that be? The academy had only been established around the time Kaisellin's psyche shattered...'

He curiously tried widening his senses in attempt to generate a stray memory, but to no avail. Aster shook his head in self-reproach.

'Figures. The Requiem would have already responded if that were the case.'

As if mocking his thoughts, faint illusory ravings breached his mind.

[—turn to the land of slumber.]

Aster stoped his tracks warily at the sudden stimuli of ethereal ravings.

'Who spoke just now?'

[It wasn't me.]

[It wasn't us.]

[It's the Requiem, Aster. I can feel it.]

The ravings continued. He calmed his thoughts, forcing to reign over it and ignore the voices. He thought back to the snowy garden in the palace, to the Lord of Abyss, and to Lestissine's foreign feeling.

Unfortunately, he started losing focus as his thoughts slowly went blank, delving in a state of hypnosis.

[All shall rot and return to the land of slumber.]

The faint ravings started growing clearer, ranging from mad echoes to Kaisellin's—their own voice in a whispering manner. A thin illusory thread of soren floated in the air, tempting him to follow its end.

[All shall be condemned for they have sinned.]

His trance-like state brought him to an empty hallway with interior designs spanning a little different from the usual looks of the buildings around the Academy. It had numerous bronze statues and displays, much like an old-fashioned hoarder's mansion.

[All children are equal under the gaze of eternal rest.]

His steps stopped in front of a double door with an engraved metal sign that says, 'Dean's Office'. The thin floating threads had seeped through the narrow gap and the center of the two doors.

A ripple of barrier glowing in amber separated him and the door, tempting all the psyches to enter, yet blocking his body at the same time as if in a state of discord.

[Release us.]

He could feel it clearly as his Requiem let out a low ethereal hum.

[Release us.]

[Absolve us of our sins—!]

However, the sound of footsteps reached his ears, removing him from his trance.

"Boy, are you lost?"

He turned to the door of the Dean's office again, only to find that the ravings have stopped.

The Requiem no longer thrummed.

A middle-aged man dressed in neat scholarly attire eyed him suspiciously with his azure eyes. His hands were crossed at the back, where he leisurely carried a rapier.

Aster quickly regained his composure and switched to his usual monotone demeanor.

"No, sir. I came on behalf of—"

Before he was able to reason out with the excuse of coming personally to deliver Harin's reply to the letter, he was cut off as if the professor wasn't interested in hearing him out.

"Hah. You must be one of those who wandered off too far again. Save your words, I've heard plenty of excuses. Follow me."

"I refuse, sir. I—"

"Oho. Do you not know that venturing near the dean's office is forbidden? Hurry up."

"But I—"

"I said save it. I already know. It's not the first time I've encountered curious kids who want to catch a glimpse of the dean."

Aster repeatedly stole glances of the office door before finally turning away and following the professor who was stubbornly keeping him away.

Upon guiding Aster to the long line of applicants waiting to be assigned go an examination room, he took one last glance at the boy's stature.

He noticed he was missing a badge in his left chest and frowned.

"Hm? Did you lose your number? Here. You'll be chased out without the badge, so don't lose yours again." He smacks a small card to his chest and immediately turned away.

"No, excuse me—"

"Now off you go, I'm busy."

'Fuck's sake, please let me finish!'

"Actually, I'm...I'm not...an applicant..."

The professor had already gone far off and assisted other applicants, so he couldn't hear Aster's pleas.

"No, please hear me out..."

He was shoved forward by an applicant behind him.

"Aren't you moving? you're ruining the line! move forward already."

"But I'm not—"

His tongue was tied when he slowly looked around at the people staring at him with displeasure.

[Damn, we're royally screwed. Again.]

[Language, Seith. language.]