"Connections are one of the most important resources a human can possess."

Damon took the role of a support cultivator as his flying knives provided assistance for everyone in his camp. He summoned a clone of darkness to protect himself as most of his attention was directed on controlling the knives.

'It doesn't matter if they are city guards, they don't deserve your mercy,' Damon transmitted to a squad member that seemed reticent in finishing his opponent.

The people who fought against Midnight weren't just rekos, but normal humans as well. And it seemed logical as the alien race couldn't arrive this far in their project without having a backer to mask and support their activities.

But this thing bought sadness and anger to Azar's heart as the people who vowed to protect the citizens were actually plotting against them.

'How can you do this, and for what?' His cold eyes asked the guard in his grasp before claiming the man's life.

The world had no need for traitors, so it was better to sent them in the afterlife. That way, they could enter the cycle of reincarnation faster and maybe avoid making the same mistakes in their next life.

"Tuarhhhh!" A powerful roar echoed in the tunnel.

It came from the reko spared by Azar. He exploded forth with a strong enough blood red energy, that it formed a crack in the ice wall, traveling all the way to the ceiling. His wounds started to heal at a speed visible with the naked eye, but he didn't realize the hand placed on his shoulder.

"Universal Prison, Seal!" Azar triggered his sealing skill as black tattoo like chains extended from his palm and covered the reko's entire body. As the chains advanced, the blood red energy dimmed, until it totally disappeared. The reko let out another short roar before Azar hit his neck with the blade of his hand, sending him down, unconscious.

A few meters away, Markos fought with a massive quantity of light energy boosting his body. He wasn't excluded from the domain's power as he wasn't there at the moment of its creation, so he was forced to fight from equal footing with his adversaries. This didn't seem to bother him though, as no one managed to remain standing for too long under the barrage of his sword strikes.

Another Midnight member fell, his heart pierced by the blade of a human wearing the uniform of the city guards. Damon's knife pierced the man's spine in the next moment, but it was too late for saving his comrade.

"Damn it!" Damon cursed.

With the appearance of Markos and Azar, the enemies had no longer a chance for victory, but the fallen squad members could not be saved.

Not long after, Markos shed the blood of the last reko, his self created fire cleaning his sword before the weapon was stored in his storage ring.

"Awo!" Azar shouted, raising his fist up in the air.

"Awo!" the members of Midnight responded in unison. This was their victory cry. It symbolized the howl of beasts who gathered to attack together. Azar wanted to integrate this battle cry into the hearts of all the warriors since it boosted their morale and bought a feeling of accomplishment to their spirits after a long and difficult fight.

With no time to waste as the life of the city guard pierced by Damon's knife was fading away, Azar proceeded to read his mind. He needed information, he wanted to know what they were doing in the tunnels. And quick enough, he found what he was looking for. Azar then showed mercy and snapped the man's neck, ending his suffering.

"May your spirit rest in peace!" he said, closing the man's eyes.

"Markos, you clear the place and stay guard until Director Visderfis arrives," Azar instructed while moving to tie the unconscious reko. "Damon, you take the bodies of our men and return to Rivero. Put this one in prison. I'll come to interrogate him later."

After giving the orders, Azar was the first one to leave. He went to notice Visderfis. This was her territory and responsibility, and because not much time passed since he left her office, she was still there.

"You really come and go as you please?" She asked when Azar appeared before her.

"Take your people and come with me, there's something you must see," Azar said seriously. His expression making the director swallow back the words that came in her mouth and do as he said.

There were very few occasions when he had that expression, and none of them ended with a party. Visderfis figured the gravity of the situation and acted in accordance.

In less the five minutes, her group entered the carriages, she and Azar at the front, leading the way. The director and her guards, together with a team of thirteen people, were ready to witness what Azar had to show.

Azar had his face covered with the mask he used when working as an agent. Even when working for the Underground Activities Division, he always kept his identity hidden. Risks were involved, and he needed his real identity untainted.

When the group arrived at the entrance of the tunnel, Markos was already gone. He finished erasing the energetic imprints left by Midnight and left as fast as he could.

At the scene, while letting Visderfis and her people deal with the aftermath of the battle, Azar took his leave. He couldn't answer her questions with all the people present. The time for answers will come on his next visit.

Azar didn't remain in Oriol either, but traveled through the portal from Five Leaves and arrived at his home in Rivero City. He finally had a little time to meditate and recuperate.

'Where are the days where I could stay and enjoy the music of the monks?' he asked in his mind.

. . .

It was already morning when Azar opened his eyes. He got up and stretched his body before heading straight into the shower. A needed action as his smell was no longer pleasant. After the morning routine, he went outside to enjoy the fresh air of the day and start his daily practice.

His training took a few hours as it was almost midday when he descended the green stairs of the prison. Behind the cold bars of black iron, the poor reko remained unmoved and silent, waiting for his sentence.

The guards left Azar alone with the prisoner. Because of the curiosity about the strange individual, they would've liked to witness the interrogation, but no one dared to ask for permission. The matters concerning the race known as reko were extremely sensitive, and the people weren't prepared to find about them in such straightforward manner.

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"I know you can speak my language, so let's have a conversation. I can either grant you a quick death as a reword, or I can torture you as punishment," Azar said after sitting down on a chair.

The man with bluish-gray skin looked at him like watching a clown. His amused expression, a characteristic for his race of evil pranksters. Azar gave him a few minutes to decide, but when the time ended and the reko didn't open his mouth, a strong force erupted from his body. The rippling force was illusory, remodeling the scenery around and even the sensations felt by the prisoner.

This was [World of Wander], the sixth form of Azar's domain type, supreme skill, [Ten Shades].

The reko remained motionless on the bed, looking at Azar, their conversation seemed to be silent as none of them talk, or moved for the matter. But in the subtle world of the mind, a real conversation took place. It was a world of great beauty with grass and flowers extending as far as the eyes could see.

A peaceful feeling slowly made its way to the hearts and spirits of the two people. It was a divine feeling of oneness, one that every being wished to possess. It was a perfect existential condition that made even the body feel free and drift through the air with just a single thought.

"What is your name?" Azar asked in a faint voice.

"Majah," the reko responded.

His words weren't the product of his consciousness, as that remained behind, conserved in a beautiful state. The words came straight from the subconscious mind, or from the higher self, as Azar wasn't sure either.

"What were you doing in the tunnels?"

There was no need to ask about the origin, race, or other personal things as Azar was already aware of them. This wasn't the first time he interrogated a reko, and it would definitely not be his last.

"We were building a portal to facilitate our people's arrival," answered the reko, his attention lost in the beautiful feeling.

"Who sent you?"

"Virshka," the reko replied shortly.

'Most probably, that's one of the high bloods of his race,' Azar thought. He waited in silence, for a continuation that unfortunately, never came.

"Are you planning to attack the kingdom?"

"Not for now," said the reko. "Some of the higher bloods took a liking to the life of the nobles here, so others wish to come and enjoy it as well."

Azar paused for a little, not being able to understand the full meaning of his words.

"Is your kin already living among the people from the kingdom?" he asked more on point.

"More like, as them."

Azar thought for a while, then asked in the same calm and pleasant way. "Have your people changed their appearance and took over the lives of the humans?"

"That is correct, how else otherwise," Majah answered. "We can't shapeshift, but some of us have the means to change their appearance. Isn't it fun? I've always wanted that."

"Why have you came to live among humans?"

The reko remained quiet for a few moments before responding. "Humans are fun."

"Please, explain it to me, I don't understand," Azar said, his body drifting closer to the reko as both floated in the air above the flower field.

"They have emotions, and can experience so many types of them. You can hold them captives, and they will still be grateful and kiss your feet when you release them. Their inner energy is so unique and different, and they are so stupid."

Azar knew that the rekos didn't possess a soul, so they had no emotions. They only had the notion of liking, and that was integrated in their collective consciousness. Their race also had only two types of energies; blood red, and black.

"What do you wish to accomplish with the humans?" Azar asked, already having his answers.

"We wish nothing, we are the superior existance," Majah said stretching his hand to the sky.

Azar didn't have to continue. He slowly retracted his awareness and mental energy, letting the world around to fade away. He just got up from his seat when, the prisoner slammed himself into the metal bars of the cell.

"Human, what have you done to me?" shouted the reko. "Do it again! I command you to do it again! Give me back that feeling!"

Azar gazed at Majah's crazy like face and voice his thoughts out. "Every being serves a purpose and has a way to change its own existence. You were let to live as you are, and you did nothing to change it." He grabbed the reko's neck, and squeezed it hard. "You don't even want to admit the notion of right and wrong, and you have the audacity to ask for feelings? . . . Maybe your ancestors had them, but they choose a path of evolution that forced their souls to return in the source." Azar said as reaching some sort of realization.

He chose to first interogate Majah since from his past experiences, Azar knew that there might be a seal on the reko's mind that would self destruct on the spot when triggered. A perfect way to block Azar's mind reading technique. But now that he found the information, he had nothing to lose.

Gazing straight into Majah's eyes, Azar entered his mind.

This happened to be a lucky case as the reko didn't have a seal and Azar was free to witness everything he wanted. Minutes passed as the two remained unmoving, the only sign of life that differentiated them from statues being their breathing. Azar retracted his tired mind, blinking rapidly a few times to regain his senses and reconnect with reality.

"Give me that feeling again!" Majah said slowly, his forcefull talking making him cough under Azar's grip.

With a thought, Azar took the ancient gold coin from his storage ring and asked in his mind before throwing it in the air.

'Should I kill him? Head - yes. Tail - no.'

The coin flipped a few times before landing on his palm, 'Head'. Nodding his head, Azar called his self created fire, Aves.

"Ignite!"

Azar commanded as in the focal point of his gaze on Majah's body, a purple flame appeared.

"Burn!"

Erupting, the flame engulfed the reko's body, burning with a silver light. The man screamed in pain for a few moments before his life ended. Aves slowly purified his body into a pure mist that got absorbed by Azar.

[ ACKNOWLEDGED! Aves

Azar's self created fire.

Properties: purifying flame

Color: purple, burns with a silver light

Ability: It purifies any substance, energy, or mater below a certain frequency level, into a pure mist with high frequency. The mist can be absorbed by anyone, including nature itself, and has healing and energizing properties. It can be stored and turned into potions. By absorbing the mist, the personal frequency level increases, together with the level of inner energy.

Warning: If the frequency level of its user drops below a certain level, the flame will burn its own master into pure mist. ]

After taking care of the prisoner, Azar headed for the meeting hall where the council already waited for his arrival. With a grave expression, and without saying a word, he took a small, blue crystal in which he inserted his memories from the interrogation, and placed it on the device at the front of the room.

The device scanned the content of the crystal and launched the projection of the memories for everyone to witness with their own eyes. The room remained quiet for the duration of the film, only the changes in expressions and auras served as means for reading the atmosphere.

"So it already started," said Vlodemir who, as the rest of the people present, was aware of the extraterrestrial race and their plans. Azar was kind enough to share all his knowledge about the rekos since the day he ghatered solid proofs about their existence.

"This complicates things . . . " Rodemir said with a sight. The fact that the rekos already infiltrated in Lefeer kingdom, as normal human beings, brought anxiety to his heart.

"Either way, our objectives remain the same," Azar said in a serious manner.

He had unresolved businesses with this race as one of his brothers died at their hands. They were merciless with any life forms, including their own, and everything was just a game for them. They could do anything as long as they had the power and their warriors didn't even flinch when giving their lives away. Truly terrifying enemies as Azar described them.

[ Irine Visderfis

Nickname: none

Age: 43

Race: Human

Current occupation: Law Enforcing Tower's Director

Husband/boyfriend: unknown

Kids: unknown

Eyes: brown

Hair: long, silver

Other occupations: duellist, instructor, Director and Founder of the Underground Activities Division, teacher

Cultivation level: Aikyam

Class: combat cultivator

Combat Rank: S

Element: earth

Special Characteristics:

- perspicacious and smart

- sword user

- devoted to her dreams

- an excellent mentor

- one of the six beauties of the kingdom

Specialty: team fights

Skills and techniques:

Elemental: Earth Spikes, Earth wall, Earth Golem, Earthquake, Earth Prison, earth manipulation technique, Core Skin, petrify technique.

Non elemental: Almighty Shield, Mountain Destroyer, Falling Meteor, Seven Cuts

Buffs: elemental protection technique, Never Tired, Plus Two

Movement: Earth Move, body movement technique

Mind: Telepathy, mind protection technique

Domain: Primordial Ground ]