Chapter 159: A Tense Interaction (Part 5)

“For the past two years, Racafi has been pushing for the Queen to hand over Iasa. They started with our resources, food, technology… anything we could offer to better Racafi’s society. But we’re running out of cards we can play, and Racafi is running out of patience. Zeris and I haven’t even been able to talk since this morning’s meeting, but our time is almost up. If we don’t agree to hand over what the shards next meeting…”

Quinn tilts his head while Zeris looks at Kane, “So Key went ahead and did it?”

“I played it off like I didn’t know, but that’s my guess," replies Kane.

“You guys compromised our shard stash to Racafi? What the hell were you thinking?” interrupts Quinn.

“Look, I didn’t give our partner the green light. I said it was up to her discretion,” says Zeris.

“And I bet she was thinking the same thing you were when you illegally stole a shard from that stash,” adds Kane. “She was thinking about the people she cares about.”

“I agree on that point, but if you’re trying to remain under the radar, you’re playing with fire. Only the higher-ups in the military know about that shard stash, and you let that information slip out? Queen Divine isn’t ignorant enough to look past that fact.”

“Key isn’t dense enough to reveal that information to the underworld unless she felt it was necessary. While it’s a risk, for the first time since the pure core was stolen, Queen Divine actually has something to worry about. It’s a perfect distraction if we go about things correctly.”

“That shard stash could create an army of iris wielders! Racafi could share this with any other nation in the world, and then you’ll have more than Racafi to worry about! Finding shards in the wild doesn’t exactly happen these days! Shards are incredibly valuable, and now you’ve made Iasa a worldwide target!”

“You’re just confirming that Key made the right call,” says Zeris. “Queen Divine won’t hand over Iasa lightly, and those shards are a bargaining chip. That stash is what is keeping Racafi from launching a full-scale invasion right now. And now that the stash is public knowledge, Divine will be forced to do something with it. Either hand them over, awaken another set of wielders, or do nothing but hold on to them. All three options benefit us once we start making more significant moves.”

“Let’s say this rebellion of yours is successful. What do you plan to do with the shards, then? Iasa will be weak from the infighting, and other nations might steal your glory.” says Ember.

“We’re already on the good side of the underworld and most of the black market. Plus, Racafi knows better than to leak this information without profiting from it. The country that might be our current worst enemy might soon be our closest ally,” says Kane.

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“Okay, let’s just… backtrack. There are only six of you?” asks Quinn.

“Correct. We’re called the Founders of Aleyros,” replies Zeris.

Quinn and Ember both chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” asks Zeris.

“I just didn’t think you’d give yourselves a name,” says Quinn.

“We’re named after one of our closest friends who the Queen abused until she died. So yeah, we have a name,” says Zeris, and the smirk on both Quinn and Ember’s faces disappears.

“Why do you need our help?” asks Armaros, commanding the room's attention. “This rebellion plan of yours is why you kept me alive, right? It just– why feel the need to include us? It sounds like you guys got this handled. Why even risk telling us all of this?”

Zeris looks at Ember before replying, “Trust is one part of it. But the trials are an event that the Queen looks forward to. Despite how cruel the trials are, there’s one fact that you can’t ignore. They always promise talent. So, she closely monitors the participants, especially from stage two onward. That’s where you guys come in. You four, Alex, Quinn, Armaros, and Ember, are iris wielders with unique abilities that will catch the Queen’s eye. Armaros, you especially will be closely watched because, as far as Queen Divine knows, nobody else knows who you are. And while we don’t know what stage two will be yet, it’s almost always combat-heavy. Meaning you each will be able to show off your abilities.”

“So you want us to… distract her from what you’re doing?” asks Quinn.

“Kind of. It’s hard to give you a concrete answer because there are so many unknown variables right now.”

“And what about me, Hazel, and Sky?” asks Forest. “We don’t have powers. Why bring us in?”

“Because there will be others that don’t have powers. You’ll want to blend in with the pack, try to talk to as many other participants and trial runners as you can, and ultimately play double agent.”

“Others that don’t have powers? You’re saying there are more survivors than just us?”

“Absolutely. You seven are just the survivors from one sector. Sector six, also called ‘Axi’. There are eight sectors in total, with a trial runner designated to each one. And between the eight sectors, there were a total of 981 participants this year.”

“981? We only had sixteen,” says Forest.

“You were all placed deliberately based on some tests you took before the trials. The people with the lowest scores were put in sector one, and those with the highest were in sector eight. It’s more common to get a low score than a higher score, so the amount of people placed in each sector varied. Like… sector one had 473 participants this year, while sector eight only had 4. But those four got the highest scores, so you could say they’re the most qualified. Anybody confused?”

The people hearing this for the first time shake their heads, so Zeris continues, “Stage one of the trials happens separately in each sector. And in stage two… the survivors from each sector come together to battle it out in whatever chosen games or methods the Queen decides on.”

“What I’m hearing is…” says Ember, meeting Zeris’s gaze. “Stage one was child’s play. Even the survivors from sector one will be tough, considering they managed to outlast hundreds of people.”

Zeris bobs his head. “Correct. However, this time… I’m not your enemy. I’m your adviser, and I'm going to make sure you are ready for this next challenge. You will each be pushed to your limits against the best of the best, with many of Iasa’s elite fighters and celebrities in attendance. Stage two is no joke, so prepare yourselves."