---------Madeline Front, Kingdom of Vernicus Border---------------

Eldris sat on a chair propped up as well as she could be in her current amputee state. She was in her tent inside Luxia's camp, but at the moment she was not focused on recovering from her near brush with death. No, she was far more focused on who had come to pay her a visit.

Despite being at a higher Mage rank than the new arrivals Eldris couldn't help but feel in imminent danger as she was inspected by the five figures concealed in black clothing who had suddenly appeared in her tent, surrounding her.

The Blue Pillar's Aide knew who they were without needing an introduction. They were Mages loyal to the most feared Pillar in the Church, Black Pillar Odessa. But more than that these rarely seen members of the Church were not just Mages, but Mage Assassins.

The five here were all at the 6th level or even lower. Even with that knowledge, Eldris had no doubts she would die if they deemed killing her necessary. Even before she was injured it would have been close despite the rank difference. Now, as she was just a cripple trying to learn how to properly fight without her limbs, she was nothing but a sitting duck to these trained killers.

Mage Assasins from the Black Tower were famous for their precise mana control. But their excellent combat skills and ability to remain undetected were what really made them the most feared group in the Church.

The Black Pillar's role in the Church was to maintain order within the Church's ranks. Through their Mage Assassin's they ensured the Church didn't suffer from traitors. Eldris knew they were notorious for their vicious nature when dealing with potential turncoats, often torturing suspected traitors for days using a variety of hair-raising techniques all designed to inflict the most mental damage possible.

She didn't exactly know how they were trained to be so effective and loyal but she'd heard a few rumors in her time as a member of the Church's Intelligence Blue Pillar. The rumors differed in exact location, but all spoke of secret orphanages where children were subjected to extremely dangerous situations until they either became worthy of joining the Church as a Mage Assasin or they died. Eldris shuddered thinking about the cruelty the five in front of her had no doubt been put through before letting her thoughts return to why they were here, making her shudder once more, this time in fear.

They had come for her report. One wrong word and Eldris could find herself in a windowless dungeon within the hour so she focused her mind on the task at hand organizing the information she would present.

Luxia had been rather unhelpful regarding any information about the attacker. Now known by the name Eldris had called him: Darkeye.

The Lioness had not only said she had no idea where such a character had come from, but she'd also notified Eldris that due to the recent loss of Comet Legion Commander Rioscol, she would be pulling back for now to recoup Vernicus's forces before engaging with Hervalle again.

Eldris knew that meant the Church would be pissed. They'd sent the Comet Legion here to help suppress the growing Hervalle Empire, but in the end not only had they lost the Legion's Commander, but she, a Pillar's Aide, had been crippled too! Her thoughts and courage gathered, Eldris finally replied to the waiting Mage Assassins waiting for her report. Skipping right past the unnecessary pleasantries.

"Darkeye's mana quality was the highest I've ever seen. So dense that a single aqua blade cut through Commander Rioscol 's famous Comet Barrier like it was paper and even more terrifyingly parted my mana-empowered flesh with just one strike. A feat that should have been impossible."

Eldris saw the Mage Assassin raising an eyebrow as if pressing for more info.

Steeling her nerves Eldris knew she couldn't give away too much about herself. At the end of the day she was still the Blue Pillar's Aide and the one's asking her questions were under the Black Pillar's orders. She couldn't divulge her faction's secrets to Black Pillar members even if under investigation. Doing so would result in angering a far scarier individual than these shadowy assasins. Her boss Mallory.

"Just understand that the damage done to my body in one strike is evidence enough of Darkeye's unreal mana quality." Eldris gave a half-hearted answer hoping it would be enough.

The Mage Assassin tilted his head down in a nod as if accepting her answer.

"But that's not all" Eldris continued making a few of the Mage Assassin's eyes glimmer in interest. There was more?

"Darkeye showed no hesitation when fighting and even seemed somewhat playful in the way he fought. To be that composed in a fight must mean they're a veteran of many similar Mage battles, someone like that should not be unknown to the Church"

The Mage assassin's eyes gave an annoyed look, no doubt conveying his contempt for Eldris's tease at useful information before telling them something so obvious. Of course this Darkeye had seen many battles how else would they have been able to fight so overwhelmingly or even advance to their current rank.

Annoyed the Mage assassin's gave one last glance to Eldris before the five vanished to Eldris's sight as well as her mana senses, fading into nothingness, as if they were never there in the first place.

"Damn Black Pillar Goons why do they always have to be so creepy?" Eldris spoke to herself, secretly hoping they were still in earshot.

"It's a good thing you stopped running your mouth or else I would have helped you close it." A woman's voice spoke from behind where Eldris was seated.

Eldris frozen completely still as a new fear. One far stronger than her feeling of unease about simple Mage Assassins overcame her.

"Gre-"

"Shut it you meathead." The voice cut Eldris off before she could sputter out a formal address. "Those Black Pillar Goons, as you so aptly described are long gone. Something you would know if you spent more time improving your mana sense instead of reinforcing your body constantly like some kind of muscle-obsessed idiot."

Eldris kept quiet as instructed. Despite her fear, Eldris liked the think the new voice's obvious anger wasn't really aimed at her, but at the person who had done this to her. After all her teacher could be rather overprotective.

"And Darkeye? Why would you give a villain a name? Did watching yourself getting ripped apart make you fall in love and abandon your senses."

Eldris continued waiting frozen in fear, but feeling more and more assured seeing her teacher's attitude. Mallory was truly pissed.

"Fine. Now you can talk you loose-lipped rat of a student." The voice's tone was beginning to cool.

"Great Pillar who's Invoker's keep the dark from leaving the shadows I ha-"

"Cut to the important part Eldi! You know how much I hate being addressed especially outside of formal occasions." A flat tone cut her off.

Eldris bowed. She may be the Blue Pillar's Aide, but she was nothing in comparison. A Pillar could live far longer than a normal Mage, some even said they were immortal. They would go through many Aides throughout their lifetimes. So despite being just below her in teacher in rank, Eldris truly was nothing in comparison.

For these very same reasons Eldris tried her best to suppress her tendency to be casual and rough around Mallory. Making sure she never treated her teacher like anything other than the untoppable Pillar she was. This time being no different, Eldris did so know her best to follow Mallory's commands to the letter.

"Yes, Pillar. I wish to report the current estimate of Luxia's strength is severely underestimated."

Seeing her teacher remain silent she continued.

"Previous reports estimate her strength as similar to Orange Aide Fixic. It was believed she had a small mana capacity but a high level of mana quality which was why we believed she relied so heavily on employing hit-and-run tactics so far in the war. We mistook her careful strikes as a sign of weakness when it was actually an indicator of what she knew."

"You think Lady Luxia already knew about Darkeye?" Mallory spoke up understanding what Eldris was getting at.

"At the very least I suspect her intelligence network in the Hervalle Empire is more competent than our own and had picked up on the possibility of a powerful figure lurking in Hervalle's shadow."

"And you got all that from being cut up by this Darkeye you oh so aptly named."

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"Yes." Eldris responded ignoring her teacher's annoyed tone. "After I was crippled I maintained my mana senses, hoping to find something I could pull to me to help stop the bleeding. While my mana sense was expanded I caught a few mana ripples from the fight between Luxia and Darkeye." Eldris continued trying to not let her nerves show.

"The complexity of both of their spellcasting was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Luxia's mana quality seemed to be a match for Darkeye's in a direct confrontation forcing him to focus on maintaining a high maneuverability and launching fast but weak attacks. From what I sensed. Luxia displayed abilities at the peak of the seventh level and I even suspect she may be on the verge of climbing into the Eighth rank."

"Good, we could use more allies like Lady Luxia. What of Darkeye's rank?" Her teacher prodded her sitting torso from behind with her sharp finger.

"I..I.." Eldris let out a loud gulp baffled at the words she was about to say, "I believe Darkeye is at the middle of the 6th Rank."

"What!?" Eldris winced as the playful poke jabbed deeper into her back painfully.

Seeing herself accidentally hurt her apprentice Mallory let out an apology in the form of light healing before returning to the shocking news at hand.

"The 6th! But he defeated you so easily and even survived battling a Mage you believe to be on the cusp of entering the 8th rank? How could you make such an assessment?"

Eldris let out a breath. "Not once did I see him ever use a spell above the 6th level. Additionally, Darkeye only used extremely mana efficient spells even against Luxia. I think this is because his mana pool is incredibly small as one of the sixth rank would be, and so he relies on mana-efficient spells to make up for his lack in Mage Rank."

"Relying on weak spells shouldn't have left a dent on you no matter their mana density. There's something else you aren't telling me."

Eldris gulped again knowing the information she was about to share would not be received well.

"I detected he was using a similar technique to my own to empower his spells with his physical strength."

"Are you sure?" Her teacher was no longer showing any playful emotion. Her voice completely deadpan.

"Yes." Eldris spoke trying to match her teacher's tone.

"It's a good thing you didn't tell the Black Pillar this." Blue Pillar Mallory's voice didn't seem too grateful. "If they discovered a technique entrusted only to high-ranking members of the Church had been leaked there would be no peace in Solis until heads rolled."

Eldris nodded readily in agreement. She knew if the information did get out she would probably find herself subjected to the Black Pillar's brutal interrogator's whims before the night was out.

Mallory finally stepped out from behind Eldris's back and into her vision before placing her hand on her chin and adopting a look of someone deep in thought.

"Tell me Eldris, what do you think the chances are Darkeye is working under the orders of a Pillar?"

It was Eldris's turn to be shocked. "What? But a member of the Church would never. We might infight sometimes, but that's more as friendly rivals. No Pillar would ever sanction anything close to what Darkeye did today." Eldris couldn't even allow herself to think someone from the Church had been the one to cripple her and kill her friend Commander Rioscol.

"Just answer the question Eldris. No emotions." Eldris could see Mallory's eyes were flickering intently as if thinking of every possibility.

Eldris did as she was instructed relying on the technique which made Invoker's famous. Probably reproduction. Sending short bursts of water mana to specific parts of her brain overloaded them. Eldris focused her mind inward as scenes rapidly flashed across her consciousness.

Eldris saw memory after memory each relevant to the question at hand until finally a clear answer came forward and Eldris much to her great relief halted her own "introspection."

"Pillar, I still believe it is more likely an outsider who managed to create the technique themselves; however, if assuming Darkeye is under orders from a Pillar the most likely one is Vizor the Green Pillar." Eldris gave her conclusion trying to avoid thinking about the implications of her words.

"Explain." Mallory's eyes gave none of her own thoughts away this time.

"The Red Pillar Aria, the one in ultimate command of all the Church's Legions, is normally a staunch supporter of Brown Pillar Michael and his focus on stability over growth. A view that has led to the Church's Legions being deployed in far less dangerous conflicts than they had in the past. In stark contrast, the Green Pillar Vizor promotes growth above all and is a vocal supporter of putting the Legions in the most dangerous conflicts possible to facilitate growth through hardship. The Comet Legion had initially been deployed to combat the Hervalle Empire because the conflict had appeared to be one that would pose little actual danger to them. As the war progressed and the Madeline Front especially became more and more dangerous the Red Pillar began trying to redeploy her Legion to a safer conflict, but her attempt to do so was prevented by the Green Pillar using his influence to promote the importance of containing Hervalle and ensuring the Vernicus Kingdom survived." Eldris continued seeing Mallory was still listening in silence.

"At the time most believed the Vizor's blatant opposition of Aria and Michael had been instigated by encountering groups like the Constituency, Nox, and the Iron Guard who had all originated from the Hervalle Empire and showed signs of rapid growth. The Green Pillar's actions were thought to be incentivized by a desire to learn what had made them grow so quickly. A conclusion only further encouraged by Vizor's support in sending me to negotiate with the Constituency in Numina."

Mallory cut off her aide's words as she seemed to be losing her patience, "Get to the point."

"The Green Pillar in his desire for knowledge and growth may have already approached Nox and the Iron Guard as well, but done so behind the Church's back. He may have offered them, secrets of the Church like the method I and Darkeye use in order to learn their own secrets of how they've experienced such rapid growth. The Iron Guard and Nox upon receiving the information then used it to raise monsters like Darkeye to help win the war."

"Do you think the Green Pillar would be so short-sighted? That he would believe giving groups at war with the Church secret techniques would result in anything other than his execution?" Mallory asked prodding her Aide.

"I don't know your gr-"

Mallory cut Eldris off before she could complete her formal address. "What is the Green Pillar's mission?"

"Growth and knowledge," Eldris spoke instantly, the rote knowledge having been burned into her long ago during her studies as a priest.

"Good and what does the current Green Pillar, Vizor, believe is the best way of promoting growth and knowledge?"

"Hardships, especially through conflict, hence his needling of Aria to get her Legions into more dangerous conflicts to enable their growth."

"So what do you think the Green Pillar's best-case scenario would be then? For the sake of rapid growth and development of knowledge."

Eldris eyes flashed in understanding as she realized what Mallory was hinting at, "A larger conflict, one which grows to encompass everything and applies pressure across the entire Church."

Mallory gave a nod to her student before speaking the rest of her thoughts, "Exactly, so there is a chance, however unlikely the Vizor, likely through his Aide Ahulina, traded information with the Iron Guard and Nox not just because he sought the short term gain of the knowledge he received from them, but because he wanted to empower Hervalle in the process. A more powerful Hervalle means a greater conflict and by his own idealogy more growth. I suspect if this is indeed the case he hoped someone like Darkeye would appear and place more pressure on Vernicus and as a result to Church leading to an escalating conflict. A dilemma I have no doubt the Church will decide to double down on, throwing more support behind Luxia in response to Hervalle's newly revealed strength."

Eldris eyes were wide with astonishment at realizing what the Green Pillar had potentially been plotting.

Mallory continued with one last point, "But at least one thing happened Vizor wasn't expecting." She turned to look Eldris in the eyes. "Hervalle's secret weapon encountered you. Someone so intimate with the Church's technique she was able to identify it on sight. For that reason alone we find ourselves with a potential advantage and an important decision on what do to with our newfound information."

"What about talking with the Black Pillar Odessa and dropping some hints?" Eldris asked innocently.

WHACK!

The sound of Mallory rapping her knuckle on the back of her student's head sounded throughout Eldris's tent.

"Think meathead!" Mallory hissed annoyed at her student's answer. "If we tell the Odessa and she proceeds to intern and interrogate the Green Pillar and his people only to find that theirs no evidence to support such an accusation we'll not only ruin the Blue Pillar's relationship with the Black Pillar, but we'll face a backlash of similar treatment to ensure we weren't plotting something by making a false accusation!"

Eldris paled, realizing how stupid her idea sounded in hindsight, "So we verify?" She spoke with an unsure tone.

"YES!" Mallory was visibly relieved at hearing the answer she was looking for. "We are the damn Pillar of Information! We do what we do best and collect information before moving forward. We have an advantage knowing about Darkeye having access to the Church's method, let's not squander it away for nothing. In your current state you'll be useless investigating in the field so leave that to me. You'll go back to Solis under the guise of recuperating to keep an eye on the Green Pillar's forces directly."

Eldris gasped realizing Mallory was saying she would be actively investigating this matter. Eldris had never heard of her ever leaving Solis except to train Eldris and now she was about to take it upon herself to investigate a potential betrayal.

"Of course great Pillar. It will be done." Eldris bowed her head as much as she could while slumped on her chair limbless. When she looked back up the Blue Pillar was gone and Eldris was left with the difficult problem of how exactly she would be returning to Solis in her current state.

------------------- Vernicus Territory, South of the Madeline Front -------------

Avior found himself talking openly on Vernicus Kingdom roads with Piran, James, Jessica, Christina, Victoria, and an incredibly nervous Virgoh Grosslain. Their group of seven was now posing as Vernicus youth making their way towards the capital to enlist in the war against Hervalle to blend in on the roads. Once they got closer they planned to switch to the story they were Numina traders returning to the Warports. Avior hadn't found any sign of Prim yet forcing him to go to her last known location, Warport Arkanis, in hopes he would find a clue to her whereabouts there.

The group was quiet, no doubt working their minds through their last "battle." They had all managed to escape due to Avior and Virgoh staying behind to "distract" the Comet Legion while relying on wildfires to further slow their pursuers. Even then the Comet Legion had given up rather suddenly, something which baffled the students other than Virgoh who knew it was because Avior had caused widespread chaos while concealed in his shadowy form.

As for Avior, his current thoughts were vacant of any concern over his recent battle or how using the technique he learned from the Church so many lives ago, had led to the Blue Pillar suspecting a traitor in the Church. No Avior's thoughts were far simpler. He was enjoying the adventure of sneaking through enemy territory while he subconsciously returned to constantly exhausting his mana for the sake of rapid growth. Emersed in the moment Avior couldn't help but remember when he had been in a similar situation of adventuring with companions in one of his early regressions.

The memory brought a genuine smile to his face which only made Virgoh, who was staring at the monster pretending to be a student Mage smiling ominously, immediately throw up.