Lyra moved quickly through the hidden ways that the Nexus built around the planet. The red-violet energy of the System’s Aether acted as a current that carried her through various branching pathways. Now that Earth appeared to be approaching ‘completion’ in the eyes of the System, those ways were starting to open up. The veins of Aether around the planet flowed more quickly. After all, these ways would soon house an even more extensive monitoring network so the Nexus could accurately access the ability of Earth to pass the Calamities.
Already Lyra could see the shape of it, but her status as a Village Spirit prevented her from looking too closely. Even for Village Spirits, some secrets were too important to allow for witnesses.
Lyra’s movements through the ways, however, were stiff. She was practically sleepwalking; her mind was elsewhere.
Because of Randidly Ghosthound’s actions, several individuals knew of Earth. A casual examination of the chatter on some of the Cohort wide communications that she had access to due to being a Village Spirit made that clear. The communications functioned much like a message board from pre-System Earth. It was only because of the communications that she had obtained so many context clues to figure out the full extent of her abilities as a Village Spirit. The communications network had a huge impact on her personal growth.
And it couldn’t be ignored that the sheer volume of other Village Spirits and planets present on the message board was part of the reason that Lyra had been so swayed by Yystrix’s arguments.
...did she think of me, toward the end…? Lyra thought as she was carried like a bobbing piece of driftwood through the ways. But then she shook her head. Thinking like that helped no one. Better to keep her mind disciplined, especially now.
Even Lyra was unsure about why exactly Randidly had drawn so much attention to him. Every now and again there Lyra saw some of her fellow Village Spirits of Earth were drawn into conversations that were a little too... specific to be coincidental. But from what she could tell, those that knew about the Earth being special were very careful not to appear too concerned about Earth.
When Village Spirits from other planets asked about why people kept mentioning it, the easy excuse was that someone powerful enough to survive on the frontlines had come through due to a Judgement. Certainly an impressive feat, but the phrasing hid the fact that Randidly did more than survive on the frontlines. He survived as an image, recovered his body, and then was named a Commander.
The military structure of the Nexus outside of the Xyrt Brigade was rather loose, but becoming a Commander still was quite impressive. So impressive that most people in the know didn’t bring it up, lest others covet whatever secret that the Earth was hiding.
Randidly, you are really nothing but trouble, Lyra thought grumpily. I really hope you understood my warning…
A part of Lyra wished to tarry further in the icy-hot grip of Aether, but another part of her knew it wouldn’t be worth it. So when Lyra arrived at her destination threshold, she proceeded through without slowing down at all. The sensation of being submerged in energy disappeared and Lyra was suddenly standing in a stone room.
On the other side of the threshold were four individuals arguing in the center of the room, with a fifth man sitting in an unadorned wooden chair pressed up against the far wall. Aside from the entrance Lyra just used, there were no windows or other doors. The place was illuminated by several floating balls of golden light orbiting the central point of the room.
The four talking individuals froze when Lyra arrived, then relaxed as they recognized her. Very quickly, they returned to ignoring Lyra as she walked across to stand by the man sitting in the chair. It seemed that whatever had them so up in a lather wasn’t something they were willing to drop.
“We should contact the Nemesai. If the situation on this planet is unusual enough for us to be deployed in this strange scenario, finding out more information is critical,” Guthur argued. Of the four leaders of the Corrupted Invaders present on Earth, Guthur was, for lack of a better adjective, the only timid one. While the others had begun spreading their influence through the Danger Zones they occupied, only Guthur’s group hid in the depths.
Hiding is useless against Randidly’s Perception, but your plan is probably effective in normal situations… Lyra thought as she took her place next to the man sitting in the chair.
All four were of the same strange alien race, something that resembled a meer-kat built to the scale of a human but with blue, chitinous armor that covered their bodies. The largest of the four and the leader of the more aggressive faction amongst the Corrupted Invaders sneered at Guthur. “And yet are these humans not also slinking around your base, Guthur? It seems that your cowardice possesses a pungent odor that will lead them to your doorstep no matter how much you fear them!”
The other aliens clicked their jaws, which was their way of showing amusement. Guthur trembled, whether in fear or fury Lyra didn’t know, but the confrontation was stopped just as soon as it started.
“Enough. Return to your positions. The Earthlings will come today for some of you. Be prepared.” The sitting man said in an almost lyrical voice. Every word seemed like it was poised to leap into song before the sounds smoothly flowed into the next sentence. Honestly, Lyra wouldn’t be surprised if she opened up the man’s chest and found a series of organ pipes stacked within.
Although she kept her gaze straight ahead, Lyra couldn’t help but take in the details of the man sitting next to her one more time. Humanoid, and more so than the alien Corrupted Invaders, but still decidedly other. If anything, Lyra associated him with the sharp chinned and eared descriptions of elves from Earth.
But what was most striking about the man was his coloration. He was completely hairless as far as Lyra could tell, but his skin was a dull bronze color that reflected light in a most attractive manner. In addition, his eyes seemed to be two pools of reflective silver. The combination made it easier for the man to catch the eye of the unwary as he moved.
The largest of the alien’s hesitated as he looked over toward the sitting man. Despite its alien features, its unwillingness to simply wait around in the Danger Zone assigned to it was clear. “This is a young planet. There is no need to behave so strictly. Compared to them, we-”
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“This young planet is involved in the death of someone far beyond your paygrade,” Kaan Swacc said in a low voice. His silver eyes were serene, even when the strange musicality of his voice became ominous. He spoke and it was the jarring sound of a piano falling from a ten-story building. “I hope I don’t need to repeat myself.”
After a series of hurried bows, the four aliens departed through the same door that Lyra had used to arrive. The golden lights continued their gradual rotation overhead. Then Kaan looked over at her and offered her a lazy grin. He possessed no teeth, so the gaps in his lips simply revealed darkness. “How did it go?”
“I informed Randidly Ghosthound of a plan to attack the people of Earth, as you ordered,” Lyra said with a smile in reply.
Kaan hummed at that. It scampered musically up and down the scales like he was playing a harmonical rather than just thinking. His bronze skin glimmered as he reached to a pouch at his belt and produced a slowly spinning Aether construct that hovered above his palm. As soon as it appeared, Lyra felt her traitorous Village Spirit scaffolding tremble and stiffen. As long as Kaan Swacc held that symbol of authority from the System, there was little Lyra the Village Spirit could do to resist him. Especially because it gave him the ability to give orders that her Aether self would follow to the letter.
Kaan nodded. “You aren’t lying to me. Good. Do you think that he will take the bait and try and go into a Dungeon?”
Well… considering his track record of stubbornly handling dangerous problems… “Yes, he will head toward a Dungeon.”
Even if he realizes the hint, he will still head there to draw you out...
Tilting his head to the side, Kaan Swacc eyed Lyra speculatively. “I can read your emotions, you know. Not even because of this-” He waved the sigil of authority around. “-but just from experience. I can tell you are worried about him but less worried than you were before you left. What gave you this confidence?”
“His new image is… strange and powerful. You might not have felt it here, but it releases a somewhat… ominous aura.” Lyra said truthfully. Although she mostly hoped her message had gotten through to him, the strength of his image had certainly been a surprise.”
Kaan hummed again at that. “No, I did feel it. And it’s impressive, certainly. It wasn’t for nothing that he survived on the frontlines. But his image is complicated and unbalanced. Based on what I can sense… it will consume him within a year. But until that happens… I suppose he will possess a volatile efficiency at what he does.”
Lyra felt her heart flutter at that. Because based on what Lyra had come to know of Kaan in the last week since he had main his presence known, she had learned one thing about him: he was a man too arrogant to lie. If he truly thought Randidly’s image would consume him, there was likely a grain of truth to it.
Before Lyra could consider that issue further, Kaan stood up abruptly flexing his hands. “I’m curious of your thoughts on what the Rashai’i were arguing about… whether it would be worth it to involve the Nemesai. Should we contact them?”
Before she could stop herself, her mouth was moving. Simple questions were almost reflex to answer honestly. “Probably.”
“Why probably?” Kaan retorted.
Lyra shrugged. “If you can keep Randidly Ghosthound from interfering… yes. If not, then there really isn’t any point. As long as he’s present, he’s already demonstrated he can rather simply suppress the entirety of the Nemesai with his presence. In fact, even with you there, Randidly probably could split his attention up enough to dominate the entire battlefield.”
“Believe me, after reading the reports of the frontlines, I more than respect his ability to affect a larger battlefield.” Kaan hummed musically again. “And what do you think the Nemesai would do if I contacted them?”
That caused Lyra to blink because she genuinely had to think about it for a short amount of time. “In terms of response…? They would likely be cautious after seeing Randidly’s power at his birthday, but if you could convince them you had dealt with him, they would gather up and attack one of the task forces while they assaulted the Corrupted Invaders’ base. Likely each task force has enough powerful individuals to weather a Nemesai attack without serious casualties, but it would delay them. With your assistance, the people of Earth-”
“I will not touch the average person on Earth.” For whatever reason, the corner of Kaan’s mouth was stretching wider and wider. It was a smile, but it was a strange, shapeless one. Perhaps it was just because he had no teeth, but his entirely, gleaming face looked like a mask covering something hideous beneath. “However girl, it turns out we are nowhere near as smart as we thought we were. What if I told you I had already reached out to the Nemesai… and they had refused me? Apparently they need time to consider another offer of cooperation. Any idea why they would say that to me?”
“Randidly Ghosthound,” Lyra’s lips opened and closed to let the two words pass before she could even stop herself.
Kaan Swacc nodded slowly. His luminous silver eyes narrowed. “Which is extremely strange. Because what can this Earthling offer Nemesai? My offer to help them fail the Earth should be their ultimate goal… which makes me worry that my secret theory is correct.”
Then Kaan turned to look at Lyra. The worst part of the sigil of authority’s power was that it also be used to force Lyra to take an action. Like bringing Randidly the message that Kaan would attack one of the task forces without revealing Kaan’s plan. A complicated action required a very specific order in order for it to be effective. But for a simpler action…
Eventually, Lyra’s face went pale and she began to cough. When she had recovered her breath, she asked the question that Kaan wanted; the tilt of his chin had been enough to force her to ask it. “What is your secret theory?”
Kaan clapped his hands together in simple amusement. When his two hands touched, they chimed beautifully. “I’m so glad you asked. I believe Randidly Ghosthound is a Nether spy. There is no other explanation for how he was able to survive so long as an image on the frontlines, nor why he improved in power so quickly. More than that...
“In the wake of the battle on the frontlines, the wounded form of a Nether King remained near our territory. My fellow members of the Xyrt Brigade traveled there immediately. Because they acted quickly, they were able to suppress the Nether King and prevent it from healing… but then strangely, some force unraveled their efforts. Only three days ago the Nether King vanished.”
“You think the Nether King’s disappearance was related to Randidly. That conclusion makes me question the integrity of your logic,” Lyra said with great relish. There were sometimes when she quite appreciated being forced to be completely honest.
If anything, however, Kaan shared her amusement. His grin stretched wider. “Perhaps not him directly, but a force that this Ghosthound of yours represents. Like I said, I can read your emotions, girl. You might believe that I am here because I hate this Randidly… but that cannot be further from the truth. I’m actually quite delighted to have the chance to encounter this Randidly Ghosthound.
“Because killing him seems like it will be fun. To actually find a true being of Nether on a planet… It is rare I find an unusual foe, even in the Xyrt Brigade.”
Lyra frowned. “If you want to kill him, why encourage him to go into a Dungeon…?”
Suddenly, Kaan’s smile vanished. He raised his gleaming bronze hand and swirled a finger around in the air, and Lyra felt her body moving of its own accord. After gasping, she found herself facing the ground, bent at the waist.
It was an exact reflection of her posture from when she had been standing before Randidly.
“Orders, girl.” There was no music in Kaan’s voice this time. The man turned and left the room, leaving Lyra trapped in that position until the order slowly faded away. As he left, he provided one last line into the frozen air. “In the Nexus, everyone is puppeted by someone.”