Somewhere in the wasteland, a group of concerned individuals met under the veil of night in one of the settlements doting the region. They made sure to stay inconspicuous by wearing robes that obscured their faces or most of their bestial features. They couldn’t afford to draw any more attention than they should.

In one corner of a rather full pub, five individuals sat together. After a while, they removed their cowls, revealing themselves as one of the barmaids offered them a drink. One of them, a fair-skinned human, asked for beer for everyone.

After the barmaid left, she started.

“Now, then,” she said. “What’s the situation on your ends?”

“Not good,” said a Lizan. “Our numbers are thinning. Many new members were too enthusiastic to keep their mouth shut. Our meeting place was raided. I barely managed to get out.”

“We got considerable progress in rebuilding the Church,” said another. “But someone talked. My sect’s essentially gone, along with the town.”

“Along with the town?” asked the human woman. “Arthi, you didn’t—”

“I know what you’re thinking, Claire. But you can’t pull your punches if your enemies don’t. It wasn’t just my magic that wiped the town off the map. It’s mostly them.”

Claire sighed. “At least it’s not all bad news. Isn’t it, Mari?”

The woman named Mari, who had been sitting silently as she enjoyed her drink, moved herself closer to the table and said, “Despite all the blunders, we are still on the right track. You’d be surprised by how many havens willing to let us in. How ironic, considering what they were established for.”

One of them scoffed. “You can’t possibly convince them. They’d chase you on sight. These robes are not magically infused to disguise our features. Maybe you’re exaggerating it. You said havens, but it’s free towns, isn’t it?’

“I mean what I said,” said Mari. “Havens closest to the sea are not doing as well as you might think. The degradation by Aether had burned out all hopes in their lives. All they had now is the desire to hasten the end. A perfect mindset, no?”

“Or you’re just persistently eroding whatever hope they had. Quite a fitting role for a Fa’ar,” remarked another.

Mari, the Fa’ar, simply scoffed and whispered, “This is why I refuse to meet here.”

“It won’t be a problem, Mari,” assured Claire. “Mari is right. We can re-establish the Church by the sea. It’s strategic, too. We can start communicating with the Continent. I am sure there are those with the same idea across the sea.”

Everyone, however, looked at each other uncomfortably.

“Claire, in case you have forgotten, we are better further away from the Continent,” started Arthi. “Remember what our founder said about Those Across the Sea.”

“Yes, yes. I know the risk,” said Claire. “It’s even riskier now that we are still in the process of rebuilding. But then, this region has declared us their enemies. There is no guarantee that we can ever return to what we were 7 years ago, before his actions tore the Church to pieces."

“He happened to be the reasonable one,” said Mari. “His reaction was predictable. Who in the right mind made that contract?”

“That who was our supreme leader, so keep your mouth shut, rat,” interjected one of them.

“Only he's no longer our supreme leader and his legacy's ruined by the decision. We are meeting here to ensure that never happened again,” said Claire. “I should know. I was there, after all.”

He scoffed and returned to silence.

“Now then,” said Claire. “I can tell we started to draw undue attention. It’s best if we enjoy this night and go our own ways. Without incident, hopefully.”

Claire glared at Arthi, who silently nodded to assure her that it would not be the case. The last thing they needed was another destroyed town and everyone hunting them down again.

Soon, they finished their discussion, and went their separate ways, back to where they were based on. One by one, they left the table, putting on the hood of their robes, with one of them paying the bartender for the food and the drink. No one ever suspected who they really were, not when the pub was as rowdy as their heated discussions. While a subtle perception spell helped, they managed to keep their heads low and away from undue attention.

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Once everyone was gone, the last ones to go were Mari and Claire. Mari was going to go back to the sea region when Claire said, “Wait.”

Mari turned to face her.

“Let’s talk outside,” said Claire. “There is something you need to know.”

Mari, knowing that Claire did not usually withhold something from the rest of the leaders, was intrigued. What would the de facto supreme leader of the fragmented Church of Nihilo had to keep it secret? It wasn’t like her to do so if she really wished to have the Church returned to its glory. Secrets were the reason why the Church fell in the first place, even if it was simply the means to an end.

Outside, Claire and Mari went to the outskirts of town to stay away from undue attention, and to let Mari comfortable enough to remove her hood, revealing her murine features that had gained so much scrutiny for those who despised Fa’ars, and what the Church stood for. The two elements were so intertwined with each other it wasn’t surprising by that point, especially for those who followed the Church’s exploits before its widespread persecution.

“Okay. This better be good,” said Mari. “Do you think it’s wise keeping this from the others?”

     "Look who's talking," retorded Claire. "You make it look like you're a devotee to the cause."

     Mari sighed. "I still am, in my own way. In fact, I am the only one who followed the wishes of the Church's founders instead of going around snuffing out the competitions to the point of creating our own downfall."

     "I know, I know. They're still scared of them. Everyone is. I have a feeling Thalasi felt the same thing. Art's not wrong, you know. They created this world, and they would do it again."

     "Maybe it's better if we keep this discussion under wraps unless we want another schism," said Mari. "And I have a feeling that's not the reason why you want to talk to me in private."

“You're right. Mari, I don’t want to jump to conclusions just yet,” said Claire. “But I had a lead on him.”

Mari quickly knew who ‘he’ was. “So,” she said. “He came out of hiding. After all these years.”

“He never hid. He was bidding his time,” said Claire. “He knew we would not talk about him if he stayed out of the limelight. I guess even he can't stay in the shadows forever.”

“Why aren’t you sharing this with the others?”

“Why, you ask? Would I share this with Arthi, who could level a whole town just by casting a spell? Or should I say this to Katwa, whose temper and blind devotion to Thalasi could be exploited? You do realize that Katwa’s the only one in our group who never regretted the decision Thal made, and justified it in any way he could?”

“Maybe it’s better if you kick him out if that’s the case."

Claire shook her head. “Kicking him out only makes matters worse. You are the only one I can trust who’d see a good reason for pursuing this matter. Have you heard what happened lately? In the Wasteland?”

“I am rather preoccupied with the seaside, as you have noticed.”

“Then let me tell you. Baliester Toynbee. Ranar Laki. Armon DeCroce. And now, Senesin Kestal. Those names ring a bell to you?”

Mari’s eyes widened. “Impossible,” she said, prompting Claire to nod.

“They may not be part of our inner circle, but they are still former members of Church,” said Claire. “From the look of it, they certainly have moved on or never want to have anything to do with the Church to begin with. Well, except Senesin. I guess he’s too sentimental to throw away that part of his life. But it’s clear that, after we were forced into hiding, their notoriety got worse, making that region unsafe for us to rebuild.”

Mari concurred. The four names Claire mentioned were once members of the Church of Nihilo and were also higher-ranking officers tasked in spreading their influence. After the fall of the Church, however, they disappeared, only for Claire to realize that they returned as seasoned criminals that spread fear. Toynbee was a corrupt mayor that controlled the water pump in the region. His death gave fresh, unfiltered water for all, but no one knew exactly who the killer was. Both Claire and Mari never suspected him as Toynbee had a lot of dangerous enemies.

Ranar Laki, Armon DeCroce, and Senesin Kestal were all wanted criminals. Laki was a robber and was turned into authorities after he was caught. DeCroce was a serial killer who targeted virgins of all races and created a demonic cult, one which failed miserably. Kestal surrendered after he was ousted. Claire always knew that the unusual Lizan already lost faith the moment he realized what the old Church had become. Good thing he never knew what happened to the rest so he wouldn’t know what to say, same with Laki.

     He, however, knew what these criminals had in common. Their downfall caught the attention of Claire, who followed the mercenary network on the updates on notorious criminals roaming the wasteland. There were many other criminals, but four of those names were familiar to her as they worked directly under her. Only someone else who worked with her knew of their significance.

“Keep an eye out for him,” said Claire. “He will never stop until the Church is completely eradicated. He will start with those he knew before he expands. By now, I'm sure he's already searching for us."

Mari sighed. She never thought it would ever come to this. She did not fear him in the slightest. Rather, she respected him. He opened their eyes to the reality of the fallacies of their previous supreme leader. Mari couldn't care less for the blind devotion some members had on the old Church. In fact, she did not care for them at all. They were the means to her own end, even if she did follow the ideas of Nihilo's founders.

“Sometimes I wonder what actually went through Thal's head when he ordered the death of a child,” wondered Mari. “Aside from Katwa, who thought it’s a good idea?”

Claire lowered her head and, with clear disappointment in her voice, said, “Eight…out of ten.”

“Maker’s Mercy.”

“Yeah,” said Claire. “We're beyond saving, which isn't surprising by this point. Good night, Mari. One day, this will all be over, and we’ll return to the nothingness whence we came.”

“You, too, leader,” said Mari.

Claire nodded and started walking away from the town, in the direction of the desert, leaving Mari to ponder if it was their fate to meet again.

“So, Jacq,” said Mari. “What would you do after you completed your mission? I wonder if this is your way to express your sesala. Maybe you are. When we meet, I expect a good answer. If we ever meet.”

Mari watched the dark sky and said, “Everything will return to darkness, and we will begin anew.” She then walked towards the direction of the sea, covering her murine features as she went.