"The plan has failed?" A man adorned in a white cloak embroidered with gold asked.

"Yes, master," a cloaked assassin answered.

"How so?" The master asked.

"Eyewitnesses said a kid intervened," the assassin replied.

"A... kid? A mere kid killed multiple trained assassins?" He asked in disbelief as he turned around, revealing an old man with a white beard and golden eyes.

"Unfortunately, it is the truth," the cloaked assassin answered.

A titanic pressure devoured the room as the assassin fell face first in the ground, his bones cracking as it slowly got pulverized. The assassin could only slowly drown in his blood as his vision darkened.

"Master, you're making a mess." A voice chimed in, breaking the man from his wrathful stupor.

"HOW COULD I NOT?! OUR PLANS HAVE CONSTANTLY BEEN STOPPED TIME AND TIME AGAIN!" he roared as a man adorned in silver and gold armor entered the chamber.

The design of his armor was intricate and spoke elegance as the metal appeared interwoven, forming a sigil in the middle, a ball of light similar to the sun. The man itself appeared young, with white hair and golden eyes, along with a white greatsword strapped to his back.

"Please tell me you have good news," the master said.

"We now know the identity of the person who foiled our plan, master," the man said.

"Hoh? Go on," the master urged.

"His name is Samael. He has no surname, indicating he's not of noble origins, but his position is quite complex," the man answered.

"How so?" The master asked.

"Although he is not of noble blood, he is an acquaintance of the unprecedented shadow saint and the guild master, Icarius Malekov," the man replied.

"A nobody acquainted with a member of the high table? Are you fooling me right now?" The man asked.

"I would never dare lie to the Cardinal of Justice," the man protested.

The cardinal of justice remained silent for a while, his eyes lost in thought as he paced silently.

Nobody was with the shadow saint and Icarius Malekov. It was simply too coincidental. There was something at work here.

Concluding his next action, the cardinal of justice stood before the man, prompting him to kneel and offer his blade.

Taking the greatsword of the man, the cardinal slowly rested its flat side on the man's head as he spoke, his voice carrying a weight invisible to the eye.

"Saint of Light, Azerel, I bestow upon you a mission. A decree by the god of Light, Taranius."

"Find out more about this 'Samael' and seize him when the time comes."

***

"You're summoning the high table?" Aphemis asked, her eyes wide and her brows raised.

Asking the high table for an audience is not something you can just do. It takes a lot of resources and power to do this.

Not to mention, the reason must be sufficient, and it must be a matter that puts the safety of the sanctuaries at risk.

"I have to," Icarius answered, his tone stern.

"The cardinals of light are powers equivalent to us, the high table, if not stronger. Currently, there are eight of them, and there are merely six of us," Icarius said.

"If we don't prepare now, things can go south for us," he resumed.

"I understand. I will support your decision," Aphemis said.

"However, you do know what this decision will mean," Aphemis mentioned.

"I do," Icarius said.

"A war. One Ergo has not seen," he resumed.

Aphemis released a deep sigh as she spoke. "I'll call upon Mendez and Olaf. My intel says they know the location of these guys."

"Good. I'll handle Ishkar and Nova," Icarius said.

"You better explain it in a way they'll understand," Aphemis said.

"You know the weight of their duties," she followed.

"I know. That's why I'll visit them myself," Icarius said.

With that, the two went their separate ways.

Aphemis went on to write letters to the grandmaster blacksmith, Olaf, and the leader of the assassins, Mendez.

The High Table was an organization meant to protect the sanctuaries from dangers beyond those of a Saint threat.

It consists of six members, each and every one with their own quirks.

Olaf was a mellagun, a species greatly affined to metal and fire. With those traits, they're considered natural-born blacksmiths. Olaf was not only gifted, but talented beyond belief. Pair that with the long lifespan of his kind, and he achieved the only-ever title of grandmaster blacksmith.

He has made weapons of all calibers capable of splitting mountains and morphing the land.

He currently resides in Erdun, the city of arms. He's helping the war effort by providing the watchers on the front lines with a constant stream of weapons and armor. Along with his kind, they're the only thing keeping those people alive.

Meanwhile, Mendez was a rather tricky one. Mendez Black was an orphan who soon made his name known in underground society. With his great mastery and creative use of his darkness and shadow elements, he subjugated and made the kingdom beneath his empire.

Mendez was in control of the entire underground society. Every piece of information, good, and person that passes there will go through him first.

As an assassin, not many have seen him, or rather, not many know he's the leader of the underground.

Mendez was highly secretive about his identity; to others, he's just a carefree playboy who kills monsters for a living. But those who know who he truly is never get the chance to spill the beans.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Aphemis had a hard time tracking down the bastard, as he's as free as the wind. Perhaps she only found him because he intended her to find him.

Closing and stamping the letters with a special sigil, Aphemis snapped her fingers as multiple shadows emerged from hers.

"Bring this to 'Livia' the night city," she commanded as the shadows slithered away like snakes.

With that, the start of their war against the ministry of light had finally begun.

Meanwhile, Icarius left a few words for his butler before he left. Not through a carriage but through a remote device capable of teleporting you through thousands of miles. Similar to the one Aphemis used on Samael.

As Samael and Ajax ate in the dining room, the butler came in as he cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the two.

"As per the words of master Icarius, 'I will be gone for a while. Continue your mission and establish your position in the noble society. When I return, it will mark the day your duty here ends. Do not try to look or find out where I am. Focus on your objectives," the butler narrated.

Samael's brows furrowed along with Ajax. This was sudden. They know Icarius was crazy, but not this crazy. To leave so suddenly only meant that something was up. Something severe, he has to move himself.

But they must respect his wishes and stay out of it... for now.

"As for your missions, young masters, Sir Ajax, you must attend the crowning ceremony to be truly recognized as the guardian saint of Tera. Afterwards, you'll be busy as you must solidify your power by going through multiple subjugations," the butler said.

"As for you, sir Samael," the butler called, luring Samael's attention.

"You must also attend the crowning event to establish your stand and side. Noble society is often very... biased to who they support. We are expecting resistance but to no avail," the butler said.

Samael gave a nod of recognition, but before he could continue devouring his food, the butler followed.

"Ah! Before I leave, a message came for you," he mentioned.

"A message? From who?" Samael asked.

"From the house of Flamebright," the butler said.

Samael's back straightened as he rose up with haste.

"Where is the letter?" he asked.

"Please, master, finish your food first," the butler reminded Samael.

Samael cleared his throat as he sat down and continued eating.

"I have left the letter in your room," the butler said before excusing himself.

***

Icarius slowly stepped out of the pillar of light emitted by his transporter as he brushed his hair back.

As he did, a man adorned in a tuxedo approached him to assist him. They had been informed beforehand of Icarius's objectives, so they refrained from doing anything else.

Not wasting time, Icarius went on and stepped out of the manor, revealing a wave of fresh air accompanied by the scent of wet leaves.

He was now in Oros, humanity's last stronghold. A place built in case all else fails.

Oros wasn't the largest city. Although there are mundane humans here, the city is nothing in comparison to Tera.

However, its defenses are far more superb and advanced. Far, far ahead of the other sanctuaries.

As he approached the main road, there stood a woman leaning against a wall.

"Guardian Saint Silvana," Icarius greeted.

"Master Icarius," Silvana said back.

"What bought you here? You're quite a long way from home," she asked.

"I'm afraid I'm not here for a vacation," Icarius said.

"Oh?" Silvana exclaimed.

"I'm here to summon the High Table," Icarius revealed, prompting the Saint to flinch as she jerked her head towards the man.

"Are you serious?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm afraid," Icarius said.

"Then follow me," Silvana said as she stood straight, her figure turning to a blur.

Without another word, Icarius's figure vanished as he chased the woman, matching her speed with ease.

"How is the city holding?" Icarius asked.

"Good! The monsters are unable to cross the mountains as the scouts are always one step ahead," she replied.

"That's good to hear," Icarius said, the wind muffling his voice.

"How about you? I heard you've succeeded in freeing the Georgo road!" Silvana screamed as the wind whipped her face.

"Yeah! With the help of my trusted comrades, we were able to get those beasts out," Icarius said.

"That's good to know," Silvana said.

"...How about Nova?" Icarius asked as the two gently landed within the town plaza, where a bustling crowd went about their lives.

"The usual," Silvana answered.

"He's still a workaholic. The only thing he does is go on with his silent hero gig," she resumed.

"The same old Nova, huh?" Icarius said.

"Yup," she said.

"But thanks to him, monster subjugation is as easy as walking in a park," Silvana praised.

"That's Nova for you," Icarius said.

If anything, Nova would probably be the second-strongest human to live beside Icarius. In fact, his element was far superior to his. The only reason Icarius was stronger was due to his physical strength.

As for what his element is, That's a secret not many know about.

Icarius and Silvana's footsteps halted as they turned their heads to an alleyway where a cloaked man leaned on a wall, an apple resting in his hand.

"Long time, no see, Icarius." The man spoke, his tone gentle and calm. It was almost soothing.

"Same to you, Nova," Icarius said.

"Now what bought the leader of the watchers here?" He asked as the apple in his hand slowly dried and turned to nothing but dust.

Icarius was about to answer when Silvana burst forward and dragged the man by the ears.

"Arghh!" Nova exclaimed as he got helplessly dragged forward.

"How many times have I told you to stop using your power for such useless antics?" Silvana roared.

"But, love! It looks cool!" Nova said.

"I don't care! You know the effects of your powers!" She retorted as she tightened her grip.

"Ouch! Okay, okay!" He said as the woman let go.

Silvana's full name was Silvana Kairos, the wife of the one and only Nova Kairos.

"Glad to see the power dynamics have not changed," Icarius said.

"You bet," Silvana said.

Nova simply chuckled as he took off his hood.

"Icarius! What bought you here?" He asked when Silvana shot him a glare.

"Okay, fine!" Nova said as he raised his hands.

Nova was a man who appeared in his thirties. He had dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and a gentle aura around him. He was a protector. Ever since he was young.

"Come in, come in," Nova said as he led the man inside a humble abode.

"What do you want? Coffee? Tea?" Nova asked as he fiddled around the countertop.

"I'm summoning the high table," Icarius said without an ounce of hesitation.

Nova's hand halted as the sound of glass clinking echoed in the room. Silvana herself remained silent this time.

"Why?" Nova asked as he shifted his glance at Icarius, his face solemn.

"There's a threat—big enough to endanger everything we stand for," Icarius said.

"Big enough even for you?" Nova asked.

"Big enough even for me," Icarius said.

A sigh escaped Nova's lips as he sat down across from the man.

"What is it?" he asked.

Icarius gathered his thoughts as he spoke. "The ministry is involved with the monster attacks."

Nova's brows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"All the recent attacks? They're behind it. We confirmed it when we were on Georgo Road. Those wolves were enhanced, and they were getting information from traitors implanted by the ministry," Icarius said.

"Not only that, our suspicions were truly answered when a group of assassins, one from the church of light, attacked the Serenity ball. We captured one of them and interrogated him," Icarius resumed.

"He said..."

"The Cardinals of Light were the ones to send the order."

Nova's expression fell grim as Silvana grasped his hand, squeezing it.

"You do know what this implies, right?" Icarius asked.

"I do, and I fear what it may bring," Nova said.

"If the Cardinals are going to be involved, we're to expect a war. A war so great it may just cause the end of humanity as we know it," he said.

"Exactly. That's why I seek an audience with the high table," Icarius said.

"Are the others already informed?" Nova asked.

"Aphemis said she would handle it," Icarius said.

Nova fell silent as he tapped the table, a behavior that did not go unnoticed by Silvana.

"Nova," she said.

"I'm not doing anything!" Nova said.

"You know very well that's a lie," she said.

A sigh escaped Nova's lips.

"I... I don't know," he answered.

"I can handle myself!" Silvana answered.

"I know! But I still worry!" Nova retorted.

"The sanctuary will. be. safe," Silvana insisted.

"How can we be sure?" Nova asked, worry visible in his eyes.

"You know my duty," he said.

"I know, but you have to trust me," she said.

"I trust you, but I don't trust the monsters you fight," he said.

"I will be fine. But will they?" Silvana asked, silencing the man.

A deep sigh escaped Nova's lips as he shot a glance at Icarius.

"I have heard your request, and I shall oblige," he said.

Icarius gave the man a nod of appreciation.

"So, what next?" Nova asked.

"The most troublesome part... Ishkar," Icarus said.

Nova leaned back as he spoke.

"Well, shit."

Meanwhile, a figure halted his movements as the burning light of the fire near him illuminated a bird dropping a letter next to him.

Taking the letter, he saw the signature imprinted before it. As he opened it, his eyes narrowed in on its contents.

"Get me my clothes and warn the people; I will depart soon," he said.

"Yes, grandmaster Olaf," A mellagun spoke.

On the other hand, a man adorned in a leather tunic was drinking booze along with two girls on his side when one of the girls caressed his chest.

Responding to her advances, the man held her hands with a smirk in his face when he felt something in her palms.

Before he could say anything, the two women left.

Seeing the sigil on the letter, he couldn't help but cuss. Upon reading its contents, his displeasure was soon replaced with a maniacal smile.

"So it's time, huh?"