The Neutral Lands. The New Land of Dreams. Alliance Headquarters.

The Alliance Headquarters. One of the most stunning structures ever built in the modern age. Its palatial halls with beautiful adornments were no less inferior to that of the Himmel Empire’s own Imperial Palace or the Eight Ancient Clans of Water’s castles. However, it wasn’t just a dazzling structure for the eye, the Alliance Headquarters also boasted an array of defensive structures and well-established designs for streamlined military deployments.

Additionally, with the inclusion of the three Spirit Saints from the independent powers, the Alliance Headquarters was reinforced with all sorts of new gadgets. Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments from each one of the major organisations. New technologies from the Blacksmith’s League, including the infamous Deus Citadel. The world’s best healers from the Healer Association, including the most famous Divine Healer of them all. And last but not least, the extensive intelligence network of the Mercenary’s Guild.

In a sense, the Alliance Headquarters was the most fortified place in the world right now. Not even Shin’s own personal palace could hold a candle to the defences that the Alliance Headquarters boasted. However, even with all those defensive measures protecting them, there was no stopping the sombre mood of war from seeping into the secure four walls.

Raphael sat silently on his desk, with the three Spirit Saints and Shin, all nearby. Saint Althea from the Healer’s Association and Saint Atossa from the Mercenary Guild were seated on the adjacent sofa, slowly sipping their tea while observing the red-haired leader of the Alliance. Shin was the same. He sat next to Saint Althea, but he wasn’t in the mood to casually drink tea like the others by his side. At the corner, Saint Atossa from the Mercenary Guild was staring out of the window, watching the eastern scenery with a serene face.

Though, the atmosphere within the chambers was anything but serene. A chilling silence remained hanging over those present, all while they stared down the officer who was shivering on the spot.

Eventually, Raphael exhaled a despondent sigh before asking: “How many abandoned their posts?”

“Sir! Approximately two hundred!” The officer saluted and shouted out the truth.

“Two hundred… How many outposts are affected?”

“Of the ones remaining… Two-thirds...”

“Two-thirds, huh?” Raphael pushed his back up against his chair before gazing up at the ceiling. “Do we have an estimate on the number that want to remain?”

“...” The officer turned silent. Evidently, he knew the answer but was far too afraid to voice it out. Particularly with three Spirit Saints and the famed Prince of Water staring him down.

“Be honest,” Raphael urged the man to speak his mind.

“Sir Alliance Head… Their friends… Their comrades are disappearing one-by-one. They can’t see the enemy, and neither can they fight back against it. All of them are on edge. They’re afraid… Afraid that they would be the next one to disappear.” The officer obliged and gave the hard truths. “Also, they’ve been away from their families and homes for the better part of a decade now. Their spouses, parents, children… None of the sentries wants to be the next victim of our statistic. Furthermore, their allegiances were never with the Alliance in the first place...”

It was true. The majority of the Alliance’s soldiers were loaned by the three superpowers. They had little interest in the Alliance’s cause as their bodies were meant to be used for their homeland. Why would any of them throw their lives away just because the Alliance Head asked them to?

“I see...” Raphael dropped both his eyelids before heaving out a deep sigh. “Tell them that everyone who stays on would get a bonus at the end of the year. A bonus equivalent to half a year’s salary. Also, be extra alert during these turbulent times. Tell them that we’ve dispatched the world’s best elites, Guardian Sword, to be on the case.” The Alliance Head turned to Shin seeking approval, to which, the Prince gave a simple nod.

“Yes, Guardian Sword will be expending all of our resources to catch the ones responsible for the outposts disappearances! I swear that no innocent victims would be sacrificed anymore!”

“Your assurance is all that they need,” the officer bowed to Shin in reverence. However, as admirative as he was of Shin and Guardian Sword’s capabilities, even the officer couldn’t hide his fearful expression.

“Please excuse me,” the officer pardoned himself and shuffled his feet towards the door, leaving the most powerful people of the Alliance to talk amongst themselves.

“This is a problem...” Saint Atossa was the first to break the ice. “The Black Masks had switched tactics. Instead of attacking our bases, they’re attacking the soul of the Alliance. Our soldiers.”

“The Black Masks are getting real brazen...” Saint Thor stroked his beard while in contemplation. “Making random men and women from each outpost disappear without a trace. It sends an unequivocal message to the rest of the soldiers. ‘We can kill you anytime, are you willing to take the risk?’ Now, all of our sentries are choosing to return back to safety.”

“Could we ask the Lantis Republic, Himmel Empire and Kori Federation to send them back?” Saint Atossa asked the room, but her question was mainly targetted at one man.

Shin shook his head with a negative reply: “They wouldn’t do that. I’ve met with some the deserters. They would rather face military punishment than to return to the place where they could potentially lose their lives without knowing why. Furthermore, how could we send out soldiers who are not willing to fight a war?”

“That’s… true...”

“...” The saddening silence returned. Kin and Gin’s new strategy had proven to be effective. Far too effective perhaps. Sentries were leaving their posts by the dozens, and it was getting harder to keep them around by the day. Furthermore, it wasn’t like the Alliance could just abandon the outposts. They were the first line of defence in case there were any movement from the Abyss. But… They couldn’t just let their soldiers die…

It was a brain-wracking conundrum, one that could hardly be solved by one mind alone.

“The main problem is Kin and Gin, the two Spirit Beasts that use the Space and Time Elements...” Shin frowned as he picked up the fable they twins left behind. “If we can deal with them, the disappearances will stop.”

“Easier said than done,” Saint Althea scoffed. “How can we catch those someone who is always one step ahead of us? It’s as if they were ghosts stalking the halls of our bases!”

“Ghosts, huh?” Shin stroked the bottom of his chin. The discussion was slowly coming to a halt as no new ideas were being presented. The Alliance had to deal with this issue and quick, yet… They hadn’t the faintest of clues on how to begin chasing the ghosts that lurked in their chambers.

While the Spirit Saints and Raphael were in the midst of a brainstorm session, Shin silently flipped through the well-worn book, hoping to find even the slightest bit of clues. Though, he read The Rabbit in the Moon many times now and could even recite the entire first chapter from memory.

“Once upon a time, four animals lived in harmony… Four animals… Four...” The bookworm started to repeat the first sentence, particularly the one word that somehow stood out more than the others. “Wait a minute… Senior Raphael?”

“Yes?”

“The Nine Coloured Noble Beasts… Could you name them all?”

“Hmmm, why?”

“Just do it for me please...” Shin begged, but his eyes didn’t leave the book for the slightest second.

“Fine…” Raphael dug into his cabinet and pulled out the familiar document. “There’s Kuro. The Wolf carrying the Throne of Black. Ao, the World Serpent holding the Seat of Blue. Shiro, species unknown. Theoretically holding the Colour of White. Momo, the Moon Rabbit. Chair of Pink. Murasaki, the Arachne Queen. Throne of Purple. Midori, the Gargantuan Treat. Holding the position of Green. Akai, the Lion Chimaera representing the Red Colour. Kin, potentially a Golden Fox. Throne of Gold. Gin, potentially a Silver Monkey. Throne of Silver.”

Raphael read the intelligence report the Alliance had about the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts. Some of the information was unclear and needed further intelligence to confirm, but most of them were as clean as a crystal.

“It’s not there...” Shin thought out loud.

“What’s not there?”

“The Grey Otter,” Shin pointed to the first page of the book. “Once upon a time, four animals lived in harmony. The Grey Otter, the Golden Fox, the Silver Monkey and the Pink Rabbit… Among the four animals listed in the story, only the Grey Otter is missing from the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts.”

“You’re right...” Raphael puckered his lips.

“Something must have happened to it during the interim… Otherwise, why would there be so many emotions floating around this book?” Shin continued to think. And that was when...

“Ah, I have an idea… I know how to deal with the two Spirit Beasts now!”