“'Tis indeed a sound plan. There are a few loopholes, but I am certain the enemy will think of none of them directly.” Ernald's voice chuckled within the bowels of his mind.

“I will move for the Council to come to a recess until further notice. All are instructed to reinforce their homes and those who are willing to fight are welcome.” Ovelia announced and she stood upright. The congregation exited from whence they came, a drone filling the Council Chambers.

Once they were gone, the Justicar followed suit as well. Gelehrter remained however, and approached the Eternal Throne where Ovelia appeared to wait for him. She eyed him curiously as he neared but smiled softly.

“It is nice to see you again.” She turned away as another Justicar brought her a folder and darted away. Her brow furrowed as she poured over its contents.

Arden and Rena were nowhere to be found.

All the attendees had vanished, save Gelehrter.

“Ma'am...if I may.”

“Go ahead.” Her eyes glanced to him and then she returned to the folder.

“A-Are... Are Justicar permitted a relationship?”

She shut the folder.

“Pardon?”

“Are Justicar permitted a relationship?” He repeated.

“You would have to speak with Gavilis on such a touchy subject. I am very busy.” She brushed him off and retreated into the secret door behind the Eternal Throne. “Come, I will help you find him.”

He trailed on behind her. The door shut behind him and all he could hear were the echoes of their footsteps. In the darkness, he caught his breath. A perpetual state of claustrophobia threatened to siphon the oxygen from his body.

Fear gripped him and as he began to panic, the darkness was destroyed utterly by light. He stepped out after Ovelia and into the interrogation room. Gavilis reluctantly glanced to their entrance and fidgeted uneasily.

Gelehrter raised an eyebrow.

“Have you prepared the extraction ritual?” She asked.

“Aye, I've been awaiting your arrival. I don't enjoy this.” He admitted and glanced to Gelehrter. “That does not leave this room.”

“Aye, sir.”

He motioned for them to gaze into the interrogation room proper. Chained to the wall like an animal, Eloise's head lulled forward in defeat. Gavilis led the way, opened the door for them, and steeled himself.

“You have not seen the procedure, Gelehrter. This will be a lesson, then. Justicar are permitted to use any and all methods in extraction of information. However, I will advise to do this only when necessary. If you can also gather the Council prior to the ritual, it would also better aid an explanation if they find out.” He explained as he approached cautiously.

Her eyes raised and her head followed suit. Eloise's dark crimson hues glowered dubiously at them in the dim light, her body quivering violently. She attempted to reach forward shakily and the chains rattled as she slammed against the wall once again.

“Gelehrter...isn't it...? I thought I had killed you. I thought that at least you would be killed and that I had claimed one victim to Sanctuary's darkness. It is a said life knowing that there was one less Justicar in this world.” She chuckled weakly.

“Gavilis, you need not fret over this one.” In a flash of light, Ernald's spirit suppressed Gelehrter in a wave of supernal energy.

“M-Master?!” Gavilis exclaimed while he and Ovelia leaped away in shock.

“She hopes you will sup on her lies. Give her no quarter.” He commanded, his voice booming as it echoed nearly endlessly throughout the chamber. Eloise raised her hands to her head in vain as the sound pervaded her mind.

“Ernald! Ernald lives, what will my masters say when they find out! My...my head is going to explode!” Her voice rose into a wail as she felt terror grip her, the ferocity from within being drowned by the unadulterated fear of the first Mortem. Without warning, the otherworldly presence vanished and Gelehrter rubbed his eyes profusely.

“I will demonstrate. Gelehrter, pay close attention. I can only perform this once.” Gavilis raised his hand into the air and spread his fingers apart. The energy within his body coalesced into a bright light into the center of his palm. Time halted in the instant he reached forward with his hand, the finger tips gently pressing against her skull.

Her incessant struggling halted as she felt the magic pouring into her mind. All thoughts ceased once she accepted the presence cooing to her, the sweet melodic sound reverberating through her body. Within, her blood boiled white hot and then cooled all at once. Her eyes lulled into the back of her head as she hung limp.

Memories from her birth to the moment she remained in the now flashed before her eyes. A humming melody droned from within the bowels of her psyche. Water rushed and engulfed her with its icy embrace. Her eyes widened as she swam about, bubbles rising from her lips as she attempted to speak out loud. A realization struck her then as she walked confidently in the depths. She turned about, drinking in the ocean blue. No other life swam by her.

She wandered about for a few moments, seeking refuge in the darkness. Her eyes wandered and searched for any signs of existence. However, after what seemed an eternity, she began to panic. Her body shook violently as she struggled to stand upright, a bright light cascading around her from above. Instinctively she looked toward it and her eyes widened. A visage, glowing in the darkness and devoid of sculpture, peered down at her. Slowly it leaned down to her, an invisible force guiding him to her side. The figure stood no taller than her and appeared to gaze at her dubiously.

Moments passed by without a word. She opened her mouth to speak and to her surprise, words followed. “H-Hello...?”

The figure tilted their head and continued the charade. Silence was their weapon, their sword sharp and swift.

“P-Please...please listen to me. I don't know how I got here and I wanted to--”

“You will not speak.” The shape commanded. A hand rose to meet her skull and their fingers stretched beyond the temples and to the squamous suture. Without warning they burrowed through her skull and through her brain, the creature devouring the innards of her mind. She barely had a moment to struggle before she dangled in their grasp like a trophy. Blood refused to gush forth from the wound as she was sucked dry of every last drop. As the figure released her, she floated away into nothingness.

In reality, Eloise merely drooled helplessly as the magic took effect. Her mind was devoid of thought, or emotion.

A swirling ball of wistful smoke coalesced in Gavilis's hands which crashed against the edges like the ocean against a cliff side. After a few moments it settled into a dull gray mess.

He turned about and faced Ovelia. Without another word, he extended the object to her and she received it reluctantly. Gavilis's sword hissed as he unsheathed it and he plunged it through Eloise's heart. Her eyes widened and peace settled onto her visage before her eyes shut one final time. A final exhale escaped her and the chains faded from view. Her body, cold and lifeless, crashed against the floor in a heap.

He murmured a few words and raised his hand. Flames devoured her in seconds, the scent of cooked flesh tickling their nostrils. Dust only remained which appeared to be absorb into the chamber itself.

For a brief instant he caught the Grandmaster of the Justicar hesitate. His shoulders slumped and with a quick sigh he regained his composure.

Ovelia gave him a quick smile of reassurance before she exited shortly afterward. “I will debrief the other Justicar on their missions and tasks in the coming campaign.”

He nodded and then turned to Gelehrter. “You have much to explain.”

“A-Aye...”

“How did you find Ernald?”

“I was in the Lower Sector--”

“How did you get there?”

“Eloise sent me there with Arden and Rena. She used some strange magic...I didn't think it was possible.” He stammered over the next few words. “I...I was perhaps wondering if--”

“You were allowed a relationship as a Justicar?”

“Aye.”

“No.”

“Er...but...but sir...”

“Justicar are to be vigilant, unwavering and without equal. If you are speaking of Ana...I would hope she is doing alright. You are endangering her.” His warning fell on deaf ears however and Gavilis growled under his breath. “I understand how you feel about the girl, but she will be used against you. They will turn her or worse...make her into something more vile than any form of magic ever could.”

“I will guard her with my life.” He spoke plainly.

Gavilis sighed. “If you wish to continue this, I will not stop you. However, there will come a time in the near future when you must make a choice. Will the Justicar survive, or be held down by his own worldly desires? I am launching an investigation of what occurred after you were transported to the Lower Sector. You were separated from your comrades and this is not like you.”

“S-Sir...”

“You will come with me. The others will be debriefed on their mission, but you will stay behind.” His air of command resumed and Gelehrter held fast a sigh of relief. He motioned for him to follow and they exited from the interrogation's entrance proper.

Gelehrter's eyes widened as the corridor began to shrink before his very eyes and in another instant it stopped. He shook his head and attempted to shake off the feeling he was being watched.

He reached the lift only a few moments after Gavilis, whom appeared lost in his own thoughts. He absentmindedly pulled the switch as he scratched his chin.

“S-Sir...”

“Aye, what is it?”

“You've been rather...understanding...today.”

“Believe it or not, I have been where you were.”

“You mean...?”

“But that is a tale for another time.” He said matter-of-factually as he exited into the corridor ahead of him. The hallway before Gelehrter was its usual affair of dimly lit torch sconces. A place of many meetings and traveling. Unease crept from within however as he followed his Grandmaster into the massive metallic doors. They swung wide as they approached and allowed their entry. The Sanguine Overlord's living quarters were in their usual affair as well, save for a few vases of wilting flowers. His eyes darted to the painting above the fireplace and he shook his head. An empty painting stared back at him. Ernald's visage, its dark demeanor and its stark white hair, remained in his mind.

Gelehrter shook his head in dismay. He glanced around the room and took a seat on the sofa nearby, lowering his head to stare at the coffee table.

Gavilis placed a cup of coffee in front of him and took his place across from him. He rested a notebook nearby and waved his hand over a quill. The pen dipped itself in an invisible inkwell before awaiting his command.

“I will have to ask you more questions while we are waiting. I've prepared for Rena and Arden to be along shortly after their briefing, but until then I would like for you to recount what happened after you made camp with your companions.” Gavilis eyed him suspiciously, his emerald gaze narrowing.

Gelehrter collected his thoughts and then responded with care. “The air in the Lower Sector is poisonous, as you are probably well aware of. I had finally been able to sleep and I had removed the mask so I could sleep soundly. We had established a form of base camp, you see, and the air had been purified using one of our barriers. Arden tried to use her holy sword, which we dubbed Solstice, to cleanse us. I suppose the dark matter in the air--”

“Are you certain of it is dark matter, or is it something else entirely?” Gavilis halted him with another question.

“I had wandered for a while and found myself in a facility where Accalia and someone named Hannibal were conspiring together.”

“Hannibal?”

“Yes, his name was Hannibal--”

“Interesting, go on.”

“--err, yes sir. When I had found myself in that facility, it was immense. Much of the technology there was sophisticated and I had no prior knowledge to its use. I had stumbled my way to this device which extracted most of the dark matter from my body. It had used a vacuum to do most of the dirty work. I didn't get to see where it was stored, unfortunately.” Gelehrter furrowed his brow and weighed his words carefully. “Is there something you are after, sir?”

“Continue.” He replied coldly.

“I had entered this space after them and remained invisible while they discussed little and less of their plan. They had many other bodies stored in these...tall cylinders full of water. I think they were using them for some time of experiment.”

“Did they say what?”

“I'm sorry, sir. I cannot remember.” His lie held some merit.

Gavilis was unconvinced, but played along. “Right then. Sketch what you've seen in this journal.”

The quill halted its scrawling and it lay dead against the surface of the book. He passed it across the table along with an inkwell.

Gelehrter grimaced as he attempted to recall a few items. His memory fogged as he attempted to doodle the devices he had seen.

The Grandmaster of the Justicar watched him attempt to draw and raised an eyebrow. Gavilis smirked and turned to the metallic doors.

Ovelia, Arden and Rena entered shortly afterward. They wore an expression filled with despair, save for Ovelia.

“Good evening, Gavilis.”

“I have. It is a shame that our esteemed Gelehrter struggles with basic shapes.” He jested and motioned for them to sit.

They took their respective places. Rena and Arden placed themselves beside Gelehrter while Ovelia sat next to Gavilis.

“This mission does not sound like it will be anything diplomatic.” Rena sighed and crossed her arms. “I know how well received it was with our esteemed king.”

For a spell there was silence. Old friends, regardless of station, enjoyed their company.