House of Amarin

"Master!" Dozens of elders, grand elders, and around a hundred core disciples cupped their hands, deeply bowing when Kyaranin appeared and called for her subordinates to gather. Of course, this only included those who genuinely counted for something under her rule. The thousands of outer disciples were simply fodder, constantly being sent down to Meriath as the meat of their attacks.

"I returned to investigate a lot. First, I will inspect all of you! There are rumors that some of you departed my realm and caused trouble! Of course... I don't believe it, but I will check your souls and see if any of you carry any other layer's scent on you!"

Only the Supreme Elders knew that all 12 layers had a mix of two elements propping it up. It was something that would stick to the soul after traveling through it, but only the highest members of the Sect could pick up on it. Of course, Lia knew nothing about the meeting as she was left behind, guiding the coming souls and sending down those who were ready.

By now, she was tasked with overseeing more than any other inner disciple and became the de facto leader of the recruitment happening at Site 4. She was doing so much that multiple other disciples were happy to shirk their responsibilities instead of slipping away and doing their own thing.

"Idiots..." She smirked to herself while 'infecting' with her mana, the 500th soul joining the Soulbound Sect, hoping for salvation.

What was even better was that by this, she was exercising her control over her elements and feeling out those present in this realm. All her anxiousness or fear of getting found out was squashed pretty quickly, and by now, she hoped to remain here a bit longer so she could take control of all the souls they recruited.

"Mia!" It was Yima who returned from the long meeting with Kyaranin, and she looked to be in a delighted mood.

"Yes?" Lia asked quickly, cupping her hands.

"It seems you are in luck!"

"Oh? What happened?"

"Lady Kyaranin returned," She continued, missing the quick change in Lia's expression, which she quickly hid away. "and she has given new tasks to many of the elders, including my Master! As I will have to leave with him, I can also bring one helper. Are you up for it?"

"Yes!" Lia nodded after a bit of hesitation. She was afraid that it would make it harder to find her but also knew if that Supreme Elder returned, Erias would have trouble getting close.

"Good! You did very well for now, so if you keep it up under me, your rise is guaranteed!"

"Thank you for the opportunity!" Lia smiled eagerly, bowing again, a bit disappointed that she could no longer sabotage their recruits... but it had to be enough.

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"Report!" Solren saluted, visiting his mother's office at the western border of the frontlines, where the Amarin and Berison's territory met. A freshly built, extensive fortress was looking down at the flatlands, barring any entry into the mountains and into the land of the Amarins, overseen by Reyra herself.

"Another attack?" She questioned, holding a mug of tea in her hand and looking out the window towards the dark skies. This fortress was attacked twice in the past month by an army of Undead numbering in the tens of thousands. Every time it happened, they were led by Killieth, who could go toe-to-toe with Reyra, their battle dealing more damage to the two armies than they could inflict on one another. While Killieth didn't care about it, for Reyra's side, she always had to be on the back foot, trying to mitigate it as much as possible.

"Yes... but something weird happened." Solren nodded, wearing a weird smile while his eyes were shining brightly.

"Hm?" This intrigued his mother, and she tried to guess it, but nothing came to mind.

"Look at this!" Solren raised a silver disc, and Hajna's voice confirmed his action and rank before displaying the 'confidential recording.'

"Is that?!" Reyra exclaimed, dropping her mug and almost grabbing the disc from her son's hand.

"Blue flames. Yes!"

The recording showed an army of a thousand Undead appearing deep in the territory of the House of Ro. These kinds of surprise attacks were not rare as the Undead constantly tried to disrupt the ranks and draw their attention away by emerging from sub-realms like cockroaches. The moment they were noticed, Lucian appeared, bringing along people from the Academy; as for the 4th-year students, marked to graduate with honors, it became mandatory to partake in these battles.

Yet this time, something weird happened. Multiple Undeads, when exercising their strength and attacking, suddenly burst into blue flames that spread along their lines, burning and freezing them. The moment the unique fire appeared, it swept through their line like a wave of unstoppable tsunami. They had nothing to do, just watch as the whole army collapsed by itself, destroyed from within.

"Lucian reported it... and he is 100% certain it was the same fire as what Lia could conjure. It had the same feeling to it, he says." Solren concluded after the recording stopped. "Whatever she is doing over there, she is causing trouble!"

"That she is... That... she is." Reyra whispered, smiling, quickly wiping away her tears. "Great! But we can't always count on her, so do not lax in your vigilance! Keep up the survey of the continent! How's Lucian?"

"He is fine. He says no matter how many times he travels through No-Space, it has now less of an effect on him than before. He also took in multiple experts, teaching them to do it, but... it is going slowly. Very few can withstand the first test, which is stepping into No-Space. I also tried; my soul started escaping my body immediately."

"Same." Reyra shrugged, "Lakhmu, your father, and your brothers also gave it a shot. There was no chance to learn it as our souls were ready to escape and be swept away. It is a rare gift, it seems! So much so that... Rangi had a suggestion."

"That those who can do it are also the souls that the Soulbound Sect grabs for use and sends back as Undead?" Solren questioned his mother, who nodded deeply.

"I agree with Rangi. It is very much possible that every Undead is a soul that could have learned teleportation as they have an innate, higher resistance to the effects of No-Space. Not anyone has that gift... luckily, your sister did!"

"And she managed to keep it..." He smiled, glancing at the now inactive silver disc, "On another note, Rinzen sent word. They are ready to rejoin the war effort! The survivors have settled down and are eager to prove themselves!"

"Send them here. I will keep an eye on them in the meantime."

"I already arranged it! About the Misfits..."

"I know!" Reyra grunted, rolling her eyes, "The rowdy bunch! Place them under Razael! Integrate them into the main fortress; if they want to fight so badly, so be it!"

"Mother.... I also wish to go there." Solren asked, looking directly into Reyra's eyes.

"Guessed so... go. Haaah... that place sees action every week... they really want to bring it down. But be on rotation with your brothers! Got it?"

"Understood!"

"Keep the losses at bay... we are looking ahead for a long conflict... don't think about being a hero but about conserving energy!"

"I know." Solren smiled, reassuring his mother with a hug. "The First Dark Age lasted for more than a century! But... I do feel this one will be much... much quicker!"

"Heh! I don't know if it is a good or bad hunch, kiddo!" Reyra chuckled, patting her son's back.

"It is. I am optimistic about it!"

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"To come with us, you must follow my orders to the letter. Got it?"

"Yes!" Lia answered firmly, standing next to Yima, who just introduced her to her master, Grand Elder Korvall, trying to avoid direct eye contact to not give away anything. She was nervous, but for Korvall, it was simply because she was only an inner disciple. Someone insignificant... but promising.

"Good!" The Grand Elder nodded with satisfaction at the swift answer, "Our quest is simple. We are going to travel to the home of the fallen Yuya.

"Is her faction being punished?" Yima asked, excited as it would also mean they would have free reign in consuming some of their stronger members... which could be a big boon in strength.

"Not yet!" Korvall smiled, glancing affectionately at her, like how a grandfather would look at his offspring. It surprised Lia, but she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. "Yes, that faction is most likely finished, but punishment will only come after we are done with the harvest and Sect Master returned to full strength! What you two need to know is there is trouble brewing thanks to the events that played out and resulted in the death of Supreme Elder Yuya!"

"..." Lia couldn't help but open her mouth before closing it hurriedly. She almost snorted audibly as she experienced it firsthand, and if she could, she would love to kill Yuya all over again.

"Speak freely." Korvall smiled, looking at Lia, who quickly blinked her eyes, looking flustered. "You caught the eye of my disciple, which means you have talent. Share your thoughts with us then!"

"Dark desires beget a dark end. The honorable Supreme Elder was too gluttonous, which led to her downfall." Lia murmured, trying to hold back her jeering laughter that wanted to burst out.

"She is good." The Grand Elder nodded, looking at Yima with approovement. "Yes. You are right. Without boundaries and control, we can't exist. We achieved immortality but not invincibility! Our souls are eternal but still can be destroyed! This is something many new cultivators in our Sect tend to forget! I was alive when we were traveling the Cosmos, and I fought by the side of my Master. He taught me all that made me into a Grand Elder."

"What was it like?" Lia asked, blurting it out, her curiosity overriding her mind and speaking without thinking.

"I guess I have time to tell you about it!" Korvall chuckled, unbothered by her curiosity. "We need time until the Realm of Yuya establishes the connection. Since her death, it has been sealed by her disciples, afraid of... well, invasions. So we will need a little more force going in!"

"Can we consume some of them?" Yima asked, receiving a flick to her forehead from Korvall, which looked and sounded as if they were too made of flesh and not just souls.

"Hmph! Glutton! But yes. Those who cause trouble, you can consume! But don't go overboard; this is true for you, young Mia! Keep it in the boundaries of reason!"

"Yes, Grand Elder!" She bowed and added sheepishly, "I am not yet confident in withstanding it anyway. I will... just observe."

"I am glad to hear you have ample reason! Young recruits tend to leave that in the fleshy bodies after their ascension! Speaking of that... while we wait, then let me reminiscence of the old days! Of times when our world was open to the Cosmos, and we ruled over others..."