"There are five major ones at the top," Gregor said, his voice flat and emotionless. "The Death Cult specializes in assassinations, espionage and eliminating targets."

"They’re known for their fanatical loyalty to whoever leads them, their so-called Head," Castor added. "Though no one actually knows who that is."

Yara’s voice was quieter when she spoke, but there was an edge to it.

"The Veiled Syndicate controls most of the black markets across the Federation. Underground auctions, information networks and smuggling routes." She paused. "Gia watches the cities closely, but the underground world belongs to them. They don’t use anything digital or traceable. Most of their operations happen in villages and small towns where nobody’s paying close enough attention."

Damian’s hands tightened slightly on the table.

’There was an organization like that?’

"The Black Lotus is the largest drug empire in the Federation," Yara continued, her voice hardening. "But they don’t just sell regular drugs to addicts."

"Aura-altering substances," Castor finished for her. "Experimental compounds that give temporary power boosts or enhanced emotions and combat advantages that shouldn’t be possible... Ofcourse with permanent prices to pay for."

Damian’s jaw clenched.

’So... this Black Lotus is like the Drug cartel in this world.’

Vash took another long drink, his expression growing darker.

"The Hollow Choir deals in children." His voice went cold in a way Damian had never heard before. "Talented ones specifically... Commoners who show potential."

He paused, staring at his glass.

"They kidnap them from their families, sell them to whoever pays the highest price and supply fresh talent to Noble families who don’t want to wait for their own branch families to produce better talents."

Damian felt his blood boil.

’Children... They’re trafficking children like they’re commodities.’

He’d always wondered why there weren’t many talented commoners in the major academies.

Now he knew.

Castor’s voice cut through his thoughts, sharp and deliberate.

"And then there’s the Eternal Eclipse Society."

The hatred on all four of their faces was unmistakable now.

"Mad researchers obsessed with portals and the fundamental changes that happened when they first opened," Gregor said quietly. "They want to push the limits of what awakeners can do... To create things that shouldn’t exist."

Castor’s voice dropped even lower.

"They perform human experiments to achieve their goals."

Nobody spoke for several long seconds.

Damian’s eyes had gone cold, his mind racing as pieces clicked together.

The missing children in the Federation’s data, the talented orphans who disappeared without any investigation, the way Noble families always seemed to have powerful awakened servants despite having unremarkable descendents themselves.

’They were buying people, experimenting on them like lab rats and using them until there was nothing left worth keeping.’

"Most of such organizations are supported by Noble families," Castor said slowly, deliberately. "Some families fund them and some just look the other way when convenient... But they all benefit from what these groups provide."

Damian said nothing as he kept on listening.

Vash leaned back in his chair, still staring at his glass like it might have answers.

"I used to work for the Eldridge family out in the western region. They liked me because I was durable and could take a serious beating and still keep moving. Useful trait for someone guarding their estates."

He paused, his voice growing rougher.

"One day I woke up strapped to a table in a lab I’d never seen before... Eternal Eclipse Society facility."

His hand tightened around the glass until Damian thought it might shatter.

"They kept putting me in extreme situations over and over again. Breaking bones, tearing muscles and pushing me to the edge of death and then pulling me back." He finally looked up, his eyes hard. "They wanted to see how far they could push the human body before it gave out completely. If they could create someone with theoretically perfect physical stats through repeated trauma and forced adaptation."

Damian’s stomach twisted violently.

’They tortured him... For years. Just to see what would happen.’

Castor spoke next, his voice quieter but no less heavy.

"I was just a kid living in a small town in the eastern region. Had an S rank talent that my mother couldn’t stop bragging about to anyone who’d listen."

His jaw tightened visibly.

"The Hollow Choir came one night, killed everyone in my family who tried to stop them and took me." He pushed his glasses up with one finger. "I ended up in a different Eternal Eclipse facility with a different goal. They wanted to create someone who could think faster than should be humanly possible, react to threats the fastest and operate at speeds that would give them an insurmountable advantage."

He glanced toward Yara briefly, then looked away again.

"Yara was assigned to the same facility I was in... But she wasn’t a test subject initially, she was brought in as a healer."

Yara was looking at Castor now with soft eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was just an orphan when the Hollow Choir found me. They sold me to the White family, who are under the Murdock Imperial house." She paused, her hands folding together in her lap. "The family treated me well actually. They were kind to me and trained my healing abilities properly."

Her voice cracked slightly.

"But one of the side branch members saw an opportunity for profit. Told me about this amazing job offer working for researchers who needed skilled healers." She closed her eyes briefly. "Only when I actually arrived at the facility did I realize what kind of place it really was... By then it was too late to leave."

Damian’s throat felt impossibly tight.

’So... they were all victims...’

These four S rank awakeners who’d saved his life and appeared exactly when he needed them most.

They’d been tortured, broken down and experimented on like they were nothing more than tools to be used and discarded.

Gregor spoke last, his tone measured and controlled.

"I’m probably the oldest person who was ever a victim of the Eternal Eclipse Society’s experiments. They were studying elven biology and Aura control techniques. Trying to understand if humans could achieve the same level of absolute mastery over Aura that elves naturally possess."

He paused deliberately.

"And unlike these three, I actually volunteered to participate."

Damian’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"During that time period, the Eternal Eclipse Society wasn’t listed as a criminal organization by the Federation and nothing about their real methods was publicly known." His voice hardened noticeably. "I was an SS rank talent who was relatively famous in certain circles. They approached me with promises of advancing human understanding and pushing the boundaries of what our species could achieve."

He leaned forward slightly.

"But once they started their actual experiments, my talent degraded down to S rank from the damage. And they began brainwashing me."

His eyes grew distant.

"That was right around the time when the Chairman and his generation began their rise to power. They started wresting control away from the old Noble families and the SFD was established with new leadership. Many underground organizations were officially banned and hunted down with most of them were completely extinguished."

He paused meaningfully.

"But somehow the Eternal Eclipse Society managed to survive the purge."

Damian sat in silence, his mind racing through implications.

’The Chairman’s generation changed everything...’

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice careful and measured.

"If all of you were locked away in secure facilities, how did you actually manage to escape?"

The four of them exchanged meaningful glances.

Gregor’s expression shifted slightly, something unreadable passing across his face like a shadow.

"Our savior was a strange one."

He paused deliberately.

"A beggar who appeared out of nowhere."