"So the bearer of the Magic of the End has finally been born," said the Fist of Retribution, frowning and clenching his fist. His hand was abnormally thicker than the others’.

He looked intently at one of the brothers—the Thread Theurgist—almost as if asking him what he thought of it.

He wasn’t the only one who reacted that way. Everyone who read it turned to look at him.

The Thread Theurge smiled slightly. "The prophecies have already been written, dear brothers. Johyel is never wrong in predicting the movements of his enemies. The Magic of the End returning to existence, the position is as it should be, the movements in the world and the resurgence of old organizations... The prophetic times are approaching."

"The end is near. Fortunately, the prophecies regarding our beloved Johyel have also been fulfilled. I am certain that bringing the times forward has been a good idea."

One who had not spoken before, nicknamed The Thought Censor, then spoke: "If the bearer of the Magic of the End has appeared, we simply have to eliminate him. I think it’s time for me to take action again, don’t you?"

"No." The Fist of Retribution replied immediately. "I believe the core strategy should remain the same. Let’s kill him using conventional means. He’s a growing Lux; though dangerous, he’s manageable."

"And how will you deal with such great manipulative ability and strategy? According to reports from reliable sources, he was behind the destruction of that cave. It seems he’s a Lux of very pure blood. Not only did he emerge powerful and capable of growth, but he’s also extremely intelligent," said the Thought Censor.

"What the Fist says is true," said the Dogma Marshal, another who had remained silent. "As chief strategist, I will lead the assassination mission against this young man. Brother Censor, I believe we would all prefer that you remain on standby for now. Your power should not be used again just yet."

"It is for the sake of our faith, Brother Censor," reminded the Keeper of the Key.

The Censor nodded slightly. "If Brother Key says so and is supported by so many of you, I suppose you are right," he replied.

"This time I hope you’ll let me carry out assignments more often, brothers. My spies and observers are simply exhausted from doing nothing lately. The theocracy is silent, and the republic—no one knows what it’s doing. At least let me play a little in Línnava," said the Eye of the Void with an embarrassed smile.

"Haha, you can join me, Brother Eye. Maybe we should even go over there and meet this little guy," replied the Fist of Retribution.

"I’ll join you then, Brother Fist!"

They both laughed. It was clear they were good friends.

After several seconds of silence following the friends’ laughter, the Anchor of the Pact, who had previously tapped his staff on the ground to start the conversation, spoke: "If you’ll allow me, and if you believe this point has been made clear, we should move on to the next one. We still have one more thing to discuss before we delve into the destruction of the Cave and its consequences in greater detail."

The moment he spoke was perfect. It was almost as if that silence had been specifically timed for him to speak. For everyone agreed with him, and they moved on to the next topic.

The Alchemist of the Amendment brought up the subject. "The 04 has been spotted in Línnava again. Not once, but twice. Once during the vampires’ incursion into Ashford territory, and again on the night the Cave was destroyed."

His words were cold. Perhaps the only difference between these men was the varying tones of their voices.

At his words, several looked up. Some more interested than others.

Among them, the Theurgist, the Anchor of the Pact, the Eye of the Void, the Marshal, the Censor, the Liturgist of Blood, the Executioner of Johyel, and the Chancellor of Shadows were the most interested.

"Please, report everything you know, brother Alchemist," said the Liturgist of Blood.

The Alchemist nodded. "I don’t know much. But this is a serious matter. He was spotted by the vampires during the raid. He is a student at the Academy, just as we had suspected, but he’s just as troublesome as he was when he disappeared. Still, if that were all, I wouldn’t be bringing it up. The thing is, his last known appearance was when he took on Count Cromwell Hazzard’s entire army."

"300 Elite Soldiers from Línnava, part of the Royal Guard, struggled for over 30 minutes to capture him, and in the end, they couldn’t even catch a strand of his hair. He killed several horses and wounded a few minor ones. The problem is that it was because of him and another meddler that Cromwell Hazzard didn’t arrive in time."

"That bastard got away from us that time. I don’t think it’s a good idea for someone with his knowledge and abilities to be out there on the loose. Even though he’s carefree about a lot of things, he’s a threat to our plans. That’s all I have to say."

Finally, the Alchemist fell silent and waited for all his brothers to process the information.

The first to speak was the Eye of the Void, who smiled slightly. "Talking about 04 like in the old days, huh. I like it. Very well. But if we’re going to talk about this, we must keep in mind that it was the Prince himself who ordered us not to harm him yet."

At his words, the other brothers frowned, including the Alchemist. "The Prince... What has he been up to lately? I heard he seemed more cheerful, but he didn’t even want to attend the meeting."

"His connection to Johyel is impressive; perhaps our god has given him a mission. Although I think it’s more likely that he’s keeping an eye on that new power of his. His power has grown tremendously since he awakened it," replied the Eye of the Void.

"Hmm." The Alchemist nodded. "Let’s decide what to do about 04 here, and then I’ll speak with the Prince personally. Leaving that boy loose like this isn’t wise, and since we’ve finally managed to track him down, we should finish him off."

At his words, everyone agreed. Some for various reasons. None were as extreme as the Alchemist, but that’s normal. Who knows 04 better than he does?

---

Capital of the Kingdom of Línnava, Royal Castle, King’s Hall.

Only the kingdom’s most powerful high command could attend today’s meeting. Only the elite of the elite were gathered today for this extraordinary meeting.

In the middle of the King’s Hall stood a huge rectangular table. To the right sat the Dragon Duke and the Divine General, side by side.

To the right was Owen, perhaps the most carefree person in the room. He even seemed too lazy to have attended a meeting so early.

And, in fact, he was. What was the point of arriving so early if they were just going to sit there staring at each other? But today he had decided to arrive early himself because he had an important matter to discuss.

But they weren’t the only ones seated.

At one end of the rectangular table sat a tall man with an imposing aura. He was already quite old, but looking into his eyes would terrify anyone and make them tremble.

A golden crown, adorned with precious stones, graced his head.

It was the King, Lucius III of Línnava.

Behind him stood a man who, if he wished, could have sat on either side of the table, for his strength allowed it and the king would not have objected. But as a loyal follower of the King, he remained behind him as an escort.

He was the Palace Scholar, the man most loyal in the king’s service and also one of the wisest in the world today.

It is said that his knowledge is so vast that if all the wise men in the world were to unite, they could barely match him. Though few know if that is true, for he is a man of very few words.

The 5 Most Powerful Men of Línnava were in the same room.

The King looked at the Divine General first. "General, I am very grateful for your service. I heard the good news at the border. Although that mistake was made because of traitors, I am satisfied with the results achieved." He smiled and thanked him sincerely.

General Divino nodded slightly. "I apologize for that oversight, Your Majesty. I thought someone else had that entire territory covered," he replied. His words were sharp and pointed directly at the person responsible for protecting that territory.

The King laughed. "Haha, even though Owen is stationed there of his own volition, he can’t keep an eye on everything, can he? Mistakes happen, and though they weigh heavily, we are human enough to make amends and lighten that burden."

"The King is wise." General Divino nodded, but made no apology for his words.

Owen shrugged and said nothing. He had things to say, but all in good time.

The King then turned to look at Owen. "I heard the good news, Owen. Your men not only dismantled several organizations, but also managed to destroy that large organization of traitors. May I ask if that is the same one that caused that massacre on the borders?" the King asked.