Chapter 380 Bloodlines (1/2)
CHAPTER 380
BLOODLINES
The fortress spun in the high sky, bending in and out of reality, seemingly breaking every law known to a man. Its jet-black walls absorbed all light that came their way, condensing it wholly into energy and sending it to the fortress' central chamber. Shouts rang from nearly every corner as billows of thick, ashen smoke veiled the fortress in a gray mist.
Ella was currently going over a stack of papers while a little boy tugged at her dress. She absentmindedly caressed his hair with her free hand, though her mind seemed far away. Opposite of her, Val was writing something in a hurry, while Amadeel seemed to be meditating in the corner.
On the far other end, the balcony overlooking a stretch of now empty training grounds, Eggor battled with a massive canvas and an impossibly complex design jetted on top of it. It depicted strange gears winding over one another, with even more complex arrays overlaying them.
”... I've found it,” Ella cried out suddenly, picking up the boy in her arms and running over to Eggor with the book in her hand. ”I've found it!”
”Eh?! You did?!” Eggor exclaimed, his bushy beard giving way to an extremely joyous smile.
”Ha ha, of course I did!” Ella exclaimed, smiling proudly. ”Have you ever doubted me?”
”No, of course not. Let me see.” Ella put the book down and pointed her finger at the bottom of the right page, where a rather crudely drawn, yet extremely detailed, spiraling array rested. ”Yes, this is it! This is it!”
”Hey.”
”What?” Eggor asked, glancing as he felt a tug on his shirt.
”Don't I deserve at least a kiss?” Ella asked, smiling widely.
”... p-people--”
”Don't give me that.”
”Ugh... fine...” he glanced around stealthily for a moment before quickly raising his head and giving her a swift peck.
”... aii, and who says the romance is dead?”
”Papa! Kiss mama!!” the little boy in Ella's arms suddenly exclaimed, pouting as he stared at now shocked Eggor.
”... who taught him that?” he asked in a quivering tone.
”I did, of course.” Ella shrugged.
”... of course you did. Cae, it's uh, it's adult--”
”Papa, kiss mama!”
”B-but--”
”Kiss mama!!”
”... you... evil... little... witch...” he mumbled under his breath, glaring at pridefully-grinning Ella.
”Hey, lovebirds, I've found something strange.” Val suddenly called from the inside, causing Ella and Eggor to swiftly turn around and walk back toward her.
”What is it?” Ella asked, handing the young boy over to Eggor. The two lads had a quick stare-off in the meantime.
”Ever since Lino told me about the Cult,” Val said. ”I've been going over some old records with Amadeel's help.”
”... yeah, he sure seems to be helping.” Eggor commented.
”I'm moral support!” Amadeel exclaimed, his eyes still closed.
”Anyway, shut up, I've found this,” Val turned a small book over, facing it toward Eggor and Ella, pointing at a small paragraph on the left side. ”It's from the Abridged Histories of Eun. He mentions the Cult during the Chapter on, well, Cults.”
”... Eun? Wasn't he shamed out of historic circles just a few hundred years ago?” Ella mumbled, reading over the paragraph.
”Either way, he still mentions the Cult,” Val said. ”And, as this was written who-knows-how-many-moons-ago, it should at least be worth a look. He doesn't mention them under a name of Void Cult, however, and instead uses World Phasers Cult, due to their nature of the movement. He claims to have met a high-tier member of the Cult who told him the internal structure -- three-part leadership splintered into branching agencies, with three independent systems handling all internal, external and leadership issues. The Cult works on the principle of merit, and the leadership can be switched at any time if someone earns more merit points than the current leaders.”
”... is that it?” Eggor mumbled, frowning. ”Their course of action changed all of a sudden due to the change in leadership?”
”... it's possible,” Ella said, taking a deep breath. ”Though they would from time to time crawl up to claw around, they had never outright attacked any of the major factions.”
”There was also a lull from them for the past hundred years,” Amadeel jumped in from the side, walking over to the table. ”As though they had completely vanished. Their known hideouts were emptied, their known trading routes canceled... it was as though they never even existed.”