As Freya slipped on the black ring onto her slender right finger, the ring that had once been there vanished. Freya didn't seem to notice as she curtsied before Kharon. Zack looked at them and coughed as he said, "Welcome Freya. It's nice to have you on the team."
Freya looked at him in surprise as she said, "Zack...? Why are you here?"
Zack laughed nervously as their eyes met. His body began trembling slightly as he answered, "I am the one who scouted you. I hope you aren't too angry."
Looking at him with a mix of anger and confusion, Freya asked, "You are the one who picked me...?"
"Umm, yes?"
Before anything could happen, Kharon interjected as he said, "I would like to give you a tour of the Eclipse Sanctum; this is our meeting place and headquarters. You can access it by using your ring to teleport. It has many different facilities and functions."
Kharon took her to every room as he explained their uses and connections to the roles of the Null Order's members. Freya listened quietly as she scanned the whole mansion with a glint in her eyes. As Kharon was about to explain something else, she asked, "You built all of this yourself?"
"Most of it. I had to hire an expert to create several things which allowed me to learn. I wouldn't be the Architect if I can't build anything. Are you interested in learning more about arcana? You seem to have a good background considering your trial."
"I wanted to become a student at Arcana Academy; but I failed the entrance exam. So I looked into other career options. When I wanted to apply to become a beast hunter, I was denied the right to because of my family's lack of status."
Kharon listened as he led her towards a room with Zack trailing behind. As they began descending a flight of stairs, Freya continued, "But before I could give up on that goal, someone told me the truth about the Arcane Paths. With their help, I became a wielder of order and started working underground."
Kharon nodded as he said, "That is why I have created this organisation. People's futures shouldn't hinge on their birth but on their potential. The Arcane Paths will one day be common knowledge. I will make sure of it."
Freya smiled as Kharon looked back at her and smiled. They reached the bottom of the steps as Kharon placed his ring on a vault. The sound of gears and mechanisms turning could be heard as the door slowly swung open. Inside the vault, was a little stash of bills. Kharon stepped in as he picked up a few of them before closing the vault. Freya stared at him in disbelief as he handed her four gold marks before walking back up the stairs.
Freya stayed glued to her spot as Kharon looked back at her as he said, "Those are the Null Order's current funds. If you get sent on a mission, then you can request funds to carry it out. But you would need to specify how you will spend it and why."
Kharon continued to walk back up the stairs as they went to the top floor. As they entered, Freya's eyes immediately fell on the large symbol on the wall. She looked down at her ring, which gleamed back up at her as the third crescent moon was illuminated.
She nervously walked under the indifferent gazes of Kharon and Zack as she took her seat. Once she did, Kharon snapped his fingers as the circular table turned white and a holographic image of the city was projected. Zack and Freya looked at this in amazement as Kharon spoke.
"This is just a basic model I created. It uses similar runes to Runic Memory Slates and other devices. It will help us with our missions within Lunaris Haven."
His ring shone as the large black circle on it turned white. As it did, the holographic projection zoomed in on a certain building as Kharon's pale right finger pointed at it.
"This is the building I will be infiltrating. The Arcane Association's headquarters. Well their regional headquarters in Lunaris Haven. No one truly knows where their main governing body resides. But if I had to guess, it would be in a pocket dimension which can't be accessed by unauthorised people. But we don't need to go that far."
Freya slowly raised her hand as Kharon nodded towards her.
"Why do you want to infiltrate the Association? Shouldn't the Null Order grow in strength and reputation before we try taking over the Arcane Association?"
"I am not infiltrating them to take over. I need something from their archives. It concerns my ascension to tier 3. And I know that you may be thinking about the funds we have. But I need to tell you, my path isn't one of the 14 ones you know."
As he said this, Zack and Freya's eyes widened. Seeing that they were waiting for him to elaborate, Kharon continued, "My path is the path of mysteries. It is a path which was long forgotten by the people. Even the Gods are unaware that it exists. As for how I became aware of this, it is because I was formerly an angel of mysteries. I was alive before the creation of Lunaris and many of the current major cities."
With an uncertain voice, Zack asked, "So you are at least 200 years old?!"
Kharon curtly nodded as he continued, "I was sealed in a mausoleum for who knows how long. But I was awakened several months ago and my memories have slowly been returning to me. I am telling you this because for this organisation to work, we need to trust each other. None of you are below me despite me being the leader. And as for my real name, it is Kharon Vex."
Zack and Freya looked at each other before nodding as Kharon smiled before returning to his explanation.
"By infiltrating the Arcane Association, I will be able to find documents of things from the past. This will help jog my memory allowing me to remember my tier 3 ritual."
'But if that doesn't work, I have a back-up plan.'
"But boss, why tell us this now when you haven't tested all the candidates...? And are you not the Hollow King's nephew...? Actually I am not too surprised by that revelation."
"It's better to tell you now rather than later. Maybe the next candidate will fail their trial. Nothing is fully certain. Tomorrow, we will test the next candidate before I complete everything else in the Eclipse Sanctum. Once I complete my mission, I will ascend to tier 3 and we will begin carrying out bigger missions. For now, your missions are to keep hunting as usual. And we must use our codenames from now on."
Freya nodded as she asked, "Architect, do we need to give money to the organisation's funds?"
Kharon placed his hand under his chin as he remained silent. After a few seconds he answered, "It would be great if you could. But it is up to you. Also, you can live here if you want; once I complete the mansion. Or you could request funds for your living space, as your mission is currently to keep hunting. Once the mansion is complete you will be free to live here."
Zack interjected as he said, "So I can save the Aethermarks you gave me and live here?"
"If you leave your current apartment then you would need to return the funds given to you. Food would be provided for you and the whole mansion would be your living space. It's your choice."
'Though knowing his appetite he would probably finish all the food in the pantry. Well I would just need to buy more ingredients and prepare more meals. It would actually be a step down from runeweaving complex spells.'
Kharon sighed as Zack and Freya asked simultaneously, "Won't people get suspicious?"
"All you would have to do is tell them that you are living in a new apartment. I doubt anyone would try to confirm whether or not you are telling the truth. Those rings are the most complex things I have had to create. I already had my Arcane Bracelet as a blueprint which made it a lot easier. As long as you have them on, people will notice you less and wouldn't be able to tell if you are lying or not."
"But how-"
"I created them using different abilities from my path. You haven't noticed the changes to yourselves yet because you both have your rings on which nullifies their effects. Once you interact with a few more people, then the effects will become more apparent."
'With Erased Presence and Veiling as the rings' main abilities, people are less likely to notice or even interact with them. And if they do then it would be almost impossible to know if they are lying or not. The Null Order needs to remain in the shadows for as long as possible. If not we will be taken out by the Arcane Association's ever present light.'