Rafael sighed. "As you wish. Make yourself comfortable then."
Boro continued stuffing his face, entirely unbothered by their exchange.
He was already comfortable.
Arthur leaned against one of the walls and stared at Rafael expectantly.
Rafael took a sip of water and cleared his throat before he started telling his story.
"Some time ago, we discovered a seemingly small cult in the heart of our Kingdom. We didn't expect much from them, so we decided to lather in some spies before exterminating them. As usual."
He looked from Arthur to Boro, furrowing his brows.
"Yet we quickly discovered, they were anything but ordinary. Most of our spies immediately vanished without a trace and the few who remained seemed to quickly lose their minds after returning. They whispered strange things and had developed a fear of light. After a while, we took notice of strange coincidences and events in the past that could be attributed to their doings. They seemingly had their fingers in everything and we even discovered members of the royal family who had ties with them."
He shot Arthur a meaningful glance and took another sip of water before continuing.
"It didn't take long for them to notice that we had taken an interest in their activities and they vanished from our sight even faster. But their activities continued, pulling on hidden strings from the shadows. Since then, we haven't been able to catch even a glimpse of them, but their retribution has been swift and fierce. They specifically targeted the royal family, which is why I'm on my way to the Academy of Sol. As the third in line of succession, I don't hold that much power but apparently I still have a giant target drawn across my back."
Rafael sighed, looking outside through a small window.
"After all this time, we have only figured out a few things about them. None of which has helped us in any way."
His focus shifted back inside, sending Arthur and Boro stern glances.
"They call themselves The Seven Heavenly Virtues and have multiple internal branches. Their means to alter a person's mind are quite terrifying, and they have their fingers in almost everything. From organised crime to luxury equipment, you can find their influence in almost everything. Finally, our most recent discovery, they worship an entity called The Eternal One."
Boro's head jerked up.
"Have you heard of them before?" Rafael asked, slightly squinting his eyes.
"No, but I think I knew somebody by that title once. But I can't remember who, much less from where." Boro shrugged.
"If it's important I'll remember it. My Nana always says that."
'She does indeed say that quite often. But you have not once remembered anything useful after saying that.' Arthur thought, not quite convinced.
"That must have been hard for you," Arthur said, looking at the prince. "I can't even imagine how that must have felt."
"I'm fine, things like that don't really bother me that much anymore," Rafael replied, waving his hand dismissively.
"If you say so." Arthur shrugged. "But I still find one thing rather curious. If you can channel and even control spirits at that, why did you not fight back against them?"
"It's not like I didn't try. They caught me off guard and poisoned me with a mana disruptor, making me unable to channel my power. I must say, I am still quite vexed as to how your friend managed to extract it so perfectly!" Rafael expressed his disbelief.
Boro shrugged.
Arthur and Rafael stared at him. Both were curious as to how he did it. Arthur hadn't even noticed what the poison had done to him, but he assumed it must have had the same effect as the one the cultists had used on Rafael. He just didn't notice, since he was unable to channel either way.
Unnerved by their attention, Boro gulped down the last bite of his breakfast and got out of the carriage, skillfully ignoring his companions' questioning gazes.
He looked around. Weird, wasn't something missing?
He scanned his surroundings once more.
His corpses! They were gone!
'Who did this? We didn't even loot them yet!' Borous thought crestfallen.
He would make sure to get his revenge. No one stole his loot!
*****
In a dimly lit room, six hooded figures sat around a large, round table made of grey marble and ornaments of pure gold.
Their faces were covered by shadows, their figures shrouded by the veil of their black cloaks, making them unrecognizable.
A grand, golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, its candles close to extinguishing.
They sat on throne-like seats. Murals were carved into their backrests, depicting scenes akin to the mythical stories of the last demon war.
Around the necks of each of them, a chain made from a dark, lusterless steel hung. Each of them had a different pendant decorating the chain.
They were made of the same black steel as the chains holding them. One depicted a sun, another a moon, one had a scythe, and one a sapling of a tree of some sort.
One of them resembled a square, and the last was a circle adorned with six outward-pointing crosses.
A frail and soft voice echoed throughout the chamber, originating from the person whose necklace depicted the sapling. "Are you making progress on your part Frenzy? We are running out of time."
The figure with the sun necklace replied. "We have run into a few unexpected issues. The subject has escaped with our target and escaped to another territory. With the heightened security it is difficult for us to chase after them."
Another started laughing, but then stopped abruptly and shouted angrily. "Watermelon!"
The one with the moon pendant chimed in. "I fully agree with Mayhem. With the descent approaching we can not afford to make such mistakes. Do better Frenzy."
Frenzy replied, his voice timid and quiet. "But Mayhem, Silence, we lack the resources and manpower to finish a task such as this one without issue. If you could send me some of your men then maybe..."
He was cut off by Silence. "Absolutely not."
"But-"
"I said no. Do not drag me into this."
"Union! Salad!" Mayhem agreed.
"But how am I supposed to" Frenzy tried to reason.
A new voice resounded, cutting Frenzy off once more and pulling the attention of everyone sitting at the table. It was deep and uncompromising like a force of nature.
"Deal with it on your own Frenzy. We do not have time for your little tantrums. If you have a problem with that, I'll gladly remove you from your seat."
"I apologise Naught, I was not trying to undermine the integrity of our operation. I'll try my best to meet your expectations!" Frenzy replied, bowing his head shakily.
"Good. This concludes our meeting." Naught replied, getting up from his seat. Suddenly he vanished from the room, as if he had never been there in the first place.
Mayhem stood up as well, shouting one last word before vanishing. "Frog!"
Two more stood up and vanished, leaving only sapling and sun behind.
"Madness, I am sure you understand me at least. This task is far too difficult to handle with such few people!" Frenzy pleaded, looking at his old friend.
"You are mistaken Frenzy. You simply lack motivation."
With those words, Sapling got out of her seat as well, leaving Frenzy behind by himself.
How was any of this fair? He had just claimed his seat and now he was about to lose it already?!
Frustrated he let out a short scream and got up as well.
He would show them!