**Randor City – "Pay Before You Eat" Restaurant**
Yousafer and Yuray finished their meal. After a brief rest, Yousafer picked up the newspaper he had been reading. Since they had already settled their bill before eating, they simply stood up to leave.
"They're moving..." a voice drifted from the table where Raven's rebels sat.
The entire group turned as one, their eyes locking onto the two youths.
"Look at the crest on their chests. Have you ever seen it before?"
The girl in the group replied, "I've never seen that banner. Could it be a new one?"
"Maybe they're just rookie rebels, as you said," Briley added with a smirk.
"Poor things," another chuckled, "they think anyone can just call themselves a rebel. They are truly ignorant of how the world works."
Yousafer and Yuray turned to leave. Since the Kingdom strictly forbade fighting during this period, they paid no mind to who saw the banner on their chests. It wasn't out of fear; they simply had their own business to attend to within the capital.
Raven stared at Yuray, sensing a strange, heavy calmness radiating from the white-haired youth. As Yuray passed by, Raven stood up. "What's your name?"
Yousafer kept walking, his eyes glued to the old newspapers in his hands, far more interested in past events than the present conversation.
Yuray turned his head slightly toward Raven, saying nothing. He continued walking, ignoring the question, which caused amused smiles to break out on the faces of Raven's crew.
The rebels were stunned. Yuray had completely ignored their Captain.
In a flash, Jack lunged to his feet. "You bastard! The Captain is talking to you!"
Raven reached out instantly, grabbing Jack's hand and holding him back.
Yuray turned to Jack, his face devoid of any emotion. He spoke in a low, faint voice that carried a chilling weight: "It is fortunate for you that he caught you. Let it be known: I do not care for the rules of this city, nor the rules of the entire world."
"You...!" Jack roared.
The entire crew stood up, cursing, fire burning in their chests, ready to brawl.
"Extinguish that fire," Raven's voice cut through the noise. "Sit down."
Raven understood Yuray's behavior perfectly. To ask for a name without giving one's own was an act of dominance—a way of imposing oneself on the other party. Yuray had simply refused to submit to that dynamic.
"I am Raven Beethorn."
Yuray stopped. "I am Yuray. It was... interesting knowing you."
He resumed his walk, muttering words that only Raven's keen ears caught: "We shall meet again someday, in a better atmosphere than this."
Just like Lillar before him, Raven had focused entirely on Yuray, seeing him as the only one worthy of attention. They both disregarded Yousafer.
But that was exactly what Yousafer wanted. He had no desire to involve himself in their troubles or waste his energy on them.
Yuray's tone had infuriated Raven's followers, but a single sharp glance from Raven forced them all back into their seats, silent.
As Yuray exited the restaurant, trailing behind Yousafer who had left moments ago, Raven sat back down, a smile playing on his lips as he stared at the ceiling.
"Heh... Yuray..."
***
**The Royal Palace of Randor**
The palace of the ruling family stood majestic over the city, its polished white walls shimmering under the sun. Massive doors of ornate dark wood exuded an air of ancient authority. Inside, the palace was a labyrinth of vast corridors; red carpets stretched across the floors, and heavy velvet curtains blocked out the harsh sunlight. Along the halls, marble statues stood like silent sentinels, flanked by carefully carved murals.
In one of the many spacious rooms—a chamber shrouded in darkness—two figures stood in conversation. One knelt on one knee; the other stood before him.
"Is everything proceeding according to plan?" the standing figure asked.
"Yes, sire, everything is according to plan. I have summoned them; they will be here within two days at the most."
"Good. You know what needs to be done. Prepare a place for them to stay until the day of the festival."
"As you wish, sire."
The darkness erased their features, but the tone of the standing man was unmistakably noble, in sharp contrast to the subservience of the one kneeling.
After a brief silence, the noble asked, "What class are they?"
The subordinate answered quickly, "Class S, sire. They are ultimate professionals in these matters."
"Good. That is very good."
***
**Ordo Military Headquarters**
The soldiers remained in a state of shock following the horror they had just witnessed.
"What happened? Why did this happen?" one soldier stammered, staring at the blue worms writhing over the scattered chunks of flesh.
"He was just telling us about the Oracle, why...?" Another soldier trailed off, looking toward the dark corridor where Colonel Richmond and Barayuhina had vanished.
A soldier nearby broke into a cold sweat.
Deep within the fortress, Richmond and Barayuhina walked, following the corridor toward a specific destination. The passage was narrow, with stone walls and hanging torches casting a dim, flickering light.
After several turns, they stopped before a weathered wooden door carved with the symbol of a horned skull wrapped in vines.
Richmond pushed the door open, and they entered.
The room inside was a world apart from the rest of the headquarters.
It was circular, built of black stone etched with strange symbols resembling stars that seemed to glow under the torchlight. In the center of the room lay a large circle, and within it, an inverted hexagram drawn in red chalk. A small, slightly raised platform sat in the middle, surrounded by candelabras casting dancing shadows.
The air was heavy with the scent of burnt herbs and aromatic oils. Faint whispers echoed between the walls, making the room feel as if it were breathing. Wooden shelves lined the walls, laden with ancient leather-bound books, crystal orbs, masks, strange stones, and twisted roots.
Richmond's face betrayed his dread; beads of sweat trickled down his uniform. Barayuhina, however, remained indifferent, her expression unchanging.
She stepped forward, while Colonel Richmond instinctively took a step back.
*Tap... tap... tap...* The sound of her cane rang out as she entered the great circle.
The Oracle reached the small platform and sat in its center. She set her cane aside, produced a small, clear crystal orb, and placed it before her.
Immediately upon her sitting, the symbols in the room began to glow a deep crimson, and black smoke billowed from the hexagram. She placed her black candle next to the crystal orb, and the flame transformed from orange to a void-like black.
At that moment, the old woman opened her mouth. In a thin, delicate voice that froze the blood in the veins, she spoke in a very strange tongue: **"(xxxxxxxx)"**
Colonel Richmond understood nothing as he watched the Oracle begin to vanish within the smoke rising from the hexagram.
A deep hum rose from her throat: "O guardian of secrets... O guardian of time... I call upon you in the language of the ancestors, the language of **Sumarin**... Answer my call... Respond to my chant... Show me what has been stolen from tomorrow... Show me the fate of the Army... Show me the fate of the world."
A strange silence fell. It was as if time itself had frozen; no sound was heard, no breath was drawn.
Richmond felt something was terribly wrong. He began to retreat, moving backward very slowly, his heart hammering against his ribs.
*This Oracle is truly terrifying.*
The smoke rose higher and higher, black threads weaving together to form a distorted, indescribable face. It looked down at her with a cold gaze and spoke in the same ancient tongue:
*"Who is it that dares summon me? Does he not fear my wrath or the cruelty of my deeds?"*
The Oracle smiled calmly. "Barayuhina calls... the disciple of Aisha calls... If you will not answer Barayuhina, then answer the disciple of Aisha."
The hideous face went silent, staring at the Oracle with burning red eyes, then vanished as if it had never been.
The clear orb glowed and expanded in size.
In that moment, strange visions appeared—things only Barayuhina could see. As she gazed into the orb, she began to mutter: "The disaster that will befall the Army... the one that has been stagnant for so long... it has begun to move... I must determine its location..."
Barayuhina raised her hand over the orb, moving her fingers in a bizarre, rhythmic pattern. Suddenly, she stopped.
"..."
"What is this?"
Sweat broke out on her forehead. "How? How is this happening? Why are they alive? Where were they hiding? What is this ominous fate? Catastrophe! Catastrophe!" She repeated it three times. "A catastrophe will befall us soon... what is this chaos that will descend upon the world?"
Her fear intensified as she noticed something specific, and a single word escaped her lips: **"Sea..."**
Regaining a fraction of her composure, she whispered slowly, "First, I must find the location of the disaster that threatens the Army..."
She closed her white eyes, and suddenly, she found herself in a place of absolute darkness.
"What is this dark place?"
Barayuhina looked left and right, but she saw nothing but the void.
She tilted her head upward, and a coldness she had never felt in her three centuries of life washed over her. She froze in place, unable to move a muscle.
Two colossal, magnificent eyes were staring down at her. Pitch-black eyes, like an abyss with no bottom, like two black holes.
Suddenly, a cold voice, capable of freezing water in a scorching desert, boomed out:
**"You insect... Do you think yourself capable of locating me? Get out of my face, you bastard..."**
**"WAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"**
The Oracle let out a horrific scream that was heard by everyone in the headquarters. Some fainted instantly; those who didn't fell to their knees, drenched in sweat.
The darkness shattered, and Barayuhina collapsed, unconscious.
**End of Chapter**