The man transformed from Hera disappeared into the deep green flames.
After a moment of hesitation, Athena chose to follow and stepped into the flickering furnace flame. Accompanied by a familiar feeling of compression and rotation, the next moment, she appeared in a place completely different from before.
Warm, humid air was replaced by a cold, dry atmosphere mixed with dust and a pungent smell. Athena looked up to find an almost endless rocky ceiling above her.
"This is the Eagle's Nest."
Beside her, Hera began to introduce the place to Athena.
"Since the 'Dragon Nest' was destroyed, the poachers have shifted their focus here. I took the opportunity to replace one of the senior members."
Hera pointed to her rugged face, indicating that this was the poacher's high-ranking member she had taken over. "And in Europe, there are two other people in the same position as me—one of them is Hermes—but now he is 'missing', so the power has fallen into my hands and another person's hands."
"Who?"
"A sly snake, I have never seen his true face or known his name—all I know is that everyone calls him."
Hera paused and then continued, "—the Prophet."
Quickly, Athena realized that they were in a huge cave carved out of rock. This was the "Eagle's Nest"—one of the poacher organization's core bases situated deep in a mountain range in Northern Europe.
Unlike the peripheral base in Paris disguised as a market, the Eagle's Nest was clearly more secretive and heavily guarded.
It seemed externally forbidden here, with patrolling guards coming and going in formal gear, torches lined the rock walls, and the flickering firelight cast elongated shadows of the guards onto the uneven stone surfaces. Their eyes were sharp, exuding a strong scent of blood, magic wands conspicuously tucked into the leather holsters at their waists.
When they saw the man walking ahead of the two (Hera), they nodded slightly in greeting. Then, their gaze rested briefly on Athena, with a hint of scrutiny, but quickly shifted away at an inconspicuous glance from Hera.
After introducing everything around them, Hera fell silent and led Athena through a series of complex rock passageways. Finally, the two arrived at a heavy but unassuming stone door. She reached out her hand, pressed it against the center of the door, and with a flash of magical resonance, the stone door silently slid open.
As they walked in, the sparsely lit torches on the walls began to light up, and Athena's gaze was immediately attracted to the dozen or so circularly arranged fire basins on the ground.
"What is this..."
She blinked, showing a reminiscent expression.
"Yes, very nostalgic... They are still using communication methods from back then."
While speaking, Hera indicated for Athena to stand in the shadows, to which the latter nodded and hid herself.
Thus, Hera walked to the innermost fire basin, took a deep breath, and silently waved her right hand holding the magic wand. "Woosh—" Accompanied by the sound of air combusting, colorful flames ignited in the fire basins around her. Then, three flames slowly took shape, turning into three robed figures.
"Everyone."
Hera's deep voice echoed in the stone chamber, "You all are obviously clear about the situation. The enemies we face are far more troublesome than we anticipated."
"Of course we're clear."
A raspy laugh suddenly sounded from the nearest projection, an unsettling voice like sandpaper rubbing, "Ramsey, it seems your 'great revival' is off to a bad start. I saw recent news; almost half of the bases in Europe have been lost?"
The voice sounded frivolous, but anyone could hear the accusation within.
Ramsey? Is this her identity now?
Athena looked at Hera, who had not reverted to her original appearance, her brows slightly furrowed.
"Phoenix, this is not the time for internal strife."
Hera shook her head, her voice calm, "That creature has a disciplined, strong army under him. Yes, an army; this is a war, gentlemen. I alone cannot stop him—I believe we must unite."
"Unite? With what?"
Another voice echoed from another side, dripping with sarcasm, "You don't even know where he is or what he's planning next... Am I wrong, Prophet? Or have you once again seen nothing?"
Athena followed the voice, her gaze naturally falling on the silent flame silhouette that had remained quiet since its appearance.
He wore a voluminous cloak, with the hood pulled low to completely conceal his facial features, leaving only a vague chin outline visible.
As the questions prompted, the stone chamber instantly fell silent, even the crackling of the burning flames was distinguishable. Everyone instinctively held their breath, focusing their gaze simultaneously on that cloaked figure.
The black-robed figure called the "Prophet" did not respond to the pointed sarcasm. He turned his head, as if his gaze hidden within the hood shadow "looked" towards the shadow behind Hera.
"..."
Without realizing it, Athena's heart tensed. She knew that with communication through magic flames, they could only "see" through the other flames. To the Prophet, the shadow behind Hera should have been empty. So, was it merely coincidence, or was it...
"...He's coming here."
Before Athena could piece together the reasoning, the black-robed figure suddenly withdrew his gaze, his hoarse voice vibrating through the air.
"...Here? What do you mean 'here'?"
The mocking silhouette seemed to waver at his words, seemingly furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Here, I have already baited him, the small snake used as lure has been caught..."
"Wait, what have you done?"
Hera interrupted the Prophet's speech, her voice shocked, "Wait, what have you done? Why haven't I heard anything about this?"
"...Here? What do you mean 'here'?"
The mocking silhouette seemed to waver at his words, seemingly furrowing his brow in confusion.
"Here, I have already baited him, the small snake used as lure has been caught..."
"Wait, what have you done?"
Hera interrupted the Prophet's speech, her voice shocked, "Wait, what have you done? Why haven't I heard anything about this?"