Neil sat next to Sipho, quiet and unassuming. One could never truly know what he was thinking. They sat in the command center, waiting for everyone else to arrive.
For the first time since he had arrived, it seemed as though he had finally lost the tail that had been following him. Although he could still track her movements since there were no walls in the underworld, she was currently giving the strange group a tour.
Neil had felt a slight pressure from the amnesia girl, and as for the others, he knew they were far from home. Judging by the little luggage they had brought, it appeared they had left in a hurry, but in the end, it was none of his business.
He knew quite a lot about the young man named Edmund Hawthorne. He was the youngest person ever to be awarded the Schizmik Prize, an elite award for groundbreaking discoveries in system-related science. Neil had wanted to meet this genius ever since he had first seen him appear on television, and from there he had begun trending on the web.
Yet now, meeting him, Neil felt nothing. In fact, he wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, attendance was compulsory, so he waited.
After a few minutes, the door opened and six people entered: Marcellus, the old man, Sister Elowen, and the strange trio.
"The two of you are here, good. Everyone, please take a seat," the old man said, and everyone complied.
Noctalis clapped, and the glass panels in the command center dimmed. The old man stood and began introducing the group.
"Marcellus, Sipho, and Neil, this is Edmund Hawthorne. On his left is Clara Montfort, and on his right is his sister Sunphire," the old man said. Edmund regarded Neil with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Wait, you look very familiar. Could it be that you are Neil Thorne? The Neil Thorne, systemless prodigy of Great House Thorne, the one who was buried about two weeks ago?" Edmund asked quickly, barely catching his breath.
Neil regarded him silently and slowly nodded. Seeing the nod, Edmund smiled excitedly, about to say more, when Sister Elowen intervened.
"Now to the real reason why we called you here," she said, glancing at her father. The old man moved to stand next to Edmund.
"This young man, Lady Clara, and Lady Sunphire will be joining us starting today. These three will be vital members of the organization. Edmund will join the research and development team as Noctalis's assistant. Lady Clara will work with Sister Elowen as strategic assets, based on their system branches and the power they can utilize.
"As for Sunphire," he paused, staring at the young woman, who looked innocent. She pointed toward Neil.
"I want to do whatever he does," she said. Her words caught everyone off guard. Sister Elowen, Clara, and Edmund turned to her with different, expressive faces.
"Sunphire," Edmund startled her. She turned to him with a confused smile.
"What?"
Edmund shook his head and looked away. The old man cleared his throat and regarded the amnesia girl for a moment before speaking.
"Do you have any combat ability, or are you at least a system bearer? If not, then you cannot do whatever he does, Sunphire. It would be reckless to let you enter a..."
The amnesia girl raised a hand. The next second, everyone was left speechless, even Neil, as she demonstrated her power.
A black flame danced in her palm, sucking in light like a moth drawn to fire. The flame slowly died down, but she kept her eyes on Neil the entire time.
"Which system path does your flame fall under?" the old man asked after a moment. Before the girl could answer, Edmund stepped in.
"She is actually a product of system breeding. Her mother was a bearer of the Radiant Path, and her father a bearer of the Shadow Reaper Path. She is a rare gem who has suffered greatly, and I wish for her to live a life free of battles and away from the Conspiracy."
His explanation was sound, yet Neil struggled to believe it, though everyone else seemed to accept it. Noctalis added, "Those were banned by the Church. How could anyone still attempt such a thing?" His words lingered in the air.
"But Ed, I want to. Please." She knelt, pleading to Edmund.
Edmund sighed and nodded to the old man. The old man smiled and clasped his hands.
"Sunphire will join Marcellus's squad and be one of our main weapons on the frontlines. She will only be deployed after a month of formal training. Is that acceptable to everyone?"
Edmund raised a hand. The old man gave him permission to speak.
"Wait, does Lord Thorne fight on the frontlines against the Conspiracy?"
Sister Elowen nodded.
"Yes, he does."
Edmund's eyes widened. "How? Aren't the Conspiracy supposed to be ridiculously strong, far beyond what humans can handle?"
Noctalis chuckled. "That is correct. But do not forget, Neil is not a regular human. He is a descendant of Thorne, a battle prodigy with peak human physical stats. With the help of my Heart Empowered Combat Suits—whistles—you can only imagine the power he can unleash."
His words left Clara and Edmund pale.
"You created Heart Empowered Suits?" Clara stuttered.
Noctalis nodded. "I had worked on this project for over a decade with no breakthroughs. Then your theory on Hearts was published, Edmund, and everything fell into place. The suits became a two-man project." He turned to Edmund with a smile.
Edmund leaned back in his chair, while Neil noted the new level of admiration Edmund had for Noctalis.
"So yes, even mundane humans can face off against the Conspiracy."
The old man tapped the table twice, drawing everyone's attention.
"You nerds can discuss that after the meeting. Now, we must move to the next part," he said, exhaling heavily. He gestured for Sister Elowen to take the stage.
She stood and tapped her watch. A holographic interface materialized, large enough for everyone in the command center to see.
"The man on the screen is Rowan Ainsworth. He is a half-breed, born to parents from Thal and the Crimson Wastes. He is considered a system prodigy, yet he refuses to join the nation's law officials or fight the Conspiracy.
"He is extremely skilled in battle and seems powerful enough to rival some of our elites. He is intelligent, yet we have never managed to track him down. We suspect he may be in cahoots with the Conspiracy, though evidence has been lacking.
"After the recent attack on Isak, we have proof that he is somehow involved with the Conspiracy, though his exact relationship with them remains unclear."
She turned to Neil and Marcellus.
"You recognize the monster on the screen, right?"
Neil and Marcellus nodded.
"That thing almost killed Neil and then left the battlefield, completely ignoring my attacks," Marcellus said in a deep voice.
Edmund and Clara glanced at Neil and noticed his walking stick. It finally made sense why he needed it.
"After your battle, we tracked its signature. It did not disappear but traveled underground toward the Khsan River west of Isak. Our forces arrived an hour later, but by then the signature had vanished. They found a man waiting for them there. You can guess who it was."
"Rowan," Edmund answered.
"Yes. He did not engage our forces; instead, he left a message." Sister Elowen browsed through her watch and played an audio recording.
"Greetings, deadmen. I am here to give you a message. Bring me the heir of Thorne within two weeks, or all of Thal will descend into chaos."
The audio stopped. Everyone's eyes fell on Neil.He remained quiet and turned to the old man.
"Why are you looking at me? What do you think?" the old man asked calmly.
Neil shrugged. "Let me go meet him."
Bang.
Everyone turned to Sister Elowen. Her intense gaze caught Neil off guard.
"Unacceptable. Noctalis, Edmund, come up with a plan," she said, eerily calm.
"If I may," Edmund spoke after a moment of silence, "before we decide whether or not to send Lord Thorne to his grave, is it not wiser to ask what Rowan wants with him?"
"Can I?" Noctalis turned to the old man. He nodded.
"This information is highly confidential," Noctalis said.
Edmund was beyond baffled. The information he received was unbelievable. But he focused on one question: what could such a powerful being want with the young man before him?
"I see. Yet that does not answer my question. If we can find out what he wants, we can devise a plan," Edmund said.
Noctalis shook his head in agreement.
"That is impossible. We have no way of knowing what he wants. Not to sound rude, but Lord Thorne is practically useless without my invention suit. Yes, he is a combat prodigy, but in a world filled with literal horrors, peak human combat skills are not enough."
"That is precisely why I will go meet Rowan,"
Neil said, standing and leaving the command center.
Everyone turned to Noctalis.
He shrugged.
"What?"