Several weeks earlier:
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"You may enter."
The massive castle door opened slowly.
Heavy, dark wood slid aside with a deep groan, as if the castle itself hesitated to let anyone into this room. Warm, bluish light spilled out and washed over the cold stone floor of the corridor.
A minigod stepped inside.
Barely had he crossed the threshold when he dropped to his knees.
"M-Master Second Hand Dregan…"
His forehead touched the ground. His hands trembled, and in his shoulders lay fear — raw, unfiltered reverence.
Dregan sat upon a colossal throne.
The chair was crafted from dark stone and gold, towering high, with curved armrests engraved with ancient symbols. Behind him rose massive pillars that vanished into the half-light of the high ceiling. Flickering flames hovered silently in the air, as if they obeyed his will alone.
Dregan looked down at the minigod.
Calm.Unimpressed.
"Rise."
The voice was calm — yet heavy enough to fill the room.
The minigod obeyed immediately, standing up hastily, though he did not dare to lift his gaze.
"Why do you disturb me during my leisure time, Ashkar?" Dregan asked, reaching for his goblet.
Dark wine sloshed sluggishly inside, thick, almost black. Dregan took a sip, visibly savoring it.
"W-We… we have received information from Divine Compact…"He swallowed. "H-Huge. I-Important matters."
Dregan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Mhm."He lifted the goblet again."Tell me more."
"T-The human with the powers of Elionis…"Ashkar's voice nearly broke."…has been located!"
The goblet slipped from Dregan's hand.
Clatter.
Dark wine spilled across the floor.
Dregan stood up.
Slowly.In disbelief.
"…Really?"His voice was sharper now."Are you certain of this?"
"H-He was seen with a member of the Black Synod," Ashkar stammered. "T-The resistance group."
Dregan's eyes narrowed.
Ashkar hastily reached behind his back.
"I-I even have a report. "He pulled out a single sheet of paper. Ashkar stepped forward, knelt once more, and offered the document with both hands.
"E-Everything Divine Compact could find out about him… i-it's all written here."
Dregan skimmed over the page.
Then his mouth slowly twisted into a grin.
"Noen…"The name left his lips drawn out, almost indulgent, as if savoring it.
Ashkar flinched.
"B-But…" he stammered quietly, his voice barely more than a whisper, "t-there is also b-bad n-news…"
Dregan's eyes lifted from the document.
Slowly. Annoyed.
He rolled his eyes.
"What now?"
Ashkar's body began to shake visibly.
"A-Apparently…"He swallowed hard."…a member of the Black Synod has entered the Minigod Realm unnoticed."
Silence.
Then—
the air changed.
Dregan's eyes hardened. Cold. Rage flared within them like suddenly unleashed fire.
With a sharp motion, he hurled the paper aside. It sailed through the room and landed on the floor, forgotten.
Dregan stood up.
The throne behind him suddenly looked small.
Ashkar instinctively ducked his head, his body curling inward as if already bracing for the blow.
"W-We m—"
He didn't get to finish.
Dregan was suddenly in front of him.
A hand shot forward, grabbing Ashkar by the throat and lifting him effortlessly off the ground. His feet kicked uselessly, finding no purchase.
"YOU DAMN FOOLS!" Dregan roared.
His fingers tightened.
Ashkar's eyes widened in panic.
"LISTEN!"
More pressure. Ashkar's hands clawed desperately at Dregan's arm.
"TWO THINGS!"
Dregan's voice trembled with restrained fury.
"FIRST: "He squeezed until Ashkar's gasping turned into a strangled choke. "YOU WILL FIND THIS DAMN HUMAN SCUM—"
Even tighter.
"—IMMEDIATELY!"
Ashkar's vision began to blur.
"AND SECOND: "Dregan leaned closer, his eyes burning. "YOU WILL LURE THIS NOEN—"
A brief, dangerous pause.
"—AWAY FROM THE BLACK SYNOD."
His fingers tensed one last time.
"AND KILL HIM."
Then Dregan released him.
With brutal force, he hurled Ashkar to the ground.
The minigod crashed hard against the stone, slid across the cold floor, and lay there gasping, his body curled in on itself, his neck marked red.
⸻
"Come on, I know you're nervous, you little pants-shitter!"
Thornec's voice echoed through his room, raw and impatient. The masked man was seated in the corner, pressed back against it on a simple chair, his shoulders drawn up, knees pulled tightly together. His hands were bound, his whole body tense like a drawn bowstring.
Noen stood a short distance away, arms crossed, his gaze fixed firmly on the masked man.
"Why are you wearing that mask?"Noen cut in sharply. "Why did you kidnap me from Roseshire?"
The masked man didn't respond with words.
He was trembling.
His head shook slightly, almost in panic, while he squeezed his eyes shut, as if he could block everything out if he just tried hard enough.
Thornec's jaw tightened.
"I swear, if you don't answer at least one question right now—"
His fists clenched. The muscles in his forearms stood out as he took a step forward. You could practically feel how little patience he had left.
Then—
the door opened.
Brynja stepped inside.
"Oh, oh, boys…"
Her voice was calm, almost amused.
"That's never going to work like this."
She briefly assessed the scene: Thornec on the verge of exploding, Noen tense, the masked man right on the edge of panic. Then she sighed softly.
"Wait. I'll show you how it's done."
Without asking, she gently but firmly pushed Thornec and Noen aside. She knelt down in front of the masked man, bringing herself to eye level with him.
Her voice dropped.
She leaned closer.
"Don't you want to tell me what happened, sweetheart?"
Her lips brushed lightly against his ear.
The masked man froze.
His breath hitched. Even through the mask, it was obvious the blood rushed to his face. His shoulders jerked, his fingers tensed in the restraints.
A few more quiet, barely audible whispers followed.
Then—
a deep, resigned sigh.
"B-but you absolutely can't tell anyone about this! A-and you have to guarantee my safety!"
Thornec scoffed.
"No guarantee."
"YOU IDIOT!"
Brynja and Noen shouted it at the same time.
Brynja shot Thornec a murderous look and immediately turned back to the masked man, immediately turning into a happy one.
"One hundred percent guarantee."
She gave him a wink.
Something seemed to light up beneath the mask .
"I…"
The masked man hesitated.
The room went quiet.
"I… I…"
His breathing quickened.
"I… I DONT EVEN WANNA DO THIS!"
The words burst out of him, disordered, desperate.
"If I don't do it, I'll—"
He stopped abruptly.
But everybody knew what it meant.