Realm of Monsters - Chapter 667: A Meeting of Titans
Chapter 667: A Meeting of Titans
Una knocked on the door with a soft rasp. When there was no response, she slowly pushed the door open just a tad. “Lily, the meeting is about to start.”
Lily sat next to Loh’s bed. The latter was thankfully unconscious. Kaitlin, the lead white mage of the Singing Willow Troupe, had administered a sedative elixir to spare Loh the pain. The backlash of the wraith merging had been exacerbated by the use of spells and lifeforce skills too advanced for her body.
Now, Loh lay unmoving save for the faint rising and falling of her chest. Lily watched her with a downcast look, dark bags under her scarlet eyes.
“I’ll keep watch of her while you’re gone,” Kaitlin offered from the corner of the room, where she had set up a desk. Several anatomy and arcane books were strewn on the small table.
“…I’ll be back.” Lily leaned down and kissed Loh softly on the cheek, then left. She stopped at the doorway and spoke without meeting Una’s eyes, “The others?”
“Loh’s parents are doing fine, they’re having dinner downstairs with some of the others,” Una replied. “Ismene is resting in the next room over. Lord Vayu Glaz was taken back to his manor by his servants after Kaitlin stabilized him. He should make a full recovery. …Are you alright? I heard you haven’t let Kaitlin or any of the other healers check on you.”
“I’m fine, please lead the way if you will,” Lily gestured.
Una seemed as if she wanted to say something, but decided against it and led Lily out the door and through the winding halls of the Veres manor. A pair of Gale blade masters were guarding the library and they stepped aside when they saw Una and Lily approach.
Before they entered, Una turned to Lily. “I never thanked you for saving my daughter.”
“Don’t thank me. Thank Loh when she wakes up.” Lily stepped past her and walked inside.
The two-story room was fairly large and had an extensive collection for a private library. It was the shared library of the Gales and Veres, and it carried books they had been collecting since the age of Ebon Lord Koval. The library was a repository of knowledge of magic, weapon arts, geography, secrets, and more. Which was why it had been enchanted with hundreds of wards and was therefore the most secure room to have a meeting in the entire mansion.
Stryg sat in a large wingback chair at the end of a round table, the group had gathered around. He practically shook with irritation and impatience. And if it wasn’t for Tauri sitting in the chair with him, he probably would have been pacing around the room. Instead, he held her close, his arm wrapped around her waist protectively, as if someone might jump out of the shadows and attack her.
Aurelia gave her son a disapproving side-eye from the next seat over, but he didn’t notice. Gale and Gian stood behind their respective wards, hands clasped behind their back.
Holo sat at the other end of the table from Stryg, her focus entirely on the black cloak lying in front of her. Calantha Ashe and Belle sat next to one another, the latter sipping her third cup of tea. Una walked over and joined her husband and daughter.
Lily spotted an empty seat next to Calantha, but instead, she dragged another seat over next to Holo and sat down. Holo raised an eyebrow in curiosity but said nothing.
“Thank you all for coming,” Holo began.
“It is an honor to be among your kind, Lady Holo,” Calantha smiled.
“I live here,” Stryg replied.
“Stryg, be quiet,” Aurelia chastised.
Holo sent Aurelia a silent thank you before continuing. “Tonight, it seems we were all attacked by an unknown common enemy. The question is— who? At first, I thought they were targeting my family and me. The man I encountered told me as such. However, they did not target Una. Which led me to believe that it had something to do with my bloodline, not the Noirs. This was later supported by the fact that my brother was attacked. The issue is, so were you,” she glanced at Belle.
“We were attacked as the sun went down,” Belle nodded.
“Just like the rest of us. It denotes a conjoined effort. Which leads us to a more prominent problem,” Holo steepled her fingers. “Someone is hunting titans.”
“But who would be so foolish as to even dare try?” Gale asked. “Last I checked, most titans are gods.”
“Which is why they conveniently attacked the day after Lunae’s departure. Nel and Bellum have also left the city,” Holo said.
“Which implies they knew about their identities and whereabouts. Bellum’s arrival in Holo’s Shade was a secret only a select few people knew,” Calantha noted.
“They also attacked after sunset, when my powers were at their weakest,” Belle added.
“They were waiting for the moment we were at our weakest. It is what a hunter would do,” Aurelia said.
“Except, Holo was still here. If they knew about Bellum, surely they knew about my sister,” Stryg said. “Why would they risk attacking while a goddess still resides in the city?”
“They had a plan for that, too,” Holo sighed. “Some of my people discovered a pit with highly advanced arcane sigil patterns. Not even an archmage would have been able to decipher it all. The only person in the city who could was me. Our enemy knew I would go to investigate why such a pit existed in the Commoner District. Turns out, it was a trap, an arcane prison meant to hold someone as powerful as me.”
“How could they have made something like that?” Stryg asked.
“It implies our enemies have a being whose powers lie beyond those of an archmage. Few mortals have ever achieved such power,” Gian said.
“We managed to trap a few assassins in my manor, but they quickly killed themselves by activating an enchanted collar,” said Calantha. “The thing is, the Grey curse that was holding them should have prevented the collar from activating at all. Whoever created those collars possessed power beyond mortal-kind.”
“Are we dealing with a god?” Stryg asked.
“Worse. A titan god,” Holo muttered.
“My mother and I encountered him. He is likely the one who created the arcane pit as well,” Atlas said.
“He called himself ‘One.’ He is a son of the Calamity of Agony,” Holo said, her voice filled with consternation.
“Did you kill him?” Stryg asked.
“No, he escaped,” Holo said.
“Could you kill him?” Stryg pressed.
“I don’t know,” Holo admitted. “He was stronger than I anticipated. Even with Lyrae and my Flicker magic, I couldn’t land a strike. Though neither could he.”
“Forgive me, Lady Holo, but are you saying a Calamity ordered all of these assassinations?” Calantha asked. “Because if that’s the case, how are we supposed to deal with a Calamity?”
“No, I don’t believe One was working for Agony,” Holo said.
“How do you know that?” Stryg asked.
“Because—”
“It was Agony,” Lily spoke up, her voice cold. “Agony did this.”
Holo furrowed her brow. “How can you be so sure?”
“This,” Lily held up the black cloak in front of Holo. “I’ve seen these before. It is an enchanted cloak capable of passing undetected through most wards and distorting the wearer’s visage from others. Alongside various protective enchantments, its greatest ability is that it can hide its owner from farsight, even that of a moon goddess.”
“Interesting, but how does that confirm Agony’s involvement?” Atlas asked.
“There is only one being capable of creating these enchantments, because they require a unique, powerful, and ancient chaotic magic that only one being possesses. Agony,” Lily explained.
“It could have been her son,” Holo said.
“No. There are certain magical feats only a Calamity can achieve, this is one of them.” Lily withdrew a golden dagger from her sleeve and tossed it on the table. Several people made faces of recognition.
“I saw a man who had that same dagger,” Stryg growled.
“It is imbued with a sliver of Agony’s divine elemental power. Only she could impart that power into an object. Not her son, nor daughter. Only she,” Lily said.
“One had a dagger like that, too,” Atlas said.
“Perhaps One stole them from Agony?” Holo said.
“Along with dozens of the most uniquely enchanted cloaks in the world?” Lily said.
“Maybe?” Holo shrugged.
Lily frowned. “Why can’t you simply accept that Agony sent assassins to kill us?”
“Because Agony would never do that,” Holo shook her head.
“Do what? Kill people? She eradicated my entire people,” Lily seethed.
“Your people?” Tauri whispered without thinking.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“Sorry, forget I said anything,” Tauri winced. She had forgotten how sharp a vampire, let alone a titan’s hearing was. The last thing she wanted was to involve herself in the problems of gods. From the stories she heard, it never ended well for mortals.
“Look, I’ve met the Calamities,” Holo said. “Among all four of them, Agony is the only one who actually cares about mortal kind. I’d even go so far as to say she is a good person.”
“A Calamity is not a good person. They aren’t people. They are walking calamities of nature. They were born out of the pain and rage of a wounded World Soul. Their nature is one of retribution, not justice,” Lily argued.
“Even still. Each Calamity has internalized that nature differently. Agony doesn’t wantonly seek to inflict pain. Rather, she despises those who inflict pain.” Holo glanced at Lily, “It’s why she committed genocide on your people.”
“Agony tortured my sisters before she killed them,” Lily scowled.
“I didn’t say Agony doesn’t inflict pain, just that she doesn’t do so without cause,” Holo said.
“Then why attack us?” Belle asked.
“My point exactly. Agony has no reason to attack all of us,” Holo nodded.
“You built a wall out of thousands of helpless souls your city damned into execution and eternal servitude,” Lily said dryly.
Holo winced, “Well, fortunately, Agony doesn’t hunt family. And I am still her niece.”
“How lucky for you,” Lily glared at her. “I, on the other hand, have been hiding from Agony for centuries. So, forgive me if I am skeptical of her involvement in trying to murder us.”
“So if Agony isn’t behind this, then who is?” Stryg asked.
“…I don’t know,” Holo admitted. “We recovered fourteen cloaks and some of the assassins’ equipment, but I’ll need more time to examine them and their bodies. Hopefully, I’ll find a clue or two.”
“Can we ask Agony?” Stryg asked.
Lily stiffened in panic. “Do not tell Agony of any of this!”
Holo gave her a sympathetic look. “We aren’t going to talk to Agony. It’s not as if I would even know where to look. The Calamities are all secretive, their whereabouts included. Even if I did find her, I wouldn’t tell her about you, Lily.”
Lily nodded stiffly, though she didn’t seem altogether convinced.
“So what do we do now, Grandma?” Unalla asked.
Holo leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Keep an eye out for the enemy. I doubt they’ll attack us any time soon after their last failure, but you should all stay nearby, preferably in the city, until we know more.”
~~~
The meeting lasted another hour, with each group retelling how they had been under attack in more detail. The sun was beginning to set by the time Holo declared the meeting over. A servant was waiting outside the library to lead them to dinner, but Stryg declined, which immediately raised Tauri’s suspicions.
Stryg let everyone know he was retiring early for the night and headed to his room. Tauri quickly announced her shared sentiment and followed after him. Gale was never far behind.
When they reached the bedroom, Tauri grabbed Stryg by the shoulder and turned him around to face her. “Okay, spill it. What is going on?”
Stryg glanced at Gale, “Close the door.”
Gale closed it behind her and quickly began writing red sigils in the air. They flared to life and formed a barrier over the walls. “It’s secure. No one will be able to hear anything we say.”
“Good.” Stryg rummaged under his bed and pulled out a couple of cloaks.
“Is that what I think those are?” Tauri said, eyes wide.
Stryg nodded. “I had Gale go back and retrieve them from the assassins we killed.”
“What are you planning to do with them?” Tauri asked suspiciously.
“I’m not letting you go to Murkton alone.”
