Alma 65 An Honest Spy

The trees quietly observed them as they progressed down an old, beaten path into the depths of the forest where the forest canopy had grown so extensively that it blocked sunlight down below. It was an area of the woods where light would prosper and the darkness ruled over the land.

This was where a hidden city had been built millennia ago in secret. It was a place far removed from the eyes of the masses, for it was home to shadows and ghosts — the kind that haunted the living.

Cempasuchil was home for East's Forgotten Order, the heart of the empire's intelligence and investigation operations. It was a place that did not exist on any official maps or public databases. Hidden from sight, shrouded from sight with various enhancements and techniques, it was nigh-imperceptible even for the most perceptive of individuals.

Even the likes of veteran conquerors would have an excruciatingly difficult time finding the hidden city. It was a sealed domain that was perfectly attuned to the flow of Anima in such a way that made it undetectable even to those who were highly sensitive to abnormal fluctuations.

An Ancient Mulian artefact of considerable value was used to achieve this illusory deception, amplified by modern technology. Down the lowest section of the city, a small turquoise ring thrummed mid-air locked down by an enormous apparatus — a mechanical tomb designed to contain and use it.

The Forgotten Order would have never guessed that its rightful owner would one day come for it, causing...…

"Hey, that's pretty nifty," said Reed as he stared at the soft, twinkling lights that illuminated the hidden, ethereal city. "How did you guys manage to create such an effective barrier around the city?"

Testarossa smirked and said, "That's top secret. It's one of the biggest reasons why none of the other empires have ever located our headquarters. It's also why high-ranked officers are allowed to learn the actual, geographic location of the city, since Cempasuchil isn't linked to the continental altar system."

Reed whistled in admiration when he heard that. "Consider me officially impressed." He truly had to give the East credit for their decision to forsake the altar system wholesale when they built the city.

They've sure as hell put a lot of effort into keeping this place a secret. I'm almost ashamed of how easy it was to get access to this place.

Sure, the altar system allowed for nearly-instantaneous travel across the continent, but it was also meant that it could be exploited for nefarious reasons. That was why mortals and even contenders had to undergo numerous checks in order to use altars connected to other empires aside from their own.

Conquerors, on the other hand, had no need for altars since they could void-jump to anywhere they'd already been to before. Once they memorized the spatial coordinates for a specific place, they could re-visit it any time they wished to. It was, therefore, an impossible task to keep a conqueror away from a certain location.

As a result, Cempasuchil had been built far, far away from any altar stations in the depths of the Sunlight Grove around a uniquely powerful artefact that the East had discovered long ago…

The city was filled with all manner of races, but most of them were Avunian, and the branch-race with the glowing hair. A few humans walked here and there, but they were a rare sight amidst the sea of pointed ears.

Reed inched close to Testarossa and whispered, "What the ones with the glowing hair called? Are they some kind relatives to your race? Never seem them in North…"

"They're called Sirens — an offshoot of the Avunians, as you have correctly guessed — but in reality, the connection between us is somewhat distant," said Testarossa with a complicated expression.

"Long ago, before we'd been abducted here, our ancestors — the noble Alf — were all part of a single unified bloodline. After we were brought here, a momentous schism occurred. What was once one, became two. I will not bore you with the story, but our ancestors had difficulties adapting to their... new circumstances. Two parties emerged from a blood feud and as a result, two distinct bloodlines emerged over the course of millennia."

That sounds very... interesting. Contradicts the image I had of the Avunians, that's for sure. But appearances can be deceiving, I suppose.

Reed had pegged them as a beautiful, harmonious race of pointy eared eye-candy. He did not expect that they had it in them to indulge in violence.

"So how did the two of you, um, come to terms with one another? Blood feuds are not so easily resolved, I imagine," said Reed as he curiously gazed at the bustling city around him.

"What do you think? With blood, a great deal of it. The Unification War taught us a valuable, painful lesson. That in the face of total destruction and slavery, the petty feud meant nothing. We chose to compromise. That is how we claimed the East for ourselves in the end."

A majestic spire made of a sleek metal and polished stone stood above all others in Cempasuchil. It was a curious structure that did not possess a single ounce of Anima. The unique characteristic made it stand out like a sore thumb to those who visited the city for the first time.

This was the true heart of the Forgotten Order, the Glass Prison. Where the East's shadows converged and dangerous secrets were kept…

It was called the Glass Prison for a good reason and Reed soon found out why, much to his bemusement.

Locked in an empty cell, Reed couldn't help but chuckle bitterly in self-derision. No matter where he went and what he did, a prison cell always awaited him somewhere…

He'd been waiting for hours after Testarossa had dumped him in there. With nothing to do, he'd spent those lonesome hours appeasing Lacrima with honeyed words and hollow promises, talking about nothing in particular.

Not too far away from his cell, he felt the aura of an experienced contender, who was presumably a warden. His hidden eye revealed many a thing to him. Contenders occupied the upper portion of the spire and the deeper portions were solely inhabited by conquerors.

Simple enough; but there was a single thing that confused him. The Anima disappeared past a certain depth underground. There was an area that was purposefully devoid of Anima. He knew that much. Something was up down there…

Looks like there's a secret down there, eh. Wonder what they're keeping locked up there… Perhaps a heinous criminal, or some kind of treasure?

Lacrima scoffed and said, "Why don't you go find out, then? Let's see how you'll get past all of those worms with your current abilities. Do yourself a favor and keep your greed in check, or it'll bite you in the ass one day."

Oh, come on. I was just a bit curious, tha—

"Shut it, you dolt! Someone's coming," whispered Lacrima.

A tall figure suddenly swirled into existence in front of Reed in a cloud of thick, black smoke like an actual ghost. It was an Avunian, a grim-looking man with long, black hair and deep violet eyes.

He gazed at Reed with an indifferent face and said, "You are Leon, yes? The one that lieutenant Clearspring brought in for interrogation?"

"Yes," replied Reed as he inspected the man's aura. He watched the fluctuations the man gave off and quickly determined that he was an experienced conqueror. The technique he'd pulled off required a degree of control that inexperienced conquerors would not have been able to do.

The man had manipulated his own body and had turned himself into the black smoke, rather than having been transported by it. That alone indicated that the man was capable of some level of advanced transmutation — the kind that allowed one to transform one's body.

That took balls, given that an incorrect transformation could result in becoming permanently crippled, if not death. The benefits that came with mastering a transformation technique were certainly attractive enough to warrant the attempt, though.

"I hear you've brought some extremely troubling news to our attention, but without proper verification, we cannot trust you. I'm also aware that lieutenant Clearspring has decided to vouch for your safety via the truth trials, yes? It seems she's placed a great deal of trust in your character..."

"What can I say? I'm a real amenable guy, and she offered me a deal I couldn't refuse, right? I prefer not to die if I was given a choice."

The man grimly smiled and said, "Are you sure about that? If it is found that you have lied to us, a unspeakable fate awaits you. Do you know what awaits the foreign spies that we capture? A never-ending nightmare. You will end up wishing for death as our agents extract every single piece of information you possess…"

"That sounds painful, I suppose. It's a good thing I'm an honest man."

When the man heard that he chuckled slowly and said, "An honest spy? I can see why she likes you. You're rather a funny fellow. Let's see how long you can keep that act up once we start…"

Chapter end