Chapter 179: A Star Surrounded by War
Far away, in the magnificent castle of Bastion, a silver haired woman was walking down the long hallways of the castle.
She was wearing a beautiful dark armor, with a crimson cape, inscribed with the insignia of valor, flapping behind her. All of it was provided by the king himself.
After all, Nephis had been adopted by Valor and was a renowned champion of the clan...
Something that did not please her, but alas she has to keep her mouth shut and bow down.
Nephis finally reached her destination and took a deep breath.
It was a large wooden door, with ruinic arrays inscribed upon it to stop divinations attempts and espionage.
It was guarded by two Awakened knights of Valor.
Looking at her, they opened the doors and let her in without saying anything.
What met her sight was a lavish chamber, decorated by beautiful art, architecture and various weapons hanged on the walls.
In the middle was a large roundtable with seven seats, each one filled by important figures.
They were the elders of clan Valor, and at their head was none other than Morgan, her adopted sister.
Around her, were respected members of the clan.
Madoc of Valor, the Whispering Blade, head of security and espionage.
Saint Jest, Not So Funny Anymore, head of assassination and the right hand of the king.
Saint Gilead, the Summer Knight, head of the knights and military forces.
The other three were mundane humans, responsible for managing the political side of the clan in the waking world. They were called Seneschals — high-ranking advisers, second only to the Forgemasters among the non-combatant specialists of the great clan.
The king himself had not bothered to come, naturally. Such matters were far beneath a sovereign.
Today, they had summoned Nephis for another meeting, but in truth it was simply another attempt at pressuring her and weaker her political position in the clan.
"Changing Star, it's good to see you again, dearest sister." It was Morgan who spoke first, with the same pleasant smile on her face.
'How exhausting.'
"Same to you, sister." Nephis remained calm despite the fierce gazes aimed towards her. "What exactly is the subject of today's meeting?"
Madoc looked at Nephis with an impassive look.
"Multiple Subjects, actually. Mainly, the relocation of the Ivory Tower into Bastion, your role in the upcoming war in Antarctica and the political stand of your acquaintances."
'This again...'
Valor had been pressuring to relocate the ivory tower ever since the king found out about its components.
"The Ivory Tower is still within the sword domain, so why exactly do you insist on changing its location so much? If anything, its position in the chained isles is perfect."
Madoc did not take offense to her brash words, and instead simply opted to explain his argument.
"Strategically, transferring its location to Bastion is the correct move. The war between Song and Valor will escalate in the coming years and we need to be prepared for it. The chained isles is far less secure than Bastion and our strongest enforcers are stationed right here, so no, its current position is far from perfect and it's too valuable to be left there."
Nephis found herself in an unfortunate position. Being closer to the seat of the sword domain restricted her movement and actions, and that of her comrades who were tethered to the citadel.
Sunny, Hugo, Kai and Effie were not vassals of clan Valor and knowing her friends, they would want to stay as far as they could from the king of swords.
Despite her reluctance, there was no valid argument against madoc's logic.
"... It'll be done soon."
Next, it was Gilead who spoke.
"After careful thinking and discussion, we concluded that the best position to put you when the war in Antarctica starts is next to princess Morgan, lady Nephis. Your strength will be of great help and you could learn much from Morgan."
Nephis looked at the saint with a tired look.
"Do I have a say in this?"
Gilead remained silent... Being one of the "honorable" members of the clan, he did not intend to offend Nephis with the truth.
Jest, on the other hand, had no such intentions in mind.
"Silly girl! of course you don't! Also did you not realize that practically everyone in this room hates your guts?" He turned to the mundane elders "especially those three, let me tell you, they're a real pain in the ass sometimes."
Everyone in the room simply stared at Jest for a few moments, then turned their attention elsewhere and resumed the meeting, making the old saint grumble.
"Now for the main thing." Morgan brought out two files and showed them to Nephis. "Master Sunless, and of course, the famous master Hugo. Those two have a very impressive resume, if I may say so myself. One enlisted in the military and became a captain and the other is a shapeshifting abomination that somehow had gotten a high-ranking position in the government after coming back from the dead... Those old government dogs, they couldn't wait to get their hands all over him..."
Hugo had officially joined the government, an independent party from the great clans. On paper he was neutral, but everyone was well aware that the political stand of the government would not remain neutral for long, especially when the war reached its final stages.
"Do you know what they share in common?"
Nephis wanted to answer with 'They can both turn into terrifying monsters' but she decided to keep her mouth shut. Clan Valor was not aware of Sunny's shadow dance, and she would never reveal that to them, anyway.
After thinking for a few seconds, Nephis answered:
"They're both in Antarctica?"
Morgan nodded.
"Exactly. They are both in Antarctica. Two Special Strategic Assets, working for the government. If they gain knowledge of the war, I'm certain one of them, or both, would try to play hero." Morgan's smile widened slightly. "And knowing you, they probably have an idea about it, already."
Nephis shrugged.
"I assure you, neither Cassia nor I have shared anything of the clan with outsiders, regardless of our relationship with them."
Morgan held her gaze for a few moments, then shrugged.
"Their knowledge of the war aside, your mission is to convince one of them, preferably the Paragon of Purity, to side with us when the time comes. From our reports on him, he's a master with the prowess and utility of a saint."
Madoc continued from where she left off.
"He is also known for being heroic, extremely so. A naive fool is one thing, but a naive fool with power is more than a dangerous problem. If you can't convince him, you will need to eliminate him."
Nephis wanted to burn Madoc at that moment...
Badmouthing her friend was already pushing the limits, but telling her to kill him?
It was madness.
"I will do no such thing, and quite frankly, I don't think I'm capable of killing Hugo in the first place. He survived years in the dream realm all on his own and conquered his second nightmare alone. You know what he's capable of, and so, ordering me to kill him would be no different from a death sentence." She paused for a moment, then added, "You wouldn't want me to die, would you now?"
The elders remained silent for a few moments, then one of the Seneschal spoke out.
"That watch on his wrist is the source of his power, if our specialists are to be believed. Can it be removed?"
Nephis raised an eyebrow.
"Can an aspect be removed?"
The Seneschal glared at her, but said nothing else, understanding her point.
"What you are asking of me is far beyond my current capabilities."
"Still, he will listen to you. Try to convince him to join us but if that fails, make him stay outside of our conflict."
Nephis gave them a nodd, wanting to end this conversation already.
"Is that all?"
Madoc nodded.
"Yes. You are dismissed. This meeting is over, but we shall continue this topic another day."
The elders remained seated, likely to discuss other things without her presence.
As for Nephis, she simply turned around and left, exhaling after she finally left the room.
'In a room full of snakes, you will have to fight for your life...'
Everyone there, except for saint Gilead, was against her politically.
Within clan Valor, nearly everyone supported Morgan and was a part of her party. Of course, there was no official "parties" but there was clear sides.
Each side had benefits, but for now Nephis' side had nothing to offer, which made the members of clan Valor, and the vassal clans, hesitant to support her, regardless of her fame.
Still, Nephis was the leader of the Fire Keepers. An organization that dwarfed most legacy clans in raw power, aside from the great clan of course.
The Fire Keepers had around three hundred members by now, and half of them were masters.
So despite the fact that odds were against her, she still held a strong military presence within the clan, that no one can take away from her.
And soon enough, when the Fire Keepers start collaborating with other vassal clans in various missions, she would be able to establish a vast political support.
In simple terms, she intended to use the Fire Keepers as a way to expand her influence, and in turn, increase the strength of her followers and give them more benefits.
This was the first half of Nephis's plan.
The second part was far less complicated but infinitely more dangerous...
She needed to challenge the third nightmare and emerge as a saint before Morgan.
If she could gain Transcendence before the princess of Valor, no one would be able to deny her. More importantly, the king himself would favor her — and knowing him, he would likely punish Morgan for being surpassed so easily.
That too, would help Nephis.
By holding this much political and military power within the clan, she could destabilize it even further, and when the right time comes, both Ki Song and Anvil would fall to her blade and their domains will be her's for the taking, as well.
Nephis suddenly paused, feeling a little shocked by her own thoughts.
'When did I become so clinical...'
Ah, right that had started when she met Sunny on the forgotten shore... He was so untrustful back then, always so afraid that someone would stab him in the back when he wasn't looking.
Sunny changed a lot since then, they both did. The forgotten shore, the chained isles, the kingdom of hope... All their adventures had made them grow closer and change as people.
Which is why their recent argument was still fresh wound on her mind and heart.
Sunny wanted to follow his own path, and perhaps, she had been a little harsh during the Valor ball, saying things she did not truly mean.
That was because she was afraid of losing him... Out of everyone she knew Sunny meant the most to her, but alas fate seemed to have other plans for them.
'I hope he visits soon...'
Without realizing it, Nephis had found herself smiling.