The rays of sunlight infiltrate through the dark trees surrounding the cottage. Polishing a pair of white and red shoes, Heir to Sun Clan awaits the arrival of his fellow league members, each walking out of an Astral Passage. Seconds turn into minutes, and they busy themselves until most of the core members assemble.
The shoe disappears from Ishaan's hands and into a pocket void. Sitting upon a chair on the porch, the sharp crease in his silver trousers reflected his meticulous attention to detail. His hidden eyes locked on the shadowy silhouette of a man kneeling on the ground, which ripples as it talks.
"A student found him near the riverbank in town. His body had many knife wounds upon first glance. Later, the report details fractured bones, with every inch of his flesh sliced deeply. We believe he was tortured for two hours before finally passing through the Styx Gates."
"Who was the student that found him?"
"Rune Polymina."
Ishaan asks, his voice a cool breeze of malice: "Has anyone else found out?"
"No," replies the shadow. "They plan to announce his death later tonight."
"Why?"
"My brother Sebastian said it's to give them time to come up with a cover story."
"I see." He uncrosses his arms and rubs a long-gloved finger over his blindfold. "A cover story for the repercussions of his death. They want to downplay people's fear and concern, right?"
"Yes."
Ishaan holds back a sigh of disappointment. "You are dismissed. Notify me if any more news related to this comes forth."
"Yes, my lord." The shadowy silhouette sinks away.
Raiden's turquoise eyes brightens as he snickers, threading a relaxed hand through his medium length dirty blonde hair, which is wolf-cut styled. "I'm never not impressed by your ability to manipulate a veteran Ophanim," he quips,
Resting his forearms on the armrest, Ishaan's lips tilt up slightly, a note of smugness in his words. "He's a greedy man. I fill that greed more than my old man."
Gathered in the cottage and seated around a azure coffee table—Ishaan Iniko, Raiden Eleonora, Iskra Misul, Manon Misul, Akira Misul, and Czar Venezio—they are upper members of Voyager Seekers, a league that traverses the star system.
At Lightless, every student that has made it up to third year forms a league, then in their mentor year, they take on space missions full time. Leagues are groups created for the expansiveness of earth's connection with other realms. The ancestors of the Four Holy Clans came up with the epiphany.
"Let the meeting commence."
At Enigmatic Poet words, Czar, with his black short curly head buried in a Stella Empyrean—an advanced e-book from the northern lands, mutters in a puzzled voice, "What the hell was a council member doing at a student's party?"
Raiden frowns as he offers weakly, "Maybe he wanted to feel young again?"
"That would be very improper of someone of his status," Iskra retorts; her broad eastern accent laced with disgust. She looks at her little brother with cold green eyes. "What don't they know?"
Akira's eyes swirl darker in mirth. He sits casually in his seat nested between Czar and Manon as he answers, "The party was cut short due to an incident with the speaker. It was destroyed by a water bird."
"A water bird?" Manon brows twitch, surprise flooding in.
"It couldn't have been a distraction. By the time the speaker was fucked with, the bastard was rotting," Akira adds.
"If that's the case, why didn't no one report this? Or simply fix it?"
Ishaan answers Raiden: "The only people who can make water float at Lightless are Moon Clan with siren guardian traits. Given their reputation, I believe people were fearful of crossing any of them, so they took it as a hint to go to bed."
Pride clouds over the three siblings.
Manon clears her throat, unable to help her wide smile, her olive skin blazing with warmth. "I-I mean, when you say it like that, Lord Ishaan, I can't help but feel appreciated—
"Wait! Hold up!" Raiden interrupts her. "I'm confused. Does that mean one of you did it?" He jabs an accusing figure in the Misul siblings' direction.
An icy amused smile curls Iskra's mouth. "The murder of a person or a speaker?"
Raiden shivers visibly. "T-the destruction of the speaker."
"No, we didn't, you amateur," Akira says with a soft sigh. "Which leaves our dear little sisters."
"Rhea," says Iskra. "Krone was with me."
"Really? This is Rhea we're talking about. She would never do something like that, even if the noise bothered her." Manon speaks in a skeptical tone. "Maybe the person who reported this was so drunk he's lying to hide his shame or something."
Akira whistles in agreement despite Manon shooting him a sharp glare, "Preach, sister."
"If it's not us or our sisters, it's someone from the extended family branch," Iskra says.
"Speaking of seekers," Czar cuts in. He shuts the Stella Empyrean, which is thick as a crystal and shaped as a book, the covered pale blue with glittering snowflakes. He places it elegantly on his lap. "Ziven's sister is here."
A heavy silence encases the porch.
No one says a word for a full five minutes, each drowning in their own memories of their first leader and precious friend.
Ishaan is the first to break it, his husky voice a chilling steadiness. "None of that matters at the moment. Just focus on being on the lookout for the killer. I speculate someone might be hunting the council. I personally don't care to get involved in this matter."
Iskra nods, her expression is emotionless. "Same."
When the others agree, Ishaan moves onto the next topic. "Raiden, anything on Crystalline Rock?"
Celestial Overseer sits up straight and speaks with a solemn demeanor: "I finally managed to break through the veil of concealment on Great Night and do a divination. Unfortunately, I couldn't find much on the mad scientist."
"Humans are more elusive than gods," Czar comments.
"We don't know if Great Night is even human," Manon says. "He could be a devil or a demon. Hell, an angel."
"Girl, what?" Czar looks at her in pure disbelief. "He makes drugs for mortals to transcend godhood without effort. I can only think it fitting that a human is responsible for forging such an insufferable drug."
Manon crosses her arms. "I disagree. We also don't know if it's a man. It could be a woman."
"Let me finish!" Raiden interrupts, snapping his fingers. "For god's sake." He sighs. "I did at least glimpse something. In the vision, a person was harvesting crystals in a cave. It was a giant."