Not everyone was caught up on the matter.
Hence, there was slight confusion in the room after the Guild Master from the Evening Sun Guild spoke.
But that confusion faded rather quickly as images and videos of the situation started to spread amongst the Guild Masters.
"This...!"
"What is this?"
"This is..."
"Whisperer Decree."
Nobody knew who muttered it, but it didn’t matter as the room grew restless.
"No wonder!"
"How did this pass? This shouldn’t be acceptable!"
"Hmm, why not? There’s nothing wrong with it."
"You’re saying that because she hasn’t taken over your members. This is dangerous!"
The place turned into a frenzy. All of the Guild Masters started to talk over one another, arguing over the matter. It was getting so noisy that the Vice-Director had no choice but to bang his hand against the table to stop everyone from speaking.
"Stop!"
At once, the noise ceased.
Although many of the Guild Masters still had things to say, the Vice-Director’s gaze felt pressuring enough for many of the Guild Masters.
"Haaa."
With a long breath, the Vice-Director massaged his face while turning his attention towards the Guild Master of the Severed Stars Guild.
"Is this true?"
"...Hm?"
The Guild Master tilted his head, feigning confusion.
"What is true? The fact that she’s from the Whisperer Decree?"
"Yes."
"Oh, yes. She is."
The Guild Master smiled, but the moment he did, the entire room grew restless again. Nobody here was stupid. They all knew what the [Whisperer Decree] was and just how dangerous it was.
This was why a lot of them were alarmed by the presence of such a figure.
Being the one to bring this matter up, the Guild Master of the Evening Sun Guild spoke up.
"If you knew then, why did you bring her here? Are you aware of just how dangerous someone like her can be? She, alongside her group, has already taken over several groups. This is unacceptable! It goes against everything that we’re trying to do here!"
"Is it?"
The Guild Master tilted his head.
"...I’ve never been made aware of such a rule existing. Is that true?"
He looked at the Vice-Director, who sighed once more, feeling the restlessness in the room.
"Yes, there’s no such rule."
"Vice-Director!"
The Evening Sun Guild Master abruptly stood up.
"This is a competition that is meant to challenge groups against anomalies! A lot of them, as strong as they are... are not made to handle other humans. This ruins the entire purpose of this competition!"
"That’s right!"
"...This goes against everything the competition is designed for!"
"Eliminate them!"
Several Guild Masters joined the protest, but the Vice-Director remained indifferent. Instead, he yawned and looked around.
"Huaaam... Anything else? If there’s nothing else, let’s proceed. I’ll have a team go down to check on the situation. If you have any other complaints, please reach out to my secretary."
"Vice-Director!"
"How could you be like this?!"
Standing up under the protests, the Vice-Director walked away from the room. At the same time he left, another figure stood up, bringing the place to a silence. He was an older gentleman, probably the most senior member in attendance, but the moment he stood up, he commanded immediate attention.
The man’s gaze swept over the entire room before eventually leaving the meeting room and walking down a long and narrow corridor.
Step. Step—
As the soft echo of his steps reverberated through the corridor, he eventually stopped and looked around, taking out a small flip phone.
His aged features grew more pronounced as he stared at the flip phone.
He couldn’t use it carelessly since each use was extremely costly. But the situation called for it as he pressed onto a certain contact.
The phone rang a couple of times before a voice echoed a moment after.
—Grandfather?
There was a mix of confusion in the voice.
—Has an emergency occurred? You’ve told me you wouldn’t contact me unless it’s important. I’m aware of the cost that comes with a call like this. Is something the matter?
"...Yes."
Kaelric replied after a short moment, his voice calm.
Initially, he hadn’t planned on telling her. He planned on keeping this quiet until the end of the Congress. But as things stood, he had no choice but to tell her. For she was the only one he could rely on to find him.
"I need you to find someone for me."
—Find someone? Who?
"Seth Thorne."
—....
The line fell silent. Though she didn’t say anything, the confusion in her silence was obvious. And eventually, that silence was shattered by her voice.
—...I’m curious granfather.
There was a pause, most likely from her chewing on her words as she tried to articulate herself in the best way possible.
—Why are you so interested in him? I saw him before, and he looked promising, but nothing mind-blowing. Why are you-
"Because he’s your brother."
Kaelric replied, cutting her off.
"...He is your biological brother."
***
The group continued to march ahead, nobody making a single noise as we followed Leon from behind. Honestly, there were a lot of things that I wanted to say and do, but I remained quiet as I stared at the man in front of me.
’How did he figure out the situation so quickly? ...He says that he’s now got the path clear, but can I trust him?’
He seemed to have a clear idea of what he was doing, but I still kept my guard up.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Leon’s steps paused.
Everyone else stopped at the same time.
I looked around.
Aside from the long, sickly trees that loomed around us and the dull gray sky hanging above, dimming the surroundings, there was nothing else of note in this desolate place. Without the fog, it also became harder for me to detect anything.
But soon, Leon’s lips curled into a smile.
"This way."
I looked around, finding myself just as lost as the others were.
Nevertheless, we followed his lead without question. One by one, we turned and moved in the direction he indicated, our boots crunching softly against the dry ground as the group marched forward in uneasy silence.
For a while, the only sounds were our footsteps and the faint rustling of dead leaves beneath them.
Then it came.
A faint creaking echoed somewhere in the distance.
The sound was slow... drawn out... like a rope being pulled tight.
It reverberated through the forest, slipping between the crooked trees and reaching us clearly.
Everyone heard it.
Everyone recognized it.
Don’t tell me...
I drew a deep breath as I looked around, taking note of everyone present. Besides the three members from Leon’s group, there were the three others from the Melson Sanders Guild.
I wasn’t the only one.
The others did the same, sharing the same thoughts as me.
And soon—
Creaaak—!
The creaking grew louder as a silhouette appeared in the distance, and my heart pressed tightly against my throat.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
For whatever reason, a certain thought crossed my mind.
One that I wanted to deny.
That... I wanted to believe it wasn’t real.
And the closer we came to the silhouette, the faster my heart pounded. So loudly it almost felt as though everyone could hear it.
And soon, we were upon the figure.
"....."
"....."
"....."
Silence swept our group as the figure swayed back and forth in the silence.
"...Sure enough, he’s gone."
Leon’s voice broke the silence as he looked back at the hanging corpse.
He then shook his head and continued ahead, completely unbothered by the hanging corpse. But as I stared at the corpse and then toward Drake and Esteban, I could see that their bodies were extremely stiff.
I couldn’t even blame them.
After all, from their original group of four, they were the only ones that remained.
"Let’s go. Don’t get too far from me."
Leon’s words reached from a distance, his steps moving at the same pace as before.
Staring at him and then the corpse, I secretly sighed in relief.
’Yeah, there’s no way it could’ve been me.’
For whatever reason, doubt had begun to creep into my mind. Of all the people present, my mind was probably the weakest. I knew myself well enough to know this.
There had been improvements, but I was still haunted by a lot of things.
If...
’No, let’s not think about it.’
I shook my mind out of the thoughts, following Leon and his group from behind.
He didn’t wait for us.
Without a word, he continued forward at the same steady pace, weaving past the countless twisted trees as if he knew this place like the back of his hand.
We had no choice but to follow.
The group moved carefully between the crooked trunks, our boots pressing softly against the brittle ground. Every pair of eyes scanned the surroundings, sweeping across the shadows between the trees with held breaths.
The forest was too quiet.
Each step felt heavier than the last as we advanced, the silence stretching uncomfortably around us.
All of us were hoping for the same thing.
That there wouldn’t be another body waiting for us deeper in the woods.
Thankfully, no such thing occurred.
The trees thinned slowly.
Not all at once.
First, the branches above began to break apart, allowing strips of the dull gray sky to seep through. Then the crooked trunks that had crowded around us for so long began to space themselves out, their gnarled shapes retreating deeper into the mist behind us.
With every step forward, the forest seemed to loosen its grip over us.
Yet the unease never faded.
If anything, it only grew stronger.
Our footsteps slowed.
No one said anything, but the tension among us thickened as the last row of twisted trees finally fell behind.
And then—
We saw it.
"..."
The air seemed to turn completely still.
Before us, beyond the dying edge of the forest, stood something enormous.
At first, it appeared only as a dark mass rising from the pale haze. From a distance, it was nothing more than a vast silhouette looming over the clearing, its shape indistinct and unnatural against the dull gray sky.
The shadow it cast stretched across the empty ground, swallowing the thin light that reached the clearing.
But as we drew closer, the shape slowly became clearer.
A castle.
It stood alone in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by open land where nothing else remained. Seven massive walls encircled it, rising one behind another in wide, circular rings.
Each wall stood higher than the last, forming layers of stone that concealed whatever lay deeper within.
The stone itself looked old, its surface worn by time. Yet the cracks running along the blocks didn’t look natural. It was almost as if they had been carved there.
Dark ivy spread across the outer walls, its black leaves clinging to the stone and winding through the cracks. The vines crawled along the structure in thick strands, reaching upward as though trying to claim the castle for themselves.
Beyond the final ring of walls, several tall towers rose into the gray sky. Their narrow windows were dark and empty, giving no sign that anyone, or anything, lived inside.
The entire structure stood in complete silence, dominating the clearing while the forest remained far behind us.
Staring at the castle ahead, I stood completely still.
This...
What in the world was this place?