Once again, we convened around a round table, though this time it was in the underground black market with the dark mages.
There were Yemir, Tristan, Albedo and a few more known faces. Along with them, a couple more faces that I didn't think were important were also there.
As from my side, only Leena and Anna were there, both of them sitting between Wesker and me.
"First, thank you for saving us. We are really grateful for what you did for us," Tristan, the purple-haired mage, spoke as he looked at Wesker.
Wesker nodded while Tristan continued,
"Next. While we cannot help you openly because of how dark mages function… individually, we will always be there for you in case you need anything. I hope you understand."
Simply speaking, they said that they can't help me out as a group because most of the decisions they make are not theirs. They simply follow orders, and I can't command an entire group of dark mages.
It will make things complicated for them.
Though, if I were to ask an individual mage or two, they won't have a problem with helping me out.
"I understand." Wesker didn't make any unpleasant expressions, while his eyes seemed to be waiting for something. He was concentrating on Yemir, while I tried analyzing everyone else here.
"All right. With that on the side, we have a message from our leader," Tristan spoke before taking out a letter and then reading out loud,
"Really appreciate what you did for my mages. I would be glad to make acquaintance with the savior of my men. If you ever have time, come meet me in the City of Islands, Reverie."
My eyes widened as I heard the contents. The location of the leader of the Dark Society, Laplace… was this his gesture of goodwill?
"Adam. Since you are going to the Mermaid Kingdom, pay him a visit as well. See what you can do there," Wesker immediately added, and I nodded.
"Was planning to do that, anyway."
Tristan and the others looked at me, but they said nothing. In fact, they seemed a bit surprised.
"What?" I asked a little curious, making Albedo speak,
"Nothing… we just were going to propose for you to meet our leader if you have time. He was looking forward to meeting the Phantom. So, knowing that you will meet him was a bit of a pleasant surprise… that's all."
Oh. Okay.
The talk then continued with a few more thanks from the mages. Then some of the curious mages began asking about how Wesker did what he did, some even going as far as asking what I was doing in the Inverse Realm.
Though they were all shut down by Wesker one by one without letting them get even any information more than necessary
In the end, they could only sigh as they nodded before concluding the meeting.
The reason I didn't want this meeting to go for long was because when I was going through understanding the pattern of each individual in the city during the chaos, I kind of looked deep into their past and stuff.
So, more or less, I knew way too much about them. Much more than what I could find at the meeting, of course.
With that done, the mages slowly left, leaving only Yemir there who still had to settle things with his daughters. Especially after I removed his Living Array.
"Will it be all right if I tell you my side of the story?" He asked as he looked at Anna and Leena, while they both looked at Wesker, who gave a slight nod. And in turn, they, too, nodded at Yemir.
And thus began the tale of the Genius Array Maker, who used to live in a lonely town, working and supplying his works to merchants for bread and butter.
How he struck the fancy of the duke of the nearby city who caught him, made him his slave and later sold him to another person.
A person who later turned out to be one of the avatars of the God of Arrays.
And that's where the main story of Yemir began. Of how, under the 'guidance' of that God, he became the strongest and the youngest array master of his time.
Yemir spoke little about his days with the God except for the fact that his exploitation at the Duke's mansion seemed like a vacation compared to that. Rather than as an apprentice, he was reduced to an enslaved worker obliging with everything he was told.
And the more he worked, the more he gained the knowledge of arrays.
The God of Array made a slave pact. A living array at Yemir's back, which I removed during the last time we were together.
By the Heavenly Principles, a God's avatar can only spend a limited amount of time on the planet. And knowing that, God of Array created a twisted array that made things even worse for Yemir.
After that God left, Yemir was forced to make a hundred arrays of God level every decade for the God and offer it as a sacrifice.
One has to know that even for an Array Master, creating a single God level array is a once in a lifetime thing.
Still, Yemir was able to do it. His time working as a slave for God wasn't a waste. His genius, combined with the intense hard work he did, he could provide the array in only 3 years.
A true miracle indeed.
And then Yemir decided to start a new life. Where he could live on his own, start a family and be happy for once.
He met Leena and Anna's mother, fell in love, married her and had them. For 7 years, they were as happy as they could be, with no problems and worries. Everything was seemingly perfect.
For the time they spent together, were probably the best that Yemir ever had. If only it could go on forever…
Alas… fate is indeed cruel…