Chương 112: 111 - Fissure

Valudipan dwells in the depths. Sailors love to think the ocean is his domain, and they don't turn their noses up at the hefty primes captains offer to brave that danger. The Demon of Tides, however, does not truly live at the bottom of the sea. Divinities aren't so simple as to be in one place. The concepts of depths and tides also apply to the Abyssal Fissure. Everyone on Laika should be familiar with this place, if only by name.

The great battlefield where the Vanguard fight against the endless horde of fiends commanded by the Tide-Reaver. Some say those are the true depths. But, again, divinities aren't constrained to the physical world. Excerpt from Demonology by Alfred Dumries. Lila walked alone in the Hall of Pillars, the sound of her slow steps echoing through the empty vastness of Peshan's temple. She wasn't happy about the results of the conclave.

As expected, Arthur had supported her, even more so after finding out that a demon worshiper had snuck into the Keepers of the Iron Ink's delegation. That she was the boy's target was no surprise. It wasn't the first time one of those rats tried to take revenge on her. She stopped in front of the largest pillar. It was so wide that a staircase had been carved inside. She pulled the door open and started climbing. No, the rat wasn't what made her angry. It was the other faiths' indecisiveness.

It was only natural that Osera would support Raymond. It was in her best interest. Alexandra was with them. She also understood why Hakim was hesitant. He was always like that. She knew not to count on him. Aaron and Jade hadn't come, which also fell within her predictions. One didn't care; the other only pretended to. But why hadn't Jenna come? She was supposed to come.

The stairs took her to the roof of the temple from which she could see the lights of Samarand shining in the night, and beyond them, the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Kushtar. In a day or two, all the delegations would be gone, and the city would return to its usual calm.

"Can't stop yourself from thinking about me, can you?" A light, feminine voice asked. Lila didn't flinch and turned in the direction it was coming from. Sitting on the small wall at the edge of the roof, a hooded woman with a pale face and white teeth shining in the obscurity was smiling at her.

"Jenna. I would have liked to see you earlier." Jenna jumped down onto the roof.

"Am I not here now?"

"Conveniently late." Jenna's smile widened.

"Duty called. The formation in the purple desert was showing signs of weakness." She stopped a few paces away from Lila.

"You wouldn't want the things dwelling inside to escape." Lila frowned.

"You could have sent Eva."

"And give up on the experience? What use is a high priestess if not to attend those boring meetings?" Jenna said.

"She briefed me, and here I am. You wanted to know about the dimensional breach that brought Alex here?" Lila exhaled. Then, she looked at her friend and former guildmate. Sometimes, it was better not to argue.

"Yes. Why didn't you warn us?" Jenna's eyes widened.

"Really? You're asking me that?"

"Yes. What's your answer?" Lila watched as Jenna took two steps to the side.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Lila. The days when you led us are long gone. Only that idiot, Arthur, still longs for them." Lila didn't react. She knew that better than anyone. It was her greatest failing since their summoning.

"You're right," Lila said, controlling her expression.

"But you should be concerned about Raymond, too. His ambitions won't stop at suppressing me." A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Jenna's smile returned.

"My beef with Ray has nothing to do with you."

"But you don't want him having Alexandra," Lila said. Jenna turned her back to her, facing the city below.

"You put me in a difficult position." She paused.

"If I do nothing, and Raymond keeps Alex for himself. You're right, I don't want that to happen."

"Then you should—""But if I listen to you, I take a side in your stupid dispute with him, which I also don't want."

"You could," Lila said. Jenna leaned on the wall with her elbows.

"I could. Ray is getting a little annoying with his probes into forbidden areas. Those places are sealed for a reason." She paused.

"But then who could oppose you? Arthur is already on your side. Hakim won't dare. Aaron won't care. Jade is too busy."

"Jade isn't busy." Lila scoffed.

"It's all a facade." Jenna shook her head.

"The Tide-Reaver is real."

"I know Lucas is real. But he won't do anything." Jenna turned and looked her in the eyes.

"It's beside the point. Before coming here, I wouldn't have bet on you slaughtering entire villages either. Yet here we are."

"That was different. Those villages were—""I know what they were harboring." Jenna held up a hand.

"Now if you want to pretend Lucas isn't one of them, it's not an argument I care about." Lila looked out at the lights of Samarand. A few windows were dark already. Lucas was on the side of demons. That was true. But Jenna was wrong to believe she would be too sentimental to kill him. She would. It simply wasn't convenient to do it now.

"What do you want?" Lila asked.

"If you're not here to help me, why come at all?" Jenna smiled.

"Do I need a reason to visit my best friend?" Lila didn't answer. She looked at her best friend.

"You're not fun," Jenna said.

"I just came to tell you what I'm going to do. After all, you seem to expect that from us."

"Go on."

"I'm going to travel to Kator, find Alexandra, and then…" She slid a finger across her throat.

"Thank you." Jenna laughed.

"You really thought I would? Neither you nor Ray can have your way. I'm taking her for myself."

"You!" Lila shouted, her eyes cutting into the woman.

"Bye." Jenna jumped from the roof and vanished. Lila relaxed. There was no point in chasing her. Jenna was the Veil Sealer, Heroine of Death, and the prime formation expert in Laika. If she didn't want to be found, there was nothing Lila could do. She walked back to the staircase. Once she was inside, she smiled. This went better than expected. Certainly, it wasn't the best possible outcome. It would have been better if Jenna had simply accepted her orders.

But it was better for Jenna to have Alexandra than Raymond. She stepped back into the Hall of Pillars and made her way to the offices where the cult of Peshan operated in Samarand. As soon as she moved through the door, Samir was there, ready to take orders.

"In my office," she said, not breaking stride. Samir nodded and followed in silence. He closed the door behind them while Lila sat behind her desk. The man stood at attention before her.

"I talked with the Veil Sealer," she said.

"She's going to abduct Alexandra and keep her for herself."

"Will she succeed?" Lila picked up a pen and started scribbling a note.

"Perhaps. It will depend on the Magus' ability to detect her formations." She pressed the back of her pen against her lips.

"Fifty-fifty, I'd say." Samir nodded.

"Should we help her?"

"Can we do that without compromising our agents?" Lila asked.

"Unlikely," Samir said.

"But it would make the Magus think we're behind the attack, giving her more time to escape with the target."

"Then do it." Lila tapped her pen on the desk.

"Recovering Alexandra will be easier from Jenna than from Raymond."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Lila said.

"She's doing it to annoy us. Raymond has an actual use for her. That's the difference. Where do you think she will take her?" Samir frowned.

"One of Nox's temples. Or a forbidden area." Lila shook her head.

"That would require work, and constant supervision. Jenna isn't so patient. I think she's going to dump her in a low-level area. A Gold zone, so our members can't follow."

"We have many Gold rank aspirant Architects," Samir noted.

"A description would be enough to narrow the scope of our search. We can verify her divine class once she is captured." Lila looked at him.

"Speaking from experience, I'm not sure a Gold rank will be enough to capture her by then. Even sending several would be a gamble. Divine classes are strong, Samir."

"Apologies, Grand Legate, I didn't mean to—""Lila. My name is Lila."

"Yes." Samir bowed his head. Lila sighed.

"Send a Gold rank to every Gold area with a description of Alexandra and the orders to keep us updated on her position. Do not engage with her. Do not try to capture her." Samir nodded.

"Very well."

"You're dismissed." She turned to the window of her office. Below, a small garden was showing signs of meticulous care. The grass was trimmed to perfection, not a blade higher than the other, not a single one drifting on the fine gravel footpath snaking through the lawn. Not everything would go according to her plan. Neither Raymond nor Jenna was easy to play. Not anymore. But the rift between them would grow another inch. Again and again, until it couldn't be closed, and then she'd have won.