Published at 24th of July 2024 7:06 pm

Chapter 1922 Everyone's Enemy

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In a dark, salty and slightly damp space, the flickering candlelight casted long shadows across the walls of the dimly lit chamber. A hooded figure sat hunched over a heavy oak desk, his face obscured by the deep cowl of his cloak. Only the glint of his eyes was visible as they darted back and forth, scanning the parchment before him.

The man's gloved hands trembled slightly as he unfolded the message, the parchment crackling softly in the silence. The wax seal, bearing the mark of a coiled 2-headed serpent, lay broken beside him. "How fascinating…" He leaned closer, his breath fogging in the chill air as he read:

"The falcon flies at midnight. The white rose will wilt before dawn… Baymard's time is near."

It seems they've received orders not to harm any Witches they caught or spotted during this time. An alliance, they say… An alliance not just with the Witches, but with their most hated foes, Adonis, too. How much hate has one puny place gathered for so many powerful people to put aside their differences and work hard to eradicate them? A sharp intake of breath was the only indication of the man's reaction to the cryptic words. His fingers tightened on the parchment, crinkling its edges. For a long moment, he sat motionless, as if weighing the gravity of the message.

Then, with deliberate slowness, he reached for the candle. The flame danced as he lifted it, casting wild shadows across the room. He held the parchment over the flame, watching intently as the fire licked at its edge.

The paper curled and blackened, the words disappearing into ash. The acrid smell of burning parchment filled the air as the message was consumed. 'Good.'

The man's eyes never left the flame, watching until the last ember died and only a wisp of smoke remained.

He crushed the ashes between his gloved fingers, letting the remnants fall like black snow onto the desk. "Well, it does seem befitting, seeing as Baymard has its own little UN alliance going on?" "But I'm curious though, how they would dare to think their little UN alliance can hold a flame against my beloved Morgany." The man murdered towards the darkness. If you ask him, the fact that Baymard succeeded in thwarting their many operations had to do with the fact that they were just too lazy to deal with Baymard. "What do you think, Zazu?" Suddenly, another hooded figure dressed in dark green and brown, slowly emerged from the darkness with a sly smile on his lips. "Lord Gwanice, I reckon it's a lot more than we think," Zazu replied, slowly making his way to the bowl of fruit. Crunch~

He bit off a large chunk, slowly laying down on the comfy lounge red-cushioned couch..

"Lord Gwanice, believe me, there's more to this than meets the eye." "Indeed," Gwanice nodded. "You and I have been in the organization for a long time to know they don't make any move unless calculated and guaranteed for success." "Agreed. Our Organization, the TOEP, must surely be able to take down Baymard on their own… They probably chose to use this alliance with Adonis and the Witches for any deeper purpose." Both men nodded in agreement. Please, do you want them to believe that a weak and useless place like Baymard could stump their great organization so much that it decided to become temporal allies with the enemy because of the strength of Baymard's UN alliance? Please! You would have better luck trying to convince them that pigs can fly than have them believe that. Sorry, but that's not really going to fly for them. It's most likely that they've decided to include Adonis and the Witches into this tale, because they also wanted something from these 2. Or rather, they seeked some hidden opportunity that would pay them off in the long-run, before they dissolved the temporary allowance and killed them all. Yes, such a plot was mist fitting for their organization.

"It seems we have to prepare, afterall, we are back up in case someone crosses the line."

With a swift motion, Gwanice stood with his cloak swirling around him. The chair scraped against the stone floor, the sound echoing in the chamber.

As he moved towards the door, his hand came to rest on the hilt of a dagger hidden beneath his cloak. The candlelight caught the edge of a grim smile beneath his hood.

The note was gone, but its deadly purpose lived on in the mind of the mysterious figure as he melted into the shadows of the summery night.

Zazu chuckled before vanishing into the darkness once more.

Indeed, the end was near, the great battle that would turn the tides exactly how his organization predicts.

In the organization's history, when have they ever failed when going out on a full blown war?

…

Just like that, the Morgs continued preparing and setting out for the grand battle… end that would justify the means. And so, messages were sent to several TOEP forces already sailing the seas or those on TOEP islands, nestling away.

Don't forget that in this world, all… yes, that's right, ALL islands have become TOEP property, with pirate crews and captains sharing some and building their forces on them. Some islands close to Pyno soon got the message and prepared to set sail, as backup, or the 'cleaners,' who would come to ensure the Witches and Adonis didn't try anything funny. Of course, after they get victory over Baymard you best believe they'd kill all their 'allies' in cold blood. Tsk. They had to admit that they would feel no pain from stabbing their allies in the back! Everyone was preparing for the grand finale, and so were the Witches. It's just that, they got another shocking wave of news that made many witches fall off their seats. In a tavern within one of Arcadina's bordering towns, several elders gathered with eyes transfixed at the kneeling Lady before them. Many didn't even blink when looking coldly at the girl. Of course, the girl understood that it wasn't she they were angry at, but the one involved with the news she just retold. "Are you sure?" Khalea stayed, still on one-bended knee, lowering her body even more. "On my life, elders… she is alive!" Boom! An explosive catatonic reaction occurred in the minds of all elders.

How terrible! An entire armrest broke from their grip..their hands were all covered in blood, but they seemed unable to feel the pain now. Hah… Hah-hah… Hah… Hahahahahhahahahahha~

Several people laughed coldly, laughing so hard tears began trickling down their cheeks. Their stomachs now hurt from long periods of laughter, and their entire bodies were now covered with raw killing intent. It took a lot of energy to finally have them simmer down..

Erh-erm~

Elder Elowen, with her silver hair gleaming in the dim light, broke the tense silence. "Sisters, I think this is a sign of good luck falling upon our order."

Gretta, the youngest among the elders in the room, leaned forward with her brows relaxed. "Well, it seems I'll really have the rare opportunity of ripping her heart out of her chest." Indeed, this was great. Dorothea, the eldest and most reserved of the group, spoke up, calming her overly excited sisters. "I don't mean to dampen your moods even further, but let's all take a big breath and think this through once more." The news that the traitor survived all these years without them discovering, was enough to shock them silly. But before they get all giddy and excited, it's best they first confirm this matter by sending trusted witches of their own. It's not that they didn't trust Khalea, but that for those who had their factions, they preferred to get the news from people they'll send out to be their eyes and ears. No! They have to send people fast to confirm this matter. Several elders slowly raised their Rae's, staring at Khalea's face even more, to see if she was truly telling the truth. So far, they couldn't see any reasons to doubt her. "You're dismissed." Khalea gave a deeper bow, "Thank you, elders."

With that, she left the space.

…

-Silence- The elders still didn't move or talk until another 40 or so seconds had passed. "It's truly unbelievable that the Traitor is still alive till now." "Didn't you hear what she said? Baymard! The traitor was in the Landport, about to enter Baymard." Tch! "If this is true, it seems she and her whorish daughter have always been in communication with themselves all these years." "Exactly! If we knew, we should have been looking for her daughter, so we could have laid out a trap to get that traitor ourselves!!" (*^*)

Thinking of all the time wasted in the past, they hated that they didn't investigate long enough when they finally got news of the traitor's 'death' decades ago. "What's our next move, then?"

Elowen's lips curved into a grim smile. "What else can we do but keep doing what we have planned to do? Provided the traitor stays in Baymard, wouldn't it be a matter of time before she too falls?"

"Indeed. But rather than continuing with her former plans, a few changes have to be made to suit our dear long lost friend… We adapt. We plan. And this time, we make absolutely certain that the traitor has no way out."

(^_^)

The five women exchanged looks of steely resolve, years of shared struggle and secrets passing unspoken between them. The candles flickered, casting long shadows, as the Council of Elders began to plot anew. "Traitor, your end is near!"

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