chapter 38 state situation 2
Saint Veera opened the door and entered the meeting room. It was dimly lit; one side of the room was swallowed by a darkness much deeper than the other.
In the center sat a massive table carved from the wood of a real tree—a rare luxury. Yet, because of the untimely transformation of many core members, the seats were not filled with the usual crowd of professors.
As Veera walked toward her designated seat, her eyes fixed on the head of the table. There sat the shadow of the Center Gate, a Chapter 5: Hero. Beside him was another shadow: the Left Gate, also a Chapter 5: Hero. These two shadows seemed to physically absorb the light in the room, creating a vacuum of brightness. To the left of the Center Gate's shadow sat the Right Gate, present in his actual body.
Veera thought, 'I heard that when someone ascends to Chapter 5: Hero, they can separate their shadow to act as a proxy. It's true. The Center and Left Gates are currently at the Northern Sea; that is why they sent their shadows. Usually, they don't show their faces for any reason, not even via proxy. For all three Heroes of the UCA to gather... the matter must be grave.'
Behind the Center Gate, the darkness pooled into a dense, absolute void. The shadows of the two Heroes felt insignificant compared to that gloom. There lay the shadow of the Chancellor.
Veera did not dare look at that shadow; she lowered her gaze toward the Center Gate. The room had been buzzing with the chatter of professors, but the moment the shadow of the Center Gate spoke in its raspy, hollow voice, everyone fell silent.
The shadow of Center Gate: [It seems every available Professor has arrived. Let us begin. What is the situation in the Egypt territory?]
The meeting proceeded, covering the current state of the UCA and the upcoming entrance ceremony. Eventually, the Right Gate asked with a detached expression:
Right Gate: "What is the situation in the Northern Sea?"
The shadow of the Left Gate replied, his voice sounding distant, as if he were shouting from miles away.
The shadow of Left Gate: [It is not looking good. Three days ago, multiple Time Fractures appeared. The third-year students are overworked with the cleanup. We could not attend in person because of the instability.]
The shadow of Center Gate: [On that note, we must prepare the ritual three months earlier than in previous years.]
Not every professor had the right to speak back to a Hero or question their command. However, Saint Veera was an exception.
Saint Veera: "That is dangerous for the students. The ritual is a delicate process. If we are careless with the timing, many students will suffer."
The Right Gate spoke loudly, his voice cutting through her concern.
Right Gate: "Nonsense. Only the weak students will suffer."
Saint Veera: "Are you trying to trigger another 'Fast Wave'? If so, we should just use the ritual today. It would be much faster."
Right Gate: "How dare you—"
Suddenly, a wind began to howl like a storm inside the sealed room. The wooden table, dead for decades, began to groan. It started growing leaves, extending branches, and pushing roots into the stone floor. The darkness behind the shadow of the Center Gate spoke.
Shadow of the Chancellor: [Firha. You have become a Hero; you should not succumb to anger so easily.]