The chamber was dim and cold, hidden beneath an abandoned chapel far from the capital. The only light came from torches stuck into cracked stone, casting warped shadows on the walls.
Five hooded figures gathered around a crude wooden table.
The first to speak was a rugged man with a sharp scar running down his cheek. His red hair, tied back messily, escaped from under his hood. Delal, former knight-commander now branded a traitor. He cleared his throat.
"Thax Prison, has been destroyed."
A ripple went through the group. A woman leaned forward. Her hood slipped just enough for her blue hair to glimmer in the torchlight. Seris, known among the rebels as The Blue Thorn.
"Delal," she asked, "are you certain? A royal prison doesn't simply collapse in one night."
"I saw it myself. Half the outer walls gone. The control tower reduced to ash."
Before she could question further, another voice cut her off low, commanding, calm.
"There is no need to doubt him."
The speaker sat at the far end. His hood hid nearly everything, but his golden eyes gleamed with eerie clarity. He was the council's de facto leader, known only as The Exile.
He continued, "Our informants confirm Delal's report. Thax Prison fell due to an uprising. But the unsettling part is this..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...the destruction was caused by a single individual."
Someone scoffed. A young girl perched on the table itself, swinging her legs. A dagger twirled between her fingers with frightening ease. Reysha, the youngest but deadliest assassin in the rebellion.
"A single person?" she repeated, grinning. "What was he, a giant?"
Delal shook his head.
"A boy. Black-haired. Seventeen to twenty, at most."
"…A kid destroyed Thax Prison? What kind of parents does he have?"
Seris crossed her arms. "This isn't a joke, Reysha."
"I'm not joking," Reysha replied cheerfully. "If he's that strong, we should kidnap him."
The Exile raised a hand, silencing them both.
"This boy," he said, "killed Maxwell Thorne and Gremlo Orfax."
Even Reysha stopped smiling.
Seris stared. "Those were Divine Knights of the kingdom…and the worse ones at that. I can't say I'm not glad to hear that. They would've died eventually from all the enemies they made. They were two strong divine knights."
"And yet," The Exile said, "they died inside a prison to a single boy."
Delal's jaw tightened. "If the kingdom finds him first, they will label him a national threat."
"They already have." The Exile tapped a paper on the table an urgent royal decree. "Effective immediately, the kingdom has issued an emergency hunt order for all survivors of Thax Prison."
Seris whispered, "So they're covering it up…"
"They're panicking," Delal muttered. "A civil war is close enough already. A prison massacre will tip the balance."
Reysha twirled her dagger once more.
"So… what do we do about the boy?" she asked.
The Exile leaned forward, golden eyes glowing.
"We find him." He paused.
"Because a boy who can bring down two divine knights… may be the key to breaking the kingdom's spine."
Delal cleared his throat again, as if the next part weighed heavier than the first.
"There is also… another pressing matter."
The Exile lifted his golden gaze. "Speak."
"Leon Lighthart was spotted fighting someone inside the prison."
That alone was enough to make Seris stiffen. "Leon? Who would fight that monster willingly?"
Delal hesitated before answering.
"According to surviving witnesses… it was the Reaper."
The entire room went dead silent. Even the torches seemed to flicker weaker for a moment.
"The Reaper" Edward Rean, a name that could silence entire battlefields. A man whose appearance alone was considered an omen of death. And he had appeared inside the kingdom, fighting arguably the strongest knight alive.
Reysha, the young girl with the dagger, slowly stopped twirling it. "That sounds… extremely suspicious. Why would the Reaper appear there of all places? And why fight Leon?"
"I don't know," Delal admitted. "But witnesses say he was there. And he escaped mid-battle. Same as the other prisoners."
The Exile's voice darkened. "And the casualties?"
"…Only prison guards died."
Another silence fell. Seris was the first to speak again, voice tight. "A boy causes an uprising, kills two Divine Knights, the Reaper appears and fights Leon, and only the guards die? This is too coordinated. Too convenient."
"No seventeen-year-old should be able to cause that much destruction," Reysha said, genuinely unsettled.
But The Exile raised his hand.
"Actually," he said slowly, "this is good."
They all turned to him at once, shocked.
"What do you mean?" Seris demanded.
The Exile leaned forward, the golden glow of his eyes sharpening.
"This incident is a blessing in disguise. The kingdom will be thrown into chaos searching for inmates, silencing witnesses, repairing their image, containing rumors of the Reaper's appearance. Their forces will be scattered."
Delal gasped. "…You mean… we can finally proceed?"
"Yes," The Exile said. "This chaos gives us the opening we have waited for."
The council leaned in, excitement creeping into their expressions.
"But, there is still one loose variable."
The boy. The one who destroyed Thax. A walking disaster, judging by the reports.
"It would benefit us greatly," The Exile said, "if we identify him. Before the kingdom does."
Delal placed a fist over his heart and bowed. "I'm already working on it. I have men searching all roads leading out of Thax. And… there's something else. Muliad was spotted with the inmates."
Before anyone processed it, Reysha leapt up from her seat, almost dropping her dagger.
"MASTER IS ALIVE!?"
Her voice echoed through the chamber.
"Yes. Somehow… he survived."
Reysha's grin split wider and wider, excitement burning in her eyes. The Exile didn't smile, but the golden glint in his eyes sharpened. Reysha practically bounced where she stood, eyes sparkling. "Master is alive! He's actually alive!" Her laughter echoed in the chamber, sharp and bright.
But then her smile slowly faltered.
"…Wait." She frowned, lowering herself back into her seat. "If he's alive… why didn't he come here? Why didn't he contact us?"
The excitement drained from her voice, replaced by confusion.
She turned sharply to Delal. "Where is he? Did you track him?"
Delal shook his head grimly. "No. They moved fast. The moment they escaped the prison, they vanished into the wilderness. Too many trails, too much chaos. Our men couldn't follow."
Reysha clicked her tongue in frustration, gripping her dagger tighter.
"It's alright," The Exile said, his voice steady. "We'll find him. Muliad is not someone who disappears easily."
Reysha slumped into her chair again, still pouting, but she didn't argue. The promise, coming from him, held weight. The Exile then rose from his seat, the shadows of the chamber falling behind his figure. He looked at the hooded faces before him, men and women who had gathered under one cause, one banner. His voice rang deep and resolute.
"Brothers and sisters… you all know the state of Rezia. The kingdom has rotted from the inside. Corruption festers in every noble hall, every court, every decree."
His golden eyes glimmered. "And the royal family is the root of it all."
The air grew heavier.
He continued, "If we do nothing, if we allow their tyranny to continue… every citizen in this kingdom our people will perish. Under taxes. Under greed. Under the iron boots of nobles who treat lives as numbers." There was a murmur of anger. Fists clenched. Eyes sharpened.
"We stand today," The Exile said, raising his hand, "not as criminals, not as rebels… but as the true heirs of Rezia's will. We rise to restore the kingdom not burn it."
A unified shout answered him.
"Aye!"
The Exile lowered his hand, satisfied.
"Then prepare yourselves," he said. "The time we've waited for has finally come. The Army of oblivion shall rise"
The council dispersed, tension buzzing with anticipation. Reysha lingered a moment longer, whispering to herself:
"Master… wherever you are… please be safe."