Leland Haynam, one of the Five Elders of the Inner Circle and the Emperor of the Haynam Empire, soared through the skies as he hastened toward his destination.
His long hair fluttered wildly in the wind, and his erald eyes glead with terror. With a dark and fearful look on his face, he made his way towards his Lord.
He had terrible news he needed to report!
A few hours ago, he received intel from his n that a city of great importance to the Cult had been utterly decimated.
When Leland heard of it, he was beyond horrified. And the ssage he received after... it chilled him to the bones.
Of course, he didn’t care that a city had been razed to the ground, or that its inhabitants had perished. No, what he truly cared about was sothing else.
Hidden deep within the city was a secret facility where young children were raised. These children had great potential and were born with enviable aptitude for the arcane arts. They were recruited—or kidnapped—from all across the globe and trained at this facility.
One might ask, what were they being trained for exactly?
The answer to that was beyond macabre. In a manner of speaking, they were being raised to beco mbers of the Cult of Bones.
But if one had to be more precise...
Then they were being cultivated to beco suitable vessels for the Cult Leader!
Damn it! How did he learn about the location of that facility? Leland thought to himself.
Such information was top secret! Only the Lord and the Five Elders are privy to this information. So then how?
The Elders of the Inner Circle were all controlled by the Cult Leader. Though they had free will of their own, they were incapable of sharing any intel about the Cult Leader and the Cult of Bones with anyone else. Doing so would an certain death.
Yet now, sohow, such information had leaked to the outside. And the person with his hands on this piece of intel just had to be one of the strongest Magi on this planet!
Damn it! How the fuck?! Leland scread inwardly.
He weaved a series of hand seals, activating the entrance chanism of the secret plane. A mont later, he disappeared behind the barrier.
Leland seed to have arrived at a different world altogether. The skies were shrouded in perpetual darkness, and the ground was engulfed in rot and decay. Far in the horizon, a black pillar rose from the ground, reaching towards the heavens.
That was the Magus tower where the Cult Leader resided. And this secret plane was the true headquarters of the Cult of Bones!
Leland plumted from the sky and gracefully landed on the ground. From there onward, he walked on foot and entered through the towering entrance of the black tower.
This Magus Tower only had one resident, and it was none other than the Cult Leader.
Soon, Leland found himself kneeling on the ground in the presence of the fallen lich, who sat unmoving upon his obsidian throne.
Dressed in dark robes, the fallen lich rested his chin on his bony claws. In the depths of this eye sockets, a pair of ominous green robes ca to life.
"What’s the matter, Leland?" His cold words echoed in the throne room. "It is unlike you to co here unannounced."
Leland gulped involuntarily as he suppressed the fear gripping his heart. "My Lord, I... I have grave news to report."
"Speak."
Leland inhaled deeply. He finally gathered the courage and spoke in a trembling voice:
"My Lord, Ironridge... t-the city is no more. Our secret facility has been destroyed—"
Even before he could finish his sentence, a cold, suffocating pressure descended in the throne room.
And then...
BOOOOOM!!!
The pillars in the vast chamber shattered from the fallen lich’s mana. The ground beneath shattered completely, forming spiderweb-like cracks.
As for Leland... he was crushed against the shattered ground, blood seeping from his facial orifices, his bones creaking under the pressure, and his internal organs twisting in agony.
The entire tower shuddered from the fallen lich’s sheer pressure!
"The Beyond... The Beyond... The Beyond..."
The fallen lich coldly repeated the sa phrase over and over again, the ominous green orbs flickering in the depths of his sockets, gleaming with madness.
"M-my lord... please..." Leland managed to speak those few words. He feared that if this continued, then he would die without the lich even lifting a finger.
Suddenly, the pressure disappeared just as abruptly as it had descended. The fallen lich retrieved his mana back into his reserves, the green orbs in his sockets finally stabilizing.
"Was it Tian Di?" His cold, grating voice echoed in the throne room once again.
Lying in a pool of his own blood, Leland gasped for air. He gritted his teeth and replied:
"Y-yes, My Lord. He... that man ca to Aranal, slaughtered my guards, and carved a ssage with their blood. He said... never to interfere... with the matters... of Yen-Lu, or else..."
"Or else, what?" The lich coldly asked.
Leland breathed deeply, then truthfully answered:
"Or else... he will have your head!"
Silence descended within the throne room, with only the sound of Leland’s ragged breaths echoing within the walls.
The Cult Leader leaned back in his throne, then murmured, "But how did he find out?"
It was impossible for the Five Elders to disclose this secret information. Moreover, there was no way that he would divulge such matters.
So then how...
The green orbs of light flickered, and he suddenly asked, "Where is Marden?"
"He was on his way to Yen-Lu after finishing his work in Indus. But I told him to steer clear of that place for now," Leland solemnly answered. "So he’s on his way to Mabi instead."
The fallen lich slipped into deep thought once again.
It was highly unlikely for there to be a mole. But if there was one, then who was it?
And if that wasn’t the case, then there was only one other possibility, and the very thought of it made the Cult Leader utterly solemn.
It was that Tian Di’s influence reached far deeper than he had anticipated!
At last, the Cult Leader ca to a decision.
"Order all our secret forces to retreat from Yen-Lu," he muttered coldly.
"But..." Leland was astonished. "What about payback?! That man has undone centuries of our preparations!"
"Tian Di still has a role to play," the Cult Leader coldly stated. "Now leave."
Leland shuddered. He then bowed before leaving the tower.
Once the fallen lich was alone, he leaned back and continued muttering in a low, entranced voice:
"The Beyond... the Beyond... the Beyond... It calls to ..."
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