"That is enough.
We still need information about the Anomaly.
Don't act rashly."
Equarios spoke as he stared at Ul'Thakar and then Azriel. From his tone, he seed like he was talking to both of them, but it was clear that his ssage was for Ul'Thakar.
Ul'Thakar understood that as well and he took control over his temper, a temper that had overtaken him for a very small mont there.
He looked at Equarios, who nodded at him again without any change in his expression, then he looked back at Azriel.
"You have a way with words."
He comnted.
"I know people with a far sharper tongue, you need to control your temper if you wish to encounter him."
Azriel answered, looking at Ul'Thakar.
"Are you… talking about the Anomaly?"
Orravyn asked.
After all, he couldn't imagine many people talking to Ul'Thakar the way Azriel did. He had also personally seen every single recording the Anomaly had spread in the Universe in hopes of learning sothing about him. His plan didn't work, the Anomaly didn't reveal much about himself in the recordings, but if there was one thing he did learn about the foreign monster, it was that he… was annoying.
And not just slightly annoying or a nuisance, the Anomaly was… charmingly annoying. He had a way to get under people's skin without doing anything.
Orravyn hadn't forgotten that sa creepily calm smile at the end of every single one of his recordings, like everything was going according to the plan.
He, who wasn't even at the receiving end of those recordings and wasn't dealing with any damage, felt his frustration boiling up. He could only imagine what Seraphielle must have felt while she watched those.
It wouldn't be surprising if the Infinity of Light actually snapped and did sothing out of expectation.
While Orravyn was thinking all this, Azriel looked at him and he—
"Yes."
He nodded at his question.
"So you do know him."
Orravyn pointed out.
"I already told you that."
Azriel frowned, as if he couldn't understand why the man was talking like he had revealed a universal secret when he had already made it so obvious.
Seeing his expression, Orravyn felt his mouth twitch, but he didn't show it. He just stared at him and—
"What can you tell us about him?"
"There is nothing much."
Azriel spoke.
"As I said, he was rely an outsider in my eyes, soone who ca to my world as a rcenary, he sought my permission to trade, I gave him the permission."
"That's it?"
Orravyn frowned.
"That is it."
Azriel nodded with a convincing look on his face, but—
"You protected him.
You hid him from us.
Your relationship doesn't seem that simple."
Seraphielle spoke as she looked into Azriel's eyes. Azriel looked at her and for a mont, they both were silent. No matter how desperately Seraphielle tried to hide it, the Anomaly's existence bothered her.
She wanted to know more about him and find a way to deal with him, and now that it was finally in front of her, she was getting more desperate.
The Fifth Infinity, however, didn't react to her words, at least not as strongly as she thought he would.
"He offered a trade, sothing I couldn't refuse. And in return, he asked to protect him from so 'eyes'. I didn't even know those eyes would be… you people, I simply held up my end of the deal."
"You knew it was us and yet you still didn't find him suspicious?"
Seraphielle asked.
"Hmm? Why would I? You are the Four Supres, don't you have your eyes on the entire Universe? You lot are nosy and it is not uncommon for beings to try and hide things from you."
"The Universe reacted to him, even back then. As an Infinity, you should have been able to sense its anger, yet you still helped him.
Did you not, for once, doubt why even the Universe is reacting to his movents? That there must be sothing suspicious about him?"
Light asked another question.
"Surprising the Universe isn't difficult.
You should know it better than I do."
Azriel's answer was direct.
Seraphielle did not deny his words either, there was no point, not when they too were hiding things from the Universe's Will. They also knew that as an Infinity who was no different from them, the Fifth Infinity too must be hiding things from the Universe, so yes, at so level, agitating the Universe wasn't a difficult thing.
It just showed you were… bad at hiding.
Or at least, that's what any one of them would have thought if sothing like that had happened with them.
But even then, even if they had thought of that, they would have investigated a 'foreign rcenary who ca to their world for trade', they might even have captured him alive and read his mories, just to make sure he was clear.
After all, as simple as it sounded, fooling the Universe wasn't exactly a… breeze. At least not if you are not an Infinity. If soone other than an Infinity had pulled sothing like that, they would have definitely read his mories and investigated him thoroughly.
So…
Either the Fifth Infinity wasn't as sly as he showed himself to be.
Or he was lying.
About the Anomaly, about everything he knew about him.
And the Infinities, they were leaning towards the latter.
"What was it?"
Suddenly, Orravyn asked a question. Azriel glanced at him and Orravyn—
"The trade he offered you, the thing you couldn't refuse.
What was it that made even an Infinity move?"
"I will not answer that."
Azriel shook his head and the Infinities… they turned silent.
"Why is that?"
Orravyn asked after about a minute of silence passed.
"I have my reasons."
Azriel kept his answer vague.
"That is… suspicious."
Orravyn narrowed his eyes.
"I have no reason to share personal information with you."
"What world do you co from, Fifth Infinity?"
Suddenly, Seraphielle asked another question, but—
"What makes you think I will tell you that?"
Azriel asked.
"Because you know where we are, we do not know where you are. That is not fair, don't you think?"
Seraphielle reasoned.
"You were the ones who announced yourselves to the Universe, created your factions and played whatever little gas you have been playing. You made your presence known, I had no part in it. I see no reason for to give information I have been hiding in exchange for sothing that has been public since the beginning of ti."
"Those who hide from the Universe usually are up to no good."
Seraphielle narrowed her eyes.
"What you think does not matter to ."
Azriel just shrugged.
Seraphielle narrowed her eyes but then—
"How did the Anomaly find you in the first place?"
Orravyn asked.
"You said he ca to your world as a rcenary, how did he know it was your world? How did he know when even we didn't?
Don't say it was a coincidence that he just happened to be there."
"I don't know."
Azriel, however, shrugged even harder.
"It can be a coincidence, highly unlikely, yes, but the chances are still there."
"You are not giving us anything to work with."
Equarios spoke directly, feeling slightly frustrated.
"Why did you contact us?"
He asked.
"You called ."
Azriel repeated his answer.
"Yes, I understand that and you answered us.
But why?
You know what we wanted from you from the very beginning, information about the Anomaly and support.
But from your words, it is clear that you have no intention of telling us anything, then why contact us?
Or are you just bored?"
"I am telling you everything I know."
Azriel defended himself.
"You know that as much as we do."
Equarios didn't believe him, but—
"I am not lying."
Azriel spoke with a convincing look.
"I do not know much about the Anomaly, I already said what I told you. Other than that, I do not even know as much as you do simply because I did not matter."
"Do you… not feel threatened by him?"
Equarios asked with a curious look on his face.
"No."
Azriel shook his head directly.
"Why so confident?"
"He has been in my presence.
He would know better."
The answer was direct and the arrogance oozing out of it was almost… frustrating.
"Co here."
Suddenly, Ul'Thakar, who had been silent all this while, spoke again.
"Co to us, or call us.
Anywhere you desire.
Let's have a face-to-face chat, with no deceptions, nothing."
The Infinity of Darkness offered, but—
"No."
Azriel shook his head. The Infinities frowned. Azriel, already knowing what they were going to ask, answered directly.
"I do not trust you four."
"What does that an?"
Ul'Thakar narrowed his eyes.
"I have reasons to believe one of you is with the Anomaly."
"What…? We are working with the Anomaly?"
Ul'Thakar's expression changed.
"His actions are too convenient for you otherwise. It doesn't make sense to target just one faction. Especially when all factions are as rotten as the one being targeted, just in a different manner."
"He is attacking one of us because he wishes to divide us."
Orravyn reasoned. Azriel looked at him and—
"Or he is doing what one of you wants him to do and weaken Light's faction."
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