The Anachronist and the Sojourner are seen sitting on the sofa, Aiden is seen standing before them, which seems to be bothering them, but they had to close to the chapter to move on to the next phase of the plan, the information he got.
" Let's say you are fine now, So how does it go with the Paragon of Destruction?" The Anachronist asked.
" Well, it seems he knows Zephyron and his troupe very well, but he gave me some solid info, he mentioned something about the mark, he said this is what Zephyron uses to grant the High Ends powers."
He continues " The curse mark might grant them abilities, but it takes away their memories, the greater abilities the more of their memory that get wiped away"
There was a dead silence in the room, The Anachronist doesn't seem to be surprised by what Aiden says, neither does the Sojourner seems surprised, which bother Aiden's too.
" You all don't look surprised, you knew this before, didn't you ?" Aiden confronted them, as he moved closer to the Anachronist, who was sitting almost comfortably on the sofa.
" Yes we do, we've been at Zephyron's tail for quite some time now, all of this we know, including the Celestial Ends, is that the only thing he mentioned to you?" The Anachronist responded back as he stood up from the sofa and moved towards Aiden with a suspicious expression.
" Oh, is that it ! You both left me in the dark, sent me to place that could have killed me with little or no explanation of, and then I managed to return alive, which I'm very sure you both also think it's a miracle, and then you still think the information I got almost at the cost of my life is not enough!!!" Aiden rambles in anger, one could sense the rage in his tone, both Anachronist and the Sojourner don't seem to bother much about that.
There was a dead silence in the room for a moment, then Aiden voiced up, but in a silent tone this time around " Well, what's it gonna be, you either involve me in whatever it's going on here, or I'll go with all the information I've gotten—even to the grave " Aiden concluded.
The silence overwhelmed the room once more, then Anachronist made a big sigh and then finally spoke up " Sera, take off the hood, Had a feeling that it will come to this" The Anachronist spoke up, and then Aiden looked around the room, wondering who Anachronist was referring to, then the Sojourner stood up, holding his hood.
The hood was pulled back. The air caught its breath. A cascade of golden hair spilled free—waves tumbling over his shoulder like liquid light escaping a cage.
A chin emerged first: small, pointed, its bone pressing against pale skin like a secret forcing itself out. The wind, which had tried so hard to keep its veil in place, now parted in defeat.
She raised her head.
High cheekbones rose beneath the skin—sharp, angled, casting small shadows in the hollows below. Her nose was straight, narrow, its bridge a clean line from brow to tip. Her lips were thin, pressed into a flat line, giving nothing away. Then her eyelids lifted, slow as a curtain rising on an empty stage, and her eyelashes—dark, thick, uncurling like waking spiders—revealed a pair of cold, steady eyes.
He stared. No stubble. No hard jaw. No wide brow. Just the clean geometry of a woman's face, oval, balanced, with a forehead smooth as polished stone and a jaw that tapered to that same pointed chin.
The Sojourner was not a man. The Sojourner was a woman.
Aiden's jaw dropped. He staggered back as if struck by an unseen fist—his eyes flew wide, his body went slack. "You… you were a woman all this time?" The question left his mouth like a stone dropped into still water. Beneath the solemn tone, surprise still trembled at its edges.
" My name is Sera," she responds solemnly.
"Her voice is so sweet and solemn, unlike the male voice she uses. Now that I think of it, how was she able to do that, does she have the capability of changing her voice too ? " All these questions ring in Aiden's head.
"I altered her voice and physique into that of a man—to keep her true identity hidden from the public," the Anachronist replied, as if answering Aiden's unspoken thoughts.
The instant he finished speaking, a red light swallowed Sera's form. It pulsed once—then faded, and her body settled back into that of an ordinary woman.
" This is unbelievable, is there anything else I need to know?" Aiden asked in a solemn tone, while his eyes is still fixed Sera.
The Anachronist and Sera looked at each other and then he nodded at her, as a sign that she should speak up. She then move a little bit closer, it was like the tension in the room moved along with her.
" I was part of Zephyron's army, but a mainly based in research and strategist… Now listen carefully, cause this moment, you'll get know everything that's is truly going on… Zephyron place marks on the so called High Ends, you've pretty much caught up with the cost and the ranking, as you might have guessed… Their power is beyond comprehension, which means, they no longer have memory of whom they use to be"
She continued, "Their loyalty belongs to Zephyron. Now, they're nothing more than killing machines. But that's only part of it—the mark does more than bind them. It links every one of them to him.
Through it, he sees every creature that bears his mark. He can project his mind, look through their eyes… know everything they do, everything they say—every move they make, every place they go.
Betrayal isn't just unlikely… it's impossible."
At this moment, Aiden was motionless in the room, caught up with tension, lost in the dark abyss of fear and terrific information. While being cooked up with so much tension, Sera opened up her cloak's sleeve, showing Aiden a rounded mark on her arm. But this one is unique, compared to that of Fin's… her's is inside another circle.
"Does… this… mean Zephyron knows where we are right now ?" Aiden asked in a silent tremulous tone.
"Oh no… if you look closely, the mark sits within another mark. I found a way to seal it—like turning down the volume of an alarm. No matter how fiercely it tries to ring, the sound can't reach its owner. The signal has been disrupted."
The Anachronist spoke quietly, pointing at the mark.
" However, we can't reverse the mark, or take it off, even by peeling off my skin, it'll just pop up on another place on my body… Only Zephyron can undo it" Sera demystified what Anachronist said.
" Does this includes the Amezors?" Aiden asked silently… while his body seems to be recovering from the shock.
" ….. No, they are natural aliens that probably came from where Zephyron come from" Sera responded as she turns her back on Aiden. The she moves closer to where she was sitting.
Then Anachronist moved forward " There are different sets of High Ends " Marked Basic enforcer High Ends. Enhanced speed, strength, and access to Amezor tech. Retain most of their humanity, but feel a constant pull to obey because of the mark"
He continues " Oathbound Trusted High Ends. Psychic abilities, limited regeneration, and command over lesser Marks. Their memories of life before the invasion begin to fade."
" Hollow High Ends, Nearly stripped of identity. Reality-altering abilities, control over other covenanters, and immunity to pain. What remains of their original self is buried beneath the Mark."
"And then the particular High Ends that almost everyone has being hearing rumors about" Anachronist tried to conclude what he was saying, but Sera cuts in.
" The Celestial Ends" She says silently, as she crossed her legs.
" The rarest tier. Living weapons. Their mere presence warps reality. They are no longer human—they are extensions of the Amezor's will, capable of destroying cities or rewriting the minds of thousands. Only a handful exist, and they are feared even by their alien masters." She concluded.
" And you Sera, which one are you
" Aiden ask, as he moves closer to her.
There was a terrifying silence in the room, she looked at The Anachronist and then looked at Aiden and replied, " A Hollow" she responded.
" A Hollow? Then how did you…" Aiden asked.
"I encountered her during my travels. In my current state, I wouldn't have been able to stop her—but then, I was a vessel for a Cosmic Celestial Sorcerer. That power allowed me to overwhelm her and tame the mark, giving her the chance to reclaim most of her memories."
" If not for that, I wouldn't have been able to tame her, neither will I be able to subdue the mark, no one has the ability to do that." The Anachronist comments.
Aiden exhale, then find a sofa behind a lamp to sit, the room lightning is so dim, making it nearly dark, the smoke in the atmosphere gives a strong cologne scents. Then faced Anachronist.
" And you, what's your story " Aiden asked the Anachronist with a mid tone, one could sense the exhaustion in it.
" My name is Aldric… Aldric Vane, not a typical sorcerer. Before the invasion, I was a scholar of esoteric arts—I'm a man who studied the boundaries between worlds" Aldric, also known as Anachronist responded.
"Just when Aiden thought the storm had reached its peak, Aldric unleashed yet another crushing truth—one that wrapped itself around Aiden's mind and tightened without mercy. The weight of it pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating, until his body gave in; he sank into the chair, not out of choice, but as if the burden itself had forced him down."
"And then he began to think to himself, *'How much have I truly been blind to? Here I was, believing I knew what others didn't… yet I've been wandering the same dark tunnel as everyone else in this world."
To Be Continued. . .