Valerios remained silent.
—Understood —he said after thinking for a couple of minutes.
Over the next few months, the forces of our ancestors will remain in that dimension. We will gather more information. We need to access the Orleans archives and capture the bearer. If we cannot capture him, then at least we must make the soul within him awaken by any means necessary.
—How are you? Can you still use your powers? —Valerius asked Iara.
—Yes —Iara replied— but I don't think I will live much longer after the next battle. My mana consumption has increased dramatically. This is something they never told us: these damned marks, when they choose you, are essentially giving you a death sentence. Because mana consumption is the consumption of life itself.
So we cannot waste this opportunity. We must learn the whole truth.
—Very well, I will secure an opportunity to infiltrate the archives. We already saw that a frontal attack does not work, especially now that the bearer and the guardian are with them, and they have shown their powers are increasing.
We already used the power of the gem with an avatar and failed to capture the bearer. We can only use it two more times. We cannot risk using it again with another avatar; if we fail again, we will not be able to awaken the soul of the first bearer.
We need to wait until they lower their guard. Right now, they must be highly alert after everything that happened. Let's wait a couple of months, and in the meantime we will carefully plan our next attack and obtain all the information from their records.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, at the Obroim mansion.
Ciara observed the images with a somber expression. The Kartnod energy signatures had disappeared.
However, an anomaly still persisted over Easter Island.
Ciara, Arley, and Dmitri were analyzing all the events.
—What is known about Mikhail's disappearance? —Ciara asked— We cannot confirm or deny his death, since there is currently no sign of a new one. Unlike the direct descendants of the bearer and the guardian, the secondary branches are chosen without the need for a ritual, and as soon as the user dies, the mark immediately appears on its new host. So there is a possibility that Mikhail is still alive somewhere.
Suddenly, the intercom on Arley's wrist began to glow blue and vibrate.
—What do you need me for? —Arley asked.
—Sir, something is happening to Natasha.
—What is happening to her?
—We don't know. She suddenly began saying she felt very hot and then fainted, but when we brought her to the medical wing, her body started becoming extremely cold.
—It can't be —Ciara said— What is Natasha's last name?
—Kalinova —Arley immediately replied.
—That can't be. She is the daughter of Mikhail's younger sister —Dmitri said— but she carries her father's surname.
—We must go immediately to the medical wing —Ciara ordered.
When they arrived, no one in the room could believe what was happening. Frost particles floated throughout the room, an almost freezing cold filled the air, and a white light covered the girl's entire body, while the shape of a Siberian tiger formed on her left arm.
—There is no doubt now. Mikhail is dead, and she is the next guardian: the Siberian tigress. Inform all families immediately. The new tiger guardian is in Ireland.
Meanwhile, at the Obroim mansion.
Daniel and Orla, along with the entire tracking team, could not understand why they could not locate the Kartnod fleet signal again.
—This can't be —Daniel said, hitting one of the screens— Just minutes ago we had them located, and suddenly they disappeared.
—Don't act like a child —Maeve said firmly— They are the creators of all our technology, so it is almost certain they have ways to evade our tracking systems. And that doesn't make you angry? If we don't locate them soon, they will escape us.
Suddenly, a signal began to be received through the communication systems.
—Ma'am —Orla said— we are receiving a message from an unknown source.
—Put it on the main screen —Maeve ordered.
The image that appeared was that of a man about forty years old. He was not anyone they recognized.
—Who are you? —Maeve asked, and his answer left them speechless.
—I am Kaisel Kartno, admiral of our family's maritime fleet and the fourth successor.
The atmosphere changed completely; no one could understand what was happening.
—Am I correct in assuming you are the one in charge of your fleet? —he said, addressing Maeve.
—Yes, I am Maeve Obroim, third successor of our family and commander of the fleet. May I ask why you are communicating with us and how you managed to access our communication frequency?
—The same way you located us when you attacked. It is very easy to open links into your technology; it is no longer blocked by magic. But I know that is your main question, and I will answer what you want to know.
We are withdrawing to our base on Atlantis Island. If you truly are descendants of the Obroim line, then you already know: we can open dimensional spaces that were sealed by the Deity of the Cosmos.
By the way, I congratulate you. You managed to push us back, but that will not happen again. We are already aware that the seal that kept us away from this plane for so many years is about to collapse, and all our forces will return. So I advise you to surrender now. Do not try to face all our forces.
—No matter what you try to do to scare us, we have already proven that we will not surrender and that it will not be easy to defeat us. We will protect all the people of this world. Just as we did five thousand years ago, we will defeat you together. We will not allow monsters like you to rule this world.
—I understand. You were also deceived. It doesn't matter. When my brothers and all our forces return, you will change your minds.
And just like that, the transmission was abruptly cut.
—Were you able to locate their position? —Maeve asked.
—Yes —Orla replied— The signal came from approximately fifty kilometers north of our position.
—All ships are to head to that point immediately. We will not let those bastards escape.