Helios leaned back in his obsidian-black chair, his gloved fingers interlaced as he stared at the veiled girl. The air in the room remained heavy. "So, Seer," he began, his voice dropping into a low, inquisitive hum. "If you truly can see into the future, tell me—what becomes of me? Does the Sovereign of the Blackthorn rule the world, or does he end up as a footnote in a history book?"
Seer tilted her head, her eyes unblinking behind the thin silk of her veil. "That is a fascinating question, Leader. But the future is not a single, straight line. It is a branching tree, and right now, I see two distinct paths you can take. Which one do you want to hear about?"
"Which one is the most interesting?" Helios asked, a faint, dangerous smile playing on his lips.
"The second one," Seer replied without hesitation. "By far. It is the one that caught my attention and led me to seek out your organization."
"Tell us," Ray interrupted, leaning forward with an intensity that nearly knocked over his notes. "I want to know exactly what kind of monster our Leader becomes."
Seer closed her eyes for a moment, her breathing becoming shallow. "Before I begin, you must understand: the future I see is a tapestry of fragments. It can be changed by a single choice, a single breath. But in this version of the world, the Leader was no longer called Helios. He was known as the Reincarnated Star of Chaos. He ushered in a new age—the Era of the Fallen Star. To the Seekers and the common folk alike, he was the Tyrant Sovereign of Nightmares. He didn't just lead; he conquered. He killed until there was no one left to oppose him. The entire world rose up in a desperate alliance to stop him, but he won. He claimed a throne that wasn't of this earth."
A throne? Helios thought, his mind immediately flashing back to the obsidian chair in Circlet's realm. Is she talking about that place?
Stop asking me questions, you damn crown, he projected internally. I'm trying to listen.
Riku let out a sharp, mocking snort, leaning back and crossing his arms. "The Tyrant Sovereign? Is that all? I thought it would be something more impressive. I thought you were better than that, Leader. Sounds like you just became a bigger version of the thugs we fight in Area 4."
Seer opened her eyes, and for a moment, they glowed with a faint, silvery light. "Riku, I think you missed the most important part. I said he fought every Seeker. Not just a few squads. The entirety of the Seeker world, including the Clans and the Royal Factions, stood against him. And they couldn't stop him. They were like ants trying to halt a landslide."
"Wait," Riku said, his smugness evaporating into a look of frustrated confusion. "Why was he even fighting everyone? What was the goal? You don't just declare war on the world for no reason."
"I only heard fragments of the 'Why,'" Seer whispered. "I heard whispers of a forbidden ritual—something about bringing back someone who had died. The Leader... he said he would do it even if he had to sacrifice the whole world as fuel. He didn't care about the throne. He cared about a ghost."
The room went deathly silent. Helios felt a chill crawl down his spine. He looked at his hands, wondering if he truly was capable of such madness for the sake of a memory he didn't even fully possess yet. Riku looked annoyed, his jaw tightening as he stood up and turned toward the door.
"Where do you think you're going, Riku?" Helios's voice was like a whip crack, cold and laced with a sudden, sharp authority. "I haven't dismissed anyone yet."
Riku froze, his hand inches from the door handle. He stood there for a long second, the tension in his shoulders vibrating, before he slowly turned around and sat back down, his eyes fixed on the table.
"I have some questions," Helios said, turning his gaze toward the rest of the group. "Since we're talking about ancient things and destinies."
"Ask Ray," Rio said, gesturing toward the researcher. "He's the only one here who spends more time in the library than in the training room."
"What is it, Leader?" Ray asked, pulling a fresh sheet of paper toward him. "I might have the answer if it's recorded in the forbidden texts."
"What is a Morpeth?"
Ray's pen stopped mid-stroke. He looked up, his eyes wide with genuine shock. "How... how do you know that word? Where did you hear about Morpeths?"
"My summon told me about them," Helios said simply.
"Your summon?" Nova chimed in, sounding baffled. "But Leader, summons can't talk. They're just manifestations of Spiral Energy. They don't have voices."
"What do you mean they can't talk?" Helios asked, glancing at the invisible weight on his head.
"None of our summons have ever spoken a word," Nova added. "They follow commands, they fight, and they vanish. At least, that's how it is for everyone we've ever met. Maybe some unique ones exist?"
Of course, those modern summons don't talk, Circlet's voice echoed in Helios's mind, dripping with condescension. They are hollow shells, worked by instinct, and a sliver of their master's will. I am one of the Primordials. I have a soul. To compare me to those 'puppets' is an insult to the First Era.
"Maybe mine is just unique," Helios said aloud, cutting off the internal rant. "Ray, the definition. Now."
Ray cleared his throat. "Morpeths are... horrors. They are humans who have been corrupted by the Veiled World. Physically, they look human—at first. But they are essentially parasites of reality. Some are born that way through cursed lineages, and others are created when a human's soul comes into direct, unprotected contact with the Veil. They don't have our ranking system. They have a hierarchy of evolution."
Ray began to list them, his voice low and clinical:
1. Dormant: The human consciousness is still in control, but the corruption is rooted.
2. Awakening: The instincts take over. They lose the ability to reason, and for some unknown reason, they become obsessed with killing Seekers.
3. Beast Form: They physically mutate into monsters. They regain a twisted form of consciousness, but their minds are warped by the shadows.
4. Full Awakening: They regain a human appearance, but they are no longer human. They are cold, calculating predators.
5. King Morpeth: Creatures that have survived for centuries, commanding their own armies of Lesser Morpeths.
6. Monarch Morpeth: The absolute peak. These are ancient beings that command Kings. They first appeared in the Era of the Sun and Moon.
"Wait," Helios interrupted. "If they have to evolve and live for a long time, how did the Kings and Monarchs appear so early? How were they there in the First Era?"
"That's the mystery," Ray explained. "We believe that before Seekers existed, Morpeths had no natural enemies, so they didn't need to be aggressive. They evolved slowly and silently. When Seekers appeared and started tapping into the Veiled World, the Morpeths reacted like an immune system attacking a virus. They became hyper-aggressive. And the reason they appeared is that the Veiled World has always existed—we just didn't know the door was open until the Stars of Chaos arrived."
"The Stars of Chaos?" Helios asked.
"The seven original Seekers," Ray said, his eyes gleaming with academic fervour. "They were treated like Demi-Gods. Their names are legend: Nyxarion (Death), Malzareth (Corruption), Raikathor (Thunder), Umbryx (Darkness), Solvaris (Sun), Veylith (Illusions), and their leader, Azerion. No one knows Azerion's true power, but they are called the Stars of Chaos because they started the first great war. They wanted followers—worshippers—and they turned the world into a battlefield to get them."
"Thank you for the lesson, Ray," Helios said.
"If you're truly grateful, Leader, how about that budget increase for my lab? Research into the ancient eras isn't cheap."
"Have you found a way to measure Spiral Energy yet?" Helios asked, his voice returning to its uninterested, icy tone.
"Well... no," Ray admitted, looking at his shoes. "Not yet."
"Then you don't need the funds," Helios stated flatly.
"If you give us the funding, we might actually find the breakthrough!" Ray pleaded.
"You're looking for a way to measure Spiral Energy?" Seer asked, interjecting with a calm grace.
"Yes," Sara answered for them. "But the Seeker Clans hoard that technology. We can't get our hands on the blueprints."
Seer reached into her robes and pulled out a rolled piece of aged parchment. "Then today is your lucky day. I happen to have a blueprint for a Spiral Induction Meter right here."
The room went silent as all eyes landed on the scroll. Helios looked from the blueprint to Seer. The pieces are falling into place, he thought. But am I the one placing them, or am I just following the path of the Tyrant?
"What do you want in exchange for that, Seer?" Helios asked.
"I don't want money," she replied softly. "I want to be there when the Star of Chaos finally wakes up."