EVERNA Arcel Raine's
Reconciliation Path
Upon arrival at the maximum-security prison complex, Arcel was flabbergasted. “Jeez, the prison is like a fortress, but it's as big as one palace complex!”
“I do not know what you mean, but this prison is indeed much larger than what we infiltrated in Indranara,” Onyx said for the first time after being silent in a thousand languages.
“To be exactly three times larger,” timpal Cross. “But take it easy, this time we will not try to escape unless there is no other option at all.”
Arcel took a deep breath. “Yes, all depends on the wisdom of Zeus aka Alistair Kane,” his inner while one more time peeking through the gap of bulletproof glass window from inside the armored truck.
At first glance, Arcel realized that there was a large enough empty area between the prison complex with slums around it. Perhaps the area was not completely empty, but was filled with hidden traps or something to prevent escape from the prison from reaching the settlement.
What appeared next was a large inscription on a large board attached to the outermost gate of the prison complex, which he had just learned was the Adler von Bachmann Rehabilitation Center.
Descending from the armored vehicle, Arcel and his friends are led away by an army of heavily armed guards. Every man and woman in a uniform is all black with a black headgear, making them look like ninjas.
The prisoners then undergo body checks with X Rays, all weapons are taken first to be stored in a safe place.
“Rantaiku!” faust exclaimed then immediately smiled strangely at the warden who was carrying his chains. “Please keep it well sir, I'll take it again when I get out of here.”
“Let's go if you do come out, because you'll be here for a very long time,” the warden.
Faust's smile grew wider. “Look at it later,” said.
The next scene that Arcel saw was the walls of unpainted concrete that was all gray and monotonous, extending along the corridor after the corridor they passed.
The warden of the commander of the army then exclaimed, “Before getting into your cells, all of you must enter this room first.” He turned into a dead-end corridor, then walked straight towards the door at the end of the corridor.
The herders opened the door. The prisoners entered, of course, all their hands shackled in thick handcuffs that can only be opened electronically with combination codes that change from time to time.
Arcel was flabbergasted not made this time. Unexpectedly, this spacious room is walled and white floor and the atmosphere is very bright, different from the sky and earth with the gloomy corridors earlier. He looked left-right and only realized that the other two prisoners were also flabbergasted, except Faust who frowned, was disturbed.
The guards led the prisoners into the middle of the white room, then left the windowless room and closed the door tightly. If one of the prisoners was desperate to leave the “ special interrogation room”, he would be greeted at the point of dozens of firearms and no matter what else in this prison security system.
Taking that into account and everything else, Arcel, Cross, Dean, Faust and Onyx chose to stay on the spot.
“Let me guess, soon there will be a squad that will enter to interrogate us, will extract information from us by all means,” said Dean. He was about to relax his arm muscles, but the large handcuffs blocked his movement.
“It depends on all your actions from this second onwards,” said a voice that suddenly sounded. Then the figure of the source of the voice appeared instantly before Arcel and the others as a holographic form of a middle-aged man dressed and wearing a white hood.
Arcel recognized the hologram. “K-chair Zeus!” yells.
VOLSUNG Chairman, Alistair Kane aka Zeus swerved from the corner of his eye and frowned at Arcel. It was a clear sign that he was disappointed in his student.
The attitude of the teacher made Arcel bowed. His face was tense, he was clearly afraid of losing all the opportunities he got and that he was living in VOLSUNG.
If all the conflicts in the Modern Age become simpler as they were in the Last Magic Age, where black and white parties are more clearly visible and one mistake may be used as a debt to be paid with services at other times.
But now, it seems there is no tolerance for one-off violations, even though Arcel did because it was encouraged by his intuition to interfere without the agency's prior approval.
The hologram image of Alistair says nothing. For a moment he only observed the figures of the prisoners other than Arcel alone.
Cross replied, representing everything, “Ya. If we didn't involve VOLSUNG agents, we wouldn't all be standing here.”
Alistair. “Wrong. If you had not sought asylum in VOLSUNG from the beginning, you excommunicado would not have been able to stand, let alone breathe anywhere and anytime.”
The Bloodfeast leader gaped, then bowed. “I'm sorry, I don't think we have any other choice. All this time we managed to ward off all Syndicate attacks, but we do not know until when we can continue to live like this, always hunted, overwhelmed with fear and can not sleep well every night.”
“And it's all because Cross decided to recruit me, not kill myself who was caught, imprisoned and so excommunicado first,” Faust said.
Dean Vizier added, “For the sake of my best friend, Cross, I have no qualms about helping him to become the liaison between Team Bloodfeast and VOLSUNG, despite risking my life and reputation. And the Agency sent Agent Helios who would help us wholeheartedly.”
Onyx complemented their defense by saying, “We of Bloodfeast are already saturated hunted. Now it's time for us to strike back, destroy the Syndicate by exposing its ulcers to the world. And no other organization is as powerful as VOLSUNG, which has all the technology, the resources to carry out this task until it succeeds.”
“Well that's where the root of the problem is.” Alistair rubbed his white beard. “The Ultimatum Syndicate consists of rich and influential figures throughout Terra Everna. They are the opponents, toughest rivals and eternal enemies of the Assassin, who are both dark assassin organizations that use ruthless ways to kill but have very different end goals
“What are their destinations?” ask Arcel.
“To put it simply, the principle of Assassin is ‘serve the light in darkness’, while the principle of Ultimatum is ‘serve the darkness in the light’, that's it.”
Arcel can capture Alistair's intentions even though he does not fully understand. To be sure, he can draw conclusions. “Means, for the sake of maintaining the balance of our world, ultimatums should not be destroyed, only weakened. But they cannot be weakened in the usual way, even though the ulcers are scraped very deep and exposed to the world though.”
“True,” Alistair said as he smiled at Arcel for the first time in this room, making his disciple rather calm. “We have to look for other unusual ways and wait for the right moment to weaken them.”
“What if we directly attack the Syndicate headquarters and eradicate everything?” ask Dean. Apparently it's also still pretty public about the core of the black world in Everna.
“It's not a good idea. The headquarters of the Syndicate has never been known to exist and cannot be traced with any advanced technology, perhaps it is a vehicle that continues to move endlessly. The princes hardly ever gather in one place, except in secret meetings.
After all, Dominion, the supreme executive leader of the Syndicate, under the Council of Five Elders would have already acted. Bloodshed as a branch of the Syndicate that oversees the magic swordsmen, witches, mercenaries and so on puts the most powerful and capable guards in the headquarters and, I'm sorry, you're no match for them.”
Cross then asked, “So, does the Chairman have a solution so that our lives are safe and our excommunicado status is revoked? As well as securing VOLSUNG position?”
“Ya and no,” replied Alistair. “In your position, the only way is for me to bring you before the Council of Five Elders of the Syndicate, then petition the Reconciliation Path on them.”
Arcel nodded. It turns out that Alistair Kane is now acting as a lawyer and defender himself, his friends and the Agency in search of a peaceful solution with the Syndicate. He did not want the Bloodshed issue involving VOLSUNG to ignite a war between the Agency and the Syndicate, which would only benefit the Assassins and other organizations.
“Next, it depends on them whether to agree with my petition or not. They will definitely put up very tough conditions. Even if the five of you fulfill it all, they will not necessarily revoke Bloodfeast's excommunicado status and release Arcel and Dean. That would be the hardest solution, but it's the only solution for the five of you to survive. And you have to trust me completely from now on. Well, what do you guys answer?” sue the white beard.
Arcel and the four other prisoners exchanged glances and the five nodded in turn. That's a definite answer because this situation does not give them another choice.
This time Dean Vizier who represents all of them replied, “Yes, we agree. Please, Chairman Zeus.”
Alistair, aka Zeus, smiled again. “Alright,” said. “Today you five should get ready, because I will open a communication line with the Syndicate... Now.”.
With a single flick of Alistair's finger, another five holographic figures appeared. But this time the figures of the five people were unclear, as if they were silhouettes, shadows or ghosts. They sat in their respective seats quite casually, as if they were the judge who would decide the decision of the court to be held in a moment.
Arcel's heart is racing. “They are... Five Elders of the Ultimatum Syndicate?” his inner.