The castle loomed as a relic of a bygone era, its imposing stone walls and towering spires casting long, mysterious shadows over the rugged hills. Ivy clung to its weathered fa?ade, hinting at centuries of whispered secrets. Gothic arches and intricate carvings spoke of ancient legends, imbuing the structure with both grandeur and foreboding.

  Inside, the meeting room was a warm, inviting contrast to the cold exterior. Flickering torches and a grand chandelier bathed the polished wooden floor in a soft glow. Rich tapestries depicting legendary battles and mythical creatures adorned the walls, and at the center stood a magnificent round oak table inlaid with gold and silver designs. High-backed chairs upholstered in deep red velvet encircled the table, and six of the twelve seats were occupied, their occupants deep in serious discussion. The heavy door at the far end remained closed, safeguarding the privacy of their deliberations.

  Among those present were Nikolai, Scarlet, and Lucia, joined by three distinct figures. First, a formidable man known as The Crow: his muscular frame was adorned with crimson-inked tattoos in the shape of thorns, and his left arm, a state-of-the-art prosthetic, hinted at mechanical prowess. His masked visage, resembling a black crow with beady eyes, exuded an unsettling intensity.

  Next sat Calum Nash, the flamboyant Mockingbird. With a nonchalant air, he wore a top hat and flowing black cloak over a sweater vest adorned with eclectic trinkets. His deep blue eyes were partly hidden behind a white half-mask, accented by two red diamonds. Calmly playing a game on a portable console, he seemed indifferent to the meeting’s gravity.

  The final figure, known only as The Hummingbird, was an enigma. Draped in dark layers beneath a striking red mask and a black straw hat, they carried an old-world charm. A yellow sun-shaped necklace hung around their neck, and in their hand gleamed a golden scepter that caught the torchlight. Their voice, distorted to conceal their true identity, only deepened the mystery surrounding them.

  As the meeting commenced, the weight of their decisions pressed heavily on all present—a silent understanding that what transpired within these ancient walls would ripple out into the world beyond.

  These six individuals formed a clandestine council, each wielding unique abilities and influence within the organization. The meeting room, bathed in flickering torchlight and adorned with rich tapestries of legendary battles, bore witness to their gathering. The air was thick with unspoken agendas and hidden motives.

  “I've called you all here to discuss the upcoming mission,” Nikolai began, his voice calm yet authoritative. “On September 13th, only the six of us will participate.”

  “Yeah, yeah, boss. Can we hurry this up?" Calum sighed, lounging back in his chair. "Emelia and I were about to finally beat that annoying boss we've been stuck on all week."

  Before anyone could respond, Hummingbird slammed the base of their scepter against the floor. A sharp, piercing resonance filled the room, reverberating through the walls. The glass on Calum’s game console cracked instantly, the last image flickering on the screen reading: Game Over.

  "What the hell was that for, you masked bastard?!" Calum shouted, eyes blazing with irritation.

  "You need to learn respect," Hummingbird responded, their voice distorted and cold, cutting through the tension like a blade. "We recently lost a member of this council. If you don’t start paying attention, you’ll be next, brat."

  A heavy silence fell over the room.

  "Thank you," Nikolai said, nodding to Hummingbird before turning to the next matter. "If Emelia is in the castle, can you request that she join us? I know she dislikes leaving her room, but the more we have, the better."

  Hummingbird tilted their head slightly. "Should I summon Pandora and Derick as well?"

  "Pandora hates having his reading disturbed. Best not to bother him," Nikolai replied. "As for Derick, I wasn’t aware he had returned. If you can get ahold of him, do so."

  Hummingbird nodded and spoke into their scepter before striking it against the floor once more. A small orb of condensed sound formed and shot through the air, echoing through the castle.

  Moments later, two figures stepped into the room.

  The first was a woman with long, unruly purple hair interspersed with streaks of red. Her hair, adorned haphazardly with star-shaped clips, fell in disarray around her shoulders, partially concealing one of her deep violet eyes. The other eye, however, shone with a haunting intensity, its brightness offset by heavy, dark circles that betrayed many sleepless nights. She wore a set of well-worn black pajamas speckled with golden stars, the fabric wrinkled from hours of restless sleep. Two almost horn-like red streaks protruded from her hair, lending her an otherworldly, slightly feral air. Within A.E.G.I.S.’s database, she was classified simply as The Witch.

  Following her was a man with disheveled dark brown hair and an unkempt beard, his piercing blue eyes exuding a casual disinterest as he dragged a monstrous corpse behind him. A faint trail of blood marked his path on the polished floor. He wore a dark cloak over a rumpled red shirt, his boots bearing the scars of countless journeys. With a nonchalant gesture, he cracked open a can of “Dr. Salt,” taking a long sip before tossing it into the air. An unseen force intercepted it mid-flight, crunching it down with an almost disdainful efficiency. This was Oliver Wands, known within A.E.G.I.S. as Poltergeist.

  “Alright, boss, what do you need? Also, Calum, I lost the game again—sorry,” Emelia yawned, rubbing her tired eyes as she addressed the group with a blend of resignation and dry humor.

  Calum let out a long sigh. “It’s fine. Not like it isn’t the thousandth time we’ve lost,” he replied, shaking his head with a wry smile.

  Oliver scowled, his tone laced with frustration. “What the hell, boss? I just got back from a mission, and you already need me. The damn Guild is so needy—they had me hunt down a four-star demon. Besides Prometheus and me, everyone else is useless,” he grumbled.

  Nikolai interjected smoothly, “I understand how you feel, but we need the Guild’s trust—they’re a valuable asset.”

  Oliver’s eyes sparkled with a mix of exasperation and amusement as he added, “Whatever. I also met up with that Shrine Maiden from the cult—fucking hell, she is crazy—but she mentioned they have a general idea of where the second half of the Sun God is. They already possess one half, so having them as allies is about to get really interesting.”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Nikolai sighed deeply. “I doubt they’ll secure the fragment anytime soon, but extending our help would be prudent. Securing support from the apostles not embroiled in this game will be invaluable—especially if we fail to obtain the keys this time.”

  Emelia, settling into her chair and resting her arms wearily on the table, asked, “Boss, I thought you said I didn’t need to participate in any missions. My foresight ability is enough support, right?”

  “Don’t worry,” Nikolai reassured her with a warm yet firm tone. “You’re already invaluable. I wouldn’t risk you dying in combat. I simply wanted you here to offer any suggestions you might have.”

  Scarlet then burst out, her voice dripping with disdain. “Hey, Nikolai, do I really have to join you at that stupid Gamma Facility? I’d much rather team up with Hummingbird to attack the Alpha Facility. I really want to see Marky again—I didn’t even get to talk with him last time.”

  “Markus won’t be there that day,” Nikolai replied coolly. “He’ll be on his yearly trip to Blood Inc. to meet with the Five O’Clock Chair. Our intel indicates that Blood Inc. has discovered a new vampire with an authority-type ability.”

  Hummingbird’s tone was calculating as they inquired, “So, without Markus, my main concerns will be the Saint and the Swan, correct?”

  “Overall, yes,” Nikolai confirmed. “The Gardener is meeting with the head of A.E.G.I.S., so he won’t be present either. The rest of the Awakened can be managed by the other forces I assign to you. Your task is to deal with those two and then—kill Iris.”

  Oliver chuckled darkly. “And what’s your plan for me, boss? My ability is among the strongest here, especially compared to Calum’s.”

  Calum shot him a withering glare but stayed silent.

  Nikolai’s voice brooked no argument. “You’ll join me at the Gamma Facility. Securing him is our top priority.”

  Emelia’s eyes darkened with concern as she swept her hair aside, revealing one extraordinary eye that shimmered like a portal to the cosmos—a delicate star system glowing faintly within its depths. After a moment, she brushed her hair back into place, her expression etched with worry.

  “I used my foresight ability, and I have bad news,” she announced quietly. “To compensate for their two strongest agents being absent that day, the Slayer will be assigned there.”

  Nikolai’s jaw tightened. “Thank you for checking. That certainly complicates things. In raw power, very few can match her—a meta-human fused with a dragon who slays dragons for fun. Add her berserker ability and formidable artifacts, and you’ve got someone nearly impossible to counter.”

  Callum leaned forward, his tone determined. “I’ll go with the masked bastard to assist in the attack on the Alpha facility. Adam can handle Octavian. Our forces can handle the other Awakened, and we’ll take care of the key without a hitch.”

  Before anyone could respond, a man burst into the room, interrupting the tense discussion. “I’d also like to help, my dear friends,” he declared, his voice smooth but commanding.

  A collective shudder ran through the room as they took in his appearance. He was striking—handsome, with long, flowing blonde hair and a chiseled, movie-star face. His eyes burned an intense, blood-red, and he exuded an aura of dangerous charm. He wore a maroon hoodie trimmed with fur, a crisp white shirt accented with black stripes, and perfectly tailored black dress pants and shoes.

  If Nikolai was considered the most dangerous human enemy of A.E.G.I.S., this man was the most terrifying inhuman—a monster whose origins dated back to the Dark Ages. He simply appeared one day, reveling in the art of killing. More horrifying than the Seven Deadly Sins, more grotesque than any alien, more cunning than any angel, and more powerful than any Awakened, he was known only as the Boogeyman.

  The room fell into a heavy silence, the very air seeming to tremble under the weight of his presence—an ominous promise of the chaos and danger that lay ahead. Then, with a mischievous glint in his blood-red eyes, the Boogeyman broke the stillness.

  “What’s wrong? Everyone froze the moment I entered. Am I ugly? I could have sworn humans considered my appearance handsome,” he teased, his tone dripping with playful arrogance.

  Nikolai managed a nervous laugh, his voice betraying both respect and unease. “S-sorry, we didn’t expect you to burst into our base so suddenly. You must understand… your reputation is quite terrifying.”

  The Boogeyman waved a dismissive hand. “Aww, don’t be like that. We’re friends—at least, not yet. Trust me, in the future we’ll be great comrades. To show you I mean no harm, allow me to extend an olive branch. I’ll kill the Slayer for you,” he said, extending his hand in a gesture that was as chilling as it was congenial.

  Nikolai hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his eyes as he weighed the offer. “If you don’t shake my hand, I’ll rip yours off,” the Boogeyman warned with a wicked smile. Reluctantly, Nikolai reached out and shook his hand.

  In that instant, the Boogeyman’s hand underwent a grotesque transformation: it dissolved into writhing maggots that spilled onto the floor in a disturbing cascade before coalescing back into his form as if nothing had happened.

  “That joke never gets old,” the Boogeyman chuckled darkly. “But don’t worry, friend—unlike most, I actually eat them after pulling that little prank. I really despise dragons, so I will be the one to rip her arm off and beat her to death with her own limb, got it?”

  Nikolai’s tone was resigned as he replied, “Fine, do as you desire. We can’t stop you anyway.”

  “Good doggie,” the Boogeyman sneered, his voice shifting to a tone of cruel finality. “I won’t interfere in this game you’re playing—as long as it doesn’t interfere with my fun.” Then, as if to emphasize his parting words, his body, and clothing began to dissolve into a writhing mass of maggots that slithered across the floor and disappeared into the cracks, leaving an eerie reminder of his dark, unpredictable nature.

  “I thought meeting the literal god of death shaved years off my life, but interacting with him today filled me with even more terror,” Calum admitted, his entire body trembling as the memory of that encounter surged back.

  Adam’s expression hardened in agreement. “True, but having him as an ally guarantees our victory. There’s a reason he’s still alive despite the millions of lives he’s taken—his power is beyond reckoning.”

  Nikolai stepped forward, his tone unwavering and authoritative. “Let us return to our discussion. The Gamma facility is a veritable death trap. If our attempts to secure the keys fail, our highest priority becomes capturing Lovecraft. With Scarlet and Oliver on my side, victory is assured.”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed, curiosity piqued. “What makes Lovecraft so valuable that you care more about him than the keys?”

  Nikolai’s voice turned cold and calculating. “The keys can be obtained at any time, but that man—his overwhelming power—will soon be sentenced to death. I intend to have him join our council. His strength is indispensable.”

  Lucia’s voice trembled as she recited the plan. “Deployment is as follows: Dove, Phoenix, and Poltergeist will storm the Gamma facility to capture Lovecraft and any death row inmates willing to join us. Mockingbird and Hummingbird will assault the Alpha facility to eliminate Iris. Finally, Crow will hit the Beta Facility to take out Maxwell.”

  Nikolai’s lips curled into a cold smile. “We’ll eliminate both keys and secure another apostle as an ally—if everything goes according to plan.”

  A brief silence fell over the room before Emelia interjected in a tired, almost nonchalant tone, “Lucia, could you drop me off in Italy? I’m craving pasta.”

  For a moment, Nikolai’s voice softened—a rare note of gentle insistence breaking through his usual coldness. “Please do it. Her leaving the castle is a rarity. We must encourage it.”

  Lucia’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, overwhelmed by the enormity of the mission and the personal sacrifices demanded. “Y-yes, boss,” she managed, barely above a whisper.

  “Lastly,” Nikolai continued, his tone hardening as anger flared in his eyes, “I’ve ordered Diamond to investigate that man, Nihil. I promise, I will kill that bastard for getting in our way.”

  At that, the meeting ended dramatically. One by one, the candles in the chamber flickered and extinguished, plunging the room into darkness. The council members dispersed silently—some preparing for the impending mission, others seeking brief moments of reprieve before the storm that was sure to come.