Aaron sat silently around a cluttered wooden table, a dim electric light bulb flickering overhead, as the sound of yelling broke out.
"Explain yourself, Lispentine! What in the heavens was that!"
Vaelmyr Droskyn slammed his hands down on the table, the thick spruce wood creaking under his strength.
"I have no authority to control how my subordinate acts in the tournament. Perhaps if you gave that very same control to your followers, you'd understand."
The golden-haired man's voice was cold, hardened by the sheer intensity with which the Sea King spoke.
Sitting beside Aaron, Maria Elaris shook her chains faintly, the blond boy having been brought in as her interpreter as she refused to write to anyone else.
The boy tried to return to his thoughts; however, another booming yell coursed through the chamber.
"This is no time for games! People are dying all across the world because of that thing that appeared in the sky! Thorn is dealing with the backlash now, but even he says he has never witnessed something so…"
Lepaie faded off, his eyes glazing over as he reminisced over the horrifying yet grand image of the Descender of Madness.
"Lord Quinn, must I really explain to you that I have no obligation to micro-manage my subordinates? Unlike the Oceanic Association, I have no responsibility to atone for anything they have done. Even if it is the worst sin imaginable."
The purple-haired man's cheek twitched upon the mention of the unspoken day in history, the most vile crime that ever occurred, one committed by a man so high in the Association that it nearly led the world into revolution against them.
Muttering out a sentence in a low growl that Aaron could faintly hear, he stared straight into the guildmaster's eyes.
"We do not speak of Twynam's errors here. He paid for his sins, and his brother atoned alongside him. There is nothing else that needs to be—"
"Except you are wrong, Lord Quinn… Did the Twynam family truly pay for what they did? Or were their crimes swiftly forgotten upon the gift of Lord Droskyn's Ghostship as a peace offering? I'm sure Lord Thorn would elect to never speak to the chairman again if he could, much less work with him."
Effortlessly interrupting the Sea King, the president of the Hunters' Guild continued onward, the wooden throne he sat in inching closer to the table where he placed his hands together.
"Masaru Kurogane is my subordinate. He is not my property. If you wish to question him, then be my guest; however, you will find the truth more complicated than you could even imagine. While you might be contracted with the gods that grant you the strength of thousands, you do not know everything about this god-forsaken, fallen world."
Spitting out the words with hideous malice, he looked among all the spectators who crowded into the office space.
In total, there were five people: the two Sea Kings, the guildmaster, the Angel, and, of course, Aaron Grimstall.
The golden-haired man's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment longer than the rest, his eyes quickly returning to meet the white-haired King, who spoke with anger.
"It seems we are in a bind, then, Mr. Lispentine. I cannot see a world in which what the Hunters' Guild does goes unchecked by the Association that governs this world, and there'll be no telling what havoc will be unleashed upon an audit of your—"
He stopped, noticing a smile making its way across the face of the man in front of him.
"An audit? An audit!"
Alex nearly bent over with laughter, the absurdity of what the Lord of Souls was saying nearly making him explode with bursting enthusiasm.
Slowly, he turned his gaze upward, the man's appearance resembling that of a lion to the blond boy who watched from the side.
"Do you truly think that an audit would do anything to the Guild? We are spread throughout every sea, barring the Abyss, and hold more global influence than the gods themselves! If you wish to audit anyone, then perhaps check up on that King of Wishes who ever-so-conveniently left out the detail of the Mark of the Sun being transferred to a mere child!"
The guildmaster's laughter had stopped, his eyes stone cold with a certain contempt that not even the Kings could notice.
Aaron, however, from afar, watched as the pontiff's brow furrowed downward, her lips pursing together as if she wished to interject but was resigned to sit in silence.
In her palms, the boy could've sworn to have seen a tiny dove rubbing its beak against her pale fingers, the sound of the birds cooing echoing like the lost voice of the Angel.
"What is it that you wish to accomplish here, Lispentine? Is this a show of authority to try to prove that you are equal to us in strength? You might think you are noble in your causes for these ever-growing tensions, but real people are dying out there. Mothers launching themselves into the sea, fathers impaling themselves on their swords, and even children slamming their heads against the pavement."
Lepaie stopped himself, his rage turning into a calculated assault on the man's calm and put-together figure.
"This isn't a war, Mr. Lispentine; this is a tactless assault on the innocent. Now you could say that you didn't know what would occur when that man split the sky with his blade; however, you would be ignorant to believe that it wouldn't cause that much damage You, more than anyone else, know the stories written in the pages of history about a blade forged from the heavens themselves capable of slaying them, and now we see a sword of that description tear open those very pearly gates to show us hell itself."
The purple-bearded man's hands rested on the table as he leaned over, his magenta eyes focusing straight onto the president, who muttered a question quietly.
"You were a soldier once, no?"
The golden-haired man straightened his tie, his eyes meeting the gaze of the King without hesitation.
He watched as Lepaie nodded slowly, a slight tinge of confusion brewing within the King of Dreams' mind.
"Then you know that this is very different than a simple war. The lives that were so pointlessly spent as they gazed upon something inhuman will forever be remembered as the first call to action against the tyranny of the Oceanic Association. You and the Association Guard, who complete their objectives under the noses of the world, know what is coming, and you are helpless to stop it."
Straightening his tie, the guildmaster spoke one final time.
"Corruption runs deep in the Association, running rampant and destroying kingdom after kingdom, family after family, life after life. Whether it be the lives you took in the conquering of this world or the carnage you leave behind, when the history books are written, you will be listed as the oppressors, the ones who dictated the world with an iron grip, killing those who do not agree with you."
Curling his lips upward, he stared between both Kings, not a flicker of resignation showing for even a moment.
"This is the eve of your fall, my friends, and the curtain on the Age of Kings will soon be upon us, whether you dictate it or the gods above declare it so."
The words echoed through the chamber like an ominous warning, not a single reaction occurring from anyone within the room.
Only after three knocks had resounded through the door did somebody finally speak, Vaelmyr Droskyn's voice booming out loudly.
"Enter!"
The door creaked open loudly, the irritating screech of the wood against the rusted hinges leaving a heavy atmosphere across the room.
Yet, slowly, as the light from the bright entryway faded, the clear figure of the Swordsman of the South came into view.
His black cloak had been removed to reveal his glistening black armor that sunk light into it like balls of liquid darkness.
The presence in the room faded at his clammering steps as he walked past both Sea Kings without a word, his black eyes focused on Aaron Grimstall, who sat before him.
For a moment, he didn't acknowledge anyone but the boy, his eyes staring straight into the turquoise ones before him.
At the blond boy's hip, Grimstall felt a strange sense of loneliness and seclusion from the disappearance of Penelope, who had been cut off from him, having stripped him of any comfort at the gaze of the man.
Though right as the boy was about to speak, the Marshal finally raised his tone, his eyes never once leaving Aaron's, yet he addressed the entire chamber.
"I was once told that the gods were mere myths created to deceive humanity and govern them into obedience."
Slowly, he turned his gaze towards the Angel, who regarded him cautiously, her eyes scanning the blade attached to his back as if it were an old friend.
"I didn't need a god to teach me obedience, for I was told I was a humble servant, too weak to even serve a master."
He looked at Lispentine, a sour look coming over the golden-attired man as the swordsman continued onward.
"Yet the tales of those who made contracts with those divine figures always fascinated me, the records of their humility and resourcefulness at fighting the banes of humanity inspiring me time and time again to never end a hunt before a successful kill."
Masaru eyed Lepaie first, a slow sigh coming from his mouth as he finished his opening response, his black hair falling calmly to the tips of his ears.
"There is no price that I could pay to atone for the lives I've taken, nor is it even possible for me to repent."
His gaze finally fell upon Vaelmyr Droskyn, who met the swordmasters without hesitation, a silent agreement being forged between the two at that moment.
Slowly, he acknowledged the room at once, his comment like a whisper to the souls of all present.
"However, as I carry the burden of their deaths on my shoulders, I move forward without the shame to do so for a purpose. I look forward to the future and see a world of peace without bloodshed, where all peoples can unite under one alliance."
He paused, taking a heavy breath before rasping his fingers against the table quietly.
"This isn't a game, and it isn't an arena. I will not be a plaything to the gods who watch us struggle as they choose the ones they mark as their own. If you so wish to arrest me now and throw me into the depths of the Associations' Prism, then you are free to do so; however, there is nothing that this world can do to stop the change that is coming."
The Marshal's eyes fell upon Aaron and Aaron alone, the last words coming from his lips sticking to the ears of all in attendance.
"The next generation is stronger than any we have ever seen before, an omen to the enemies we will be needing to face in the future. While we grow strong, our foes grow stronger, and as we bicker, their seeds of corruption only strengthen. If we are united, then we are strong, but if we are divided…"
Absolute silence covered the room as Masaru Kurogane finished his one-sided conversation.
"We will fall."