Azure glanced back at Aqua, confused, but the confusion did not last. Aqua's serious expression forced her to focus.
The man pulled out a chair as he sat before the trio. He did not speak as he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Golden Rose, I presume," he said with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
His gaze swept over the three women as he continued, "The Golden Rose has already passed into Red Dawn."
He crossed his arms as he observed the trio with suspicion, his eyes analyzing the women to the best of his ability.
"We were not expecting additional wagons. And yet here you are," he said plainly.
Laura was about to speak up before the man raised his hand, not allowing her to speak.
"I will not have excuses. You will tell me who you are!" he shouted as he leaned toward the three women.
His face turned from Laura to Aqua and then finally Azure. "All of your wagons will be seized, and you will be arrested. But you can cooperate by telling me who you are, which could reduce your sentence for impersonating Golden Rose members."
Aqua glanced at her hands, then at Azure. The illusion still held.
So why had they been stopped?
Something fishy was going on, and she needed to know what. She did not know about the structure of the Golden Rose, but from what she gleaned from Laura's mind, their leader would never abandon them.
Before she could do anything, she was pulled from her thoughts by Laura's words.
"That is not possible. We are the remaining Golden Rose fighting force." Laura produced an insignia in the shape of a small rose made of pure gold, before placing it on the table.
The man picked up the insignia before inspecting it. "This seems to be genuine," he sighed as he handed the insignia back.
"You three stay here," the man ordered as he exited the room, leaving the three women alone.
Once the coast was clear, Azure was first to ask, "Lady Aqua, what is happening?"
Aqua could only shake her head; she did not know, and could not say anything but one thing.
"It seems your beloved leader betrayed you, Laura," she said in a quiet tone as she turned to Laura.
The two disguised elves were confused, but Laura looked as if the ground had vanished beneath her.
Calling it a breakdown was putting it lightly; she was trying hard to process the information while keeping herself calm and collected, but failed terribly.
Both Aqua and Azure looked at their former enemy with concern. After all, even if she was the enemy, betrayal would still hurt, and anyone could sympathize with it.
"They are lying, they must be lying!" Laura slumped down as she tried to process what Aqua said.
No, Fang would never betray Golden Rose or me. She shook her head.
He would never throw away the organization he spent so long building up, that Laura was sure.
Which meant that the guards were either tricked or worked to deceive her.
And yet the guard seemed to be as confused as we were when he saw the insignia. Laura bit her lip as she tried to explain the current situation to herself.
Just after what seemed like moments, the man returned with the two hooded figures at his sides.
Their grey robes flowed to their feet, their hoods obscuring their faces. A silver eye had been sewn into each hood, and each figure carried a plain-looking staff.
These were Disciples of Mind, a group that was responsible for the brainwashing of so many elves.
The man took his seat before speaking, "You three will submit to examination of the mind, as is your duty as officers. If you pass, we will let you pass the border."
He gestured to the two hooded figures. They bowed, then approached Aqua.
Aqua was the first one to be ordered to submit. "You first, young lady, stand up and submit to examination of the mind."
Two figures took the stance next to the table as they awaited.
Laura and Azure gulped as Aqua confidently stood up and spoke, "It will be fine. The examination can't hurt," she said, winking at Azure.
Aqua took a spot between the two figures as she smiled. They planted their staves on opposite sides of Aqua.
The flow of mana rushed from nearby Siphons, directly powering their spell.
The man took a moment as he observed mana flow before announcing, "You may begin examination."
The figures nodded as their staves glowed, and they placed one hand each onto Aqua's head.
Aqua shuddered a little as two strangers touched her. Do they have to touch me? She thought as two men tried to invade her mind.
While their attempts were not the strongest, she would allow them to examine her mind.
It was just a moment before they spoke in unison.
"Golden Petal Aqua, rank Golden Petal, Race Human." Both Disciples of Mind spoke in unison, giving it a creepy tone.
Laura was not surprised that the Disciples failed to see through the illusion, but she was surprised that Aqua's deception held even inside their minds.
Even then, while Aqua passed inspection, she doubted her and the other elven women's ability to hide from the Disciples of Mind.
Laura was ordered to approach next, and in the same manner as Aqua, they probed her mind.
But despite Laura's expectations, she felt no intrusion in her mind; instead, they just called her name, rank, and race.
And similarly, the same thing happened to Azure, who was now at her limit, where even a slight push would cause her to faint.
The man sighed before sending the two Disciples of Mind back, then sat down again.
"It seems you were speaking the truth, you may proceed to Red Dawn," he shouted as he took out a parchment, before stamping it with a bronze stamp and handing it to Laura.
It took mere minutes before the wagons were ready to be on the way again.
They proceeded past the checkpoint as they finally arrived in the Kingdom of Red Dawn, and soon after, the Great Walls of Razul would be visible on the horizon.
"Lady Aqua, Lady Azure. I know we are enemies, but I would like to ask you to help me find our leader once we arrive at the City of Razul," Laura said, deep sadness in her voice.
"I know he would never betray us, and I need to confirm it myself; otherwise, I won't be able to live with myself." She continued speaking, her head held by her hands.
Azure was first to speak up, "Laura, of course. Once we rescue my friend, we will find your leader. After all, he has a lot to answer for." She sat closer to Laura as she patted her back.
Laura nodded, "I will submit to your judgment once I know that my dear Golden Fang wasn't a traitor. Something must have happened!" As tears welled up in Laura's eyes, Azure hugged her.
Azure, being that merciful, will come back to bite you. Aqua saw her companion's behavior.
One should never comfort their enemy who only cooperates with them due to a threat.
And yet it fits her that she is so caring. Aqua smiled as she looked at her good-hearted friend. It made her like Azure even more.
***
The Disciples of Mind were humans who, with their whole being, surrendered themselves to the study of mind under the Great Inquisitor.
For disciples like Gabriel, there was no greater joy than serving at the kingdom's borders.
Occasionally, daring nonhumans would attempt to sneak into Red Dawn, which would allow border Disciples to practice without repercussion.
The only greater joy for a Disciple of Mind would be working as one of the Mind Programmers in the City of Razul, and yet this was unattainable for most.
Mind rewriting was an incredibly taxing technique that required a massive amount of power and expertise to change even one non-human, so only those born with talent could be trained to work at such a prestigious facility.
But partial rewriting was possible for most, even for someone like Gabriel.
After years of grueling hard work and study, he was finally sent to work at the border checkpoint between the City of Razul and Ebon Forest.
A place where many nonhumans would attempt to pass, accidentally or for some foolish act of heroism.
Heroic nonhumans were growing less and less in number, which meant Gabriel and his partner weren't getting proper practice over their techniques in a long time.
They were forced to use only their mind-reading techniques to interrogate suspicious humans passing through the checkpoint.
Such as the current suspects, Gabriel did not expect to be called in today as it was his and his partner's day off, but once he saw three beautiful women that he was supposed to examine, how would he be able to refuse?
Gazing into the minds of people, especially cute ladies, was always a joy for him.
While he did enjoy his work, he also preferred not to work when not necessary, unless the one he would be examining was a young woman.
He knew that his partner thought the same; every time they would examine the minds of young ladies, they would be able to peer into their most intimate moments without them ever knowing.
And if they noticed, women couldn't do anything, as they were all at the mercy of two disciples.
One word to confirm a suspicion would be enough to either execute, enslave if they were nonhumans in disguise, or just throw them into dungeons.
That power allowed the duo to influence everything that happened at the Ebon Forest Checkpoint. And visitors knew that, as such, they had no choice but to fully submit their minds to the Disciples of Mind.
Many would call their actions vile, but Gabriel saw no reason to waste such authority. Any man in his position would use it to peek at good-looking women.
And the trio before him was a jackpot, three beauties, and from what he could tell, two of them were sisters.
They must have some delicious memories together, Gabriel smirked under his hood as he and his partner approached.
The first woman stood and approached the two Disciples, allowing them to begin their preparation.
Obedient for a suspicious person.
He chuckled as his and his partner's staves glowed.
Two disciples placed one hand each on the woman's head, letting them feel the silky hair of the lady in front of them.
This softness, this silkiness, this woman must be quite wealthy, Gabriel thought about not peeking to see if it was indeed someone powerful, but his desire was stronger.
While the disciples did not need to touch the ones they examined, it was common practice for Gabriel and his partner.
Two disciples closed their eyes as they cast their spell.
Once he and his partner entered the mind, they would be separated, which would allow them both to search every corner.
Gabriel was transported into a woman's mindscape, but instead of gazing into the vault of memories as so many times before, he was floating in the middle of the void.
Gabriel couldn't move, cast, or speak as he was stuck in what was supposed to be a mind, with only his thoughts accompanying him. Did I botch my spell? No, that is not possible, I've done this thousands of times.
Direction had no meaning, space did not exist; all that existed in this mindscape was... nothing.
The voice never left his mouth; he tried to scream, and yet even that never left his throat.
Gabriel tried to cancel the spell, and yet he was stuck in place, his spell being fueled by something else.
Panic gripped him for what seemed like months before a speck of light appeared in the distance. He grasped toward the light as it suddenly expanded.
The mindscape that once was nothing was filled with light, and once infinite darkness was filled with orange, yellow, black, and red.
He felt his very soul burn as the world before him transformed. The colors coalesced as the scenery before him turned into a land flowing with magma and flame, the sky covered by thick smoke, and the ground itself scorching his feet.
It was a spitting image of hell. The scenery was terrible enough, but the sounds were worse. The smell of burning flesh was suffocating.
His hood disappeared as the scenery changed into what looked like a palace.
Before him stood a woman he was supposed to investigate. She approached him, and without a word, her form shimmered as the illusion was dispelled.
Before him stood a nonhuman in more ways than he expected. A halo of flame radiated scorching heat around her. Angelic wings of pure fire dragged across the ground, leaving trails of flame behind them, and her blue eyes left ghostly streaks as she walked.
So a nonhuman, she'd better have a good explanation for this. He smirked as he took a step before the elven woman.
He knew that this was only a mindscape; the worst she could do was to kick him out, no matter what kind of illusion she made, and if she did, she would be announced as a suspicious person.
"You'd better have a good explanation for these tricks, woman! Otherwise, both you and your companions will be enslaved!" he shouted at the suspicious elven woman.
"Oh, you will never leave this place, Human," her voice echoed inside the palace walls.
Step after step, she slowly approached before stopping mere meters away.
The palace collapsed, revealing a familiar void, but this time it was occupied by two of them.
"I can't have you preventing me from entering this damned kingdom, human," she said softly as she placed her hand on Gabriel's face.
Masses of black flame appeared around her, and in moments, the void was filled with the black fire.
The flames coalesced more and more, forming chains around Gabriel's limbs.
"What is this, you damn witch!?" he shouted with a panicked voice.
"Black Fire, Human. Feel the terror of the cosmic predator." Her giggle echoed inside an infinite void.
"Your mind and soul, and your partner's, will be bound to me forever," she said, caressing Gabriel's face with a hint of sadism in her voice.
"No... This is not possible!" Gabriel screamed before his voice was silenced, and his attempt at screams would never be heard as Aqua continued speaking.
"Your bodies will serve me, while your minds and souls remain forever inside this hell of my making." Aqua laughed as the scenery collapsed; he was once again transported into the land of flowing lava and scorching earth.
Aqua disappeared, leaving Gabriel, chained in black flame, to forever suffer the heat of the world that once was.
***
Aqua sighed at her cruelty, which reminded her of the tyrant's own. If she had just used mind control, it would have been quicker, and yet, it would have been too easy to discover.
But consuming the soul of a disciple using black flame would leave a shell that would only require a small piece of soul, and a mind that would obey her to inhabit it.
A small piece of soul would be enough to make the host body continue its regular duties, and yet it wouldn't contain its former personality. The advantage was simple: there was no spell left to detect.
She felt no sadness for the necessary cruelty she had committed. After all, she had done worse in her quest to destroy the Tyrant of her old world.
Trapping two souls inside the scorched world of her mindscape would not even rank among the hundred worst atrocities she had committed.
After all, they were still alive in some form and could be recovered, and yet she had no plans on doing anything to these two souls just yet, so they were left trapped in the scorched world.
Necessary, she told herself. Necessary.
If she and Azure were discovered, it would most certainly attract the attention of Red Dawn, which Aqua wished to avoid, at least until Sheira was safe.
Red Dawn, after all, seemed quite advanced and, worst of all, they were unknown.
Aqua knew nothing about them and their inner workings, and as such, they had to be dealt with great care.
She was pulled by the voices of puppets confirming her identity as one of the Golden Rose, shortly followed by the same confirmation for Laura and Azure.
I hope I won't need to do this again, she thought as the trio returned to the wagons before departing for the City of Razul.