Shade snapped out of his thoughts.
"Put those things away. They're going to ruin the floor," said Saint Cor.
Morgan tilted her head and dismissed the echoes.
"Good. I see that your... clan... remains as cunning as ever. These Echoes will be of great help. If used correctly, of course."
As the room filled with slight tension, Morgan spoke.
"I see that our companions from the great Song clan have not yet arrived."
"Indeed. They will arrive in a few hours. Truth be told, I find that inconvenient... there is much we need to discuss about the current situation on the continent and your future role in keeping it in human hands. But what am I supposed to do? Repeat everything when the Song vanguard arrives?"
Saint Cor shook his head in resignation.
Shade was thinking of different ways to make money, barely paying attention to the exchange.
"...So, make yourselves comfortable for now. We will meet when the other party arrives. By the way, these three are my best men: Jet the Ascended, Sunless the Ascended, and Uriel the Ascended. You all know Soul Reaper and Lord of Darkness, so I won't say anything. Young master Sunless, however, has recently earned his reputation. From what I've heard, the soldiers call him the Devil of Antarctica."
Saint Cor let out a little laugh.
"A most appropriate nickname. In any case, these three will be sent to your two great clans. Punctuality has its reward, so... choose one," said Cor.
Shade remained calm, his presence barely enough to be an uninteresting Ascended.
Uriel felt Morgan's gaze on him.
"Oh, no, no, no..." Shade thought. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Shade held his breath but finally relaxed when he saw that Morgan was looking at Sunny.
"Well then, we will take young master Sunless. After all, he is the companion of my dear sister. I feel we are already good friends!"
Mentally, Shade was dancing with joy.
He didn't want to get involved in that petty guerrilla. His plans were grand.
If he managed to get Jet to go with the Song clan, he would make a statue and dance all night long.
Shortly after, Uriel, Jet, and Cor left the room to await the arrival of the Song clan.
Shade was undoubtedly happy.
"You look quite cheerful, Uriel," said Jet.
"Oh, Master Jet, you have no idea how happy I am. I am just one step away from achieving what I have always wanted."
"And what would that be?"
"To be the laziest subject in all of Antarctica, only leading troops from behind. That and being a platypus."
Jet was bewildered.
"A what?"
"Platypus, a mix between a beaver and a duck. It's a mammal, but it lays eggs and can lactate through sweat," Shade explained.
Jet looked at Shade with a strange, slightly disappointed gaze. She said nothing.
---
A few hours passed when finally the Song clan arrived in Eastern Antarctica.
As far as Shade remembered, Ravenheart did not have a territory larger than Bastion. Unlike Bastion, whose surrounding beasts were in the Fallen and Corrupted ranks, Ravenheart had areas that were much harder to access and high-rank creatures still inactive.
Because of this, that clan's expansion was much slower but more solid.
Shade had discussed it with Uriel, and they had both concluded that it would be more beneficial to associate with the Song clan. The knowledge he could acquire about runic sorcery made by the Demon of Terror, as well as access to the Black Mountains and subsequently the Underworld, would be invaluable.
Although he didn't want to get involved in this small war for the Black Skull, at most he could be a mere spectator and not participate. Simply put, if he did, he would have several Saints trying to kill him.
Shade frowned thoughtfully. Now that he thought about it carefully, he might have been sold by the government to the Song clan.
That was the highest possibility and the one he most believed to be true.
---
In the end, after a few hours, he was called by Wake of Ruin, who confirmed his suspicions: he had been assigned to the Song clan as the government's envoy to the second Legacy clan.
Shade felt a bit used. Although he was annoyed, he simply swallowed it and swore to return the blow in the future.
As for Jet, she would be the bridge between them — that is, between him and Sunny — to report regularly, and she would speak with Wake of Ruin.
Finally, everyone arrived.
"You are here. I hope you have rested well... there is much to talk about, so we probably won't sleep tonight."
The departing Saint smiled coldly.
"...I wouldn't dream of it."
Shade let out a brief laugh that sounded more like an involuntary cough, drawing several glances that he ignored.
That was a good one, Shade thought, amused.
Before the conversation could continue, Shade felt the same sensation in the atmosphere as four new figures appeared.
Shade looked at the first Saint of Song: Dire Fang.
He was a man of somber countenance, with several half-healed bruises from the last fight. He was of medium height with an angular face and powerful muscles that marked his skin.
He wore a sleeveless vest that left his broad shoulders and strong arms exposed. His hair was dark and disheveled like that of a wild beast. A thick beard covered the lower part of his face, and his eyes were cold and piercing.
Shade felt a sense of pure wildness behind great self-control.
He was undoubtedly dangerous if he faced him.
Then he looked at the Saint beside him, and what he saw made him blink several times.
The woman, in the best sense of the word, was impressive and tempting. She was tall, with fair skin, red lips, and sensuality. Her cold beauty was reinforced by piercing dark eyes full of strength and a sense of danger.
This was Beast Master. Her black hair fell like a mane of black silk. She wore a simple crimson cloth dress that outlined her slender figure. Her face was somewhat distant and yet roguish.
Shade felt his heart skip a slight beat — something that had never happened to him before.
The third figure Shade recognized was Seishan.
Although her beauty as a Sleeper was impressive, as an Ascended it was much more enhanced. She was serene, reserved, and exquisite. Her gray skin gave her an inhuman and fascinating appearance.
Shade knew that beneath that beauty was a dangerous woman capable of tearing apart abominations with her bare hands in the wildest ways.
I suppose deciding to join Song isn't such a bad idea after all, he thought to himself, imagining a multitude of possibilities.
Finally, the fourth member was a middle-aged man with heavy armor and a somber face.
"Long time no see," said Sunny, making the Ascended raise an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry. I don't think we know each other."
"Aha," said Sunny.
The government Saint remained silent for a few moments and then spoke with some irritation in his tone.
"Now that we are all here... let's set aside the introductions. I express my gratitude to the elders of the great Valor clan and the great Song clan for helping us in this time of need. Come, let's go... we need to talk about the war."
---
Shade disconnected most of the meeting, which really didn't affect what he had to do.
He simply answered when asked something in an uninteresting and brief manner, without wanting to talk, so he was just an external observer, ignoring the tension in the room.
Most of it came from the Song clan due to the Ascended Bast, who was just a decoy to confuse them with Mordret, while the real one was already in Bastion — or so he assumed.
He wasn't very sure where Mordret was in the second campaign until he discovered the Black Skull in the Nightmare Desert.
The operation was divided into three areas.
The first would be under the command of the government and the two Saints of Valor and Song.
The other two would be between the Song clan and the Valor clan to eliminate the most powerful threats, and if a Titan attacked, they would have to join forces to kill it.
In short, the government would use the two great clans to keep the siege cities safe. In exchange, the great clans would have free rein as long as it did not affect the evacuation of Eastern Antarctica.
While Shade was reflecting on what he could do, he received a message from Sunny.
"What do you think of all this, Shade?"
"Think about what?"
"All this about the clans killing each other."
"That it's a shame. Though I suppose that's not what you want to know," he replied.
Sunny was silent for a second and then spoke.
"You know what's going to happen, don't you?"
Shade hesitated to respond.
"Yes. Do you want me to tell you, or do you want to wait and be surprised?"
"Just answer."
"Fine. I'll give you a brief summary in a few words. Tell Neph if you want. In the end, both Song and Valor will fight upon finding a key Nightmare Gate near a black skull. Guided by Mordret, they will fight for it, but no one will win because several category four gates will open. Happy?" Shade asked.
Sunny struggled to maintain an expressionless face while assimilating all this information.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, although now that I've told you, that might change or not. I don't know. Things change a lot, and nothing is 100% certain," he explained.
Shade cut the connection after that because the meeting had finally ended, and he had free time before meeting with the Song clan.
He was sure they would interrogate him about everything he knew about the Nightmare Desert.
Shade left the meeting with a slight yawn before stopping and looking at Morgan, who was approaching his direction with a calm smile and a strange gleam as if she were looking at something shiny.
"Lady Morgan, do you want something from me?" Shade asked calmly.
Morgan stopped a few steps from Shade, maintaining her distance.
"Ascended Uriel, or do you prefer Lord of Darkness?" she asked with a slight smile.
Shade smiled amiably.
"You may call me whatever you like, Lady Morgan. After all, I am just a simple Ascended, and you are a princess of the great Valor clan," he said, emphasizing the words "princess of Valor."
Morgan did not react to the small mockery.
"I must say, although this is the first time we've met in person, you are more interesting than seeing you through government propaganda and hearing of your deeds."
"Oh, please, it's no big deal."
"You are quite humble. But I'll be direct: could you have a friendly match with me?" asked the woman, making Shade raise an eyebrow. Then he shrugged.
"Sure. I've been looking for someone strong to polish my combat style for a while."
Morgan smiled.
"What a coincidence. Me too. I suppose we'll get along quite well." Morgan's smile was a cold one that didn't reach her eyes.
"The same to you, Lady Morgan..." Shade replied.
"Come, there's a good place where we can have a quiet sparring session without observers."
Shade turned around and began to walk while Morgan followed a few meters behind, not abandoning the smile on her face.