11 Seir

Liana led the way as they headed unto the vault. A dozen guards were patrolling the archive. Seeing that it was Liana and Brianna they let them proceeded. Nobody talked as they climbed the stairs. Liana's eyes halted on the large hole on the vault and then to the broken railing. The drug must be so strong if she could sleep through all of that.

Everything inside of the vault was left untouched. Not even dust touched the priceless artifacts. Liana halted in front of the bead. Even now it was still strange to see such a plain item to be the legendary artifact.

"This one?" Brianna asked. "If my memory is right, this one was retrieved at the end of the first great war. No one ever figured out the function of this item. Considering it was crafted by Saint Yulan, it was still kept here. You said it was conscious?"

Liana said, "I tried to talk to him once before the festival but he didn't respond."

"Hey White!" Nea called. "Enough with the nap. We need to talk to you. I know you were the one who beat Davyn up when he tried to steal you."

Liana elbowed Nea and hissed, "Did you forget what I sa-"

"How noisy." White materialized with his hands crossed. His half-lidded eyes settled on Brianna. "This one is?"

Liana said, "Forgive our intrusion, Brianna is one of my caretakers."

"An honor to meet you," Brianna said, giving a slight bow.

"Enough with the flattery," Nea butted in. "Some crazy stuff just happened. Davyn drugged Liana and use her to access the vault. When he failed, he went to my mother's room. He said some mysterious words and then changed into a strange beast that attacked the Sanctum. Can you give us some explanation?"

"Did your Elders not know? On second thought it is not surprising. Ages have indeed passed since that time." White shifted into a sitting position while still floating in the air. "That beast is a 'gift' by Seir. It liked to plant a seed into poor fellows. Those with a weak will shall be under Seir's control. A perfect puppet. Capable of accessing the memories of the host and pretending to be its shell. A rare few are capable to turn into monsters like the one you saw."

"Seir?" Liana's gaped. "One of the ancient gods?"

"Gods. Monsters. The only difference between them is that the former are loved while the latter are hated."

"How can it still be alive?!" Nea asked. "Shouldn't all of them perished in the first great war?"

"I thought so too, but no one else can create such abomination. That man, Davyn, is also surprising. To be able to fight against the power of ancient beast even if it is only for a moment."

"So that's how it is," Brianna mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Nea asked.

Brianna said, "I don't understand why Davyn would do such a reckless move. After hearing… White's explanation, I assume that he did this to alert us."

White said, "Yes, or else that thing will stay under the radar for years. I doubt any of your Elders is capable to detect Seir's trick."

Nea frowned. "Davyn… he told me there's a danger from outside. He also said that it was his fault that my mother…"

Brianna sighed, "Your mother's disappearance must be linked to this incident. They might have planned to plant several spies here but you know your mother's temperament."

Nea gave a hollow laugh. "… She won't let them."

Liana put her hand on Nea's shoulder. "What should we do then?"

"I shall inform the Elders of this matter. The Scout will be sent to investigate. Whatever it is they are planning will be massive." Brianna looked at White. "Are there other relevant information you can share?"

White said, "Seir has always been obsessed with the idea of salvation. Salvation that only it can give. I can't guess its exact plan but no doubt it wishes to reign over the land once more. To see humans thrive without its intervention. Must be infuriating." White chuckled. "I'm astonished it has included me in its plan. Whatever it is I'm more than happy to topple it down. Ah yes, I shall leave the island to launch my own investigation."

Brianna frowned. "That will be inadvisable. You are clearly one of Seir's objectives."

"Let it come. There are some lessons I need to impart."

Brianna said, "This is unwise-"

"I don't care about your opinion. While I'm grateful for your clan to house me for more than a millennium. You cannot force me to stay here any longer. Not even you Esteemed Elder."

Brianna pursed her mouth. "I shall tell the Elders of your decision."

Liana asked, "You're leaving soon?"

White said, "Not immediately. After all, I did promise you a chat, I doubt you will have time when you take the seat as the Matriarch."

Nea gaped and turned to Liana. "You're going to become the Matriarch?"

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