There was no exit to the labyrinth that they had entered, for it was made with the express intention of grinding the weak into dust. In truth, it would be more appropriate to describe it as a ruthless sieve rather than anything else.
Axtorius disliked it but understood that was a necessary evil for the continued safety of Mulia.
Not to protect Mulia from threats foreign, but domestic. It was a project devised by Reed himself in the wake of the Eventide to judge the worth of a person.
Virtue's Shadow was what it was called to the Aspirants, individuals who had voluntarily chosen to enlist themselves into the DEA.
The Department of Extradimensional Affairs, or merely the Department, was the organization that had arisen out of the extensive restructuring of the continent's former militaries and their defense branches.