Set Off

It had already been two days since Zane and Slem were brought in the cell. Zane was sitting on the floor with his eyes closed in the lotus position while Slem was busy scraping the wall with an empty expression. With a long breath, Zane slowly opened his eyes. 'I have finally absorbed all of the slug, essence and body.' He frowned. 'I've definitely gotten stronger, but I'm still stuck at the peak of Heart Core... Why can't I break through Eye Seeking..' He thought about Szal. If he had the book right now, Szal would probably have helped him break through. 

His contemplation was broken by the footsteps of someone coming into the cell. It was a knight from the Sacred Order. He walked in front of the cell door and opened it. "Come with me, the Grandmaster is waiting for you." Zane slowly stood up and walked in front of the cell door with Slem behind him. 'Finally...' Zane thought. "Lead the way." His face turned serious.

Zane and Slem followed the knight into the same building they had gone in the night that they arrived. They proceeded to go in the building and went straight towards the Grandmaster's chamber. After entering the room, Zane could see some commanders standing on the side and the Grandmaster on the other side of the table.

The aura that the Grandmaster was emitting was still as imposing as the first time Zane saw him. After escorting Zane into the room, the knight respectfully left the room and closed the door behind him. Zane could hear his own breathing due to the silence in the room.

He glanced around the room without moving his head and he could see familiar faces like Thorn, Vine and Anson. His gaze then fell upon an unfamiliar figure. As soon as his gaze landed on this figure, Zane felt chills in his body. The figure was also staring at Zane with his snake like eyes, like Zane was a prey and he was the predator. 

This person's frame was thin, like he would be swept up by the wind, but the intense air surrounding him set off alarms in Zane's head. He was donning a long, dark cloak which was adorned with the Sacred Order's emblem. Underneath, he sported a black attire which allowed ease of movement. Zane slowly raised his head up only to find the figure staring back at him.

The person had a well defined face and could be defined as handsome, but he had a terrible scar across his face, like a beast had clawed him. His elegant black hair which reached below his shoulders moved as he was glaring at Zane with his gray eyes.

"Now that you're here, let's hear what you have to say." The Grandmaster broke the silence. Zane jerked his head towards the Grandmaster and stared at him. After a moment of silence again, the Grandmaster frowned. "So?" he asked Zane. "Huh? What?", Zane tilted his head. A vein popped on the Grandmaster's head. 'Did he see through me?' 

The Grandmaster chose his words to act like they had not finalized the deal with him. By doing this, he was clearly trying to make Zane think he was in an unfavorable situation and by letting him speak first, he hoped that he'd at least reveal a hint of his true motive in order to solidify the deal. But he didn't expect Zane to be so shameless and act oblivious.

'Shouldn't he be the one to tell me what to do after calling me here?' In truth, it was not that this tactic did not work on Zane because he saw through it and was acting oblivious, but because he really was oblivious. "Ahem.." The Grandmaster let out a light cough. "So can you find out where the Saint is right now?" He changed the topic.

Zane closed his eyes for a moment and focused. "Yes... he has been staying at the same place since he escaped." He opened his eyes and looked at the Grandmaster. "Oh? And you're confident you can lead us to him?" He asked. Zane didn't speak and only nodded.

"Haah.." The Grandmaster sighed. "Alright. We'll be moving right away then." He looked around the room. "This time, me and Myron will personally move. You all are to stay here and watch over Arcturus." Everyone except the thin person widened their eyes. "But Grandmaster-" Vine spoke but he was cut off by the Grandmaster's gesture. "This decision is final." He moved his head. "Thorn." He called out. "Yes Grandmaster!" Thorn bowed his head. "You'll be in charge of the city's defense while we're gone. Make sure the city is protected." The Grandmaster spoke and Thorn nodded his head. "Yes sir!"

The Grandmaster then turned towards Zane. "Do you have any other demands?" He probed. Zane looked at him and opened his mouth. "..No, I just want myself and this kid to be free after this." He said with seriousness. He thought about demanding safety for his sister but she was already doing well and he didn't want to put a target on her back. 

The Grandmaster smiled. He already knew about his sister, after all, he was the Grandmaster of Arcturus and he knew everything that happened in here. He looked at Zane with solemn eyes and sighed. His eyes seemed to know what was about to happen. "Vine, is the main church aware of these two prisoners?" He asked without moving his head. "No sir.." Vine answered. He turned towards Vine, "Good. Erase any evidence of them and silence those who know."

Vine widened his eyes but didn't say anything against it. "...Yes sir." He said softly. "Then let's set off." He walked towards the door. "You three, follow me." He looked back at Zane, Slem and Myron Black, the thin person clad in black. "Yes sir." Myron spoke in a clear voice and followed. Zane and Slem also followed them from behind.

After they exited the building, Zane could see a carriage was already waiting for them at the front. The Grandmaster and Myron went inside the carriage and looked at Zane through the window. "Hop on." With that, Zane and Slem hopped on the carriage and the carriage set off, exiting the city and following the directions of Zane.

---

On a gravely road far from Arcturus, a person was speeding through on a horseback. He was wearing a grey robe and his head was covered with the robe's hood. After a moment, his hood came off due to the wind and his rough grayish blue hair started flowing with the wind. His face full of beard held a frown like he was in a hurry. 'Bastards of the cult, couldn't even do one thing right...' 

After riding for some time, he could finally see a small village on the horizon. His one blue eye sparkled with light. 'Finally..' He touched the bag he had hanging from his shoulders. Avery Gray had finally reached the village the Saint was hiding in.