The Council Returns (Epilogue)

In the dimly lit basement of Brady's Inn, the Council led by Lucius Blake gathered. Lucius was absent, still recovering from his grievous injury. Morgana was also missing, having stayed behind in the human world to manage Thorne's network. The atmosphere was tense, charged with the weight of their recent failure.

"We need to dissect this failure of a raid," Elijah, a tall, aristocratic mage with sharp features, announced, his voice a steady command. "Xander is dead. Viktor is... changed. And Lucius is still recovering. We can't afford another misstep."

Viktor, now a lich, stood at the head of the table. His skeletal frame exuded a chilling aura, and his hollow eyes burned with a dark intensity. "The Outcasts are stronger than we expected. Marcus Winchester is still active. He…led me to take certain drastic steps, as you can see. Constantine St. John fought and defeated both Lucius and Xander; we'd be idiots to underestimate him. He's grown strong in a very short time – his bloodline must have been activated. Moreover, their other members were skilled enough to disrupt my plan – we have to deal with them.

The mages exchanged uneasy glances. Celestia, sitting opposite Viktor, maintained a composed facade, but her mind raced. Viktor's suspicion was palpable, and she knew she had to tread carefully.

"We need to understand why it failed," Lilith said, her tone icy but controlled. "What went wrong?"

Viktor's eyes narrowed. "I have my suspicions," he said slowly, "and they involve you, Celestia." he said, turning to her.

Before she could respond, Elijah leaned forward. "Let's not be hasty, Viktor. What exactly are you implying?"

Viktor's gaze didn't waver. "Kento Salvatore, the so-called failure of the Salvatore family, is an Outcast. I fought him, and I saw his power firsthand."

Elijah's eyes widened with interest. "Salvatore? An Outcast?" He smirked; his disdain for the Salvatore family was well known to everyone present. "This could be... useful." he said with a smirk.

Celestia's heart pounded. She knew Kento's presence was a complication, but she couldn't afford to show any weakness. "Kento is irrelevant," she said dismissively. "We need to focus on our objectives."

"Is he?" Viktor challenged. "He fought well, and he seemed particularly invested in you."

"Perhaps because of our history," Celestia countered. "We were childhood friends - nothing more. But that's beside the point."

Elijah's smirk grew. "History, you say? This just keeps getting more interesting."

Viktor's skeletal grin widened, a greenish light flickering in his hollow eyes. "We should exploit his connections. If there are any lingering ties to Celestia, we can use them."

Celestia's gaze hardened, her voice frosty. "Kento is a traitor, an Outcast; I despise him. There are no ties left."

Elijah nodded, his eyes sweeping over the remaining members. "Stop bickering!" Lilith exclaimed. "We must stay united. Morgana's network will provide the information we need. In the meantime, we regroup and plan our next move carefully."

"We know the Outcasts are headed here," Viktor said. "They'll be harder to reach but maybe we can use Lucius' pet upstairs to grab St. John again." he said.

"Don't worry about Myra, Viktor, Lucius has given me instructions on how to use her, feel free to scheme on your own." Elijah retorted.

"And what about Lucius?" Lilith asked with a stern voice. "How could he get hurt this badly from a neophyte Outcast?"

"St. John is an anomaly. He will recover," Elijah replied. "Until then, we must be vigilant. We cannot afford any more mistakes."

"I have one more thing to discuss with you." he added.

"What is it this time?" Viktor asked, annoyed.

"We have abducted and replaced Jonathan Guthrie." Elijah replied. This statement was met with universal uproar from the others.

"Are you insane, Elijah? We shouldn't be messing with the other big families!" Celestia exclaimed, temporarily losing her signature composure.

"It was Lucius' orders. Apparently, Edwin Guthrie feels that he's so much better than his brothers that he should…take their place, if you will. Currently, Myra is in the Guthrie household, posing as Jonathan with the help of Edwin." Elijah explained.

"This feels foolhardy, Elijah," Lilith retorted. However…if Lucius ordered it, I'll go along with it; he must have his reasons." she replied.

"Why are all of you so disgustingly submissive to that thing? Viktor asked, enraged. We all know that he's not really a-" suddenly a circle of fireballs materialized around him.

"Finish that sentence and you die." Elijah said with unnerving calmness.

"You can't kill me you fool, I'm a lich now, you'd have to find my phylactery first, remember?" Viktor replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Morgana was kind enough to tell us where you keep it." Lilith interjected, raising a pendant made of black metal, with a long metallic chain attached. In its center an emerald – like magic stone glowed faintly. Lilith put one finger on it.

"One spell and you're dead. If you want this back you better be a good boy and play nice." she said with a smirk.

Viktor was dumbfounded; he didn't expect that. How did Morgana even find his hideout? His hands were tied for now, but a good necromancer always has a backup – and he had prepared countermeasures for a situation like this. He just needed enough time to see if they have been compromised, so he decided to play along.

"Very well, I'm a reasonable man if anything," he conceded. "But I will remember this, Lilith." he added with a dose of venom in his tone.

"I really hope you do, you poor thing; I've heard that liches tend to become forgetful over time." Lilith replied in mock sympathy.

"So, Elijah," Celestia interjected, "what are we supposed to do with Guthrie?" she asked.

"I'm glad you asked, Celestia!" Elijah replied with an unsettlingly genuine smile.

"You will kill him when I tell you to. Viktor's suspicions about you and Salvatore have merit; so, it'll be a nice chance for you to prove your allegiance to our cause." he finished.

Celestia was dumbstruck; despite her reputation, she had never harmed an innocent before. But she was cornered and she knew it.

"Not a problem." she replied indifferently.

"Well then, time to go back to our respective tasks. Keep in touch if anything happens and if you find out anything about the Outcasts. Do not engage them unless explicitly ordered to. And I'll be in touch concerning the Guthrie matter…there's more to it than a simple abduction." he said, his eyes focusing on Celestia.

"Like what? Celestia replied."

"All in due time my friend, all in due time. Dismissed!" he said with finality and left the room, followed by Lilith. The others departed just as quickly, going their separate ways. Celestia's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She had to navigate this treacherous path carefully, ensuring her own survival and the success of her true objective.

And she truly hoped Kento wouldn't stand in her way again.