Chapter 11

"What I am about to tell you is confidential information and could wreak havoc on Teyvat," Heizou said seriously, "Do you swear to never share this with anybody?"

"I do," Aether lied through his teeth. Depending on what you tell me, the knights will know. Paimon will know. Hell, I could share this with the whole city. You all trust so easily. It truly is impressive.

And Heizou began the story. "Several centuries ago a city was formed. Six powerful businessmen came together to create a city where they could flourish. They hoped to build a city that could survive perfectly on its own. Away from all of the wars and issues the outer world faced. These six people were known as The Archons. As the years went on the city grew and as it grew in population it also grew more and more isolated. This city is known as Teyvat," Heizou took a breath and looked directly at Aether.

"Of course none of the citizens noticed until too late. By the time the citizens noticed the Archons had locked Teyvat down, only the leader of the Archons, Nushen Celestia, was able to leave the city." Aether breathed in sharply when Heizou said her name. Paimon is the descendant of the only person able to leave this city. Interesting. Heizou, oblivious to Aether, continued, "The citizens revolted. They tried to destroy everything the Archons had built. After nearly 14 years of warfare, a bargain was finally struck. In exchange for the city to remain isolated, the citizens would have the power to govern themselves. And so, the Archons stepped down. It seemed as if they and their respective parties had simply vanished.

"Of course, as this happened over a hundred years prior to this day, the human mind became, well, forgetful. Only those in higher government positions still have access to the records. Even then what truly happened to them is unknown. It is believed that the mafia groups are based off of the Archons. Some theorize that the leaders of the groups are true descendants of the Archons. After all, the names of the modern day groups are the same as those from the formation of the city."

"However," Jean said firmly, "It is all simply speculation. And we do not deal in speculation. We deal in facts."

"Are all myths not based in fact?" Heizou asked lightly.

"What are the names?" Aether asked, "The Archons and their groups." He tried to sound as genuine as possible. I need to know what they may know about the Knights.

"The Archons are each associated with an element. We have the Anemo Archon, leader of the Knights of Favonius and his alias is 'Barbatos.' Next is the Geo Archon, leader of the Qixing; his alias is 'Morax.' Then we have the Electro Archon, leader of the Shogunates. We are unsure whether there is one or two of them. Some reports call her 'Baal' and others call her 'Beelzebul.' Next is the Dendro Archon, leader of the Akademiya. Her alias is 'Buer' or 'Lord Kusanali." That's the group Razor's brother is a part of. "And finally we have the Fatui, leader of the Cryo Archon, alias 'Naphula.' All of their names are derivations of demon names from the outerworld. They also are the names we have on record from the original Archons."He didn't mention the Abyss Order. Are the police unaware of them? Heizou paused for a moment before continuing the story, "The fact is seven years ago there was the biggest war on record between these groups. The Qixing, the Shogunates, and the Fatui changed leadership. People on every side died. Including innocent civilians and police members." His voice hardened when he said that. "Then two years ago there was an event referred to as 'The Cataclysm', when a new party emerged. No one knows where they came from, all we know is that they appeared and people died. And when they arrived more people began to disappear. People disappear for days, as if they never existed. Then they appear again. They return as if nothing happened. When questioned they have no memory of disappearing. They simply believe they continued working and existing as per normal." The doing of Asmoday I suspect. But the police do know some about the Cataclysm.

"What's the Cataclysm?"

Jean answered that, "Two years ago a new group showed its allegiance. The existing five didn't like that someone was showing up. It's the first time on record that four of the Archons created an alliance. The Fatui didn't band with the other four but they still helped to try to take down the Abyss in their own way. The other four did everything in their power to stop them. We know that leadership for the Knights of Favonius and the Akademiya changed during that six month battle. We suspect that that change in leadership caused the 'Dvalin incident.'" Bingo.

"Who's Dvalin?" Aether asked, "And who is the leader of the Abyss?"

"Someone we believe to have previously been a part of the Knights of Favonius. He betrayed them for some reason," Jean said.

"Personally I think he betrayed the Knights of Favonius for the Abyss Order," Heizou added. Jean shot him a glare and Heizou gave an apologetic look. Dvalin is involved with the Abyss?

"Anyways," Jean said, "He gave us some info to bust an operation the Knights of Favonius were doing. But, since we have no concrete information on if he ever was officially a member of the Knights of Favonius, meaning we have no cause for arrest." Xiao mumbled something under his breath about Dvalin being a murderer. So they are fully prepared to arrest him if they find the smallest shred of information. I wonder who he killed? "And the leader of the Abyss Order is a woman known as 'The Princess.'" Princess certainly matches with the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles vibe. I wonder if Asmoday is the Abyss Princess.

"We have told you entirely too much though," Xiao said, "We also know all of your information. If any of this gets out, you will be immediately arrested and put on trial for disturbance of the peace. Do I make myself clear?" Very much so Mr. Xiao.

"Yes sir," Aether said. He turned to leave the room.

"Sora," Heizou said, stopping him mid turn, "Your passport?"

"Ahh of course," Aether turned around and grabbed his passport, "Farewell." The three in the room simply nodded.