The chamber remained cloaked in silence as the Core Seven looked upon Delson Snow Jr.'s unconscious form. The weight of judgment hung in the air, thick and oppressive. Delson Snow Sr. stood at the head of the table, his gaze fixed on his son, and for a brief moment, the father seemed to emerge from beneath the mask of the leader. But before anyone could speak, a voice cut through the silence, chilling and unmistakable.
"You are not permitted to pass judgment on him."
The voice was calm, but there was an undeniable power behind it. It echoed through the chamber, causing every member of the Core Seven to stiffen. Their eyes darted toward the shadows at the far end of the room, where a figure stepped forward, the darkness seeming to cling to him, drawn to his very presence.
It was Tel-Nu.
He moved with a quiet authority, his form barely visible beneath the dark cloak that enveloped him, his face obscured by the ever-present shadow. The guards at the door instinctively stepped back, fear flashing in their eyes. Even the Core Seven, each a master of their respective domains, felt the oppressive weight of his presence as he approached the unconscious body of Delson Snow Jr.
Delson Snow Sr.'s eyes narrowed, his voice calm but with an edge of steel. "Tel-Nu. This is a private council. What business do you have here?"
Tel-Nu did not respond immediately. He stood over Delson Jr., his eyes, though unseen, seeming to pierce through the boy's limp form. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, but every word carried the weight of a command.
"You will not pass judgment on him," Tel-Nu repeated, his gaze unmoving. "Delson Snow Jr. does not belong to you. He belongs to me now."
A ripple of tension spread through the room as Tel-Nu's words settled. The Core Seven exchanged brief, uneasy glances, unsure of what to make of this intrusion. The man before them was shrouded in mystery, his power undeniable. Yet, in this moment, he did not raise a weapon, did not offer threats. His claim over Delson Jr. was made with absolute authority, as if there was no room for debate. Junna, always quick to action, stepped forward, her voice firm. "He's committed crimes against Corintopia, he must answer for them." Tel-Nu's head turned ever so slightly in her direction, but he made no move toward her. "Your laws hold no sway over him now. His fate is mine to decide, not yours."
Delson Snow Sr. took a step forward, his voice commanding as he began to speak. "Tel-Nu, you have no place here, "
But before he could finish, Tel-Nu's voice cut through his words with chilling finality. "No. It is you who has no place in this world."
The room fell into a stunned silence as Tel-Nu's words echoed against the stone walls, each syllable carrying an unmistakable weight. He did not raise his voice, yet his presence seemed to darken the very air around him. The Core Seven, each accustomed to wielding great power, found themselves momentarily frozen by the sheer authority he exuded.
Tel-Nu's shadowed figure turned slightly, addressing them as a whole. "You, the Core Seven, believe yourselves to be the protectors of this world. But soon enough, the world will see the truth. You are relics of a time long past, and your time is nearly at its end."
Delson Sr. clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening into fists, but before he could speak again, Tel-Nu continued, his voice calm but with a sinister undertone.
"I will deal with you," Tel-Nu said, his tone matter-of-fact, "but not today. Not here. This chamber," he gestured slightly to the stone walls around them, "is not fitting for your deaths."
A ripple of unease passed through the room. Junna's eyes narrowed, her hand instinctively moving toward the hilt of her sword, though she made no move to draw it. Cormac and Kira exchanged a brief, uncertain glance, while Dmitri's muscles tensed, ready for action, though Tel-Nu showed no signs of immediate violence.
"No," Tel-Nu continued, his voice cryptic and unsettling, "the world must see your end firsthand. A message must be made. A statement before the final curtain falls. The people must understand the weight of your sins when the time comes."
His words were a puzzle, but the threat woven within them was unmistakable. Tel-Nu was speaking of something far beyond Delson Jr.'s fate. He was speaking of the Core Seven's future, of a reckoning that would not be confined to the quiet walls of the Sanctuary but would play out on a stage for all to see.
Delson Sr.'s eyes blazed with a mix of anger and uncertainty, but he held his ground. "You will not threaten this council, Tel-Nu." Tel-Nu remained still, his form seemingly melding with the shadows that surrounded him. "This is not a threat," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper but cutting through the air like a knife. "It is simply... the truth."
With that, Tel-Nu's gaze shifted back to Delson Jr., still unconscious on the cot. "I will take him now."
For a moment, the room was still, the air thick with tension. Tel-Nu's final words seemed to linger, filling the space with a cold dread that none could shake. Then, without warning, shadows began to coil around both Tel-Nu and Delson Snow Jr., dark tendrils twisting and entwining their forms like living things. The shadows thickened, their inky darkness consuming them entirely.
Junna's hand moved instinctively to her sword, her eyes narrowing as she watched the impossible scene unfold. The shadows seemed to pulse and ripple, swallowing the two figures whole. And then, in a blink, they were gone, vanished into the void as though they had never been there.
The chamber was deathly quiet, save for the soft rustle of the air where Tel-Nu and Delson Jr. had stood only moments before. The eerie silence was shattered by the sudden, furious sound of Delson Sr. slamming his fist into the stone table before him.
The table, once solid and imposing, disintegrated into dust under the sheer force of his blow, the fragments scattering across the floor like ash. The other members of the Core Seven recoiled slightly, the immense power behind Delson Sr.'s display a reminder of his own strength. But even that power, it seemed, paled in comparison to Tel-Nu.
Delson Sr. stood over the ruined table, his chest rising and falling with frustration. His expression was dark, his fury barely contained as he stared at the space where his son had once been. He was the leader of the Core Seven, one of the most powerful beings in existence, yet he had been powerless to stop Tel-Nu from taking his son.
After a long, tense silence, Kira was the first to speak. Her voice was low, laced with unease. "He treated us like we were nothing... like we're no more than playthings to him."
Junna, still gripping the hilt of her sword, nodded slowly. "He came and went as if the laws of this world don't apply to him." There was a cold anger in her voice, but also a thread of doubt. "Even with all our strength, none of us could stop him. He didn't even need to raise a hand."
Cormac, who had been quiet throughout the exchange, finally spoke, his usually calm tone now filled with concern. "If Tel-Nu truly has that much power... what does that mean for us? For Corintopia? If he decides to come after us again, "
Dmitri, ever the warrior, stood, his fists clenched at his sides. "We can't just sit here and do nothing. We have to prepare. We have to be ready for when he comes back."
But even as Dmitri spoke, the room was filled with a shared unease, a silent understanding that Tel-Nu's power was beyond anything they had faced before. They had always been the strongest, the protectors of the New Renaissance. Yet in the face of Tel-Nu's effortless command over them, they were left feeling vulnerable, mere mortals standing before a god.
Delson Sr. finally spoke, his voice hoarse but controlled. "We will deal with Tel-Nu when the time comes. But for now, we must focus on what we can control." He turned to the others, his eyes burning with determination. "Tel-Nu has taken my son, and for that, there will be consequences. But not today."
The room fell silent once more, the members of the Core Seven left to contemplate their place in this new, terrifying reality.
Delson Snow Sr. stood still for a moment, his gaze lingering on the space where his son had been taken. The Core Seven had always been in control, but now, that control felt dangerously fragile. Without a word to the others, he turned away from the council chamber, moving toward the far wall where an unassuming panel waited.
His fingers brushed over the hidden mechanism, and with a quiet click, the panel slid open, revealing a narrow set of stone stairs that descended into the dark. Delson took one last look over his shoulder before stepping through, the panel closing seamlessly behind him.
The stairwell was cool and quiet, the only sound the soft echo of his footsteps as he descended. The weight of the day pressed heavily on him, not just as a leader, but as a father. Delson Jr. was gone, taken by Tel-Nu, and the thought gnawed at him with every step.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, another door stood before him. He pressed his hand to the sensor beside it, and the door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a small, dimly lit elevator. He stepped inside, the metallic doors closing behind him with a quiet finality.
As the elevator began its slow descent into the depths of the Sanctuary, Delson's thoughts turned inward, circling around his son. Delson Jr. had always been rebellious, but this... this was something different. The reckless actions that had led to the deaths of six men, the traps, the secrets, Delson Sr. had always hoped his son would find his way back. But now, with Tel-Nu in the picture, that hope felt dangerously out of reach.
And then there was Tel-Nu himself. The shadowy figure had appeared out of nowhere, wielding a power unlike anything Delson had ever seen. He had come into the council chamber, taken Delson Jr., and left without so much as a struggle. And for all the Core Seven's strength, they had been powerless to stop him.
Delson clenched his fists at his sides as the elevator continued its descent. Tel-Nu had made his intentions clear, this wasn't over. He had hinted at something more, something darker on the horizon, and Delson knew that whatever it was, they were not prepared. Not yet.
But how could they prepare for an enemy like Tel-Nu? He was more than just a threat to Corintopia, he was a force of nature. A being that defied their understanding of power and control.
The elevator came to a slow halt, and the doors slid open, revealing the underground bunker deep beneath the Sanctuary. This hidden room, secured away from the rest of the world, was where Delson Sr. would begin to plan. His son's fate, the survival of Corintopia, the looming threat of Tel-Nu, it all weighed heavily on him, but he could not afford to falter.
He stepped out of the elevator and into the dimly lit bunker, his mind already working through the countless possibilities. There had to be a way to overcome this. There had to be a way to stop Tel-Nu before the inevitable reckoning came.