At the Liberation Army headquarters, the silence was heavy, broken only by the sound of maps being spread across the table. Kayan met with the companions, while Romelius wiped his furrowed brow after finishing the task of bandaging Nerar's wound.
Romelius (in a calm, warning tone):
"Kayan, military strategy isn't my specialty, but I am an expert in combat and the dissection of both bodies and souls. Those we are facing are not just tyrants—they are obsessives. If we go in there, do not expect an honorable confrontation."
Pecos (trembling as he stirred the soup):
"Stripping and mangling? I wish I had stayed in that restaurant in Piras! At least there, knives were used to chop vegetables, not unlucky travelers."
Old Nikos (standing with his usual majesty beside Darius):
"Listen, my son, and listen all of you. The palace is not just stone and mortar; it is shielded by the energy of the 'Black Heart.' Our infiltration must be as much spiritual as it is physical. Darius, your impulse to kill the guards might be the very trap they've set for us. Stupidity can sometimes be a mask for a much greater evil."
Kayan (pointing to a weak spot):
"The plan is as follows: Torg and I will lead a diversionary attack on the northern gate to draw out Peonil's 'Extermination Squad.' Meanwhile, Ortinus and the rest will slip through the crystal drainage tunnels to reach the palace courtyard."
In the vast palace courtyard, the scene was nauseating. Peonil Vuanck, the King's eldest son, sat crouching beside the carcass of the Great Blue Eagle. He held a glowing feather, trying to jab it into his own arm while laughing inanely.
Peonil (in a high-pitched, childish voice):
"Look, Father! Look! The feathers don't die... they scream even when plucked. I've discovered that this bird's blood is as cold as crystal. Do you think if I drink it, I'll fly?"
King Ragos Vuanck (a man with weary features and sorrowful eyes, wearing his crown like a shackle):
"Peonil... stop this nonsense. You have killed a legendary creature that harmed no one. This war must end. The Liberation Army are the children of this city; I do not want another drop of blood spilled. I will open the door for negotiations."
Peonil (standing up suddenly, drooling with ignorant glee):
"Negotiations? Father, you're boring! Why negotiate when we can dissect them? I've prepared my squad, the 'Bloody Companions.' Tonight, they will go to the slums and kill everything that breathes. If no one is left in Aetheria but us, there won't be a revolution, right? I'm very smart!"
King Ragos (in horror): "Have you lost your mind? Those are innocents! I am the King here, and I order you to disband this squad immediately!"
Queen Laura (Ragos's wife) entered with firm strides, her eyes gleaming with a cruelty that surpassed even her son's.
Queen Laura: "Ragos, enough of this weakness! Your kindness will lead us to the gallows. Peonil is right about one thing: revolutions are smothered by beheading, not by promises. Slashing the throat of the Liberation Army is the only way for the Vuanck bloodline to survive. If you cannot do it, then stand aside and let me and my son purge Aetheria of these insects."
Ragos: "You are destroying everything our ancestors built! The Black Heart Stone has driven you mad. Aetheria will die if its people die!"
Peonil (interrupting his father with deliberate stupidity):
"Father, you talk too much. I'm going to go collect more feathers now, then I'll watch my squad harvest heads down below. It's a wonderful day for discoveries!"