5 --- 2

To say Nate was excited would be an understatement. He was trying to maintain his composure but the bubbly feeling in him was slowly slipping through and for the first time since joining the New York crew, Nate actually took time to try and look good.

Even though he still wore his normal attire of jeans, white t-shirt and black jacket. He wondered if pre-memories him was this excited about the citadel and the elders. Maybe he had seen them before and couldn't remember. Dark thoughts began to enter his mind as he thought of the things he could have done and not remember.

He pushed away the thoughts; he wasn't going to spend today wondering what kind of person he was before all of this. Not again.

He stepped into the common room and he was greeted with the sight of Victor in a full suit. *Looks like I am not the only one dressing to impress.* He was more surprised at Minx's appearance who was dressed in a simple black gown. She looked really different from when she was in her flashy outfits. Even though her hair was still sparkly pink, the change was largely noticeable.

"I don't see why you won't let me wear what I want. I look like a nun." She complained to Victor.

Victor sighed. "I am not having this conversation with you again Minx." If you are going to come with me to this conclave, I need to be less distracting." She squeezed up her face in annoyance but said nothing, not wanting to miss the opportunity of a lifetime. "Is everybody ready?"

Ronda came into the common room in a long gown with a knee length slit. Nate hated to admit it but she actually looked pretty. Carl and Genk followed her both in formal attires. Nate couldn't quite figure out whether they were brothers or just friends and then he saw Genk adjust Carl's tie before giving him a light kiss to the lips. *Oh that explains it.*

Caleb and Bennet were the only two present in the room that were not going with them but holding the fort in their absence. Neither men looked displeased at the news or at least was showing it.

Helen was absent. She was as usual waived from anything outdoors.

"I guess that is everyone." Victor said, reached into his jacket pocket and produced an object that sparked interest in Nate's mind.

It was a zune, a small spherical object with a silvery color. Nate knew all too well what it did. It was an invite given to territory leaders by emissaries of the elders. It was infused with will with the sole purpose of creating a portal directly to the citadel, a place where no one knew its location. Without a Zune, it was impossible to get to the citadel.

Victor held the object between his forefinger and thumb and then infused his will into it. Willers were the only ones who could activate zunes, a precaution against humans.

The zune glowed and a beam of light shot out of it and opened a portal right in front of him. Unlike other portals opened by porters, they could not see through this portal as it was blocked by a milky white glow.

Victor nodded slightly to Caleb and Bennet before walking first into the portal and Nate and the rest followed him closely.

The warm air of the common room transformed into chilling and biting cold as soon as they appeared on the other side of the portal. Ronda and Minx shivered visibly, suddenly regretting their choice of clothing. Minx muttered something about her old clothes but Nate couldn't hear her over the howling wind.

Nate hugged his jacket tighter and looked ahead but there was nothing but snow and ice for miles. He turned around and found out he was looking the wrong way. There was the citadel in all its glory. It was what he imagined and more. It was grey in color, tall and wide. It was covered in shimmering golden light that seem to come from nowhere. All that beauty in the middle of nowhere.

"Come on. Let's go." Victor said and walked towards the entrance where they were other groups gaining entry. They reached the big gate in a minute where Victor presented his zune to the guard who examined it and then looked up at each of them. Nate could feel the prickling sensation on his skin and knew he was being scanned. They were taking no chances. When he was satisfied they were not smuggling any human into the citadel. He waved them through.

As they walked inside, what Nate saw caught his breath. *Titans.*

The exclusive soldiers of the elders stood in two lines. The black outfit that outfitted with gold gleamed proudly. It was not their appearance that attracted Nate but their weapons, swords and spears that looked ordinary but were not. They could be infused with will that gave the blade an extra edge. A well infused weapon could cut through solid steel like paper. Nate looked at their faces that were devoid of emotion. They looked so formidable in their solid formation. He wasn't surprised to see soldiers of his age. Titans training started very young, which Nate knew would be nothing short of a grueling and life threating experience.

He felt a twinge of jealousy in him. He wondered how it would look like if he was rising through their ranks instead of working for a crime boss.

They strolled past the titans into the inner building. It was a wide room that looked like a lobby that was really stretched out. The highlights gleamed brightly on the white tiles. There were people scattered all over the place clustered in groups. There were large screens all over the walls which would show the proceeding concave.

"Mr. Victor Payne." A voice called out to them. Nate looked to his left to see a featureless man drabbed in the white, black and silver uniform of an emissary, the elder's errand boys. Or girls.

"Your presence would be required in the Mausoleum. The conclave starts in fifteen minutes."

Victor nodded to Ronda. "Take care of them." He said before walking away with the emissary.

Ronda turned back to them. "Follow me. I will get us a place to sit."

"No." Nate said immediately.

"What? Victor just said I should take care of you guys"

"I don't care. I get to be in one of the most mysterious places in the world, I am not spending that time with you guys.

She started to say something in her usual angry voice but Nate ignored her and walked off.

The waiting area was largely occupied by willers of different races. He could see on the various screens, leaders of major territories in the world rapidly filling the mausoleum. Nate wasn't awed by their sheer numbers. There were millions of willers all over the world and for every major city in the world there has to be a willer maintaining control over other willers.

His eyes moved all over until he found an empty seat. Beside it was a girl with snow white jaw length hair picking her finger nails with a nimble knife.

He took the seat before it was taken away.

She jerked up immediately. "Oh that's Mick's."

"Hey asshole." A burly teenager with a lot of facial hair came towards him. "The seat is taken."

Under normal circumstances, Nate would have apologized and left the seat but his pride won't let him lose face to a loose mouthed boy. "Yes it is, by me."

The boy's eyes glowed instantly. "Get off the seat before I make you.'

Nate merely looked at him in the eye and folded his arms, fighting was not allowed in the citadel and Nate was definitely not going to take the first swing. The girl continued to look amused at their conflict for a few seconds before talking. "Mick, take a walk and cool off."

The boy looked dumb founded. "What, you are taking his side?"

"Yes, I am. Take a walk and find another seat. That's an order."

He looked ready to argue but for some better reasoning, he closed his mouth and stomped off. "He is not going to like me after this."

"I wouldn't."

She snickered. "You must have got some big balls standing up to him like that."

"Actually, I just wanted him to break the rules and take the first swing."

"And big brains too."

"But it looked like you handled the situation nicely. I am guessing you are at the top of some chain of command."

"I am Raphael's reagent (second in command)."

"Who?" Nate looked back at her blankly.

She looked surprised. "Do you live under a rock? He is the baron of Los Angeles."

"Sorry, I am a little new to the whole scene."

"Hmm strange, you don't strike me as a breakout."

"Oh yeah, and what do breakouts look like?"

"Wide eyed and scared out of their skins."

A brief image of Anna floated into his mind. "Oh where are my manners? My name is Wynter Thradd and I know my hair is dyed white so spare me the hair jokes."

"Didn't cross my mind. I am Nate Merlyn." He stretched out his hand which she shook lightly."

"So Nate, who is your boss?"

"Victor Payne." He bit out the name slightly annoyed to be associated with Victor.

"Wow, rolling with the top dogs. You continue to surprise me, Mr. Merlyn and that is not easy feat."

"I am glad to be of delight." He said dryly.

"It must be fun to be in that New York crew."

"Well, it is definitely not boring."

"I heard that you guys took care of a leadership problem in Harlem. Must be nice to keep getting action. All we do is sitting on our asses while those pesky humans stare at us like freaks."

Nate wanted to tell her he could do with a little boring in his life right now but was interrupted by the sound of a loud clanging bell. The conclave has begun.