Chapter 68

I saw Raymond's room manifest before my eyes, and I descended back into reality as if nothing ever happened before, but I could feel the tiny potion in my back pocket, away from prying eyes.

Upon looking at Aaron and Raymond's expressions, I didn't spot anything peculiar, their faces remained how they previously were, and they were in the exact same spots that they were previously in, making me believe that the deity froze time and took me up.

"The other motives I had with Isaiah were complicated to say the least. Me and Isaiah made an agreement when we were boys to never betray each other, and we would always have each other's backs."

"The artifact that Isaiah stole was one that the Nightshades would usually use to pry into others minds in order to dig out true intentions of those who they captured, they were usually criminals who harbored dangerous ambitions."

"The only reason that Isaiah stole the artifact was because he made a meticulous plan when he was younger. He told me everything about it."

"Using the artifact he would invade the mind of one of the council members, and then he would go on and assassinate the top member, so that he could take their place."

"And I would've ruled alongside him, we would have been the best there was. But I guess he let his greed and ambition get in the way, as instead he shot Oboro to slow me down, and not allow me to stop him."

Raymond nodded as he listened to this information, his green eyes glinting with curiosity.

"Why would he want to do that?"

I sat down on Raymond's bed, he looked over at me and rolled his eyes, seeming a little disgusted that someone like me would dare sit in his sheets.

"Then shouldn't we go and warn them, before he can execute his plan?"

Aaron looked over at me and sighed softly, while putting on a strange and forced smile.

"I would, except the council usually doesn't allow people like us to enter."

Me and Aaron then turned to look at Raymond, who groaned and raised an eyebrow.

"You're rich as hell, maybe they'll allow you in."

Raymond's expression twitched, it's almost always been his dream to see what was inside the council's hall, and now he was being offered the opportunity to enter it.

"Fine, I'll do it."

Raymond tried his best to mask his excitement, putting on a gruff expression and tone. He then brushed off his green and black vest, before approaching his nightstand and mirror before running a hand through his silk black hair, which was disheveled from his sleep.

"What time?"

Aaron peered down at his watch, which read that it was about 11:00 in the morning, he then peered back up at Raymond and nodded his head.

"At about 4:00 you can head over, but first we need to take you somewhere."

Raymond turned around from his mirror and perked an eyebrow.

"Where?"

"Our headquarters."

His eyes then lit up a little, besides the shopping run that Madame Fitzgerald ordered him on, he wasn't really allowed outside of his house.

"Well, shouldn't we get going?"

Me, Aaron and Raymond were now heading down the street, since it was almost noon the markets were now just starting to pile up with people willing to buy things.

"Huh, look at these idiots. They would get those melons for half the price on the other side of town."

Raymond commented as he glared over to a mother and son buying a large watermelon which had spent a long time baking in the sun, but sitting inside a bucket of ice water.

"Although, I don't think being taxed 30% for everything you buy sounds all that good. You seem very used to shopping on the other side of town, probably because anyone seeing you would spoil your reputation of being rich and famous."

Aaron chuckled as he weaved past the crowds of people, a shawl covering his head, and his gray hair peeked from behind his hood. 

"Just saying..."

Raymond rolled his eyes as his eyes looked around the market, seeing all the low prices along with low quality food revolted him. He usually had gourmet food, but it also brought him a large spout of nostalgia, due to his most gruffly past.

We then turned into the darker side of town, where we saw the usual stray cats and tipped over garbage cans, before approaching Aaron's house.

"Is this your headquarters?"

Raymond sarcastically asked, rolling his eyes while smirking.

"No, it's not."

Aaron relied nonchalantly as he turned the knob and entered his house, before approaching the sealed door in the corner of the living room. 

"Now, just let me..."

Before Aaron could even lay his hands on the door, Raymond shot his hand out and laid it on the door, before his eyes began to glow an illusory red color, and the door opened on its own.

"How'd you do that, kid?"

Raymond looked up at Aaron and smiled sneakily.

"I have experience with breaking into places."

He then moved on and pressed down the hallway, before doing the same thing with the second wall, and entering the headquarters.

"Damn, it looks like you guys haven't cleaned in ages, it's disgusting."

I grabbed a cobweb from the corner of the door and ran it through Raymond's hair, making him flinch and yelp out.

"I know, right?"

I chuckled to myself as I followed Aaron through the base. We all strangely approached the door to Cattleya's office.

"Why do we need to enter there?"

Aaron didn't reply to Raymond's question as he entered the room, and approached a door behind the chair facing Cattleya's desk.

"Get away, get away, get away!"

The voices of spirit calling started to ring in my ears, the door was the same one that shouted at me when I first entered Cattleya's office to awaken my Routeway.

Aaron opened the door and I tensed up, except there was nothing of danger, or nothing of danger that I could see.

The room was a closet, filled with multiple mystical and mysterious items, the items were mostly used for divination.

"Take this."

Aaron took out an artifact from the closet, it looked like a silver pendant with a red and blue charm on the end.

"What's this?"

Raymond took the necklace and pulled it around his neck, before holding the multicolored charm in his hands while gazing at it with interested eyes.

"This artifact is used to conceal particular emotions, intrusive thoughts or feelings. Most members of the council are a part of any Routeway, and they're probably at the Order 5 level, meaning that they have a heavy emotional reading."

"Aren't people at the Order 5 level less susceptible to mystical protections? They'll see past my protections quickly and unravel my true intentions."

Aaron chuckled before pulling out another artifact from the closet, this one looked like a sun, its burning and fiery core shone dimly in the closet light.

"That's why we have this."

Aaron held the sun-charm in his hands, before speaking up after a brief few moments.

"This artifact predates even the last Epoch; it was used in the first transcendence war to suppress and hold off the Pathfinder and their angels."

Raymond's expression hardened as he gazed at the sun-charm, he had no idea that an artifact of his caliber was just sitting inside an old closet.

"Why would I need this?"

Aaron shook his head before handing me the sun-charm, folding it into my hands softly.

"Isaac will be using it."

I gazed at Aaron in puzzlement, before asking in confusion.

I gazed at Aaron in puzzlement, before asking in confusion. 

"Why would I need to use it?"

"Well, if my plan backfires I'll have this charm to hold off any mental attacks, then Raymond can escape and flee to safety."

Aaron proclaimed as he tapped my hands softly while smiling.

"But I won't be in the hall, how would I use it?"

"Well, you can bind its abilities and attributes to Raymond."

I quickly recalled the information Aaron told me in the alleyway, it was the ability that Isaiah used to make Ransom want to return to his deformed and terrifying state, and I couldn't help but shiver.

Suddenly Aaron reached his left hand out, and the sun-charm began glowing brightly in my hand, before a large stream of energy shot from in between my fingers.

The stream of energy flowed like a river as it entered through Raymond's nostrils and mouth, and I saw him gagging from the residual effects.

Raymond wiped the tears from his eyes as he wiped his hands on his vest, before turning his gaze towards Aaron.

"Thanks, I'll be breathing weirdly for the next few weeks."

He grumbled, picking himself back up from the ground as he approached the closet and shut the door.

"Now, should we perhaps get going, I don't feel like being here any longer."

We all then approached the door leaving Cattleya's office, before heading out of the headquarters and back into the street. When Aaron peered back down at his watch the time read 3:26 PM, meaning they still had about 40 minutes left before they could get the plan done.

"We have about 40 minutes left, what do you suppose we do?"

Aaron asked as he looked up from his watch, looking straight at us. Me and Raymond didn't respond for a while, for we were completely unaware that he would ask us this question.

"I'm uncertain, perhaps we should head uptown?"

Raymond proposed, poking his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I turned towards Raymond and shook my head.

"The last time I went uptown was my visit to your house, and I hope you're aware of how long the carriage ride took. It was in the evening when carriage prices dropped and coachmen wanted to get stuff over with."

Raymond sighed and shook his head, annoyed that I turned down his request due to the lack of time. Raymond usually took the faster carriages that were inlaid with gold and silver, the ones that had 5 times the horsepower of the average carriage.

"I heard there's a really good place a little from here, maybe we'll stop quickly and get a bite?"

Aaron then proposed as he leaned against the wall of his house.

"Perhaps, I can't turn down a good lunch at this hour."