Phillard had removed his ax before leaving but Marav was too drained from the prolonged injuring and healing cycle to put up any resistance. The Lindwurm had taken away Marav’s equipment as part of his compensation, leaving the Awakened with common linen clothes. Lith carried his prisoners by the neck, exerting so much pressure that they could hardly breathe. Even if either of them had an ace up his sleeve Lith only needed to squeeze his hand to make them faint. "These are the Pits of Agony." Lith pointed at the lake of fire, acid, and screaming molten flesh in front of them. "It will be your home for the next week. When I come to pick you up, I expect answers and names. "I won’t believe a word you say unless you can provide me proof of your sincerity. Without it, I’ll just let you stew in the Pits for another week. You better not send me into a trap and pray nothing happens to me, or you’ll stay here until you die of old age." "Is that clear?" Lith took the gags off their mouths. "There’s no need for torture." Marav swallowed hard, the desperate wails coming from the Pits sent shivers of horror down his spine. "I’m sorry for trying to kidnap your mother. I don’t know much about who else might try to do the same but I’m willing to tell you everything I know!" "I’m just a broker!" Sigmur whined and sobbed. "I wouldn’t even dare to look in your direction, Magus Verhen. Please, let me go. I’ll tell you about my clients and their plans. I’ll do anything you say. Just don’t hurt me." "I believe you." Lith nodded and threw them into the Pits of Agony. *** Distar’s Marquisate, Faluel’s lair, a few weeks later. Nalrond the Agni had passed the Awakened Council’s background check with flying colors and had been admitted to its ranks. As tradition required, the Agni’s mentor had thrown him a banquet to celebrate the event and introduce her disciple to the Awakened community. Faluel’s other apprentices had needed no such event because they had participated to several Council meetings and missions. Lith, Friya, and Protector had let themselves be known by fame and deeds. Nalrond, instead, had always kept a low profile to hide his nature and legacy as a Rezar. Until recently, he had been unable to Awaken so bringing him along would have been pointless if not risky. Now that he had evolved into an Agni, no one would suspect he was a member of the legendary Rezar bloodline. His talents and abilities could be easily explained with Faluel’s teaching since she had become a renown Light Master. "Gods if I hate parties." Nalrond grumbled. "You’ve lived under a rock until now and need networking as an Awakened." Friya replied while holding his arm. "This is the best way to mingle and exchange communication runes without dozens of awkward introductions." "I guess you are right." He sighed. "The silver lining is that I don’t have to talk with anyone for long and or wear a gala dress." Awakened were laxer than nobles about etiquette. They could enchant and wear whatever they wanted. Their peers wouldn’t judge them based on the quality of the fabric of their clothes so much as on the power of their enchantments. In a society of powerful beings who lived for centuries, strength was all that mattered. Fashion carried little importance since each Awakened cherished the traditions of their bloodline or the clothes of the era they were born in. Some wore mage robes, others gala dresses, and a few elaborate outfits that were normally hard to see outside an illustrated history book. As for Nalrond, he wore Orion’s Featherwalker armor in the form of a white shirt and black linen pants. He was officially Faluel’s apprentice and his status reflected her own. The Awakened admired the smelting technique to purify its Adamant and the intricacies of its rune patterns, complimenting the Hydra for it. They assumed Faluel had gifted Nalrond his armor just like she had done for Friya and, in time, for Protector. Friya wore Faluel’s same armor, just smaller. It was the proof of their bond as Lesser Divine Beast and Harbinger which drew the envy of many guests. No Lesser Divine Beast had ever had a Harbinger and Faluel being the first brought her great prestige. Or rather, the prospect of having a Harbinger did. Friya had yet to undergo the final step of the process. Her body had gotten used to the Hydra’s blood and received the second last infusion of Faluel’s life force, yet Friya had asked the Hydra to wait until after her marriage. There were some things Friya wanted to experience for herself, without the risk of unwittingly sharing any part of them with Faluel. Neither of them had experienced such a deep bond before and there was no telling how long it would take them to establish proper telepathic boundaries. "Congratulations!" People said to Nalrond, Friya, and Faluel but for completely different reasons. They congratulated the Agni for becoming a member of the Council and being the first perfect fusion between a human and an Emperor Beast bloodline. Friya for the seven streaks in her hair and violet core. Faluel for her future Harbinger and having gained another talented disciple. The conversation was pleasant and the food great since the servings were human-sized. It left the bigger creatures hungry but the banquet was for Nalrond, not them. "Congratulations, kid, and follow me." Ajatar the Drake shook Nalrond’s hand and dragged him away. "Believe me, you want to hear this." The Drake took point, cutting through the crowd with his mass and authority as a Council Elder. Nalrond stuck close to him and Friya to Nalrond in a funny chain that broke when the Agni heard the following words: "Are you sure it’s really a Rezar?" A black-robed Awakened with a literal golden mane of hair asked. "Every time someone spots a Light Master, they think it’s a Rezar but they always end up being wrong." "No, I’m not sure or I wouldn’t be here." An Oberon Fae replied. "But judging by the rumors, it might be worth looking into it ourselves." "What Rezar? I mean, what is a Rezar?" Jirni had trained Nalrond to keep his cool and not act suspiciously when his clan was mentioned, yet his composure almost crumbled from the shock. "Congratulations, young man." The Oberon shook Nalrond’s hand. "You’re not even thirty and you have a nice violet core and fused your bloodlines. What’s your secret?" "I was lucky." Nalrond repeated his cover story for the hundredth time that evening, feigning mere curiosity instead of burning interest in the news. "Like Verhen, I accepted my human and beast sides from a young age. "They didn’t clash while I grew up, nor was I forced to abandon one when I became of age." Following Jirni’s teachings, he diluted the biggest lies with a good dose of truth. "Unlike Verhen, however, it took me a long while to find the proper balance and harmonize my two life forces." "That’s not luck, son, that’s damn talent and effort." The black-robed Awakened replied.