Masteria Online: Shattering the Dark God's Grand Scheme-Chapter 55 - 56 - Completion

"Remarkable." That was Azir’s spoken assessment of Lumi. For the first time since they’d met, there was something like respect in his voice. "You stopped screaming rather quickly, whereas others would have passed out within an hour. You remained conscious and silent throughout, disregarding that start."

Lumi slowly opened his eyes, though he didn’t remember closing them. The ritual room swam in and out of focus as his body tried to process what had been done to it. "Practice." he managed to croak out despite having endured such pain.

"Practice enduring soul deep agony?" Azir raised an eyebrow. "That raises concerning questions about your past."

If only he knew.

Watching the world end had been its own kind of soul deep agony, one that lasted far longer than any ritual.

"The bindings are in place." Azir stated, then moved to help Lumi stand. The Grand Tactician’s touch was surprisingly gentle given his character. "I’ve layered multiple redundancies to ensure they’ll persist through your unique circumstances. Death and resurrection won’t free you. Neither will any form of magical dispelling or divine intervention short of a god’s direct touch."

"Good." Lumi said, testing his balance. His legs felt like water, but held. "That’s what we need."

"Is it?" Azir studied him with those analytical eyes. "Most would consider such thorough binding a nightmare. You speak of it as a gift."

"Trust is always a gift." Lumi replied. "Now you can trust me. Now I can act without suspicion following every step. Worth any price."

Azir was quiet for a moment. "I have many thoughts about you. I still have no conclusion."

"Let me know when you figure it out." Lumi said with a weak smile. "I’m curious too."

That actually drew a small snort of amusement from the Grand Tactician. "With the bindings in place, we can now provide the assistance you need. Access to hunting grounds, Knight support when needed, resources for growth, and so forth. Though I must ask. If there’s any information you can share, any insight into our enemies’ plans, it would be invaluable."

Lumi considered carefully.

He was trusted, but one had to consider what that meant.

It meant that he was trusted in the sense that they had full confidence that whatever Lumi said, he himself believed.

However, that didn’t mean that they would believe Lumi to be correct about everything. If he said something too outrageous or impossible to know, they’d think he was wrong, at best.

At worst, they’d think it was implanted memories by an enemy.

This was a moment where being vague would help. "I do know many things, however, much of it I don’t even believe it myself." He said slowly. "But sometimes, having Knights follow when I call might lead to favorable outcomes."

Understanding flickered in Azir’s eyes. "Ah. You can’t tell us where to find enemy plans, but you can lead us to them. Clever. The restriction only prevents speech, not action."

"Something like that." Lumi agreed.

While Grand Tactician Azir was mistaken about the ’why’ he wouldn’t speak further, the misunderstanding worked in his favor. In the future, he could reveal all the information as he pleased, pretending it was intelligence brought back from enemies.

Lumi then added. "Though, I can’t guarantee every call will yield results. Sometimes I might just need backup for dangerous hunting."

"Understood. We’ll assign a response team to your calls. Use this." Azir handed him a crystal communicator, different from the others Lumi carried. This one was pure black shot through with silver threads. "This is a direct line to my office. Use it wisely. My time is not unlimited."

"Thank you." Lumi said, adding the crystal to his collection. He held four communicators now. Merath, Gabriel, the Windmere house, and Azir.

He made a mental note to research communication magic when he had time. The current system of paired crystals was inefficient compared to Earth’s networks.

Surely, there was a way to create something more like phones, where any crystal could contact any other.

However, that was for later. Right now, he had more immediate concerns.

"What are your plans now?" Azir asked, moving to clean up the ritual materials. "I assume you’ll want to begin utilizing our resources immediately?"

"Eventually." Lumi said. "First I need to explain things to my companions. They’re confused about what just happened. Not to mention, there are other matters to settle."

"Your girlfriend." Azir stated. It wasn’t a question. "The uniquely talented and distinctly unstable one. You’re concerned about leaving her behind."

Lumi shouldn’t have been surprised that Azir knew. The man probably had detailed files on everyone who’d entered the palace today. "Among other things, yes."

"The bindings don’t restrict your personal relationships." Azir noted. "Though I would advise caution. Emotional attachments can be exploited by enemies."

"I know." Lumi said quietly. "It won’t be an issue for now."

"Hmm." Azir finished his cleanup and moved toward the door. "You’re free to go. The guards will escort you to the quarters we’ve prepared. Rest, recover, then do what you must. The Empire’s resources will be ready when you are."

Lumi followed him out. His legs were steady, though his soul still ached from the bindings’ installation. The guards outside straightened as they emerged, falling into formation around Azir.

The room they’d provided was luxurious by any standard. It was spacious, well furnished, with a view of Herene’s sky. That said, Lumi barely had the time nor energy to notice the amenities. As soon as the door closed behind him, he pulled up his interface to check messages.

The notification count was staggering.

Dozens from each party member, ranging from confusion to concern.

But it was Lena’s messages that made his heart clench.

[Lena: LUMI WHAT DID YOU DO]

[Lena: WHY DID YOU LET THEM DO THAT TO YOU]

[Lena: Please be okay please please please]

[Lena: I’m crying and I can’t stop and people are looking at me weird]

[Lena: Are you there? Are you still you?]

[Lena: I need to know you’re okay]

[Lena: LUMI PLEASE]

The messages continued, becoming increasingly frantic as time passed. His stomach twisted in emotion. He’d been so focused on the necessity of the bindings...

He quickly typed to her.

[Lumi: I’m okay!]

He then quickly typed out responses to the others, keeping them vague but reassuring. He told them that there were things he’d done and said to the Knights that they weren’t aware of, those things being the reasons the conversation with the Knights had gone as it did.

But to Lena, he wrote more.

[Lumi: I’m okay. I’m sorry I worried you. Can you come to me? We need to talk.]

Her response was almost instant.

[Lena: YES WHERE TELL ME WHERE]

He sent her directions, and barely a minute later there was a frantic knocking at his door. He opened it to find Lena with red eyes.