God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The Evernight was as beautiful as ever.

The dark shadows at every corner seemed to be hiding malicious whispers, but it was obviously the wind and the mind at work playing tricks...

Alvi frowned then turned around.

His eyes narrowed when he saw Cain leaning against the door frame behind him.

He quickly came to a conclusion that no amount of security would keep this insane young man away from him.

As such, he could only sigh. Putting his cup down, he gestured at the other seat,

"Have a seat."

Cain raised a brow and chuckled, "Were you expecting me?"

Alvi hummed,

"I had a conversation with Gilead while you were gone. You are indeed rather ambitious, I'll give you that."

His gaze fell, "Although ambition is not necessarily a good thing."

Cain snorted, "Ambition is the driving force of progress, isn't it?"

Alvi smiled faintly, although it was hidden by the darkness and the creases of his face,

"Maybe..."

He calmly added, "Enough of the drivel. If you want to make use of my network, then there are a few things you need to know about me and the Iron Beetle."

Leaning into his seat and getting himself comfortable, Cain felt a wave of tiredness wash over him, but he fought it back.

Completely oblivious to Cain's exhaustion, Alvi began,

"The Iron Beetle is an alliance, a coalition of like-minded individuals that seek many things, but chief amongst these things are two; the core tenets of the Iron Beetles, which are innovation and expansion."

Cain felt the exhaustion fade away as Alvi continued,

"Most of our resources go into training new craftsmen, alchemists, smiths, Hunters, and workers."

Alvi's demeanor suddenly became cold and dark,

"You might not know this, but the Celestials are not to be trusted. In fact, nothing in this world and beyond it can be trusted."

His eyes scanned over the image of the Valestorm he could see from that high up.

It was a beautiful picture...

The magic lamps and lanterns drove him he darkness away for the most part.

The image of a bustling City sitting smack dab in the mibble of nothing, stretching on for miles on end was rather picturesque as well.

And yet, even though there was light, there were also shadows...

Alvi sighed then continued,

"The Iron Beetles had no faith in Balangol. The Celestial knew. It was a rather delicate balance to sustain. On one hand, the Celestial's pride might one day lead to our subjugation. On the other hand, we are too proud to be subjugated, so the only real option is death..."

Cain couldn't help but he impressed. From the way he spoke about them, it was obvious Alvi had a very high opinion on the Iron Beetles and what they seemed to represent.

If that was so...

'Why did he agree to aid me?'

Alvi shook his head to gather his thoughts,

"What I am trying to say, is that the Iron Beetle aim for continuous improvement through our own abilities, without having to rely on the charity of some higher lifeform."

He reached for his cup and raised it to his lips, taking another sip of the amber liquid.

"As for the expansion part of it, that's where it starts to get a bit tricky..."

Cain raised a brow, but said nothing.

Alvi smiled bitterly,

"Originally, our intentions was to break away from the Temple's influence and establish another city within the Dome's influence. However, now that Balangol is gone, that plan is undergoing a few... changes. Now, a few dissonant voices are rising up, saying we should start with Valestorm. The Council's power has severely dwindled, and even a few Pilgrims are taking off their robes. It is only a matter of time before all their power and influence is all gone. Even worse, they don't seem too eager on keeping all of it."

Cain was a bit surprised. From what Abigail and Gilead had told him, he had guessed they things hadn't been going very well for the Council.

But he never thought it would be this terrible.

He couldn't help but say,

"So in other words, the Iron Beetle wants to completely replace the Temple."

Alvi nodded solemnly,

"I know you can see the problems that could come with this. Even If the temple doesn't want to keep all the power, I know Gilead. Despite how he presents himself, he is a rather ambitious fellow. Frighteningly so..."

The old man took a break then downed the rest of his drink before setting the cup back on the small stool beside his seat.

Cain nodded in understanding,

"So in other words, hindering Iron Beetle's progress is actually a good thing."

Alvi nodded, "Some of us seem to have lost sight of what truly matters. I believe it is a necessary evil of we really want to bring about a dawn of humanity and human civilization to the world."

Cain was silent...
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Then he smiled,

"This is..."

'Utter bullshit!'

He couldn't help but shiver a bit.

While eh was very sure none of what this evil old geezer had just said was a lie, he was also sure none of it was very truthful as well, at least in terms of what his intentions were.

Playing the conversation back in his head again,Cain couldn't help but become even more certain.

'This geezer's motives are not as pure as he portrays. However...'

Because his intentions were not pure, Cain believed he could be trusted to a degree.

In this world, there was no such thing as completely pure intentions.

If that was the case, then there would be an abundance of saints and heros in the world.

Instead, the world was saturated in mirth and vile darkness.

The old man continued,

"There are five branches in the alliance; the Anvil, the root, the knife, the Scribe, and the Hand. They should all be self explanatory. There are also five chairs, each heading a branch. I am the Chair of the Root."

Cain nodded, quickly coming to a general understanding.

Then he frowned,

"While I do have a few potions and recipes I'd like to share with you, my priority is getting the weapons and equipment out there."

Alvi waved his hand,

"You don't need to worry. Like I said, I have a network, meaning my influence isn't limited to one sphere. Instead, it has spread throughout, like the roots of a tree. I'll give you what you want. You just have to keep true to your word."

Cain smiled, "I will. This is also an opportunity for you to make a ton of mana shards. I reckon you wouldn't want to pass on such an opportunity."

Alvi smirked, "Indeed if I am a snake, I might as well be a fat one."

Cain couldn't help but chuckle at that.

The initial tension between them had a faded quite a bit.

Cain found the old devil was a bit genuine. Only a bit though...

After talking about the details of their cooperation a bit more, Alvi picked a small bell from the stool beside him and rang it.

Immediately, a waiter wearing a rather nicely tailored set of clothes walked in with a bottle of what looked to be the same drink Alvi had been having with an extra cup on a tray.

Cain raised a brow. Alvi smiled,

"Now that we are in business together, why not drink on it?"

Cain wanted to refuse but decided against it. Rejecting goodwill was not always well received after all...

He smiled as the waiter poured the glistening amber liquid into the cup.

Cain picked it up and gave it a whiff.

He was shocked to find out it was the same drink the bartender at Death's Jackal had served himself and Blaze.

However, there was a subtle difference. The aroma in this one was sharper, a bit more vibrant, which made for a whole lot of difference.

Alvi smiled,

"The ones they sell in the bars have been diluted. This one is far better, trust me."

Cain smiled and nodded.

Just as he was about to down the liquid, the sound of rushed footsteps filled their ears.

Cain and Alvi frowned, turning towards the door at the same time.

In walked a frazzled Kaius.

He paused for a moment when he saw Cain seated opposite from his father.

Alvi's expression shifted,

"You fool! What are you doing?!"

"There's something wrong, Dad!"

At the same time, Cain heard something in his mind.

A voice he hadn't heard for a bit.

It was Hunter's...

'Cain, can you hear me?'

He couldn't help but immediately draw parallels.

He frowned, 'Yeah, I can hear you. What's wrong?'

There was a momentary silence before Hunter spoke, his voice a bit frazzled and uneasy,

'You were right. The Devils are making a move.'

Cain's frown deepened,

'Really? They are attacking the Dome right now?'

Hunter's words entered his mind again,

'Not quite. They aren't attacking us.'

Cain was surprised, 'Then why are you so uneasy?'

'There is no other way of saying this, so I'll tell you. They are tearing down what is left of City Z. They are razing it into the ground and turning it into a wasteland.'

Cain was beyond bewildered.

'Are you sure?'

Hunter replied, 'I am positive. I have no idea what they are planning to do. Very soon, all that will be left beyond this place, is the Devil Spire.'