Path of the Extra

It was disturbing.

The way he showed no emotion—his face blank, as if he had none to give.

Not in those crimson eyes.

Not in that face.

To Lumine, it felt unnatural compared to the others.

Yet.

Curiosity flickered across Amon\'s face for a moment before his expression hardened. He turned his attention to Jasmine, looking at her seriously, ignoring Azriel entirely.

Before Amon could speak, Jasmine\'s cold voice cut through the tension.

"Before we begin, Grandmaster Amon, why are government officials here, in Crimson territory, and at this meeting?"

"This isn\'t your barbaric clan\'s land yet, Your Highness. Not until the Sunken Islands are fully yours. And this isn\'t much of a Void Capital either, since it still needs to be built and marked by your clan."

A man in a black uniform scowled at Jasmine as he spoke, his bald head gleaming under the dim light. He stared at her fiercely, but she didn\'t flinch.

Instead, she raised her eyebrows, maintaining her calm.

"Is that so? Well, I understand you government dogs might enjoy sightseeing in our future Void Capital, hiding behind my father\'s protection while secretly barking behind his back. But why are you at this meeting? Missing your master already?"

Lumine winced at the crude words slipping from Jasmine\'s lips, yet she looked at the bald man calmly, her mouth curving into a slight smile.

It was as if what she said was completely normal.

\'The Crimson Clan and the government don\'t get along…\'

It was something anyone could see.

\'Is it like this with every great clan?\'

Lumine\'s face darkened as regret seeped into his thoughts. He\'d neglected his opportunities at the academy.

The academy had its vast libraries, filled with knowledge he should\'ve sought out, not to mention the professors and influential figures who were always within reach. He should have learned more.

Hell, one of his friends was a prince, watching all of this unfold with complete detachment.

The bald man\'s face turned beet red as he clenched his teeth, glaring at Jasmine.

But in the end, he clicked his tongue and shifted his gaze back to Amon, who watched everything without the slightest disturbance.

None of them did anything.

"It is as Sir Cole said, Your Highness. These government officials were here before His Majesty left to explore the Sunken Islands. He gave them permission to stay as long as they wished. The rescue team was made up of their men as well, so it\'s natural they\'re in this meeting, considering their losses."

Jasmine nodded at Amon\'s explanation.

Amon cleared his throat, ensuring he had everyone\'s attention as he continued.

"As you all know, the king went to explore the Sunken Islands. We\'ve lost all communication with him and the rescue team we sent. We believe a void creature attacked them and killed everyone. As for the king, knowing him, he\'s likely fine. The only reason he might still be there is if he doesn\'t know about the communication loss or doesn\'t care. Or… there\'s something there keeping him"

Hearing his explanation, Jasmine nodded, while the others looked solemn.

No one worried for Joaquin—at least, that\'s what they made themselves believe.

After all, if one of the Great Kings was truly in danger, it would mean disaster, especially since he was of the Third Void Generation, the children of the nightmarish Second Void Generation.

It was easier for everyone to convince themselves that Joaquin was simply caught in a complicated situation, but otherwise safe.

"These are all hypotheses," Mira muttered quietly beside Jasmine, to which Amon nodded.

"I would\'ve gone myself, but the king ordered me to stay here. If I left while the Void Capital was still under construction, those bastard creatures waiting for a chance would burn everything to the ground."

Jasmine frowned slightly, while Lumine fought to keep his expression neutral. But deep down, a dark feeling coiled in his chest.

\'He\'s hiding something…\'

Amon was being too vague.

"Why did you decide to build SICVC on top of these ruins?" Jasmine asked, her tone skeptical.

Amon hesitated before answering.

"That… was the king\'s order. I don\'t have an answer beyond that."

Jasmine sighed, nodding in reluctant understanding.

They all turned their attention to the map spread out in front of them. It was roughly drawn, lacking any significant detail, with three black X\'s marking key locations.

Lumine assumed the first X represented SICVC, the second the sea, and the last, closer to the middle, marked the location of the Sunken Islands.

"Those three X\'s—one is where the king is, another where a void creature wiped out the rescue team, and the third is us at SICVC."

Amon stood up, leaning forward with both hands pressed against the table as he studied the map.

He pointed to the first X, then traced toward the middle one.

"The first X is SICVC. The area around us, leading to the sea, has mostly been cleared of void creatures, so it should be relatively safe. But the real problem is reaching the last X—where the Sunken Islands are."

Jasmine\'s expression darkened.

"The Sunken Islands are underwater. Just crossing those waters is deadly enough, but going beneath them? I doubt many would return."

A mission to reach the Sunken Islands and find the king—but word of it couldn\'t be allowed to leak to Earth.

And they were limited. Other Grandmasters and Saints were either on dangerous missions of their own, or it would take too long to inform them about another operation involving the Sunken Islands.

The other great clans might not react well to such news either.

It was even a surprise that the government officials hadn\'t reported the king\'s involvement yet.

Too many things were being kept secret.

Once again, Lumine couldn\'t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

\'Is all this risk really necessary?\'

The cost of human lives… just to keep secrets. Was it really worth it?

Yet again, when Lumine gazed at the figures around him, it seemed as if they didn\'t even care about the people who had died. No, he couldn\'t imagine a single person here shedding a tear for any of the fallen.

Jasmine\'s voice broke the silence.

"There might be a way to reach the Sunken Islands without having to fight the void creatures in the sea."

Amon\'s eyebrows shot up, intrigued, and he nodded.

"I\'m listening, Your Highness."

Jasmine hummed softly, then turned her gaze toward Azriel. As if on cue, the others did the same, but Azriel didn\'t react. He sat straight, indifferent, his eyes fixed on the map.

Finally, he lifted his gaze, first meeting Jasmine\'s, then moving over the others before finally settling on Amon.

"Unless we have a saint, or at least two more grandmasters, or a platoon of the most skilled masters alive, crossing the Sunken Sea will kill all of us."

Lumine gulped, a shiver running down his spine. Azriel\'s voice... it was unsettlingly calm, devoid of warmth or cold. It made him feel something—a sense of discomfort he couldn\'t quite explain.

"And why is that, my prince?" Amon asked, his expression unchanged, though his eyes sharpened as they locked onto Azriel.

Azriel met his gaze without flinching.

"Because I\'ve been to the other side of the Sunken Sea, and I\'ve seen the ruler of those waters."

Shock rippled through the room, but Amon remained composed, nodding for Azriel to continue.

"Go on, my prince."

To Lumine, it seemed as if Amon didn\'t even care that Azriel had already been there once.

"A specific void creature dwells in the Sunken Sea. Its name is Tarshakael. I believe it\'s a titan-ranked void creature, which explains why our entire rescue team was wiped out and why my father\'s team may be unable to return. To reach the Sunken Islands, you\'d need to get past him, which none of us can do—except perhaps my father. Or, if you, Grandmaster Amon, and Commander Mira worked together, you might have a chance. But the risks are too great, and we can\'t afford them."

Azriel continued, his tone steady, as the others listened intently.

"When I was on the other side, I discovered a passage that led to an underground network. Unfortunately, I wasn\'t strong enough to explore it fully, but I believe it eventually leads to the Sunken Islands. It\'s likely near the sea—we just have to find another passage on this side and follow the path."

For the first time, Amon\'s expression shifted, clearly surprised. The others looked equally stunned.

"We haven\'t uncovered much about the Sunken Sea, but... it\'s plausible that there\'s an underground network leading to the Sunken Islands," Someone else said.

Azriel nodded.

"I\'m certain there\'s a passage. We could attempt to go around the sea, but that would mean crossing the mountains—just as dangerous, if not more so, since that area remains unexplored."

It was Mira who broke the silence, her voice tinged with suspicion.

"Aren\'t we overlooking something important?"

Amon and the others turned to her, while Azriel gazed at her without emotion.

"Why can\'t the king just open a void rift? Sure, it would cost him a significant amount of mana, destroy his anchor here in SICVC, and require transporting others, but his other anchor on Earth is still intact in EASC."

A tense silence followed. It was a valid question—one Lumine had also wondered about. It should have been the first thing asked, yet it felt as though it had been deliberately avoided.

Amon sighed, his expression darkening as he addressed Mira.

"What was once a theory is now believed to be fact—there\'s something in the Sunken Islands interfering with the creation of void rifts. It\'s impossible to open one there or place an anchor."

Mira\'s eyes widened, as did those of several others, including Jasmine.

\'A void rift can\'t be opened…?\'

It was absurd. The mere thought of it was inconceivable. For a grandmaster, the ability to open void rifts was one of their defining powers.

But now, Amon was telling them a grandmaster couldn\'t do that in the Sunken Islands.

Jasmine broke the silence again.

"Grandmaster Amon, we have seven days until the higher-ups learn of what\'s happening. I\'ll personally lead a special team through the underground tunnels to meet my father. Best case, we\'ll have conquered the islands by then."

Her words, under normal circumstances, would have sounded ridiculous.

But here, they didn\'t.

In fact, it seemed entirely possible that Joaquin had already conquered the strange underwater islands.

And if not, their chances of success would greatly increase with Jasmine leading the charge, along with Mira and Amaya.

Lumine had expected someone to object, but instead, Amon simply nodded.

"Certainly, Your Highness. I\'ll send my best men to accompany you. Of course, those who came with you can stay or leave as they wish."

Lumine furrowed his brows.

\'Why is everyone so... calm?\'

In contrast to the panicked soldiers outside, everyone here seemed to be treating the situation far too lightly.

The constant shifts in tone were giving him a headache.

\'Are all influential people this strange?\'

It certainly seemed that way.

Suddenly, Azriel stood up, his voice flat and emotionless as he spoke.

"I\'ll be staying in one of the rooms until you\'re all finished."

Everyone stared, bewildered.

Lumine too was confused—Azriel wasn\'t planning to stay for the rest of the discussion.

While they had a plan, it still needed to be meticulously crafted, with every detail accounted for.

Surely, there was more to discuss.

"My prince, where are you going?" Amon asked.

Azriel stopped, turning his head slightly.

"To sleep."

[AN: Perhaps some of you have noticed, and some may not have, but I wanted to let you know that if you did notice a drop in the quality of the chapters, it\'s because I\'ve been sick while writing. Please bear with me...]