CHAPTER 118: THE ENTRANCE TO THE PARADOX WAR

The corridor to the council hall was still and bright, the marble underfoot holding the faint warmth of morning light spilling through the tall crystal insets.

Kivas’s stride was unhurried, Samael trailing half a pace behind with her usual folded-winged stance.

The doors ahead stood open, and the faint scent of burnt resin and archival paper drifted out—a mix that always meant Karasu business.

And as expected of the inky presence, Azulus was there.

She stood just inside the threshold, her small, mouse-eared silhouette framed against the gleam of the hall’s polished stone. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, expression locked in that unshakable, unreadable neutrality she wore like armor.

Flanking her were two Tengus—their appearance was as menacing and creepy as always with how little they talk and move during any segments of meeting where they exist.

Kivas slowed, head tilting. "If you are here, Azulus, then this isn’t just any political nuisance I presume. What’s the meeting about?"

Azulus’s ears twitched once—almost imperceptible—but her voice remained perfectly even. "The discussion will be centered on the Paradox War. I am simply here to archive the proceedings in my capacity as Field Archivist of Vaingall, as per the standing agreement between the New Vaingall Consortium and the Karasu Association."

"Which means every word will end up in your Feather Library," Samael murmured, her deadpan gaze narrowing slightly. "Try to catch my good side."

Azulus didn’t blink. "That would require you to have one."

Kivas smirked despite herself, stepping fully into the hall. "I suppose that means we’re not just going to be talking about the war in abstract."

"In a way," Azulus replied. "In fact, I could just send my Tengus to record this meeting or co-analyze with Samael’s Divine Constructs, but the matter and individual that will be representing the Karasu Association in this occasion is not any normal agent."

"Can we expect the very leader of the Karasu Association itself?" Oizys snickered.

Azulus was a little taken aback. "That is too willful of an expectation, I’m afraid."

"Have you even met with your own association leader figure in any way?" Kivas asked.

"Even I have not been graced by the presence of the Progenitor, to be honest." Azulus replied, eyes wandering in thoughts. "You can say that the whole chain of commands and structure of ranks in the Karasu Association is as mysterious and unknown as an actual shadow that are cast in a slum."

"What a specific metaphor," Oizys wryly chuckled.

"Now that I think about you, we can just—"

Azulus’s reply was cut short by the heavy, measured tread approaching from the side entrance.

A tall figure emerged—a silhouette stretched by the severe lines of a crow-beak mask.

His jacket was a high-collared weave of matte black plates over a mesh of faintly luminous threads, the cut blending Karasu tradition with undeniable modernity.

The jacket’s edges were reinforced with impact pads and narrow data-runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Two High Tengus followed in his wake, and they were different—each bearing an additional set of wings folded tightly behind the first, their armor sleek and angular, every plate engraved with inlaid runic circuitry.

The weapons at their sides were compact scythes that radiated lethal readiness; each carried sensor crests on their helmets that whirred faintly with scanning motions.

The masked man stopped opposite Kivas and Samael, his posture sharp and formal, though his presence carried weight far beyond courtesy. His voice was deep, slightly modulated by the mask.

"I am Torvola," he said, inclining his head just enough to acknowledge their standing. "The 98th Battle Archivist of the Karasu Association."

Azulus spoke again, stepping half a pace forward and clarifying the information given at hands, "A Battle Archivist holds the same rank as a Field Archivist, but our duties diverge. While I record treaties, councils, and diplomatic proceedings, inciting events, and all sort of mundane and casual stuff...

"Torvola enters the field with our military wings. He archives engagements of strategic magnitude—any major battle or conflict involving the Association or our affiliates—preserving not only data, but tactical context for future operations.

"He also participates in the battle as part of the military force as well, and so is every Battle Archivist that existed."

Samael’s eyes flicked toward Torvola’s mask, her tone dry. "So you’re basically the version of our little mouse that smells like smoke and blood instead of parchment."

"Essentially," Torvola replied without offense. "My archives differ greatly from the one a Field Archivist usually stashes in their Feather Library. However, this also means that I often rely on other Feather Libraries for context and history regarding the playing factions at hand."

Kivas clasped her hands, knowing full well that this conversation would turn into a yapping fest if left as it be. "Then let’s not waste time. What do you want to talk about, Battle Archivist?"

Torvola’s head tilted slightly. "I am here to determine whether the Consortium is willing to participate in a developing conflict tied directly to the Paradox War—specifically, to render aid to one of our collaborative partner factions. They are akin to the Consortium in function and status in regard to the Karasu Association, something that you can potentially relate to and might also happen to you if the Consortium also happens to be in the same predicaments."

"Go on," Samael said, gesturing her hand.

Torvola’s voice sharpened, though it remained precise. "The partner faction is known as the Suiyen Concord. They have maintained a measured neutrality in the broader Fathomi conflicts for decades—fortified bastions, minimal expansionism, meticulous diplomacy. Their stability has been their shield."

He paused, scanning the trio in turn before continuing. "That shield is now compromised. Recently, the Umaska Alliance executed a subterfuge operation against the Suiyen Concord revolving the Hollow Aequor, all because of the Concord’s successful attempts at making a peaceful deal with the Yevdat Kingdom—known for hostility, since the Concord’s relocation to the kingdom’s outskirts.

"Against expectation, the Umbra King and his thralls refrained from aggression after the diplomacy, which was not as common. To the Umaska Alliance, this looks as if the Suiyen Concord, and possibly the entirety of the Karasu Association, is creating an alliance with the Umbra King."

Kivas’s brow furrowed. "What an extreme method of reaching."

"Such is the decision making of a faction that is currently in an ongoing war with three other different factions," Torvola said. "Umaska’s intelligence wings read the absence of hostility as tacit agreement. They began inserting envoys, operatives, and—most critically—false intermediaries into one of the major tribes within the Hollow Aequor. Within three weeks, they had established what they could present as an inciting goal for the seafarers."

Azulus’s eyes narrowed, the barest flicker of reaction breaking her stillness. "Out of all factions, the Umaska is definitely one of those who is capable of doing so."

"Precisely," Torvola confirmed. "One of the many Hollow Aequor military leaders viewed the Umbra King’s supposed collaboration as proof that the relation is just—or at least mutually beneficial. Umaska then fed them falsified intelligence: claims that one of Suiyen Concord’s western bastions had been used to funnel resources to their enemies in High Maosh."

"If this is a competition for who is the most schizophrenic, they are definitely racking up gold medals every year." Kivas exhaled slowly. "And they bought it, just like that?"

"They bought it," Torvola echoed, "and mobilized a strike force. Not a raid—an annihilation order. The Hollow Aequor’s march will bring them to the bastion within nine days at most. The Concord’s standing forces can hold for perhaps three."

Samael’s wings shifted, metal joints clicking softly. "Where does the Paradox War tie into this? This sounds like plain deception and opportunism."

"The Concord’s position is complicated by the instability of diplomacy in the region they were relocated to," Torvola said. "Their bastion sits atop a faultline of cause-loops originating from one of the psychic quakes, alongside the already ongoing illusions done by the Aequors.

"In certain projections, the Hollow Aequor attack has already happened... and failed. In others, it succeeded and erased the bastion’s leadership from the present chain of events." His voice lowered fractionally. "Bizarre spiritual and mental influence makes reinforcement and supply routing unpredictable. You may arrive in a ’present’ where the defenders have already been routed—or one where they have not yet begun resistance, depending on the current state of the illusion that is being put on the bastion."

Kivas’s jaw tightened. "And you want the Consortium to wade into that."

"I am asking," Torvola corrected evenly, "whether you are willing to intervene alongside Karasu military support to repel the Hollow Aequor and stabilize the Concord’s hold until the faultline can be sealed."

"What’s in it for us?" Samael asked flatly.

Torvola’s mask turned slightly toward her. "The leader of the Suiyen Concord has authorized me to offer a substantial shipment of raw Eulanite ore—quantity in excess of sixty tons."

Kivas was shaken as she tried her best to maintain her professional smile.

Torvalo continued as he knew that he had reeled the big fish. "As you are aware, Eulanite is unmatched in durability and possesses high resistance to Mana Psyche manipulation, whether through skill or spell formulation."

Kivas’s gaze flicked toward Azulus. "You know we’ve been trying to negotiate a trade for Eulanite, in exchange for our Darkness Essence for it."

"In an attempt to develop a defensive structure that utilizes the infamous Eldritch Bolt," Azulus confirmed, her tone uncolored. "The Concord is famously guarded with their mineral reserves, so they definitely have a huge amount of ores ready to be used as diplomatic weapons."

"Don’t tell me that the Umbra King peacefully settled the territory dispute..."

"Yep," Azulus gave a thumbs up, "With an insurmountable amount of Eulanite."

"Of course," Torvola said. "Their offer hinges on the defense of this bastion. The offer stands only if you commit forces before the Hollow Aequor reaches engagement range."

Kivas was silent for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered. "I find that the reinforcement offer to be rather late for something of this scale."

"I could have told this faster," Torvola agreed. "But the Karasu Association prefers to know a potential ally’s disposition before making public proposals. You are under no binding obligation at this stage."

Samael’s expression didn’t shift, but her voice carried a hint of interest. "If we accept, what’s the detailed scope of involvement?"

"Two fronts," Torvola said. "The first is the direct defense of the bastion’s perimeter—stationary shield arrays, aerial interdiction, and counter-siege operations. The second is temporal stabilization. The Suiyen’s diviners will operate from a forward base, and actively dispel the illusions, but Consortium personnel will need to secure their perimeter and maintain uninterrupted focus until the conflict ceases to exist within the border."