Aiden had taken this form right after the system update three days ago.

He walked straight to the long table and took his place between Laela and Arianna who both smiled the moment they saw him enter.

"I found them both," Aiden said as he sat down, and they immediately understood he meant Thamoryn and Oberon.

Laela nodded with a relieved little exhale, but Arianna's smile faltered and her expression dipped for a moment.

It wasn't because Aiden had found them, of course not, but because her father was also among those who hadn't returned to their kingdoms after the demon attack.

Hearing that someone else had been found only reminded her that he still wasn't.

Aiden noticed the shift in her almost immediately, so he slid his hand gently across her lap, telling her he would do everything to find him.

Arianna nodded and held his hand quietly after that.

It wasn't only Dragonhold that had been attacked by demons. The other kingdoms had also suffered assaults on the same day, each in different forms and intensity.

Well except Yul'thera which remained untouched for reasons no one fully understood; maybe it was because their kingdom was hidden or maybe they had the protection of the gods, but they didn't face the external demon threats.

According to the urgent report that came from Xathia the very next day after the attack, "Cedric and the elven grand magus, Daylor behaved in an unprecedented manner and had attacked their own kingdom."

So just like the others from the guild, they too had been possessed, and had gone missing with the rest of the other demon possessed.

Right then the captain stepped back into the guild through the front entrance, with Piers and Aeris behind her.

All of them carried the same expression they had worn for days, something between grim and blank, like smiling required energy they didn't have anymore.

And truthfully there wasn't anything to smile about.

They had lost guild members and there still wasn't any trace of them. Not even Aiden with his sight had been able to locate them yet.

Aeris had chosen not to go back with Myrenne three days ago and Katherine allowed her to stay as long as she needed to figure out where she wanted to go next.

Or what she wanted to do with her life in general.

And in that short time she'd made herself useful as a sparring partner for Katherine, being one of the few who could actually match her flow and pace in non-magic close combat.

Ever since the attacks, Katherine had been pushing herself nonstop. She blamed herself for what had happened to her guild members.

Additionally, after the incident with the mages who surrounded them outside the guild building that day, she had decided she was far too weak and needed to fix it.

A later report from Zahka also mentioned that her sister Selene along with several asuras had been among those possessed, and Katherine knew getting them back was going to demand blood one way or another.

She walked past the tables on her way to her chamber but paused near where Aiden, Laela, and Arianna sat.

Laela greeted her. "Hello Captain"

Katherine nodded in return and offered a casual, "Hello guys…" then added, "Are Elena and Kayden back yet?"

Laela shook her head.

Katherine then looked over towardsAiden. "Could I trouble you to let them know they should be back before sundown?"

She wanted to make sure that everyone was always accounted for, especially when it started getting late.

She also knew Aiden had his avatars subtly keeping an eye on anyone who went out of the guild building each day.

Earlier, she'd even spotted one hovering near the edge of the area where she practiced with Aeris and Piers.

Aiden nodded at her request.

Katherine nodded back, said "Thank you," and went into her chambers.

Piers and Aeris then sat at the table opposite Aiden and the women.

Arianna looked at Piers, and asked "Aren't you going inside with the captain?"

He shook his head. "Not right now. She needs as much space as she can get."

Everyone understood that without needing further explanation.

——

Meanwhile, just outside the city in an open clearing, Elena and Kayden stood facing each other.

"Try again, one more time," Elena said in her small but steady voice.

Kayden nodded, moved back to the center, inhaled quietly and tried again.

He tried to gather mana from the surroundings, letting it flow through him the way the mystic field technique required.

For a moment it swirled around him in a calm ring of faint energy, then once again it broke apart abruptly.

Kayden grunted, and with a frustrated look he said. "I can't just get it right."

Elena then said to him. "It's only been a little over two days, and you're already doing better than I ever did, even after nearly three weeks of trying to learn this technique."

That was when one of Aiden's avatars materialized before them and relayed the captain's message that they were to return before sundown.

Kayden sighed. Elena nodded to the avatar in acknowledgment.

—-

Later at night, when the hour for the meeting finally arrived, only two of the eight captains were present.

Katherine, and the captain of the Grey Demons, Malrik. The others had all been claimed by the possession of those Leeches.

The highest ranking mages of the other guilds stood in place of their missing captains

Oberon and Thamoryn were present as well. Oberon stood without his crown; he couldn't wear it proudly, knowing he had failed to protect his kingdom.

And most surprisingly, even the former captains of Dragonhold whom Aiden had defeated during the war chose to show themselves for the meeting.

All except Mumbleton. He wasn't going to put himself through the shame of facing Aiden ever again.

Frankly the others didn't want to come either, but the invitation they received had been delivered by Aiden's avatars and none of them were willing to test whether refusing would be considered an insult or straight defiance.

Although some of still chose to be here, because the situation had grown too dire to ignored.

There was one other person in their presence. A hood covered her head, but her blonde hair and golden eyes were still visible.

No one questioned her presence, cause they were under the assumption that this mysterious figure had also been invited by Aiden.

In truth, that was not the case.

The goddess Lucina had come of her own accord.

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