A WEEK LATER
NORTH CALUM
VEILBREAKERS NEST
“You two are amazing!” Rinporter remarked, full of praise for Cresson and Grovan’s successful invention.
“Indeed, but your superpower is truly incredible. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to create it,” Cresson said, taking a sip of his wine.
“And let’s not forget . . . without me, there would be no finished product!” Grovan chimed in, pouring wine into his now empty glass.
It took three days for him to regain his strength, and an additional four days for him and Cresson to complete the ring that Kolzon had requested. They developed a device capable of emitting specific frequencies. By precisely calibrating the ring to match Rinporter’s resonance frequency, they were able to synchronize it with his power. This synchronization enabled the ring to activate a portal that directly led to the dungeon located beneath the Supreme Valoure Academy. Kolzon had specifically chosen this location for the portal to enhance the efficiency of the Valoures, the renowned heroes of Ranace, in transporting the captured conjurers to the dungeon.
“Congratulations, Cres, Grovan. But is there any chance that you could also create something for us, but this time, the location is our hideout?” Keiro asked.
Grovan chuckled as he swirled his wine glass. “We’ve already taken care of that.”
“Really?” Rinporter exclaimed, glancing between the two of them. “That’s amazing!”
Cresson retrieved a silver ring from his white coat and slipped it onto his pinky finger, while Grovan wiggled a golden ring on his middle finger.
Rinporter made a face. “Do you really have to extend your middle finger just to show us the ring? You could simply show your hand, you know.”
Laughing, Grovan replied, “I just wanted the ring to stand out. What’s wrong with that?”
Keiro, impressed by the skills of his group, chuckled and downed his wine in one gulp. “Where’s mine?”
Grovan reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, handing it to him. The ring was a plain silver color with a small, nearly invisible flat button.
“We made that ring especially for you. Give it a try,” Cresson urged.
As Keiro slipped the ring onto his forefinger, its color transformed from silver to black. He looked at Cresson and asked, “Why did the color change?”
Grovan confidently answered, “Only your ring can change color to match your outfit. Isn’t that amazing?”
Keiro laughed. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”
“The portal is already activated once you’ve put the ring on, and to make it appear, you have to throw the ring in the air,” Cresson explained. “Would you like to give it a try?”
He nodded and stepped out of the basement. As soon as the ring was tossed into the air, it expanded and transformed into a portal filled with energy. Keiro stepped through it and found himself back in the basement. His eyes widened in awe, while the rest of the group smiled broadly.
“Now it feels like Rin is always by my side,” he remarked, placing a hand on Rinporter’s shoulder. He then noticed that the ring was still on his finger. He looked at it with wonder and asked, “Does the ring automatically return to the exact spot where it was placed on the finger?”
Cresson and Grovan both nodded in agreement. Rinporter chimed in, “We truly have a group of talented individuals here! A brilliant scientist, skilled engineer, my extraordinary superpowers, and our leader with remarkable fighting instincts!”
Laughter filled the room as everyone enjoyed each other’s company. They continued their celebration and decided to stay overnight in the house.
THE NEXT DAY
“We can’t allow the Arcanians to continue their invasion in Ranace. We must stop them before countless innocent lives are lost because of their actions,” Keiro began. “Do any of you have a solution to this problem?” Silence hung in the air, prompting him to continue, “From what I can see, we have a few options to approach this issue. However, to be honest, none of the potential solutions may be ideal. But let’s see how it goes. Each of us will suggest a possible solution.”
Taking a deep breath, he turned to the whiteboard and wrote his idea.
Grovan was about to question it but Keiro interrupted, saying, “Let’s discuss the details once we have heard everyone’s suggestions. Let’s move on to you, Grovan. What’s yours?”
He pondered for a moment before responding. Keiro promptly jotted down his answer, following the same process with the other two.
KIERO: Subdue all the Arcanians.
GROVAN: Destroy all the labs to force them to retreat to their planet.
RINPORTER: Offer Helthier to all the Arcanians to prevent them from targeting humans for the time being.
CRESSON: Expose the Arcanians and seek international assistance, as this is not just a problem for Ranace but for our entire planet.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Keiro pointed at the whiteboard and stated, “These are all valid solutions. Now, let’s discuss the potential effects of each one. Let’s start with the first one, subduing all the Arcanians.”
Grovan raised his hand and said, “Subduing them would undoubtedly take a considerable amount of time. While it may be an ideal solution, I believe it’s also quite idealistic. I don’t mean to sound pessimistic, but I think it’s nearly impossible unless we have all the necessary resources for such a mission.”
“I agree,” Cresson interjected. “There are several important questions that need to be addressed. For instance, once we subdue the Arcanians, where will we keep them? Should we construct a dungeon specifically for them? Should we wait for them to perish on Earth, considering their limited lifespan of only up to three years in our environment? Or should we send them back to their home planet? Additionally, we need to consider the timing. When will we be able to successfully achieve this? What if more Arcanians arrive and discover their missing comrades? What if a war ensues as a result?”
Keiro chuckled, surprising everyone. “I apologize for the confusion. I was just testing your insights. Subduing the Arcanians might be challenging, but my real suggestion is to focus on breaking free from the influence of Arcanians within the government. I believe this is the crucial first step before we can determine our main course of action regarding the Arcanians.”
“I thought you were serious! I genuinely believed that subduing them would have the least negative consequences,” Rinporter exclaimed. “Nevertheless, I agree that breaking away from the influence of Arcanians within the government is essential. It will lay the foundation for our future plan.”
“All right, let’s move on to Grovan’s idea of destroying all the labs. What are the potential consequences of this action?”
Rinporter raised his hand and spoke up, “We cannot be certain that destroying the labs will guarantee the Arcanians’ return to their planet. In fact, it might be seen as a challenge to them, leading to retaliation and the loss of innocent lives. It could even escalate into a full-blown war. In my opinion, destroying the labs seems to be the least ideal solution.”
Grovan scoffed. “Are you only saying that because it was my idea?”
“No, Grovan. It’s not personal.”
Keiro interjected, realizing something, “Rin has a valid point. If we destroy all the labs, it will only agitate the Arcanians. And considering the possibility that they have labs all over the world . . .”
Grovan interrupted, “So what? We’ll just have to destroy those as well. . . . Although, yes, it might be an impossible task. It could take months or years just to locate each lab.” He sighed deeply and turned to Rinporter, conceding, “All right, you’re right. I admit defeat on this one.”
Keiro chuckled. “We’re not in a competition to see who has the best idea here, Grovan. Let’s focus on Rin’s suggestion for n—”
Interrupting, Grovan proposed, “What if we simply try to locate the descendants of the Lennox family?”
“No!” Keiro blurted out, earning bewildered looks from the rest of the group. The suddenness and unexpectedness of his outburst caught them off guard, leaving them puzzled and uncertain about the reason behind his reaction.
“I mean . . . millions of Arcanians have already been sent here, and they haven’t been able to find them,” he clarified. “What makes you think we can?”
Cresson chimed in, “I agree. We can’t just sacrifice innocent people.”
“How can you be so sure that the Lennox family is innocent?” Grovan challenged. “Aren’t they part of them? They’re not even human, I bet.”
“That actually makes sense,” Rinporter added. “For the greater good, I think helping the Arcanians find this family might be the best solution.”
Cresson questioned sternly, “Do you truly believe that’s the best solution given the circumstances?”
“Well, I suppose not . . .” Grovan admitted, while Rinporter remained silent.
Keiro let out an audible sigh. “Let’s go back to what we originally discussed. Next is Rin’s idea of offering Helthier to all the Arcanians.”
Grovan objected the idea. “That’s like tolerating their actions. Why would you want them to live a longer life here on Earth? It’s not like we’re best friends with them.”
Rinporter glared at him. “Don’t take this personally, Grovan. Offering them Helthier would prevent them from killing humans for the time being. With the syrup, they can live up to ten years with the same identity. And during that time, we can strategize our next steps. So, offering them the syrup would buy us some time.”
Cresson chimed in, “Rin’s idea is actually a good one, I think. It can be the second step after removing the Arcanians’ influence from our government.”
“All right, now, let’s discuss Cresson’s idea, which is to expose the Arcanians and seek international assistance,” Keiro suggested. “This could potentially be the best solution if we consider the larger scope of the problem. However, it also means we would need more resources to achieve it.”
Cresson hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “Can I critique my idea?” When Keiro nodded, he continued, “I understand that exposing the Arcanians will require a significant amount of effort. Once their true identities are revealed here in Ranace, we may discover that almost half of the population are Arcanians disguised as humans. This revelation could instill fear and chaos, particularly since our nation is also dealing with evil conjurers. Reassuring the people won’t be easy, but what if, we, as conjurers, whether good or evil, join forces to fight against the Arcanians and subdue them? Moreover, since Arcanians are spread all over the world, other nations might be willing to listen and assist us. If we can unite and work together, we might just have a chance to make them leave our planet.”
“Uh, it’s great to have ambitious goals, but we should also consider the potential challenges and drawbacks that come with achieving them,” Rinporter expressed his concerns. “I can’t help but worry about the possibility of World War III breaking out as a result. Other nations may not believe us, especially if they already have a negative opinion of us. And what if the leaders of these countries are also Arcanians? With 195 countries in the world, excluding us, the consequences could be dire.”
Keiro nodded in understanding. “You both raise valid points. But this time, I actually agree with Rin. It’s not just a matter of them not believing us; they might even dismiss us as insignificant. Furthermore, it would be extremely challenging to prove the identity of Arcanians among humans. We can’t simply assume that anyone allergic to menthol is an Arcanian.”
“I think, for now, it’s best to focus on what we can realistically achieve,” Grovan suggested. “Let’s go with Rin’s idea of offering Helthier to all the Arcanians. And then, we can explore options for sending them back to their planet. Perhaps we can search for their spaceship or even build one ourselves.”
“When you say that, somehow I feel reassured. I know it wouldn’t be impossible for you to build a spaceship,” Keiro said. “Let’s go with that plan. Do you agree, Rin, Cres?”
Rinporter nodded in agreement, whereas Cresson responded, “Absolutely, Rin’s idea is the best in our current situation, and building a spaceship is something that I and Grovan can work on.”
“Then it’s decided,” Kiero said as he encircled Rinporter’s idea on the board.
The Veilbreakers discussed plans to break free from Arcanian influence in the government. Keiro suggested monitoring officials for allergic reactions to menthol scent. They intend to expose the Arcanians’ true identity within the government and seek assistance from unaffected members to persuade them to step down from their positions.
As Garo Lat mentioned the mission to locate the descendants of the Lennox family, the Veilbreakers found it peculiar how the Arcanians were entangling themselves in politics. This led them to speculate that their ultimate objective was to conquer Earth. Keiro volunteered to approach the President to extract information about their true goals and to express interest in conversing with their queen. This shifted their plan to force them to retreat, under the threat of potential war between Arcanians and the conjurers.
They also planned to intercept another Elthier shipment to aid in creating the Healthier and offer it to all the Arcanians. As they considered their options, another idea resurfaced: persuading these species to align with them and form a faction within their kind.
Regarding the spaceship, the Veilbreakers weighed two options: finding an existing one or building their own. They chose to pursue both simultaneously. Keiro and Rinporter would search for an Arcanian spaceship, while Grovan and Cresson would attempt to build one. This allowed them to be prepared for various scenarios and adapt to unforeseen circumstances, including the possibility of visiting Planet Arcanum.
Sighing heavily, Keiro asked, “All right, do you have any questions or concerns?” Everyone shook their heads in response. “I guess that’s all for now. Our plan will commence tomorrow.”