Treatise Of A Failed Knight

"What do you want to do now?"

I watch quietly as Seth looks around the chamber—at the dead Sentinels, at the Bishop’s corpse, at the symbols of faith adorning the walls.

"I don’t know," he admits. "I don’t even have a home anymore. This place... I can never come back here. And I have no family, no connections outside the Church."

He turns to face me, and there’s something like determination in his eyes despite the emptiness in his voice.

"But I do have a purpose. I need to find the Leviathan who made me this way. The organization they claimed to represent. I need to know what they did to those other children and me. I need to understand what I am."

I nod slowly, my mind already working through the possibilities.

’It’s probably not the Enlightened Witnesses of Truth,’ I think. ’That whole cult was fabricated by Lucien as a smokescreen for his activities. The timeline doesn’t match either—Seth’s abduction happened thirty years ago, long before Lucien would have been operating in this region.’

’There’s also no apparent motive for Lucien to conduct such experiments. His goals seem focused on evading the Ouroboros Sect, not creating seers or whatever Seth has become.’

But it’s still worth investigating.

I should bring this up with Alistair and the other Sect members when we next meet.

"Seth," I say, making a decision. "I’m planning to leave for Dustinville once everything here is settled. The investigation, the succession, all the loose ends that need tying up."

His eyebrows rise slightly. "The Large-sized Kingdom of Dustinville? Really?"

"Yes. I’ve already begun the process of enrollment. I’ve thought about it a lot, and honestly... It’s a place I can learn so much more than what I know now," I explain with a deep sigh.

I never told Seth about my future plans.

It’s quite normal that he is shocked, but I’m sure he understands.

"Wow... That’s great."

I meet his gaze steadily. "Come with me. We can both enroll. You can research the mystery of your past while I research my future. We can help each other. Watch each other’s backs."

Seth considers this for a long moment, looking down at his hands—hands that just killed the man who raised him.

"Together?" he asks quietly.

"Together," I confirm. "You said you have no home. Then make a new one. With people who see you as a person, not a tool."

A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "Friends. I like the sound of that."

I smile too.

’I truly consider you a friend, Seth... but I’m also very curious about you as well. Now I know why your existence is so special. A Leviathan is involved somehow. It wouldn’t do well to leave you by yourself if that’s the case.’

"Then it’s settled," I say. "Once I finish handling the mess here, we’ll leave for Dustinville together. Start fresh."

He nods in silence, and for a moment none of us speaks.

Then—

"What about all this?" Seth gestures to the bodies surrounding us.

I glance around the chamber, calculating quickly.

"I’ll handle it. Make it look like the remnants of the Enlightened Witnesses of Truth attacked the Cathedral. Given recent events, no one will question it too deeply. The Church was involved with them anyway, according to those documents we found."

"A fitting end," Seth says bitterly. "The Church destroyed by the very monsters they did business with."

We make our way out of the chamber, leaving the carnage behind.

As we exit the Cathedral into the cool night air, Seth pauses on the steps, looking back at the building that was his entire world for so long.

"I should feel something," he says. "Sadness, anger, regret. Something. But there’s just... emptiness."

"The emptiness will pass," I tell him. "Eventually."

He nods slowly, then turns away from the Cathedral for what might be the last time.

"Dustinville," he says, testing the word. "A new beginning."

"A new beginning," I agree.

As we walk away from the house of lies that raised him, I’m already planning my next move.

The meeting with the Ouroboros Sect is at the top of the list.

We should handle this with utmost discretion.

One crisis at a time.

********

A few days have passed, and the Ouroboros Sect Leviathans have kept in touch, just as they promised.

For one, they have taken custody of everyone I care about.

As protection, just as I asked for.

Klein and Seraphina remain in their home, but the Disciples take turns guarding their premises or observing the environment. Serena has similarly been assigned watchers. Seth has also been placed under their supervision.

Everyone remotely close to the case has eyes on them now.

That’s good.

One less thing to worry about.

Now, as I walk through the underground passages beneath the Capital, I’m accompanied by two members of the Ouroboros Sect.

Alistair Wormwood himself—the Rank 3 Leaper who leads this operation—and his deputy, Richard.

Richard is a Rank 2 Caster, one of the more esoteric Leviathan Paths.

Even I am not fully aware of what Casters can do, but based on the records left behind in Ciel’s Sanctuary, I know that they have four main Conceptions: Skip, Rewind, Supplant, and Graft.

This Pathway is especially dangerous, too.

After all, it is the only Pathway that involves directly applying temporal effects on another target besides the Leviathan itself.

The biggest flaw of a Caster, however, is that they cannot affect themselves with their Conception.

As a result, they are left vulnerable despite their incredible power.

Richard is quite a tall figure, skinny too.

However, he has a rather pale face with dark circles under his eyes that are even worse than Uncle Damon’s. Something tells me he isn’t getting enough rest.

’Is his job that taxing...?’ I can’t help but wonder.

"It’s a good thing that the Dark Guild’s Seeker has agreed to meet with us in person," Alistair says as we descend deeper underground.

"His cooperation was... reluctant, but he understands the stakes."

I make a wry smile.

He probably would not have agreed if Alistair weren’t from the Ouroboros Sect, a genuine Leviathan Organization, and if he weren’t an Adept Leviathan.

The difference in attitude with how he treated me back then and now is night and day.

’He only ever dealt with me using Snake, but he’s meeting us in person now...’

I can’t say I’m surprised or even offended.

After all, the Dark Guild is actually deeply involved in this affair.

It sold goods to Lucien Zevalis, so...

"I’ll finally be meeting my superior in the Dark Guild for the first time," I chuckle lightly. "He never agreed to meet with me, so I should be grateful for this opportunity."

"Don’t be too offended by his attitude. Many Seekers are cowardly by nature since they possess the least combat capabilities among the six Pathways. Having multiple Leviathans come near him must make him nervous, so we should give him some consideration." Alistair replies warmly.

"I understand."

Richard chuckles at this point, though it’s almost like a dry sound.

We reach a massive door carved from obsidian. Strange glyphs cover its surface, pulsing with faint light.

Alistair raises his hand, and the door swings open silently.

Beyond lies what can only be described as an underground castle.

Vast halls carved from warbling rock surfaces, lit by floating orbs of pale light. Corridors branch off in multiple directions, each one leading to chambers whose purposes I can only guess at.

The architecture is old—far older than the Capital above us.

"This is one of the Seeker’s bases," Richard explains, noticing my awe. "I heard that Rank 2 or higher members of the Dark Guild maintain several such locations throughout their territory. This particular one has been here for at least three centuries."

"I see..." I try my best to hide how deeply impressed I am.

This truly is impressive.

’No single human is that old, and even at Rank 2, he can’t have gotten more Lifespan. Plus, he isn’t an Exemplar that could use Backflow to slow down their time. That means... this person likely inherited this base as part of the Dark Guild.’

Thinking about this makes me realize that there may be hidden benefits in the Dark Guild that I am not exploiting to their full potential.

Somehow, this makes me feel a little bit greedy.

But I shove those thoughts aside while I walk with these seniors.

We’re led through the castle by silent attendants—members of the Dark Guild’s lower ranks who move with practiced deference. They don’t speak, don’t make eye contact, simply guide us deeper into the complex.

Finally, we reach a chamber that resembles a throne room.

Sitting in a chair at the far end—not quite a throne, but close enough to make a statement—is a man I’ve never seen before.

He’s younger than I expected.

Perhaps early twenties, with sharp features and eyes that seem to look through me rather than at me. His clothing is expensive but understated—the kind of wealth that doesn’t need to announce itself.

He rises as we enter, and I feel the pressure of his Existence.

Not threatening, exactly.

Just... present. A reminder that this is a Rank 2 Leviathan standing before me.

Compared to me, a Rank 1, he is on a much different level.

"Javier Aditi," he says, his voice smooth and cultured. "We meet at last. I am Gabriel, regional Supervisor of the Dark Guild for this sector."

His gentle eyes rest on me while he maintains a smile so wonderful it feels fake.

"It’s a pleasure to host you all."