Chapter 39: The Circle of Seven
Arthur walked behind Gareth through fancy hallways that got more impressive with each turn.
His sharp senses picked up every detail while he pretended to just be curious.
"The others can’t wait to meet you," Gareth said with that creepy smile that never left his face. "Word about you has gotten around, brother."
Others. Arthur’s mind immediately started working through the possibilities. How many enhanced people were they dealing with? Who was really in charge? More importantly—were these guys the real bosses, or just another layer of this whole organization?
"Others?" Arthur asked, sounding just interested enough.
"The Circle of Seven. Well, six now, since you killed Vex." Gareth said. "They’re really curious about your... special abilities."
Arthur’s enhanced senses picked up multiple powerful energy signatures ahead—not just the corrupted dragon magic he’d sensed in Gareth, but something way more strange. These weren’t just enhanced humans anymore.
"I killed one of their people," Arthur said, watching Gareth’s reaction. "That doesn’t usually make groups want to recruit you."
Gareth laughed. "They were impressed, Arthur. Vex had been enhanced for two years—dragon essence, ritual upgrades, reality manipulation training. You took him down in a straight fight while he had every advantage." His voice got almost admiring. "They want to know how you pulled that off."
Because I had my bonds, Now, cut off from that support network, he felt exposed in ways that went way beyond just tactical disadvantages.
They came to a set of double doors that made no architectural sense—too tall for the hallway they were in, made from what looked like crystallized shadow. The magical energy coming from beyond them was overwhelming.