CHAPTER 61: OATHKEEPERS

Vlad stayed quiet for a long breath, eyes fixed on the arena floor below.

The ice leopard was a white blur of pale muscle on the wind, and the Spartan moved to meet it, spear glinting under the overhead enchantments.

The clash rang out a moment later, muted but sharp, the sound sliding through the private chamber like the strike of flint on steel.

"No one," Vlad said and let the answer hang.

"However," he added, as he met the cold, questioning gaze of Angela, "I am loyal to a great cause. A goal, one that must be achieved no matter the price."

Angela smiled faintly, her blood-red eyes burning brighter in the dim light.

"So, I would be right to assume that there is a group behind this... working toward this great cause," she said, and Vlad nodded in confirmation.

"And surely not everyone in that group leads themselves because if they did, differences would fracture it. People would follow their own paths, and the end goal would never be reached."

"Unless, of course, they are bound by a contract," She said and waited for clarification.

"Lady Angela, do you know the real reason behind why Ascension was created?" Alex asked, and Angela instantly became serious.

"I don’t know what you mean by that," she said evenly, though the flicker in her eyes made it clear she knew exactly what he meant.

"Save me the trouble of explaining everything," Vlad said and continued speaking.

"As we both know, seventy-eight factions are competing to decide the fate of the galaxy, doing so by striving for greatness within Ascension, not by waging war in the real world."

"Either everyone involved will get a share of the galaxy based on their achievements, or things stay the same as they are right now."

"One banner, one rule."

"However, if only things were so simple," Vlad said, his voice low, seething, with anger bubbling just beneath the surface at the very thought.

"They chose this path to keep the real galaxy safe, from fire, from chaos, being civilized enough to know a bloodless game was much better than a burning galaxy."

He paused, voice growing even colder now.

"But of course, they left in a convenient loophole, Game Points. Just what they needed to break their own rules, to stop the Enforcer and make Lucid look the other way when someone breaks the Treaty."

"Corrupt? Absolutely. But expected."

"The true hegemons of the galaxy were never going to leave their fate to a game played by people from all walks of life."

"Many poor souls will die ... but that’s still better than letting the galaxy drown in war."

"However... if only their madness had ended there," Vlad said darkly.

By now, Angela was leaning forward, brows furrowed in anticipation, realizing that she might be in for more of a surprise than she could have ever imagined.

"Do you really think a faction wouldn’t attack another in the real world," Vlad said, voice low and sharp, "if it meant stopping them from achieving something great in Ascension? Killing one of their star players or destroying a key place to cause them great loss?"

He didn’t wait for her to answer.

"Once Pandora’s Box is open, once the first power makes a move, all hell breaks loose. Retaliation. Preemptive strikes. Quiet assassinations. Public disasters, entire worlds turning to dust for small victories. Catastrophes piling on top of each other."

Angela said nothing, but her fingers tightened against the edge of the sofa, digging into the velvet, while her aura leaked, showing her tumultuous emotional state.

"But no matter how much carnage unfolds... it should still end with the game. Since that was always the plan: split the galaxy and grow in peace, or stay as an empire and grow in peace."

He paused, then leaned in slightly.

"But what if that’s just the beginning?" Vlad said, his next words cutting through the tension like a quiet blade.

"Have you ever really thought about what it means... to be able to make Lucid do anything, anything in his power, just by spending a certain amount of Game Points?"

"So what if," Vlad said quietly, "they created a new outcome, something beyond the two peaceful ends?"

He went silent, letting the question hang like a blade in the air.

After a long pause, Angela spoke, having reached the terrible outcome, her voice stiff with horror, her expression caught somewhere between disbelief and fear.

"But... a request like that would cost an astronomical amount. No single faction, no matter how powerful, could afford it," she said. But even as the words left her mouth, doubt crept in at the edges.

"The others, no matter how greedy or mad, would never allow something like that to happen," she said, a small, fragile smile breaking through the horror etched across her face.

Vlad smiled bitterly, wishing that this could have been true, then so many lives would have been saved.

"Sure, one faction couldn’t," Vlad said, voice quiet, deliberate. "But what if two agreed to it? What if there were three? Four? Five?"

The weak smile faded away quickly. Her lips pressed together, her eyes lost focus, and the fear returned, helpless and cold, crawling back over her like a second skin.

But she was not a helpless and weak young lady; she was an heir of a mighty clan and had seen her fair share of dark things that could shatter weaker minds.

So, in seconds, she snapped out of her terror, the coldness returning to her crimson eyes. She stared back at Vlad and said coldly.

"You are right. If that happens, then the galaxy will burn, and countless billions will die," She said, the weakness in her voice fading away.

"But, such a terrible outcome is only possible if all top factions know that they will receive little to nothing when the galaxy is divided, which is not possible since they are the top factions." She said it firmly, convinced that Vlad’s words were nothing more than speculation.

"Then you don’t understand the greed of the various races, especially humans," Vlad said, chuckling darkly.

"If they divide the galaxy, every faction gains independence and the protection of Lucid. That means the only way to grow from then on would be through conquering uncharted territory."

He paused, letting the weight of that settle.

"And that would lead to one thing, competition. Endless competition."

"The higher echelons already see it, so why would they share territory when they could simply take it?"

He looked at her, tone cooling again.

"But anyway, I am not here to convince you of the terrible future waiting for us," Vlad said, exhaling slowly. "In time... you will understand."

Angela wanted to challenge him, wanted to return to the earlier thread and tear holes in his doomsaying logic.

But she stopped as Vlad shifted the conversation to things she wished to learn more about.

"The cause we are loyal to," Vlad began, his voice calm but heavy with weight, "Is saving the galaxy from its inevitable collapse."

"And yes, there is a group working for this cause, and we are called the Oathkeepers," Vlad said. Angela straightened slightly, her eyes narrowing in focus.

"We are all bound by an oath, one that compels us to act for the good of the galaxy, no matter what it takes." Vlad continued. "Every member of the Oathkeepers holds the same status in the order."

He paused for just a breath, then added, "But you were right about one thing. Some does have more say than the others."

"But it’s decided based on contribution, which could be earned by doing countless things, whether it is by providing information or executing a job," Vlad said and smiled.

"So I have a question," Angela said carefully, "It’s clear to me that only select individuals get to join the Oathkeepers, but who decides who gets to join?"

"Any member can recommend someone and explain why they believe that person would serve the cause well, but the final decision comes down to a vote," Vlad said. "Though... It’s not the normal kind of voting."

"So people with different ranks have different voting power," She asked, quickly reaching the most probable answer.

Vlad gave a faint smile. "You’re smart. And to answer your question, yes."

He leaned forward slightly. "And before you ask, anything that happens within the Oathkeepers must be kept secret. Even our existence is classified, though that secret will come out eventually, one way or another."

Angela studied him in silence for a few seconds, then asked, "You want me to join this order of yours?"

"Yes," Vlad said without hesitation. "But understand, this isn’t something you can walk away from later. It’s a commitment, a lifetime commitment, so that’s why you will be given a few weeks to consider your choice."

He paused, then added with quiet reassurance, "And no, there won’t be consequences if you refuse." He said, easily seeing her worries.

"You also don’t have to join out of fear of the consequences that would follow you for removing Marin," Vlad said. "Don’t worry. The Oathkeepers will help you deal with them, whether you join or not."