When night fell on the earth, the great masters began to gather in the head master's room. Everyone who entered the room found the head master Marcel anxiously pacing back and forth among his books. The poor old man was the wisest among them, but this was the first time in his life that he had encountered such great chaos. The uncertainty of this mysterious situation fed the chaos in the castle and fueled the fear in everyone. Even the wisdom and experience of the head master Marcel could not answer the questions, and no solution could be found. Aravel, the head master's assistant, took the books from his master's hand and placed them on his table. Then he pulled the master's chair for him to sit down. The other nine masters in the room sat in their places around the big table. But there was something missing, because the third grand master's place was empty. Only four people in that room knew where he was. The others thought that the third grand master was responsible for all this and that he was likely to disappear because of it. When the head master Marcel sat down, he saw the masters whispering among themselves. He looked at them one by one, but he could not see the third grand master Henry in his place. He turned to Aravel, frowning.
“Where is Master Henry?”
Aravel, who was standing to the right of the head master and waiting for orders, immediately approached him and leaned into his ear.
“He must have finished the other apprentice’s interrogation. I think he’ll be here soon.”
Head master Marcel leaned back, placing his left hand on his lips, and began to look at the patterns on the tablecloth in front of him. The old man was actually thinking about what to say to the others and trying to rationalize what had happened. Meanwhile, the fourth grand master Diadus, who held the third grand master Henry responsible for what had happened, was vehemently badmouthing Henry to the other masters around him. Diadus’ anger towards Henry was a story that went back to their apprenticeships. Ever since their apprenticeships, Diadus had always been in Henry’s shadow and had consumed himself with his ambition. This ambition had turned him into a spiritually fragile and dangerous person. It was thought-provoking that Diadus had come third out of eleven masters with such spirituality. Likewise, great masters were known for their wisdom. Achieving wisdom also required a strong spirituality beyond intelligence. Diadus had been jealous of Henry for years, unaware of his own spiritual inadequacy. For this reason, he had always pushed himself too hard just to surpass Henry and had forgotten his essence, making his ambition his purpose in life. Henry was truly an elite compared to Diadus. He was a true grandmaster blessed with perfection both spiritually and in wisdom. The only difference between the second grandmaster and Henry was that the latter was older and more experienced than him. Because the head master and the second grand master were twins. These two old men saw Henry as the next head master. Diadus knew this deep down and was waiting for every opportunity to sabotage Henry.
The buzz in the room was increasing just like the anger inside Diadus. Diadus, who had finally come to the opportunity he had been waiting for, could no longer sit still. He stood up angrily, turned towards the head master and pointed to the door of the room with his hand. ‘’Headmaster Marcel, you see the reason for all this confusion is that they still haven’t come to us!’’ Marcel was sitting leaning on the left side of the chair, his left hand still on his lips, his right hand resting his wrist on the edge of the chair. Upon this sudden outburst, he turned his gaze from the pattern of the tablecloth to Diadus without changing his position. Diadus continued his angry speech, while everyone else listened to him attentively.
‘’It was his duty to train that sinister apprentice that he had taken under his protection. Because of him, almost the entire universe and creation were in danger. Despite all this, he was given the task of questioning the apprentices. So why? How do we know that he had no hand in this? Who else could do something this big?’’
‘’It was his duty to train that sinister apprentice that he had taken under his protection. Because of him, almost the entire universe and creation were in danger. Despite all this, he was given the task of questioning the apprentices. So why? How do we know that he had no hand in this? Who else could do something this big?’’
At that moment, Henry entered. He gave a dark impression with the whites on the sides of his long black hair, the black/dark green detailed robe he wore, and the parchment in his hand. The tiredness in his eyes could be seen by everyone. Henry had heard what Diadus had said about him and he was not surprised at all. On the contrary, Henry did not feel even the slightest emotion towards Diadus. He knew that he was his enemy and hated him. Henry did not care about this situation, but Diadus was becoming an annoying element in the situation they were in. If Diadus wanted an answer, Henry would give him and everyone the answers he needed. He started walking towards the place reserved for him at the table. At the same time, despite all his tiredness, he said the following sentence with a loud voice that would make everyone shiver.
“Aida could have done it and she did.”
All the masters, including the fourth, turned to Henry. Henry extended the parchment in his left hand to the assistant Aravel. Aravel took the parchment and went to the head master. The third grand master, Henry, who pulled his chair with his right hand, looked at Diadus, who was still standing, while he was sitting.
“Yes, the reason for what happened is Aida. Moreover, she did not even deign to touch the memories of the other apprentices while doing this. However, the situation of the apprentice whose interrogation I returned was different from the others, and it was not because Aida was close to her. Someone visited the apprentice before me. You know better, Diadus.”
Diadus frowned, and just as he was about to answer, the second grand master intervened.
“Sit down, Diadus. The person who needs to be listened to right now is Henry.’’
Diadus took a deep breath upon the second’s command and immediately sat back in his chair. He had a calm and as if nothing had happened attitude because he had personally paid the visit Henry had mentioned. The apprentice Angelus, who was the closest to Aida, had incurred Diadus’ wrath the moment the events broke out. Diadus, who had left the young apprentice to die in the forest, was unaware of the great crime he had committed. His only concern was to get information from Angelus before Henry. When Henry found Angelus, the young apprentice was kneeling in front of a large rock, motionless. The corners of the apprentice’s eyes and mouth were pitch black. When Henry called out to him, Angelus remained unresponsive and did not even move an eye. The abnormal condition of this young man, who was one of the best among the apprentices, had made Henry suspicious. At first he thought that Aida was the cause of this, but when he looked more carefully at Angelus' eyes and the blackness around his mouth, he realized that all this was actually Diadus' work. Diadus left a black soot behind with every spell he cast due to his spiritual flaws. Henry looked into the eyes of Diadus sitting next to him and then turned to the head master.
After taking the scroll from Aravel, the head master looked at the other masters and took the floor.
“Ancient masters of the Earth and the universe. You have all dedicated your lives to wisdom and have mastered your fields. The incident we experienced last night is a unique incident that has not been seen before in centuries. Although the unknown of the energy that is being spread is worrying, this unknown must be solved first. For this reason, I personally interrogated Master Henry, whom you all suspected, right after the incident. His only connection to the incident is that he is only Aida’s master. Believing in Master Henry’s innocence, I assigned him to investigate these events more deeply. After Aida’s disappearance, I assigned Henry to interrogate the apprentices. You all knew that Henry was responsible for interrogating the apprentices, but apprentice Angelus was not around during and after the incident. I specifically assigned Henry to find him. Only I, the assistant Aravel, the second and third grand masters knew about this special task. However, it seems that there is another person in this room who is aware of the secret mission.’’
With the last sentence of the head master, everyone in the room started looking at Diadus at the same time. Diadus was quite disturbed by all the eyes turning to him. The head master opened the parchment in his hand and turned to the third grand master Henry.
‘’Master Henry, please inform the entire council about the situation of apprentice Angelus.’’
After this sentence, head master Marcel started looking through the parchment he opened. With this order from the head master, the third grand master Henry started telling the council what he had experienced.
‘’After being assigned by the head master, I left the castle to find Angelus. Because the head master had told me that Angelus’ energy was not in the castle. After leaving the castle, I started to track Angelus using various techniques. However, instead of Angelus’ energy, I felt a completely different energy. This energy took me deep into the Northern Forest. While I was tracking, I suddenly felt a vibration in the energy and then I heard Angelus’ scream. When I found the apprentice, he was in a miserable state. I called out to him, went to him, but he did not respond. There was black soot around his eyes and mouth.’’
‘’After being assigned by the head master, I left the castle to find Angelus. Because the head master had told me that Angelus’ energy was not in the castle. After leaving the castle, I started to track Angelus using various techniques. However, instead of Angelus’ energy, I felt a completely different energy. This energy took me deep into the Northern Forest. While I was tracking, I suddenly felt a vibration in the energy and then I heard Angelus’ scream. When I found the apprentice, he was in a miserable state. I called out to him, went to him, but he did not respond. There was black soot around his eyes and mouth.’’
At that moment, Diadus stood up in anger. His shouts echoed in the room.
’’Nonsense! He collaborated with the devil. Should I show mercy just because he is your apprentice? We are in this state because of your incompetence. You could not even train a handful of apprentices, and now you are trying to put all the blame on me. You idiot!”
After this outburst, Henry wanted to kill Diadus, but the head master intervened and ordered Diadus to sit down. Then he spoke up and told the rest of the events.
“Diadus somehow learned about the task I gave Henry and found Angelus before him. You tortured the apprentice to make him talk. You practically cast your last spell to kill him. You left the apprentice to die, Diadus. You left him in that state even though you saw him dying. When we solve the events and calm things down, you will have to stand trial for this. But now is the time to unite. We must all work together and calm down the chaos in the castle. As for the apprentice Angelus, when Henry brought him to the castle, he examined him and saw that there was a seal on his stomach. It is obvious that this was done by Aida, but it is not yet known what the seal means. Angel’s energy may have also been changed by this seal. In the meantime, I will personally deal with Angelus to find out if the apprentice is collaborating with Aida as Diadus claims. You will continue your training with your apprentices and tell them that they are working on this incident and that they should not worry. All information learned on the subject should be thoroughly investigated and reported with evidence. For this reason, we will come together at regular intervals and work together. The assistant Aravel will personally make the announcements of the meetings. That's enough for tonight. The meeting is officially over.''
The head master’s plan was clear to everyone. While some masters left the room, some masters decided to stay with the head master to exchange ideas. As Henry left the room, assistant Aravel came to him.
“Master Henry, the head master has changed the room of apprentice Angelus. As you know, he will take care of her himself from now on. It is important that this work be carried out with fewer people in order to find out the truth of the events. That's why, starting from you, all other grand masters and those in the castle were prohibited from contacting Angelus for a while. I hope you will receive it with respect.''
Henry was very annoyed by this situation. He trusted the head master, but what had happened confused Henry greatly. Still, he calmly answered assistant Aravel.
“Of course, the head master knows best. I think the apprentice's room is in a place that only the head master and you can reach. Therefore, I guarantee you that no attempt will be made by me.”
After the assistant Aravel bowed and returned to the room, Henry looked around for Deadus. God knows what he would do to him if he got his hands on him. He could not get the poor state of his apprentice Angelus out of his mind. That poor boy who was leaning his forehead against a large, mossy rock and was not even able to respond when he called out to him. When Henry went to him and saw the traces of Deadus' magic, he was as if he was struck in the brain. He felt helpless for not being able to protect his apprentice. Guilt had taken over his entire being. At that very moment, for the first time in his life, his eyes filled with tears and he knelt down like Angelus. He looked at his apprentice's stiff body and put his hand on his shoulder. With the healing spell he had cast, Angelus' body relaxed and he fell into Henry's arms. Henry held him and hugged him like a child. He apologized to Angelus a thousand times and cried for minutes while hugging him. When the unconscious apprentice was finally brought to the castle, Henry examined him and did his best to remove the cursed spells on him. When Henry was done, the seal on Angelus’s belly was still there. Perhaps because of this seal, the apprentice Angelus was in a deep sleep. Henry wanted to know what this seal was and what Angelus was going through. If he could find the Deadus demon, he would find a way to make him talk at all costs and clarify everything. Henry asked the masters who left the room where Deadus was. The masters warned Henry to stay calm and not to do anything that would make things worse. One of the masters told him that Deadus was still in the head master’s room. Henry took a deep breath and looked at the head master’s door, then the following words of disappointment came out of his lips: “What a shame, what a shame.” No doubt the head master would question Diadus before Henry. As painful as it was for Henry to be left out of the game, there was not much that could be done.
In the room of the head master's room, only the second grand master and Deadus remained. The masters wanted Deadus to tell them what had happened. However, both of them were suspicious that Deadus would lie to avoid possible punishment. Deadus was aware of this. He turned to the head master with anger; "Head Master Marcel, I have done my best to be worthy of you since my apprenticeship. It was all so that you would see me, but you always saw my mistakes and Henry's perfection. Now, because you don't trust me, you want to enter my mind. How can you see such treatment worthy of a master like me? Be fair to me for once and trust my words, for I swear on my honor that I will tell you everything as it is."
The head master and the second grand master looked at each other. The second grandmaster approved Deadus, and the grandmaster motioned for Deadus to explain. Deadus began speaking with the order he received.
“I left the castle immediately after hearing your conversation. It was difficult to find Angelus’ energy since things were chaotic after the events. Angelus was conscious when I found him, but he was curled up on the ground holding his stomach. When he saw me, he begged me to help him. He said his stomach was burning like a fireball. I couldn’t control my anger due to the events and I beat him up to find out where Aida was. I didn’t help him and he didn’t tell me what happened. He just kept saying, ‘’She’s gone, she’s gone.’’ I cast a spell on him to make him talk and tried to enter his mind, but he kept repeating the same sentence even after my spells. When I tried to enter his mind, I felt like I was being electrocuted. Something pulled me back and I couldn’t reach the apprentice’s mind. Angelus went rigid after the spells I cast on him. I was sure that the apprentice was not dead, and I left because I heard Henry's voice at that moment. I knew that Henry would help the apprentice. Moreover, if my aim was to kill the apprentice, I would have done it in a second.'' After his words were finished, Deadus sat back. The second grand master took the floor and said the following.
''You refused to let us enter your mind to confirm the truth, but it seems that you did this to Henry's apprentice. You should know that after all you have said, we will still enter your mind to confirm the information you have given. Do you know why? Because you have shown no mercy to anyone else either.''
The head master interrupted the second grand master and asked Diadus the important question.
''How do you know that Angelus helped Aida?''
Diadus turned his gaze to the head master. ''I know because it is so obvious. Think about it, Angelus kept saying that Aida was gone. Angelus could have stopped Aida if he wanted a very powerful apprentice, but it seems that he ignored all his training, let his guard down, and let her go. In return, Aida left her friend a small gift.’’ Diadus looked at the second master and continued his words. ‘’You are judging me, but it is a fact that if it were not for the information I have given you now, you would probably be investigating the opposite possibilities. Yes, the seal is not a curse as you think, it is a shield. Otherwise, how could my mind-entering spell be reversed? It is impossible.’’
Head Master Marcel stood up. He came to Diadus and put his hand on his shoulder. ‘’I have taught you a lot, Diadus, but not everything.’’ After saying these words, the head master placed his other hand on Diadus’ head and entered the depths of his mind. The head master knew all the details of mind-entering magic. From his research, he knew that without a shield, it was possible to be protected from this spell or for the person on whom the spell was cast to change reality. But this information was known by a few ancient sorcerers like himself. This also led to the conclusion that either Diadus was right or Angelus had knowledge of protection from this spell before the events. The second possibility became more likely to be true when he thought about his past experiences with Henry. When the head master Marcel emerged from Diadus' mind, he confirmed Diadus' statement and motioned for him to leave. When Diadus left the room exhausted, he knew that he would take revenge for all the humiliation done to him.
