An older man, his hair streaked with white but his bearing still unyielding, spoke with a tone edged with caution. "Do not become careless. The sects survived the test we arranged. Only a handful of their number were culled, while the rest pressed on. They are not as fragile as you wish to believe. Even ants can bite an elephant to death when gathered in enough numbers."
The younger man at the back snorted. "Bite, perhaps. But bite what? They are still running headfirst into the trap we laid out for them."
The woman chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming beneath her veil. "It hardly matters whether they survived the test or not. Strong or weak, it makes no difference. They are all playing into our hands regardless. Their struggles only feed the path we have prepared."
The group fell quiet for a moment, though their agreement was unspoken. Every one of them knew the truth of her words.
