The sound of loud chatter, the clinking of drinking and the howling of laughter echoed throughout the large establishment.
Two figures, both draped in dirty cloaks moved through the crowd, their heads hung low, the shadows hiding their faces.
Most of the crowd sat around large tables, others sat at bar on the far wall. However, there was also a set of stairs to the right, leading downstairs.
These were the private rooms, the place the two figures were headed.
The moment they stepped out of sight, the figure in the back stopped.
"So, tell me again. This girl, what's her name?"
The one in the front turned, his voice a whisper.
"It's Storm, she is the one I met to get information on the trials."
Jet snorted.
"Yeah, and what exactly are these tests? Maybe rituals to empower your demon overlord?"
The mockery in her voice was thick, but the man bit back whatever come back he might have had.
"Umm... well, I would tell you, but..." He sighed, deflating.
"I was rejected."
"..."
"HAHAHAHA."
Jet laughed, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably as she wheeled for breath.
"It's not funny!"
Jet stood straight, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Ah, yes, my apologies."
The man grumbled, but just turned.
"Come on, let's go."
Jet nodded to the man as he began to move.
He led her through the dark underbelly in the form of a labyrinth of hallways, winding and intersecting in ways that made Jet confused.
However at some point, they stopped in front of a simple door, entirely indistinguishable from the rest.
The man knocked seven times and took a step back, waiting.
A moment passed then two before the door opened.
The first thing Jet noticed was the woman standing at the door.
She wore a black mask, her body hugged by a pitch black suit of armor, clearly made specifically for her.
She bowed as she gestured to a plush sofa sitting in the center of the room.
At that moment, Jet's eyes finally began to take in the room around her.
The space was much more lavish than the bar above, the entire appearance of the outskirts gone.
The walls were a deep crimson, golden trim lining the decorative pillars and ceiling.
At the center of the circular room, two lush sofas faced each other, a table made from black metal resting between them.
The woman gestured to the couch on the left, while...
On the right, a woman sat, her face covered by a black mask carved with the intricate image of clouds.
Her black hair fell behind her head as she gazed towards Jet with casual content. Not a single trace of power leaking from her body.
She wore a delicate suit made from pitch black fabric, the same color as the other's armor. The tie a stormy grey.
However, then her eyes drifted just a bit farther.
Next to the girl sat something else entirely.
A being sat, something she was not exactly able to define, its form shifting, its height and width changing from one moment to the next.
And yet, one thing stood solid in the warping figure.
The mask of a snarling demon sat upon its face, three horns spiking up from its top, deep shadows nesting in its eyes.
At that moment, Jet thought of the reports she had read.
'A real demon...'
Jet's fingers tingled as she awaited the moment, she would need to summon a memory.
However, in the next moment, the man in front of her simply walked into the room, sitting in the indicated place.
Jet blinked, then almost embarrassed, she remembered that she was currently here with permission.
Currently, there was no need for fighting.
But that did not mean she let her guard down, if anything, it made her more wary for the moment conflict happened.
She walked in, the woman closing the door behind her.
As she sat next to the man, he pulled his hood back, revealing his face.
Jet followed, pulling the hood from her head.
A moment passed, then the woman spoke.
"I remember you, you were here just earlier, why have you returned?"
The man refused to meet her eyes as he shifted in his seat.
"Well, I-"
Jet cleared her throat, the sound cutting him off.
"Well, my friend here happened to tell me about this wonderful organization. What can I say, I was interested."
The two figures stared, their gazed making her feel awkward, however, that didn't last.
"Why do you want to join the Shadow Clan?"
The woman's voice asked.
Jet shrugged.
"Well, what do you have to offer?
The figure in the demon mask shifted, and the girl spoke, her voice a bit different.
"That depends on what you can bring to the clan... As a Master and high ranking government agent, you are a perfect way into the government."
Jet flinched, her eyes turning serious. However, the girl was nor done.
"There are plenty of government workers, however, not many are Ascended with as much notoriety as you."
A few seconds passed before she spoke again.
"How does Transcendence sound? The ability to surpass the limits imposed by those already in power?"
Jet face changed in an instant.
She had come here looking for a threat to the people, but what she had found was something else.
A mysterious clan that somehow knew exactly who she was, as well as exactly what she wanted.
And in that moment, this was no longer reconnaissance to her.
This was a real opportunity, a true path she had found.
In her mind she might have been debating, however, the moment she had been given the offer, she knew she wouldn't reject it.
She knew any purpose a shadowy organization might have with the government couldn't be good... but.
She had served the government ever since she had returned as a Sleeper. She had been shackled to them, and through them the people since the beginning.
It was high time she did something for herself for a change. And so, she sighed, her back sinking into the sofa behind her.
Her eyes opened, locking with the demon's hollow sockets.
"So, does she speak for you? Is this deal real?"
The demon looked to the man by Jet's side, his voice sounding for the first time.
"Sera, see him out."
The woman wearing the dark armor that stood near the door move for the first time since they had entered.
Suddenly, a weird phenomenon occurred.
The girl walked swiftly to the man's side, her hand landing on his shoulder.
Then, she began to tremble, her form becoming hazy, the edges fading in and out.
In the next instant, she blinked away, then back, however this time without the man.
As if she hadn't made a man vanish, she simply walked back to her position, her face hidden by the plain mask.
Jet turned to the shadowy demon in front of her, the reality of her situation suddenly feeling much deeper.
The moment seemed to stretch as she waited for the demons next move.
She had expected and anticipated many things, however, one thing she hadn't expected was for the demonic mask to simply fade away, golden sparks fleeing into the air.
Her eyes widened as she saw a familiar face.
"S-Sunny?"
Sunny's pale face smiled at her.
"What's, surprised?"
Jet gaped, her mind coming to a halt.
However, one thing stood at the fore front of her mind.
"How did you know?"
Sunny's smile faded, his face turning questioning.
"What's do you mean?"
She glared him in the eyes, her attitude nothing like the amiable master he had met after his second first nightmare.
"How did you know I want to Transcend? Was any of that real? Is any of it real?"
Sunny gave her a long look, his face passive as he spoke.
"Yes, it's real. The clan is growing, its power growing with it. However, that is only in the shadows."
He leaned forward, his hands gestured to her.
"You are a government worker, someone with sway over numerous people, as well as an important figure in many circles. You can bring the clan from the shadows into something akin to the light."
Jet was confused by his words. She understood her position in the government well, however, what she didn't understand was why.
Why would a shadow organization want to leave the very shadows they thrived in?
Why would those that join a hidden clan suddenly want to be known.
It didn't make sense.
And so, she simply asked.
"Why?"
Sunny's face turned contemplative, his eyes filling with an emotion she couldn't place.
Then, only after a few minutes of thinking did he speak.
"To live. To grow. To be free. All of these are true, however, each has a different meaning, a different weight to each person."
He glanced to his right, at the girl beside him, now staring at him, her face still hidden behind the mask.
"To me, living is being near those that I care for, growing is becoming better than I was, and to be free..."
He matched her gaze, his eyes dark.
"Means to control your own fate."
Jet had listened intently, each of his words etching themselves into her brain like brands.
'To live, to grow, to be free...'
What did that mean to her?
In those moments, she thought through her life, the people that had shaped her, the hardships that had tempered her.
She smiled, the beaming grin unnatural on her usually grim face.
"So... where do I sign?"
~~~
At the same time as Sunny and Jet chatted about the Shadow Clan, another important event was taking place.
"Ah, you see, that is it!"
Eurys yelled from his boney throat as he watched the Essence refining process begin to accelerate.
"Good, good. That's it."
Kai, Effie, and Cassie stood in a rough circle around the sitting form of Nephis.
The power flowing within her was something they had seen more than a few times, however, it was nothing like other Awakened.
None of them were.
Each and every one of them had spent every day since Sunny's return with Eurys, his training constantly enforced on them.
They had barely left the ship at all since the first of the cabins had been repaired.
And those efforts had paid off.
Kai was approaching the threshold for Ascension, while Cassie and Effie had already reached it.
Nephis however...
"Yes, keep refining. Make sure to circulate."
Nephis was entirely focused as her body swirled with white power, white sparks drifting from her body as the Essence grew beyond what her body could hold.
And in that moment, the moment she felt her very essence leaking from her skin, she felt it.
The connection from her soul to her body, and then.
*Vhoom*
The Essence that had been continuously leaking from her skin was sucked back in in an instant. The Essence swirling through her flesh and back through the connection to her soul.
The connection bloated and twisted, pulling her soul and body together as it fused them, her very existence solidifying.
Essence swirled, white sparks leaping into the air like embers of soul fire. The sight leaving even Eurys in awe.
Nephis's eyes opened, her gaze foggy and unfocused.
However, in her gaze, a single hand rose, the power coursing through her as white flames bloomed across her skin.
They were the same pure white, however, they felt much more potent, much more powerful.
Then, she heard it.
[You have Ascended.]
[Aspect ability unlocked.]
She exhaled, hot steam filling the air.
Then, she smiled.
She had done it.
Nephis, Changing Star of the Immortal Flame, had become the first human to Ascend naturally in a long, long time.