Part 5 — The Anomaly
The holographic image of David Wyn hovered above the polished black floor, its crimson light reflecting across the lower steps of the Council's elevated platform.
Azrion Kael'tharyn studied the young human's face.
Blond hair. Blue-gray eyes. A relatively ordinary appearance for someone whose existence had drawn the attention of the High Council.
Beneath the image, three lines of information remained visible.
**Name: David Wyn**
**Age: Sixteen**
**Level: Ten**
There was nothing else.
No verified record of his abilities. No detailed assessment of his combat potential. No explanation for the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his blood.
For a civilization capable of tracking military movements across entire star systems, the absence of information was unusual.
The silver-haired Council member regarded Azrion from her throne.
"You are familiar with this human?"
"I have reviewed the reports my father submitted concerning the anomaly," Azrion replied. "The information was limited."
"Considerably," she answered. "Your father was instructed to obtain a sample of the anomaly's blood. We believed it possessed properties capable of granting exceptional strength."
Azrion glanced toward the holographic image.
"Instead, its consumption killed him."
"Correct."
The older Council member rested his hands upon the armrests of his throne.
"We have examined the available recordings. Vireth experienced a physical deterioration unlike anything documented in our current research."
The image changed.
David's face disappeared, replaced by a recording of Vireth's final moments.
The Blood Ascendant stood upon the devastated battlefield, raising a crystal flask filled with the cadet's blood.
He drank.
Moments later, his body began to wither.
Azrion watched the recording without speaking.
His father's armor shifted around his shrinking frame. His once-powerful body deteriorated until little remained beyond a skeletal husk.
When the recording ended, Azrion's expression had not changed.
"Was the blood examined before he consumed it?" he asked.
"No," the silver-haired female answered. "Vireth collected it directly from the human's wound."
"Then we cannot determine whether the reaction was caused by the blood itself, an unknown ability, or something else affecting the cadet."
"That is precisely the difficulty."
Azrion considered the information.
"Have similar reactions been recorded among other Fallen?"
"None involving blood obtained from a human of such a low level," another Council member replied.
The scarred male leaned slightly forward.
"Whatever the explanation, Vireth was Level Forty-Five. The anomaly was Level Ten. That difference should have made the outcome impossible under ordinary circumstances."
"Yet the outcome is verified," Azrion said.
"It is."
The older Council member studied the new Blood Ascendant.
"Your father believed the anomaly's blood would increase his strength. That belief was shared by this Council."
Azrion listened without interruption.
"We have not abandoned that assessment entirely. The reaction may indicate an extraordinary concentration of power that Vireth was unable to withstand. It may also indicate a danger we have not yet identified."
"Either possibility requires further investigation," Azrion replied.
"Exactly."
The silver-haired female gestured toward the display.
David's image returned.
"Your first assignment as Blood Ascendant is to determine the nature of this human."
Azrion raised his eyes toward her.
"What restrictions will govern the operation?"
The older Council member answered.
"Kharos Vale is now sovereign human territory under the Treaty of Aurelion. The Celestial's decree prohibits further Fallen military operations upon that world."
"I understand."
"You will not return to Kharos Vale. Nor will you initiate a military action that openly violates the treaty."
Azrion inclined his head.
"Then the investigation will require discretion."
"Yes."
The silver-haired female continued.
"We want information before action. Learn what abilities the anomaly possesses, why his blood produced such a reaction, and whether its properties can be obtained or studied without repeating Vireth's mistake."
"And if the blood proves valuable?"
"Then we will determine how best to acquire it."
Azrion looked once more at the young human's image.
"And if it proves dangerous?"
The scarred Council member answered.
"Then we will determine whether that danger can be controlled."
His voice remained perfectly calm.
"If it cannot, we will consider other measures."
Azrion understood.
The Council was not interested in revenge.
Vireth's death was a failure already recorded. Kharos Vale was a lost territory, and the treaty prevented any attempt to reclaim it through immediate military action.
But David Wyn represented something unresolved.
An unknown source of power.
A possible threat.
Perhaps both.
The older Council member addressed Azrion again.
"You have inherited your father's remaining military forces, his territories, and the responsibilities attached to the title of Blood Ascendant. You will maintain those obligations while conducting this investigation."
"Understood."
"Your elevation to Level Fifty was not ceremonial. We have invested considerable resources in ensuring that your strength exceeds that of your predecessor."
Azrion lowered his head slightly.
"I am aware of what the Council expects."
"Then ensure your judgment exceeds his as well."
A faint silence followed.
Azrion did not take offense at the comparison.
His father had been powerful, but his final decision had cost him everything. Whatever respect Vireth once commanded had ended with his death.
Azrion had no intention of repeating that failure.
"I will not act upon assumptions," he said. "I will establish what this human is capable of before attempting to obtain his blood."
The silver-haired female regarded him with quiet approval.
"A sensible approach."
Azrion studied the incomplete information beneath David's image.
"His current location?"
"Unknown," she replied. "He was last observed unconscious on Kharos Vale before the Fallen withdrawal. The human military is believed to have recovered its surviving personnel."
"Then he may have been returned to Earth."
"That is a possibility."
"His Academy affiliation should provide a starting point."
The older Council member inclined his head.
"You will receive every available report, including the final battlefield recordings and Vireth's previous communications concerning the anomaly."
Azrion bowed.
"I will review them personally."
The silver-haired female continued.
"You are authorized to use the intelligence resources available to your command. Any significant discovery is to be reported directly to this Council."
"And if an opportunity arises to secure the anomaly?"
The older male regarded him for several moments.
"Do not mistake opportunity for certainty, Blood Ascendant."
Azrion remained still.
"We have already lost one commander who believed he understood what he had found."
"I will remember that."
The seven Council members exchanged brief glances.
No further discussion was necessary.
The older male raised one hand.
"You have your orders."
Azrion lowered himself onto one knee before the seven thrones.
"I will carry them out."
"Then go."
Azrion rose and turned toward the enormous entrance.
His black cloak moved behind him as he descended the length of the crimson carpet, passing between the towering pillars and the armed guards standing motionless along the chamber walls.
The great doors opened before him.
Beyond them stretched the magnificent corridors of the Crimson Spire, their polished black floors reflecting the pale light filtering through enormous gothic windows.
Azrion continued through the halls, accompanied by two members of his personal guard.
The Crimson Spire was more than the seat of the High Council.
Throughout its immense structure, entire wings had been reserved for the powerful Lords and high-ranking officials who served Fallen civilization.
These private residences allowed them to conduct business within the capital while remaining close to the Council's authority.
Each wing contained its own reception halls, private chambers, administrative offices, and military command facilities. Their interiors reflected the wealth and standing of those permitted to occupy them.
Azrion's wing lay within one of the Spire's upper sections.
Two enormous black doors stood at its entrance, decorated with intricate silver engravings and the crimson insignia of House Kael'tharyn.
The guards stationed outside immediately straightened as he approached.
"Blood Ascendant."
Azrion acknowledged them with a slight inclination of his head.
The doors opened.
Beyond them lay an expansive hall of polished black marble, its towering pillars supporting a vaulted ceiling decorated with elaborate silver patterns.
Crimson banners bearing the insignia of House Kael'tharyn hung between the pillars.
Along the walls, enormous windows overlooked the capital, revealing countless gothic towers rising beneath the endless gray clouds.
At the far end of the hall, several broad steps led to an elevated platform.
Upon it stood a magnificent black throne.
Its towering back was carved into a pointed gothic arch, while silver ornamentation traced the edges of its armrests. Dark crimson gemstones had been set into the polished stone, reflecting the light from the chamber's suspended fixtures.
This was not one of the seven thrones belonging to the High Council.
It was the seat reserved for the Blood Ascendant.
The throne from which he conducted his affairs within the Crimson Spire.
Azrion ascended the steps and seated himself.
The two guards took their positions beside the entrance as a Fallen officer approached the platform and lowered himself onto one knee.
"Blood Ascendant. Your command staff awaits your instructions."
Azrion rested one hand upon the armrest.
"Transfer every available report concerning David Wyn to my private archives."
"At once, my Lord."
"I want the complete records from Kharos Vale. Every battlefield recording, every witness statement, and every communication submitted by my father concerning the anomaly."
The officer bowed his head.
"It will be done."
"Have our intelligence divisions review the cadet's movements before the invasion. Determine where he was trained, which operations he participated in, and whether any unusual incidents were recorded."
"Understood."
Azrion considered the incomplete information displayed within the holographic projection hovering before his throne.
Name: David Wyn.
Age: Sixteen.
Level: Ten.
Three facts.
Nothing more.
His father had commanded an army, held the title of Blood Ascendant, and possessed forty-five levels of accumulated strength.
Yet he had died after drinking the blood of a human cadet.
Azrion examined the image for several moments.
"Do not approach the anomaly until we understand what happened to Vireth," he instructed.
"Yes, my Lord."
"And maintain surveillance of the human military's movements. I want to know where David Wyn is taken and who is assigned to protect him."
The officer lowered his head.
"As you command, Blood Ascendant."
Azrion dismissed him with a slight movement of his hand.
The officer rose, bowed once more, and withdrew from the chamber.
Silence settled over the hall.
Azrion remained seated upon his throne, studying the holographic image of the young human.
His father had believed that consuming the anomaly's blood would grant him extraordinary strength.
Instead, it had reduced him to a withered corpse.
The Council had given Azrion greater power than Vireth had ever possessed.
Level Fifty.
But strength alone would not be enough.
He understood that now.
After several moments, Azrion dismissed the holographic display and rose from his throne.
He descended the broad steps and walked toward the enormous windows overlooking the capital.
Beyond the glass, Vhaloria stretched beneath its endless gray sky.
Magnificent black towers rose above the sprawling districts, their gothic spires disappearing into the clouds. Crimson lights illuminated the elevated bridges, while countless transport vessels moved between the buildings far below.
The ancient capital continued its daily activities, untouched by the loss of a distant world.
Azrion stood before the window, his hands clasped behind his back.
Kharos Vale had been lost.
Whitefall had been achieved.
A Celestial had declared the planet sovereign human territory, forcing the Fallen armies to abandon everything they had fought to claim.
His father had died there.
And a Level Ten human cadet remained alive.
Azrion's crimson eyes narrowed slightly as he looked out across the magnificent city.
His voice was quiet, but carried absolute certainty.
"Never again will another planet achieve Whitefall."