"It would be wiser if we didn't discuss things here." Kamu agreed with a nod, then turned on his heel and snapped his fingers.
"Oh, the assassins are gone." She Tao whispered.
"They're not needed." Mark shrugged as he began to follow Kamu and Ajtony, who were leaving the arena, with the young chán at his side. They walked in complete silence for a while, until, having left the arena, Mark headed in a different direction than the Ishán.
"And where do you think you are going?" The question came from Kamu's mouth, who now looked at the former Vietryk in confusion.
"To the safest place in Floating Air." Mark said, but his statement sounded more like a question than a definite statement.
"Do you want to take them to our meeting place?" She Tao blinked at his friend.
"Well, we'll either go there or to the Mist, but since I don't know where the headquarters is, the school it is." The vice principal shrugged.
"Follow me." Kamu turned away from them with a faint smile on his lips. At his words, Mark and She Tao looked at each other, but in the end they just spread their arms, as if to say 'Do you have a better idea?' and followed the retreating Ishán.
"I would have like to take a look at the floating school." Ajtony sighed longingly.
"Of course you want to look at it, but you're crazier than I thought if you think I'll let you get near a cauldron." Kamu grumbled, but this didn't discourage Ajtony, who just walked by his friend's side, grinning with his hands clasped behind his back.
"One can hope." The poison mixer of the Immortal Mist chuckled. Then the team silently continued on the streets of Floating Barracks.
"Will it be okay if we know where the headquarters of your secret organization is?" She Tao asked curiously after many minutes, but he only got two Mist members laughing loudly in response to his question.
"Don't worry little chán, as soon as you come out the door you won't know where you are." Ajtony announced.
"This..." The chán Grand Leader began. "Is a very useful defense system." He finished the sentence.
"I know this face of yours, what have you come up with?" Mark looked at the young man walking next to him with worried eyes.
"Hey, just outlines." She Tao raised his index finger. "I would also need some kind of defense system for the clan's territory." He shrugged, ending the explanation with this.
"To do something like that, you need two important things, firstly, you need to have as much power as the hegins had in Athira's time. Secondly, you need to know summoning thoroughly." Kamu said, not even looking back at the pair walking behind him.
"I know the lore of the runes." The chán boy wrinkled his nose, but his statement only made Kamu laugh.
"That may be so, but this kind of summoning is considered demonic cultivation among you." He stopped in front of a house and leaned against the door, then folded his arms in front of him. "And not the simple one, which is just summoning the dead. For this, you need to know things deeply. I learned from the master of demonic cultivation, you have no chance of cracking my runes." He pushed himself away from the door. "It took even him a long time." He grinned proudly, then opened the door. "Follow me." He said and led the pair down the corridor under the Floating Barracks, then to the door they entered.
"Ishán!" A figure dressed in black appeared from one of the doors. "Two more strangers? These are the second group you have brought here in two days." The words flowed from the figure in black, and as he spoke, more and more figures like him appeared around him.
"Are you questioning my judgment?" Kamu replied in an icy voice, but the chattering man seemed not to have really understood the weight of the words.
"Me? Well, I'm just not sure it's smart to show so many people our headquarters. What if they can't keep their mouths shut? We've been working in the shadows for so long..." He started another monologue, but before he could continue, Kamu was in front of him in two steps. His sword appeared in his hand, the tip of which he stopped a hair's breadth from the man's throat.
"Don't lecture me about the values of my own organization, kid. I'm aware of them. I had good reason to bring yesterday's team here and they are under the protection of The Mist." He put emphasis on the name of the organization. "I hope you all know what that means?" Kamu glanced at the other black clothed people.
"What?" She Tao whispered almost inaudibly.
"The Ishán himself protects them, no one can touch them with a finger, no one can know anything about them." Mark said aloud, as if he had just recited a memorized rhyme.
"Exactly." Kamu grinned. "There is a reason for everything I do and I cut out the diseased parts of the organization." His eyes flashed with a murderous light and the next moment the black-clothed man collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat. Bluish, purple foam was leaking from his mouth and his eyes were also blurry. "How long will he last?" Kamu asked in a monotonous voice, whereupon the sword disappeared from his hand and Ajtony appeared next to him, on his knees, leaning forward, he leaned down in front of the dying man, a wide grin on his lips.
"About two or three weeks, if he's lucky." He glanced up at his friend, then turned back to the dying man and straightened up. "Take him to isolation and don't let anyone touch his neck who doesn't want to lie next to him on the deathbed." He announced, and the black-clad figures immediately moved and scattered. Two of them dragged the dying figure away.
"Sorry for the little interruption. I only got back yesterday, I still need to tidy them up a bit." Kamu chuckled, turning to his guests. "Ajtony, go see if the Vietryk is in my office." He glanced at the sword ghost standing next to him, who immediately pulled himself out.
"I'm going!" That's all he said and his figure faded.
"I guess you won't tell us who was here yesterday." She Tao put his hand on his hip.
"If I had to guess, your clan leader's new disciples." Mark shrugged.
"My clan leader's new disciples..." She Tao repeated the phrase with a frown, then looked up at Mark in surprise. "The Athamanas?" He asked.
"Ever since they showed up here, Weruh can't be shot down. Usually, if he pays attention to someone like them, that person gets into all sorts of trouble." Mark folded his arms in front of him.
"You know it well." She Tao playfully slapped him in the side.
"The place is clear, I think he's at school." Ajtony appeared again.
"Then gentlemen, follow me." Kamu waved. "I would ask how you know about the Athamanas, but if I guess correctly, your story will provide me with all the necessary information." He looked at the two guests.
"I'll try to cover everything." Mark agreed as the team entered Ishán's office, where Ajtony was already sitting on the right side of the head of the table.
"Take a seat and tell your story." Kamu gestured towards the table, then sat down at the head of the table. Mark took a seat opposite him with She Tao on hos right.
"I think it would be better if I start from my childhood, that way you will understand everything." Mark sighed. "I have always been different from the other kids here."
"In what?" Kamu asked.
"I didn't believe in the Onegod." Mark announced and closed his eyes to recall the images of his childhood.