Mincha was dragging a large cart through the endless hallways of the library, sometimes brushing a raft, other workers, and leaving scratches into the walls. Her direction was pre-set and her mind wandered, leaving her body on auto-pilot, taking the same daily route; Until a chill mist woke her from her stupor.

Feth- “ And do you think you are doing…little coral?”, asked the Head Librarian while scanning the mess she left behind. 

Mincha- “ What? Oh…uhm…taking these volumes to the storage?...no, I mean, I have to get some, some…boxes…right?”. Feth scowled and clicked his tongue, not even providing her with the grace of being mad.

Feth- “ Hmmm…I should just expel you this second from this repository…but alas, you still carry your sister around, so I guess I have to put up with you for now. Any signs, by the way?”, to which the girl shook her head. “ Wonderful”, Feth whispered. “ Unless you gain your sister’s ability, please stay out of my way. And of the staff, please. Just…go and play sad puppy dog around Goidell, he seems capable of bearing your presence.” He then whisked her away with his mist. 

Mincha said and did nothing,  lacking the strength or will to raise her voice. It felt pointless to do so, anyway. 

…

The Tuatha walked with a mechanical stride, stiff arms doing a little balancing act under his golden cape. The Lord of Masks felt as uneasy as when he received his title from his king 6 months ago; the moment he saw an open window, the thought of flying away, hiding in the vast forest crossed his mind. But he couldn’t, as he now had a title. The others gave him a post and gave him the option to serve the one and true deity of the world. “ As it was my desire…right?” he thought, reminding himself how this was all he ever hoped for. 

A firbolg clad in light armor, clawed gauntlets, and a feline mask greeted the Tuatha at the end of the hallway, with his head bowed and hands grasped in a praying position. Next to him, a firbolg covered in metallic body parts and sporting two shiny wings only did a small head bow to the visitor. 

Krass and Blitz both addressed the young Tuatha with respect, while the feline Captain added some spiritual reverence to his greeting.

Krass- “ Mighty follower and fellow subject of the Dia, I thank you for your presence in our humble city. “, he said, kneeling on both legs, letting his mane sweep the dirt of the ground.

Blitz, who already lifted his head, grunted at the sight of his colleague but then opened the door behind him and invited the Lord to go through it. “ This way, please.”

The Tuatha stood silent and went into the chamber, finding four small tables in the middle, with the biggest one sitting in the middle of the room. The other three were positioned to face it, and angled to form a semicircle around the large table.

Krass- “ Please, take a seat at the middle table”, which the Lord did as advised. Not shortly after, three figures kneeling behind the seats stood up and did the ceremonial salute for the Dia religion, as Krass had instructed them.

Masso-” Lord of Masks, welcome. I am the elected leader of Platinum Union, Masso R. Kinl.”

Stranger 1- “ Please call me Majuun, the representative of this wonderful city’s leading council”, added a firbolg lady, hidden under a cloak and mask. 

Stranger 2- “ And I Pillow, representative of the coadunation of local oibris”, added the other firbolg, who was also hiding his body under the same disguise. Masso, in case the meeting went off very poorly, wanted to keep the two safe however he could.

The Lord of Masks remembered what his cousin taught him about diplomacy and replied with a small greeting. He then looked around the room, carefully studying each of the firbolgs surrounding the room; Union members he guessed, if his memory of their descriptions was correct.

LoM-” Please address me as Ecne…Lord of Masks for now.”, to which Masso raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask for more clarification. The Tuatha took a stand and pulled a record from underneath his cloak; he forced a cough, fearing he might crack his voice before starting to read.

LoM- “ Esteemed Platinum Union, you have fulfilled the tasks provided by the Tuatha, gained favorability and renown among several layers, and proven yourself capable of acting as envoys, guardians, and direct subjects of the Dia. As we declared, we accept you as …sufficient.” Ecne then placed a small cube on the table, with instructions on how to grow and transform it into a vessel for traveling between layers.

Nizzio and Blitz were tasked by their leader to take a look at the reward, immediately intrigued by the quirks of the device. So were the rest of their teammates, except one, who snickered and made his hidden presence visible to the Tuatha.

Ashen- “ Toys and trinkets, that’s all you’ve come here with?” asked with disdain the old beast, whose massive body Ecne confused with walls at first. The Tuatha, in fright, took a step backward but then his pride took control and regained composure. 

LoM- “ Predecessor… It’s an honor to meet you, mighty sentry”, an honest remark which surprised Ashen, who expected only mocks and belittlement from the visitor’s kind. 

Ashen-” Hmmmm…are you by chance a newly appointed Tuatha?”

LoM- “ Oh…yes, you are correct. It's been six months since I became my moniker”, at which Ashen sighted; as he suspected, the Tuatha tribe sent an inexperienced member on what they considered an unimportant visit. “ Lord Sentry, what did you mean by…toys?”

Ashen- “ This vessel. I know of the dreadnaughts and ships your god can create, and yet you bring us a children’s carriage…”

The Lord of Masks was expecting some kind of retort, but not to be caught off-guard like that. Still, his knowledge of the past was far inferior to that of someone who lived through it. And yet, the beast only had knowledge stuck in that past period:

Ecne- “ Mighty sentry, this is all that’s grown now. The mighty and large vessels you speak of have not seen the void between the layers for over millennia. And you know why…” Ecne’s voice got gradually more tense and concise, slowly losing the respectful tone it held for the giant up until then. “ Your kind’s banishment from Tir brought a lot of changes, sentry. Fewer people, smaller vessels, and less trouble for the Dia.”

Masso, fearing an escalation, quickly stood up and changed the subject- “ WE! Are thankful for the reward, Lord Tuatha. But you mentioned something before…that we are just “sufficient”? “

Ecne- “...Yes”, he coughed and retook his tense, but “cultured” posture on the chair. ”Truth be told, something has been brewing for a while now…As you know, more and more layers are dealing with-”

Masso- “ Floods?”

Ecne- “ Attacks. From what we thought was a closed-out world…that of the dark ocean Dubnos. Up until now, the only connecting point was in Tir, a crack that we were never able to close, but with the Tuatha located there, it was kept in place. Any incursions and leaks were dealt with swiftly…but now they are happening everywhere…and we are gathering forces to help us in the near future.”

The Union’s leader stood silent for a few seconds, thinking what cards he should play. How much information should he divulge to the visitor- “I could surprise him a bit…eh, why not take these arrogant demigods down a peg whenever I can?”

 Masso- “ So, the Tuatha tribe thinks that the sovereignty from Dubnos has finally decided to take a stand against our lands?”, to which Ecne almost cracked his chair with how fast he rose from it. The Union leader signaled to calm down, explaining that- “ we know more than we leave on. We know that there are living, intelligent beings in Dubnos, even though it was described as a dead world.”

The Tuatha needed a bit to calm down, being caught off-guard like that was not something he expected; especially from what was described as a “mundane meeting” by his tribe strategist.

Ecne- “...Very well then. I won’t report back that you withheld information, seeing as we did the same. I just ask you that, after our partnership is official, you…” but then he stopped himself, knowing that he couldn’t actually promise that the Tuatha won’t continue keeping secrets from their allies. “ Anyway, our king, Lugh, proposed a meeting between the Tuatha tribe and the Union. There, your might will be tested to see if you are at a level to help against the sovereignty…basically, a series of matches between our members and yours.”

Masso called for a break and gathered the Union members to discuss the proposal. Ecne was left behind, in the care of the two representatives, who started asking him about travel, layers he visited, and chit-chatting to stall for time and make him feel more comfortable. 

…

A few minutes later, the leader approached his table and declared that they would “think about it. In the meantime, though, we should resolve another matter. We got some folks back here that are just dying to meet you”, Masso added, extending his right arm towards a group just brought in from another chamber. “This could also help cool of some heads”, he added, looking with fear at how tight Victor was clenching his fists and the childlike grin under his mask. 

The Tuatha looked with a sly interest at the bundle of strangers that he still had issues with understanding. Based on their doctrine, the Tuathas merely tolerated humans for two reasons. First, it was imposed by their deity, ever since their king was tasked with saving a child suffering from the side effects of the powers. Second, something that no Tuatha wanted to admit: they are weary of humanity. Individually, they know that the physically strongest human pales to even a firbolg child, but just like the tech zealots, Ecne’s tribe fears their advanced knowledge…Except for him. For as much he was poised to be suspicious of humans, he found them -exotic- at first. But after meeting Temitayo and her family, a younger Ecne saw similarities. A group of curious creatures, interested in the mysteries of the world, like the masks he gathered.

Ecne- “ As you desire sir Masso. Truth be told, I was curious to meet such a large cast of people who attempted the Fect Pact. Two successes and two failures, you sent in the message?”

Masso- “ Yes. For the first two, look at the young lady with blonde hair”, pointing at Maci, “ and her grandfather”, showing him the old man in the hovering chair; “these are the new partners of my little baby girl-”, which made Brigit blush red as an apple, “and your predecessor, Ashen.”

The guest tilted his head a bit, confused by the fact that the old firbolg entered into a pact at all. Still, another ritual had to take place and did as instructed; he placed a thin, metallic book on the table a few moments later, the pages started to scroll on themselves, moving from one to another, changing their colors at the same time. Ecne picked it up and in a flash that took everyone by surprise, he closed in the distance gap between himself and the humans. The book turned and turned, and Tuatha brought it closer to Maci and Brigit, stopping at a green chapter, with white and golden splashes of ink. 

Ecne- “ The chapter of the ones without barriers…all you have to do is for both of you to touch the page and the world will accept you as valid Fect pacters.” Without missing a beat, Maci pressed her thumb firmly while Brigit made a swiping motion with her pointing finger. “Thank you”, added Ecne. “ Young girl, I hope you use your power of swapping with wisdom. I will show you afterward what it does.” He then moved to where the book took him, in front of the old man and his older partner. 

Emile-” Que surprise, to be thinking that I would actually do something like this at my age…mon fils serait choqué”, exclaimed with a sense of regret the old man. 

Ashen- “ While not always better late than ever, it's still a step forward for you”, remarked the dragonic being. “ Thank you by the way little one”, he then addressed Maci, “for bringing your old grandpapa to an actual adventure for once, he always looked like he needed one.”

The girl looked at him with the same look a puppy has when it finds a weird plant in the wild. “ What do you mean, has he visited this place before?”, to which both of the geezers became stiff in their words. 

Arim, intervening, gave a mildly thought-out explanation- “ Of course, he is after all the father of one of the original children who helped the Platinum Union lift off the ground…right?”, he asked, glancing at Emil, who then acted like his age brought in a sudden memory lapse, which semi-convinced the young girl. 

Maci- “ I keep forgetting that about dad, to be honest. He hasn’t left Earth in decades…but I guess…”

Ecne, who was patiently waiting for the drama to end, shoved the book in front of Emile who tapped the aquamarine chapter, while Ashen used the tip of his giant claw to close in his name. 

Ecne-” Right, I think that concludes that matter”, he hopped, but the instrument in front of him had another plan. Its pages moved frantically until it stopped at a white chapter, with dashes of lilac and yellow. “ Oh…I think the book wants you for something”, he said to Arim, who stared at the tome with confusion.

The young man stared at the list, knowing exactly where his name was, and the scribble right next to it. It was the same as Krass’s copy of the book. 

Ecne-” What is…oh my, what is that?” mustered the Tuatha surprised at the dark lines covering the name.

Arim-”...Nothing.”, he replied, caught off guard, but then the rest of the Union members came to his aid.

Perren-” The name of a fallen comrade, my lord. It seems that the books scribble over the name of the deceased.”

The Tuatha paused, unsure of the explanation. Why would it just hide the name of the dead? But he was still a novice in its usage and maybe the device had such a quirk. His book then pointed him toward the two amnesiacs and the insect-like warrior.

Ecne-” Now…these are the failed ones?”