Tap... tap... tap...

the sound of the raindrops clattering against the window was the lone sound hearable in the meeting room. One thing she did have to admit after her visit to the headquarters of the Rune Knights was that their choice of furniture and decorations was stylish if anything. Even someone like her couldn't help but admire the beauty of the craftsmanship.

Speaking of herself, after her meeting with her benefactor Esperia found herself currently gazing outside the window, looking at the forestry surrounding the headquarters. Nature was always something she enjoyed, so even amidst the downpour, the scenery was oddly comforting to her.

But now was not the time for such relaxation. She was here for a reason, a purpose even. Walking over to the table she allowed a single finger to graze the surface. If she wanted to prevent this grudge-filled war from consuming Fiore, her only choice was to take down the instigators of such a conflict. It was for this reason she had chosen to accept the summonings to travel to Era. She was not here for pleasantries, she was here to stop a war from happening.

But how would she accomplish this? One couldn't simply mobilize the Rune Knights. They were the forces of the kingdom and by extension that of the Magic Council. The only reason they would take arms is to protect the peace of the kingdom, or if something would threaten the world as a whole.

It was this awareness that had become a key factor in her plans. Sometimes knowledge itself could become a weapon to be wielded by its possessor, and if there was one thing Esperia possessed, then surely it was knowledge.

Fortunately, her presence here did come with a fair degree of benefits, as evident when she was allowed to call upon a page to search for one of the Captains. This one in particular could be an important partner in ensuring peace would become a reality within Fiore. She turned her gaze back away from the table and walked back toward the window, a soft hum escaping her lips. "If only it isn't too late..." One never knew what to expect when it involves individuals like Erebus, their way of thinking was too erratic, to emotional, and bereft of logic at times that she couldn't help but feel cautious. She disliked being unable to predict what people would do.

Alejandro's arrival did not go unnoticed, for upon the opening of the door the raven-haired female turned toward Alejandro. Her lips curved into a gentle smile, her scarlet gaze fixated on his facial features. Yes, from the first impression Alejandro looked like a male, a member of the elven species but there was something more about Alejandro. Something that made them stand out as someone special. "Alejandro of House Celdrua, a pleasure to finally meet you in person."

She gently shook Alejandro's hand, motioning with the other toward the table as she offered for them to take a seat. Meanwhile, she would approach the other side of the table and pull a chair backward opposite of his, after all, it was only proper to be face to face with someone during a conversation.

"I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to meet me. As much as I desire to reassure you by saying that I'll keep it brief, this conversation might take a while, especially considering its contents."

A gentle sigh escaped her lips as she sat down, her gaze not leaving Alejandro's face for even a moment. "The reason I decided to ask for you rather than the other captains is that I think you are quite suited for what I am about to tell~ From what I heard: People praise your earnest and hard-working nature. That you have a fair sense of justice, and that despite being ambitious you don't let it consume you. Important traits for a Rune Knight to have."

Her smile faded for a moment as the topic shifted slightly. "Surely you must have noticed it also: While on the surface the Rune Knights seem to be holding their ground, the fact remains they suffered a lot of casualties in recent days. The invaders from another realm, conflict across Fiore which show the stirring of these with ill intentions."

Esperia shook her head for a moment. "The current situation is a delicate one. With most of the former captains gone, there is a clear absence of leadership. Which is troubling considering the knowledge I obtained."

She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment. "What do you think about the state that the Rune Knights find themselves in currently?"

She waited for Alejandro to speak, her eyes opening to focus on him once more as she listened to the man's response. "Then again, I didn't simply bring you here to lament about the current state of affairs. As Captain of a department like yours, I was hoping to get your input onto something more delicate and severe." She paused, her elbows resting on the table as she brought her chin to rest on the back of her hands. "Tell me Alejandro: Have you heard of the Midnight Cult before?" A sudden question, but judging from the more serious look on her face it was clearly an important question the vampire had posed for Alejandro.

"Your information is partly correct~" She smiled gently, her tone clearly one of praise after which she continued. "They worship a certain interpretation of her. Simply said, they worship an entity that according to their beliefs would consume the world and leave nothing in its wake. Simply said they are a doomsday cult that wants to bring a world-ending threat into existence."

She heaved a sigh, after which she gently lowered her hands onto the table. "Thanks to some internal investigations we discovered some new intel about this cult, and the fact they are associated with multiple other factions. Some being cults that for example worship demons... Others are more complex in their ambitions. For example the guild of dark mages known as Eternal Nightmare. They were formerly led by Odin Morningstar."

She tapped a hand on the table, revealing a small vial that contained a piece of paper that was rolled up inside it and gently slid it over to the other side of the table. "As you can likely understand, that makes cults like these our natural enemies, groups that in their zealous desire would see the world burn, endangering innocents and often they even bring us personal losses right?"

If Alejandro would open the vial he would notice that on the parchment a single name was written: "Tomoe Tanaka, the most wanted criminal on Earthland is currently in our custody. I was able to... 'convince' him to testify. As you likely understand, association with the Midnight Cult is punishable by death, so his allies might try to liberate or silence him before we can bring the crimes of his kindred to light."

She paused, her gaze darkening as she continued. "There will be a trial where the truth will be brought to light. Tomoe will be judged for his crimes by the laws of Fiore. Albeit, I would like to ask if there is a possibility of you and your department overseeing security. Surely you must understand a trial as big as this might draw attention. But an official confession will enforce the Magic Council to acknowledge the threat of these cults. Then we can finally act with initiative rather than reactionary.

She smiled briefly after which she waited for his response. "It is obviously an important decision to make, should you wish to have a meeting with the man himself I can see it arranged. We currently have decided to detain him in a secret location till his trial out of concern for his associates trying to break him free, or silencing him. But I believe you to be trustworthy enough to let such a meeting unfold."

Esperia nodded her head slightly at Alejandro's remark, a thoughtful frown on her expression. "A new enemy? I don't think the nobles upset at the king's decision to pardon the crimes of criminals would be willing to take action right now. Surely they must know that if we are to survive against these dark invaders we'll need a united front. Then again~ Mankind has often proved they can sometimes disregard logic for emotions in their decisions."

A weak smile lingered on her lips as she shook her head afterward. "Mhmm~ I'm well aware that your department tends to cover more delicate and important matters. I was hoping to get your involvement in security primarily because of the nature of this trial. We can't forget that Tomoe Tanaka was a major figure in the underworld. A high-ranked member of the Midnight Cult. The trial itself is a very severe risk on its own. I presume members of the cult and dark guilds alike will try to silence him. Which we can't permit, his testimony could change the opinion of the crown and the Magic Council about their tolerance toward the activities of these dark mages immensely."

Still, Alejandro was willing to spare at least seventy agents, which was a reassuring something to hear. "Yes, I believe that they will arrange a suitable force for the trial, but even then, it's hard to predict if they will just try to brute-arm their way into the trial or go for subterfuge and strike in more secretive manners. That is why agents with talents like these found in your department will become vital for ensuring the success of this trial."

A brief pause followed as Alejandro asked a question that left Esperia quiet for a moment. To reveal this intel was to be expected, but it also opened a certain risk in doing so. She raised two fingers into the air in front of her. "Weeks. The trial will take place in Crocus, It seems the Magic Council will send one of their own to observe the trial, not to mention a lot of people suffered at the hands of the Midnight Cult so I expect his execution to be quite attended."

With that said and done she waited for Alejandro's response while letting a memory briefly linger in her mind. A man stood in front of her in that memory, the weariness of a hardened life on his expression as he asked her when it was enough. Back then she didn't know how to genuinely answer him. But now she knew: To create a better world free of evil there would never be enough bloodshed. For where there is light, there will inevitably be shadows. As such it was their duty to continue fighting, to continue purging the shadows in this world. If only she could have eased his burden... But that would be a discredit to the sacrifices he had made.

Esperia smiled apologetically at Alejandro "I thank you for your cooperation, I can imagine your agents are feeling quite overworked with the recent state of affairs, so I truly am grateful for each and every one of them willing to ensure this happens."

When Alejandro showed his desire to meet Tomoe Esperia's expression remained unchanged, instead she nodded her head lightly. "An understandable precaution. In fact, should you dig deep enough you will likely be told that Tomoe Tanaka is in a special ward in the Era Dungeon, but that one is merely a scapegoat."

She paused for a moment to let these words sink in. "As you can likely understand Tomoe has a lot of enemies both among his own kin and the officials. As such a scapegoat was prepared in the dungeon, should they try to silence him, they will have silenced the wrong man."

She smiled, a glint in her eyes suggesting such mischief was not below her as she continued. "The real Tomoe is in my custody currently. I can take you to him if you'd like. It wouldn't take long at all, in fact to others it might seem we didn't leave the room."

A curious offer perhaps, but if Alejandro looked into the left eye of the woman, he would likely notice that the iris of the crimson eye was a unique shape. "To go further into detail: Tomoe Tanaka is currently imprisoned in my own personal dimension. Because of the nature of his confinement, it is impossible for him to leave said dimension without my aid, do try not to pass this intel even to others in your department. Aside from us two and the Captain Commander of my department, only the Magic Council is aware of this. The risk is too high to let him stay in a dungeon, considering the Midnight Cult or their allies might take drastic action to silence him. Something we can't let happen till his testimony comes to light"

She gently slid her chair backwards and gestured to the clear space at the end of the table. "If you wish to meet him right now, just let me know and I'll create a portal for us."

As the vampire had given her offer, she waited to see if Alejandro would accept it. Still, even to him it must had come as a surprising revelation, that the Tomoe Tanaka currently in the dungeons of Era was in fact a fake, a trap prepared by the Interrogation department.

Esperia smiled kindly at Alejandro as she continued. "It's as much trust as the fact they know we have the same goal in mind. I want to create a peaceful future for my family to be raised up in. For that to succeed I need to be unrelenting in my hunt against evil. The Magic Council knows that, and they also know how far I'm willing to go for that ideal. It's for that reason they believe it's better for me to work with them? At least this way they have a certain degree of insight into my plans."

The vampire finished her explanation as Alejandro rose up from his seat, the question about whether it would be painful earning a soft chuckle from her. "There won't be any pain. It's like stepping through a doorway." As she spoke she activated the secret power of her Kamui eye, the space at the end of the meeting room swirling and distorting as a gateway opened. She had made it large enough to ensure the two of them could pass through it at the same time, and while she approached the gateway she hummed softly. "I'll close the gateway after us."

Once the two of them were inside Alejandro would likely notice that the dimension, they were in was a somber one. It represented an innumerable amount of randomly arranged and differently sized rectangular prisms in a dark and seemingly endless void, and at the center of the area they were in they found their target.

In a makeshift seat the man was seen, his body covered in a suit that was covered in magic runes that pulsed eerily in the darkness. Meanwhile chains surrounded him, each of them diverging into one of the four inter-cardinal directions while the man called Tomoe Tanaka looked up at them. Although he looked healthy, his eyes clearly looked vacant, as if life itself had been devoid of them.

"The runes you see on the clothing are responsible for both sapping his strength and making him incapable of casting magic. The chains restraining him also are leeching his mana so he is severely weakened. Also in case you're curious: Time in this realm is in stasis, so people don't grow older nor do they experience things like hunger."

Tomoe's gaze turned toward Alejandro as he spoke, his voice dry and heavy. "Didn't knew I was going to have a visitor..."