Water dripped down the cold stone wall, shrouded in darkness. Only the torches hung on the wall at regular intervals illuminated the corridor. The stone had rotted away from the water, and you had to be careful not to slip.

A dark figure in a black cloak, black mask, and black hood followed the corridor. To his left and right were bars, behind which lay piles of bones. The flesh had long since left this world, and only the skeletons decorated the cells. He heard no other sound that indicated someone was waiting for him in the dungeon. Only the wind rushed past his black mask.

With every step, the darkness around him grew. Until he stopped in front of a wooden door, the darkness around him spread forward and went between the cracks in the rotten wood to the other side.

The person behind the door gradually dissolved into black water made of pure darkness. It effortlessly spread through the door until he emerged from the dark mass behind it. He heard no sound in the room, and every light illuminated by the torches was swallowed by him.

In front of him, he saw a table where several people were sitting, all wearing black cloaks and masks of different colors. Only one place was left. No one made any noise when they entered the room. Not even looks were exchanged. Any atmosphere had been removed from the room. as if only dolls were present. He slowly walked towards the free space and waited for the meeting to begin.

The meeting was announced at short notice, so he had to come from the southernmost part of the continent. He was curious about what was important enough to require his attention, which forced him to stop all his plans at short notice.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin the meeting," said a Red Mask person.

"What was so important that you summoned us a week before schedule?" asked the Purple Mask.

Silence fell again as each person looked around. No one knew who the actual leader of the organization was or if he was even present. He knew who called the meeting, but everyone here had equal status. They were all leading figures in their church, but nobody knew each other. Once a session was over, they all left 10 minutes apart. Nobody should know each other. Should a spy worm his way into the higher ranks, he couldn't identify the other members or the jobs they performed.

"As you all know, the experiment started almost two weeks ago. We summoned a monster into our world, which was subdued with a soul spell. It destroys the Orchids forest and creates new workers for us, like an ant queen."

Slight cheering broke out; the most problematic phase of their plan was complete. The Black Mask thought that summoning a monster from between the worlds and gaining control of it must have taken countless lives. He was busy with other activities but could imagine how difficult it must have been.

"But then everything goes according to plan. So what is the reason for this meeting?" asked Green Mask.

"Athylia became aware of the threat earlier than planned." Immediately, the mood became nervous. Some members began playing with their fingers, while others scratched themself. Should the plan be thwarted, years would have been wasted again.

"But I can say with certainty that they haven't obtained any important information yet." Red Mask continued while laying out a map on the table with red marks on it.

"As you can see here, I got us the map that Captain Neo created. The markings are now all wrong as the monsters spread further into the forest. From what information I've collected, Athylia has no idea what to expect."

Another line appeared on the map, but this time between Athylia and Orchids Forest.

"Athylia has divided the forest and the kingdom by erecting a wall. They want to monitor the situation first. So I suggest we shift our plan of attack ahead and attack a week early.

One of the group yelled, "Impossible! We can't possibly fit everyone here. Our members won't be able to arrive in a week; the continent is far too large." 

Murmurs of agreement broke out. They eventually took on the kingdom established by the gods. For that reason alone, they couldn't go about it half-heartedly. The Black Mask agreed, but he knew that the Red Mask wasn't just suggesting this without having a plan ahead of time.

"I know it sounds a bit rash, but we have to reckon with Athylia preparing for the invasion. The more time we give them, the harder it will be to launch a successful attack. If it weren't for the problem in the Duriboris mountains, they would have already assembled their army to wipe the monster out."

"I assume you already have a plan?" asked Black Mask.

The Gates of Athylia were incredibly strong, able to withstand even the most intense of fire. Only the walls of the dwarves who lived in the Duriboris Mountains could match its stability.

"Of course," said the Red Mask. I have everything planned; the wall will fall. How I do that, however, remains a secret for now.

He understood why the Red Mask was silent; he would have done the same. Their attack plan would remain a secret if anyone in the inner circle betrayed them. However, he found it difficult to trust the Red Mask blindly. After all, he had no idea who was underneath. The rings they all wore on their right hands disguised their voices. That means if the Red Mask had been swapped out, then nobody knew it. That is what makes trust so challenging to come by.

"I think you need to give us a bit more information. After all, we can't just trust you blindly," the Yellow Mask clarified. Everyone here was on their own. He was well aware of this because he was the Black Mask owner. He had seen many members come and go.

When a person died or was replaced, their master always gave them a new mask. No two masks were the same. They did not differ in color, but the shape was always different. Who was their master? Nobody knew, and yet he watched them all from a distance. Only then did he notice that the red mask was smiling. How could he tell? He just felt it.

"Our master visited me and gave me this parchment. It contains instructions on how to shatter the gate."

The Red Mask unrolls an old parchment scroll, revealing the sigil that sealed it. Only those who had permission from the scribe could open this scroll.

"Indeed, this is our master's seal." Gray Mask confirmed it.

"Then everything is clear. My suggestion still stands. I would want to attack Athylia in seven days. Who agrees?"

The Black Mask felt the emotions in the room shift. He could feel everything in this room, as nothing could escape its darkness.

"Is the Queen ready for action yet?" asked the Green Mask. After all, the monster invasion was supposed to distract the kingdom so they could invade it unnoticed.

"Of course, there have been a few setbacks, but the queen is developing well. In a week, she is powerful enough and could move towards Athylia."

It got quiet again. Everyone was considering how to smuggle their units into the kingdom. Some were already inside but needed many more people behind the walls. It took the Black Mask far too long.

"I vote for the postponement of the schedule." He finally spoke. Unrest shook the small circle.

"I agree." The white mask spoke up. "It's much more efficient to meet them unprepared. In addition, it is not possible to relocate the monster masses if Athylia decides to attack."

They already had three votes, and two of those were cast by the most powerful members. Just one more, and they could force the rest to do whatever they wanted.

It was silent again, and you could hear the drops of water falling from the ceiling. The rustling of clothes and the occasional pounding of boots showed that nobody wanted to take responsibility if something went wrong.

"I take it there's no other voice?" asked the red voice with a devilish grin. He watched as the mask's face twisted into a malicious grin. Too bad he couldn't see the faces of the other members. But he imagined that a shiver ran down the spines of the others.

The yellow mask slowly raised its hand. "My unit will be ready."

"Perfect, then the attack will be carried out within a week. Have your subjects ready and prepare as much as you can."

Suddenly, the red mask pulled out a golden amulet. He looked closely at it through his mask but realized that it posed no danger.

"Our master gave me this amulet eight times. You'll find it taped under your chair. Each member must get a protective charm from this amulet. It prevents the monsters from attacking you and your members. I think you know what to do."

"Can you confirm that it works?" asked Green Mask.

"Are you questioning our master?" The man in the red mask yelled angrily and slammed his hand on the table. He watched as the mask's emotion changed to that of a brutal demon ready to shred its prey.

"Just to clarify. I received this amulet with the parchment. It's from our master, and that should be proof enough. Otherwise, I would question your position." The man in the red mask screamed angrily.

The Black Mask watched as the Green Mask sank deeper into the chair with each word. 'He must be scared to death,' he thought. After all, the Green Mask was their newest member.

The amulet had the same seal as the parchment; it had to come from their master without a doubt.

"So we'll meet in a week; you'll know the signal when you see it." The red mask grimaced again. 'Childish,' thought the Black Mask. He just didn't understand why the Red Mask had to play with facial expressions so much. Nobody objected, and so the meeting was slowly dissolved.

Every ten minutes, a member left the room. The table kept getting emptier and emptier. Until there were only three people left at the table,

"Say black, why did you agree with me?" asked Red Mask.

"There's no particular reason; I just shared the same opinion." He scratched his head carefully to keep his hood in place.

"It's just unusual that you agree with me. Otherwise, you always have a different opinion."

"Well, what can I say? Your suggestions are always very impulsive. But I don't want to deal with Athylia if they're fully prepared."

Now the gray mask left the room.

"Understandable," Red Mask said.

"Overall, the military is rather average, but I'm worried about Sighsten. His runic magic is terrible to fight against."

"Is he that strong?"

"He has a counter to everything; you shouldn't underestimate him. Even on the Darkest Night, I doubt I could defeat him." Black said. He watched the red mask's expression change. He found it very amusing indeed.

"It doesn't matter; he still can't do anything against the monster. It will tear the city apart like paper."

"You seem very confident in the beast power, but don't forget why we're using it. It's just meant to lure out the bishop with his holy book. Once we have the book, we don't care about anything." Black said. He lifted his mask slightly to drink something red.

"Indeed, once we have the book, our church can retreat," said Red Mask.

They were silent for the remaining minutes until it was time for the Red Mask to set off. Now he was alone and had to wait to be allowed to leave. The room was already stuffy after the long wait and discussion.

After an endless 10 minutes, the room finally started to glow red. He knew it meant getting out of the room before it self-destructed.

Again, he didn't open the door but melted into the darkness and just wandered through. The meetings were always over very quickly. Information was always exchanged, and votes were held. Since everyone was responsible for their part and none of the participants knew each other, there was never much to talk about. Everyone knew the operation was about to start. There was no concrete sign, but it would probably become obvious as soon as the gate fell or a gigantic monster invasion besieged the gates of Athylia.

He left the hiding place and slowly walked towards Athylia. He had marked a tree behind which he had hidden his other clothes. When he arrived, he suddenly felt a faint aura. It was something magnificent, but it was too fuzzy to notice.

He sighed. "I would like to know who has such a majestic aura."