The Greatest Sinner

"What? Demonic Tree's main base is on a hovering island? Are you serious?" Evan asked in disbelief. Even in this world based on magic, soaring islands seemed like something unbelievable.

Evan immediately assumed that this island floated in the sky, thanks to thousands of formations and special spells. But, he was terrified to imagine the amount of mana spent per second to keep an entire island in the air.

"I mean it. Wouldn't it be frustrating if it were different? Don't you think so?" Franz asked with a smirk.

Evan nodded, "I agree, if the main base ended up in some hidden location, it would make sense, but not impressive. But, knowing that the strongest dark mages of this Kingdom are lurking high in the sky gives me the creeps. It's incredibly brazen, audacious, and majestic."

"Exactly. Demonic Tree's main base is called the Dark Gate. It is a massive soaring island that is hidden by hundreds of formations. Moreover, the Dark Gate sits above the clouds and mountain peaks. Neither King Vexacion, nor the heads of the most powerful Dark Organizations have been able to find this place, as well as other numerous Demonic Tree bases." With pride in his head, Franz said.

<There's a reason the Demonic Tree is as well known as one of the most secretive organizations. The spells that the strongest members of the Demonic Tree know are incredible. They can hide entire mountains and even soaring islands. I wonder if they created these spells themselves or found them in ancient ruins?> Evan thought.

Franz went on to explain, "The Dark Gate is located right here. He pointed to a point on the map north of the center of The Kingdom of Fallen Hopes.

<Hmm, the Dark Gate isn't very far from the center of the Kingdom. The Devil's Horn is far to the north but shifted slightly to the east. On the other hand, the Dark Gate is slightly displaced to the west, and there are still hundreds of kilometers to the farthest reaches of the north.> Evan thought.

He was amazed that the Dark Gate was in quite a prominent position on one side. After all, the capital of The Kingdom of Fallen Hopes wasn't that far away, judging by the map. The distance between them was in the hundreds of kilometers.

"Franz, tell me more about the capital of the Kingdom and the King's subordinates. I know quite a bit about the light and dark organizations, but I know almost nothing about the capital." Said Evan.

Like most other mages, Evan knew where the main bases of the Light Organizations were located. This information was not secret, and any mage could come to the base of a light organization and try to pass the exam.

Evan knew a lot about dark organizations since he was interested in the topic and was already a member of the most powerful dark organization.

Evan knew that King Vexacion ruled the Kingdom of Fallen Hopes, but that was where his knowledge ended.

"Got it, for starters, the capital is a large city called - Fallen Destiny, it is a little south of the center of The Kingdom of Fallen Hopes." Said Franz.

Evan nodded. He looked at the map and looked at the location of Fallen Destiny. There was quite a variety of terrain around the capital. There were hills, mountains, lakes, forests, glades, and even one volcano.

"You asked me about the King's subordinates, so I'll tell you what kind of power the Vexacion King has. First, King Vexacion is an incredibly powerful mage. According to what I know, his power is comparable to the head of Demonic Tree, Merciful Death and Tears of Light." Said Franz.

He continued, "Secondly, King Vexacion is capable of exerting quite a bit of influence on light organizations. Only the Tears of Light are strong enough sometimes not to follow King Vexacion's instructions and stay alive. The rest of the light organizations must obey the will of the Vexacion King to one degree or another. Of course, King Vexacion has no control over the activities of the light organizations, but sometimes he may require them to do some task." Said Franz.

"I see, but he doesn't have that kind of power just because he's strong, does he? He must have a lot of powerful helpers." Asked Evan.

"Yes, King Vexacion rules the capital, and he has an organization that reports only to him. This organization is called the Ashen Order. It is a rather large organization with several powerful mages. Each of them believes that King Vexacion's ideology is true and his power and authority are unshakable. Of course, they report directly to the Vexacion King and do all his bidding." Pronounced Franz.

"Ashen Order...how strong is this organization?" Asked Evan.

"Very strong. The Ashen Order controls several towns near the capital. I can tell this is their territory where they are the sole owners. Ashen Order is comparable in strength to the strongest dark and light organizations. In my opinion, Ashen Orden is not inferior to Tears of Light or Merciful Death." Explained Franz.

"That's impressive..." Mumbled Evan.

He knew that King Vexacion had his own subordinates, but he hadn't expected it to be such a large and powerful organization.

"Franz, which side does the Ashen Order take? The dark side of the light side?" Evan asked.

"I'd say the most accurate definition would be half-light. Ashen Order is somewhat allied with the light organizations and feuds with the dark organizations. But, there is one big difference between them."

He sighed and continued, "Unlike the light organizations, the Vexacion King and, therefore, the Ashen Order do not want to destroy the dark organizations, but only under certain conditions. If the dark organizations accept the King's ideology and stop doing business with ordinary people and vampires, then he will treat them the same as the light organizations. Of course, in that case, the dark organizations would also have to obey the King's orders."

"I see, that option is ruled out. Dark organizations will never obey anyone and will act only in their interests." Proclaimed Evan.

"That's right, our feud is inevitable. Evan, is that all you wanted to know?" Franz asked.

Evan nodded and calmly said, "Yes, goodbye."

He headed for the exit of the Devil's Horn. Evan went to his tower and studied his chosen second level spells.. He also wanted to unlock the chains on the Pillars.