Chapter 78: Coup

Sabrina’s melodic laughter cut short as she noticed the sudden shift in Thomas’s posture. Following his line of sight, her deep violet eyes traveled past the row of canvas tents, landing directly on the administrative stone building where the spotless deacon stood watching them silently from beneath his golden hood. The eerie, unmoving smile visible under the fabric caused a look of serious intelligence to cross her attractive features, completely replacing her playful demeanor.

She leaned slightly closer to Thomas, her voice dropping into a tight, quiet whisper that only their immediate circle could hear.

"We need to talk," Sabrina said, her tone suddenly carrying a serious weight that surprised both Ryan and the girls. "Not here. Let’s move inside the tent before anyone else decides to listen in."

Julian adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses, his bare ebony eyes narrowing as he looked from Sabrina to the distant golden cloak. Without a single word, he stood up from his foldable chair, walked over to the heavy fabric of his entrance, and held it back. Thomas rose smoothly from his log, keeping his face perfectly calm as he signaled for Ryan, Mina, and Lina to follow them inside. Sabrina stepped through the threshold closely behind them, closing the heavy canvas flap completely behind them.

The space inside the tent felt instantly cramped with all of them packed between the folded blankets and polished swords. Julian didn’t wait to be asked. He immediately drew a glowing purple runic symbol in the empty air with his index finger, softly chanting the word Seal to lock down the perimeter and ensure the ambient sounds of the bustling campsite were entirely dampened.

Julian sat back down on his foldable chair, looking directly at Sabrina. "Alright, Somerset. We are isolated and the perimeter is secure. What did you want to talk about?"

Sabrina didn’t sit on a chair; she dropped straight down onto the ground, crossing her legs casually as her violet eyes locked onto Thomas. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"I noticed how that deacon was staring at you, Thomas," Sabrina said, her voice dropping into a quiet, intense octave. "And you need to understand something. The Holy Church has a massive problem with the way things are changing in this academy, and it starts directly with the Headmaster. They have been at total odds with him ever since he first took the job three years ago."

Thomas leaned forward, keeping his composure smooth as glass. "Why do they care so much about the Headmaster?"

"Because of the Horsemen of the Calamity," Sabrina explained, her long dreadlocks shifting against her jacket as she leaned forward. "The very moment the Headmaster introduced the Horsemen three years ago, the Church violently opposed it. They feel like the Horsemen are a completely separate faction that answers only to the academy administration. It stays entirely outside of their control, and the church absolutely despises anything they cannot directly manipulate."

Julian nodded his head in agreement from his chair, his expression turning neutral behind his spectacles as he added his own piece of information to the discussion.

"She is right," Julian spoke slowly, his long fingers twitching over the hilt of his sword. "The hierarchy in the Holy City is not as stable as they want the everyone to believe. For a long time, the major High-blood families have been looking for a definitive way to finally break out of the Church’s absolute domain. We want to free ourselves from their tyrannical rule, coupled tightly with the reclusive Royal House. My family, House Carter, is already fully committed to finding a breach in that circle."

"Same goes for my family, House Somerset," Sabrina added smoothly, a sharp glint of pride showing in her eyes. "Some of the big houses are entirely tired of bowing down to the church. But the elders are still moving carefully, waiting for an opening."

She paused, adjusting her jacket before continuing to layout the internal matters of the elite High-blood houses. "Take Kaen’s house, for example. They are still completely on the ropes and refusing to commit. The elders of his house are too terrified of what the Church will do if things go wrong. But even though Kaen isn’t here, I can vouch for him as a fellow Grade S prodigy and as a friend. I trust him completely. If he were to join hands with us here, we could trust him, but I absolutely do not trust his family. His house will keep sitting on the fence until the fight is already over."

Julian adjusted his spectacles, his voice remaining cool. "His house has always been overly cautious when the marrow burns. If they want to stay on the ropes, we will move forward without them."

A sudden, sharp series of knocks violently rattled the wooden support frame of the tent entrance, causing Julian’s purple runic seal to instantly fracture and fade away into empty air.

The temperature inside the canvas tent went completely freezing cold in a split second. A soft, hollow voice echoed right through the fabric, carrying a rhythmic cadence that made Thomas’s neck hairs stand completely on end.

"Children," the creepy voice called out from the dirt path outside. "Could you please come outside?"

Thomas stood up smoothly, his face remaining perfectly calm as he led the way toward the exit. Julian, Sabrina, Ryan, and the two girls stepped closely behind him, pushing back the heavy canvas flap to step out into the dim twilight of the campsite.

Standing directly in front of their tents was the spotless deacon. His golden cloak was fluttering slightly under the artificial wind currents of the shield dome, his face completely obscured by the heavy hood except for that ever-present, terrifying smile.

"Greetings, children of the light," the deacon said smoothly, opening his bare palms to reveal the multi-rayed sun tattoo on one hand and the unblinking eye on the other. "I remember that i had not introduced myself, I am Deacon Eider."

Thomas kept his composure, his tone respectful. "How can we help you, divine servant?"

Deacon Eider’s creepy smile seemed to widen slightly beneath the golden shadow of his hood, his gaze locking directly onto Thomas’s black jacket.

"I am here because I need to talk to you all," the deacon whispered, his voice carrying a heavy weight that made the students sweat. "I have just received a powerful, divine revelation regarding your group."