"There should not be." Ze nods.

"But... You don't mean to imply he deserted, too? Blasphemy."

"Indeed," Ze drawls, rounding the table and taking a seat. He leans back, his posture relaxed. "Aethon is loyal. I do not suspect him of desertion. In fact, it was his last communication that gave me reason to be alarmed."

"What is it? Get on with it!" the king demands impatiently.

Ze raises a lazy brow at him, seemingly not impressed with the king's edicts.

"He was investigating the Sons of Tenebreis. It was a son of Tenebreis who was leading the demons into the intermediary realms."

"Tenebreis? Impossible. They cannot leave Tartareia."

"So we have presumed." Ze sighs. "I believe the situation to be more dire than we previously thought. Aethon relayed to me that he uncovered a demon plot not only to destabilize the boundaries between realms but also to awaken the Seven from Tartarstasis."

Silence descends in the room as both Maros and the king stare at Ze, their expressions full of disbelief.

"That's...impossible."

"Unfortunately, with Elias's desertion, it is highly possible. When the Primordials imprisoned the Seven in Tartarstasis, they each used a piece of themselves to perform the spell. As such, the only way the spell can be broken is by using the same type of energy to unlock the prison."

"The Primordials are long gone," Maros intervenes. "No one knows where they are, so I cannot see how the demons could get their hands on their energy signature."

"They might be gone, but you forget one thing. They left something behind."

"The artifacts," the king mutters a curse.

"Indeed. Each Primordial left behind an artifact to one of the Houses. And considering Elias took the chalice with him, the demons are already in possession of one. Now they need fourteen more."

"But—"

Ze places his hand up, stopping the king from speaking.

"Together, all artifacts could unlock Tartarstasis and free the Seven. But that is a concern for another day. By themselves, the artifacts are also far too dangerous to fall into the demons' hands. The chalice alone likely allowed them to leave Tartareia in their physical form. But according to Aethon's report, it is a temporary measure. The chalice allows their body to withstand travel between realms only for a limited period of time, which is likely how a son of Tenebreis was able to cross over. But there is one other artifact that coupled with the chalice could give them a more permanent solution," Ze explains.

"The vial of Arche." The king closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

"Yes. So you see why I am here and why it was urgent to meet with you. I will need the exact location of the vial so I can protect it."

The king shakes his head.

"I cannot tell you. I vowed to never disclose its location."