"So they are the new juniors who will be joining our Sect?" Markus half-inquired-half-commented as he let his eyes scan the timid horde of youths fidgeting uncomfortably before him. His question was directed towards his Master, while the comment addressed the congregation with an evaluating intonation. He couldn't help a doubtful expression from marring his otherwise unaffected face. They were currently in a rented-out VIP section of an inn in the Middle-Class District. They could not take this discussion to a more private and secure area such as the Rasmus Clan since the kids with their refugee backgrounds faced heavy scrutiny at the gates from the guards when they were passing towards the Elite Districts.
"That's all of them, alright!" His Master affirmed with a satisfied smile. "Take good care of them. Make sure they are registered and are intimated with the contract they need to sign. Amongst them, there are a few who haven't been trained to read and write, so you will have to assist them in going through the Sect's expectations and what they can expect from the Sect."
Markus nodded in response, but there was a tinge of apprehension in his movement. He hummed aloud and looked towards his Master with a meaningful gaze. He leaned closer and probed, "Are you sure about this, Master?"
"They are eager to join, and more than willing to learn along with us," Guy emphasised, though he could see that his Disciple still wasn't convinced. "You've fallen into the classical trap of pre-judging someone before even getting to know them."
Guy tilted his head towards the youths and said, "They're good kids who've just managed to get out of a tough point in their lives. They are in dire need of help, and it is within our capacity to offer it."
"And haven't I already told you this: it doesn't matter who joins the Sect, or how capable they are, as long as their heart and minds are in the right place," Guy highlighted. "I know where your scepticism is rooted, but I can assure you that your fears are unwarranted. I didn't choose them as backups because I had no other choice. I am genuinely interested in having them be a part of the True World Sect."
Markus followed his Master's retreating back as it exited the room. He then turned back to face his potential juniors once again and surveyed them more thoroughly. His gaze pierced through them, causing a few to shudder in discomfort until it stopped at a boy standing up front.
"Your eyes..." Markus muttered in a barely audible tone.
"They were taken from me," the boy answered. "But Sect Leader is a benevolent man. He has helped bring justice to the perpetrators who did this to me. I am forever in his debt!"
Markus revealed a faint smile at that. Nothing warmed his heart more than seeing his Master receive the recognition he deserved.
'They've suffered a lot,' he surmised. 'Thus they know the harsh reality of the world we live in. They will fit in just fine.'
Markus could see himself in these kids. They were misguided, just like him, and were forced to face society's torment to protect their families. The world in turn would beat down on them again and again until they were nothing more than husks - ghosts inhabiting a shell. And just like Markus, they were saved from that fate by his Master, Sect Leader Larks.
"Let me start by welcoming each and every single one of you to the True World Sect," Markus started with an inviting smile. "Master must have offered a brief explanation about our Sect focusing on the big picture, that is the vision and goals of our Sect as well as what it stands for."
The crowd stood still until the littlest girl shook her head which caused the rest to follow along. Markus suppressed a distressed sigh and said, "In that case, let us start from the top!"
"The True World Sect is a new Sect that is part of the Solar Sect Alliance. We are a pure research and development centric Sect, whose goal is to spearhead innovation and guide the world to better understand the universe we live in."
The declaration also elicited silence from the crowd. Markus got the feeling that these details were going over their heads, which was true. The fact was that at the moment, these kids cared very little about the Sect - they only cared about Guy since he was their saviour. So Markus' evangelism entered one ear and went out the other.
"Well, let us move on to the membership contract," Markus redirected with a cough. "For those that can read, please take your time to peruse through it. For those that cannot, you may follow me as I read it out loud, or if you prefer, you can depend on your peers for assistance."
The kids were informed of the various benefits offered by the True World Sect from Guy's mouth. They all sounded too good to be true. Moving allowance? Support for their family? A flat hierarchical structure? Yeah, right! But their cynicism was quenched the more they read the document.
"I-Is this really true?"
"It can't be!"
Incredulous exclamations resounded within the room.
"The Sect believes every potential entrant is an investment. To that end, we provide a conducive environment for members to explore their interests and work towards the betterment of the Sect and the world by extension," Markus marketed.
"Note here that we offer a flat relocation allowance should you want your family to follow you to the locale of our Sect. We believe that even in pursuit of self-development, one mustn't forget their roots and the tethers that bind them to the mortal plane. In fact, if you wish to save on your transportation expenditure, you may tag along with us as we return to our Sect at the end of the conference."
Markus was about to continue selling the True World Sect's advantages, but the blind boy interrupted him with his actions. The kid slammed the document onto the table and bit into his right thumb, causing a droplet of blood to peek through the rupture. His companion held the boy's bleeding thumb and brought it close to the contract. The blind boy took over from there and left a scarlet-red thumb impression on the paper.
"You didn't need to do that... We have ink..." Markus muttered in a low voice. He then spoke audibly, "Did you read the document- I mean, did you get someone to read the document for you? There are quite a few rules, regulations and expectations from the Sect to its members. You might want to base your decision after evaluating if this truly is the right choice for you."
"It isn't necessary," the boy responded. "I trust Sect Leader Larks," he declared with unshakeable certainty that even made Markus question his devotion to his Master.
Before Markus could urge the boy to reconsider his hasty decision, the rest followed along, bit their thumbs and placed their bloody impressions on paper.
"Well..." Markus said while suppressing a twitch at the corner of his lips. "Congratulations on becoming official members of the Sect, my juniors!"
The youths clapped along excitedly. Magic wasn't a readily accessible resource for everyone in this world. Only those with the finances, connections, or talent could reap the benefits borne of magic. Although sects did accept large groups of people at once, in the grand scheme of things it was a minuscule or negligible selection compared to the overall population. Similarly, the benefits of Academies could only be reaped if one had the right finances to back their studies. Clans were a whole other ball game since not just anyone could join them. These youths, like Markus, were bound to suffer a life of extremely poor quality, and would eventually disappear into obscurity never to make a mark in this world. But things would be different now.
The kids apprehensively let themselves get excited at the prospect of joining an actual, official Sect. Markus could read this emotion overflowing in the room and started to narrate everything they would need to know about the True World Sect.
____
At the same time as this was taking place, at various locations across Sunspear, key figures and groups were reeling from the sudden acts of terrorism that took place over the capital. Many people had died, including many key figures, of which there were a lot of known casualties among the higher-ranked officials.
It was a targeted and highly coordinated attack, which indicated that the perpetrators at least had a deep level of intimacy with the capital. The first suspect was the Beggars' Sect at the Capital since they were known to be heavily dispersed and ingrained into the roots of the city. Furthermore, the locations targeted by the perpetrators all happened to have some connection with the Sect. However, a deeper investigation brought forth that the Beggars' Sect had disappeared completely from the Capital.
The Sect's den was found to be burned to the ground, with a mountain of charred corpses within. Interestingly, it wasn't the fire that killed them. Some of the bodies held traces of sinister torture!
All of this evidence pointed to one simple fact: There was a new player in town, and they wanted to make an entrance flashy enough to secure a position for themselves in the Capital. Their goal must have been to replace the Beggars' Sect, seeing as they uprooted the organisation so thoroughly. Unfortunately, this new player lacked foresight and decided to antagonise a diversified group of people. Needless to say, they would be facing a war on multiple fronts.
The facts of this matter, as well as steps that would be needed in the preparation of this new player's entrance, were the topics of discussion in the latest Congregation at the Palace of the Sun.
"Your Majesty, the ongoing investigation has reached a stand-still! We need to take firmer action. Please consider deploying the Imperial Forces!"
"The Imperial Forces cannot leave the Palace, it is their duty to protect the Emperor and his bloodline!"
"But the Capital bleeds while we take no action-"
As the Ministers argued and presented their stances, the Emperor - the Descendent of the Sun - looked on with an irate expression forming on his mien.
