High Hanger was a pseudo-archipelago stretching along the coast just off Bark, held aloft by the massive branches of the World Tree reaching high overhead, its roots and limbs cradling the scattered islands as though they’d grown directly from the tree itself, ancient wood weathered smooth by centuries of salt air and passing storms.
The region functioned primarily as a massive fishing economy, driving the majority of exotic fish sales flowing into human territories across the kingdom.
"I wonder what he’s doing here."
Inside a small ale shop overlooking a bustling square, the young woman wearing glasses sipped calmly from a cup of tea, seemingly unbothered by the thick smell of alcohol permeating the air around her.
Tywin’s descent into madness wasn’t an exaggeration by any stretch. He had genuinely lost his sense of self somewhere along the way, wandering from village to village and business to business, demanding taxes from people who had no legal obligation to pay him anything at all. Fortunately, no one who actually recognized his true identity had surfaced publicly yet, though it seemed like only a matter of time before someone finally connected the dots.
But coming this close to his own home territory struck both of them as distinctly out of character. Madness, when it afflicted an ordinary mortal, looked nothing like madness affecting someone standing at tier 5.
For summoners at tier 5 and below, that particular affliction typically manifested as a loss of self-control, erratic behavior, or heightened irritability escalating quickly toward mass violence. Even then, though, their minds usually remained detail-oriented beneath the chaos, capable of calculation even in the depths of whatever had unraveled them.
They could still recognize danger and instinctively avoid it.
"I have a few guesses."
Kang muttered under his breath, his gaze fixed steadily on a man standing in the middle of the square, handing out coin to a small gathering crowd.
Plenty of rumors had already circulated about Tywin’s strange behavior, but Kang personally found none of it particularly strange. Forcing ordinary people to pay him taxes? Did the man genuinely believe himself king already? Or had some deeper, twisted obsession taken hold of him? That explanation didn’t track either, not for someone who’d grown up with every privilege already handed to him.
At least not realistically, not yet. His father remained relatively young and had only recently ascended to the throne himself.
None of it added up cleanly.
"Pray tell."
The woman asked, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. She held the title of the kingdom’s top Imperial Investigator, and very little managed to slip past her careful analysis once she’d turned her attention toward it, a reputation earned through years of cases most others had quietly given up on.
Her name was Vira, known throughout noble circles as the Eye of Insight. Still, a fresh perspective from someone outside her usual circle was always welcome, especially on a case this strange.
"It’s an evolution ritual."
Kang didn’t need to elaborate further, since Ethan echoed the exact same conclusion aloud almost simultaneously.
"Ah? That’s interesting."
The woman smiled faintly, her eyes drifting back toward Kang to confirm whether he’d genuinely arrived at the same conclusion independently.
"It would make sense, but as we both know, Demi-Gods don’t receive ritual requirements unless their respective governing gods explicitly approve it."
"From what I understand, Bark isn’t particularly inclined to grant him anything right now. And forget about Karth entirely. He’d strike Tywin down on the spot if given half the chance."
Vira worked through the possibility carefully, turning the theory over from every angle she could think of.
The third prince had, after all, managed to offend two separate gods simultaneously, a feat that alone deserved some recognition for sheer recklessness, even if the outcome for him personally looked increasingly grim with each passing day.
"Unless you’re suggesting an evil god’s involvement, which I’m sure you understand would be an extraordinarily bold accusation to make without solid proof."
Everyone naturally carried their own working theory, but Ethan’s leaned in a somewhat different direction entirely.
From what little he’d gathered so far, the third prince, while not the most powerful among his siblings, was widely considered the most talented. It wasn’t unreasonable to imagine that both Karth and Bark found themselves locked in some quiet, ongoing struggle over him, with everything unfolding here potentially serving as a hidden extension of that larger conflict, a proxy war fought through one talented young man who had no idea he’d become the battlefield.
After all, securing a genuinely powerful Demi-God under one’s influence represented a significant advantage for any god, regardless of how strong they already were individually.
"No luck today. We’ll be more proactive tomorrow."
Vira sighed, watching the ongoing money scheme unfolding across the square before finally rising to her feet, a visible trace of irritation crossing her expression, clearly more a reaction to the overwhelming smell of alcohol than anything related to the investigation itself.
"I need to head out as well. We’ll talk more later."
Kang added, noticing the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon outside. Realistically, none of them could hope to properly apprehend Tywin through a scheme this obvious and public anyway.
But watching Kang walk away, Ethan couldn’t help but frown slightly before shrugging his shoulders, his gaze drifting back toward the man in the square as he instinctively activated White Light Inspect without fully deciding to.
At that exact moment, Ethan froze completely, steadying himself with one hand gripping tightly around the cup still resting in his palm.
Infront of him the group that was initially taking the money and food from the man had been replaced with a set of magical puppets being moved by strings that stretched far into the distance. M
He didn’t notice it at first, but thinking about how the other two left, it made sense now that he was the only one in the dark.
"What a strange method"
Instead of moving however, Ethen chose to stay put, keeping up the act of someone that was still in the dark.
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