The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: The First Grand Assembly

That night, deep beneath the mountains, the headquarters of Eclipse was more active than it had been in a very long time.

The news had spread throughout the organization only hours earlier.

Every available member had been ordered to gather in the throne chamber.

There were currently 438 members within the Eclipsed Order.

Of those, 312 had been able to attend.

The remaining 126 were either stationed elsewhere, carrying out missions, monitoring territories, handling the organization’s various businesses, or engaged in duties that could not be abandoned on such short notice.

Even so, more than three hundred members had gathered.

And for the first time since the organization had been established, the sheer scale of Eclipse could no longer be concealed even from its own members.

The throne chamber had been constructed with exactly such occasions in mind.

It was enormous.

The ceiling rose several dozen meters above the polished floor, supported by massive pillars that disappeared into the darkness overhead. Several enormous chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their magical crystals providing enough illumination to reach every corner of the chamber without making the room feel overly bright.

The walls were made from dark stone reinforced with layers of magical materials, while the floor had been polished until the surface reflected the figures standing upon it.

At the far end of the chamber stood a raised platform.

Upon it was a single throne.

It remained empty.

No one sat upon it.

That alone was enough to make the entire chamber feel strangely solemn.

The members of Eclipse had gathered according to their positions within the organization.

At the front stood the Ten Reapers.

All ten were present.

They stood in a perfectly ordered formation, separated by only a small distance from one another.

Behind them were the various divisions of the organization.

The Harbingers stood in one formation.

The Watchers occupied the next.

The Vanguard stood behind them.

The Sentinels formed another line.

And farther toward the rear stood the Seekers.

Hundreds of members stood together, yet the chamber remained almost completely silent.

There was no casual conversation.

No laughter.

No movement that wasn’t necessary.

Every member understood that this gathering was different from an ordinary briefing.

Above the Ten Reapers, several wide stone steps rose toward the elevated platform.

There were eight levels in total, each broad enough to accommodate several people standing side by side.

The Seven Crowns occupied the upper steps.

They stood in a formation of their own, each member positioned according to their rank within the group.

Their presence alone was enough to distinguish them from the lower divisions.

Even without drawing their weapons, the magical pressure surrounding them was noticeably different.

On a lower section of the chamber stood the Four Black Roses.

Aurora, Herrera, Octavia, and Leonora occupied their own formation, separated from the other divisions.

They weren’t standing in front merely because of their position.

They had been placed there because they represented one of the highest authorities within Eclipse.

Aurora’s expression remained calm, although the pressure surrounding her was noticeably heavier than it had been before.

Herrera stood with her arms folded, a faint distortion occasionally passing through the air around her fingertips before disappearing.

Octavia’s silver-white hair moved slightly despite the complete absence of wind within the chamber.

And Leonora simply stood there with her usual composed expression.

Yet those with sufficiently sharp senses could feel something unusual from her.

Her presence seemed almost impossible to measure.

At the very front of the chamber stood two figures.

Vhan and Vince.

They were currently responsible for commanding the assembly.

Most of the members had no idea why they had been summoned.

Some had assumed it was related to the recent destruction of the laboratories.

Others believed the organization had discovered something concerning the enemy.

A few had even wondered whether the Great Eclipse himself would finally appear before them.

But none of them knew the actual reason.

Even Vhan and Vince had not been given the complete details until shortly before the gathering.

Vhan slowly looked across the enormous chamber.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed upon him.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his voice finally carried through the chamber.

"All members present have been accounted for."

His voice was calm and authoritative, amplified naturally by the architecture of the chamber.

"There are currently four hundred and thirty-eight members within the Eclipsed Order. Three hundred and twelve are present tonight."

No one moved.

"The remaining members have been accounted for. Their absence is due to assignments that could not be suspended."

Vince stepped forward.

"This gathering was not called because of an ordinary mission."

That statement immediately changed the atmosphere.

Several members who had initially assumed this was simply another strategic briefing became more attentive.

Vince continued.

"The organization has reached a point where our previous structure is no longer sufficient for what lies ahead."

The words echoed across the chamber.

"Our operations have expanded."

"Our territory has expanded."

"Our enemies have changed."

"And our own strength has continued to increase."

His gaze moved toward the Four Black Roses, then toward the Seven Crowns and the Ten Reapers.

"Many of you have already noticed the changes."

"The destruction of the sixth laboratory confirmed something we had already suspected."

His expression became slightly colder.

"The organization responsible for those facilities is much larger than the information recovered from any individual laboratory suggested."

Several members remained completely still.

"Six facilities have already been destroyed."

A faint pressure spread through the room.

"Yet six facilities were merely six pieces of something considerably larger."

Vince looked toward the empty throne.

"And recently, we have discovered that the enemy is no longer merely operating from the shadows."

A pause followed.

"They have begun searching for Eclipse."

That statement finally produced a subtle reaction.

The members of Eclipse had spent years operating without revealing themselves to the outside world.

Now, for the first time, someone had begun actively searching for them.

Vhan raised one hand.

The magical lights above the chamber dimmed.

At the center of the room, a large projection formed in the air.

A map appeared.

Several locations were marked across different territories.

Then six of those locations turned dark.

"The laboratories destroyed by Eclipse."

The image changed.

Additional locations appeared.

Some were faint.

Some were incomplete.

Others were nothing more than uncertain coordinates.

"We have reason to believe that these are only fragments of the network."

Vince’s voice remained steady.

"Which means the organization we are dealing with has survived the destruction of six facilities."

The projection disappeared.

The chamber returned to silence.

Vhan lowered his hand.

"But that is not the reason you were summoned tonight."

His eyes moved across the hundreds of members standing before him.

"There is another matter."

The magical pressure in the chamber suddenly changed.

It was subtle at first.

Then several of the strongest members noticed it.

A strange presence was approaching from somewhere beyond the enormous doors at the far end of the chamber.

The Seven Crowns turned their attention toward the entrance.

The Four Black Roses did the same.

Even the Ten Reapers became slightly more alert.

Vhan and Vince stepped aside.

The enormous doors remained closed.

The empty throne stood silently above them.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then—

BOOOOM.

The doors opened.

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