This conversation was going nowhere. Annoyingly enough, Chetam could not say that he was surprised. These meetings happened very rarely. When they happened, this was always the case. Half the time was spent rambling on. One trail of thought was never followed. Lines of conversations were abandoned halfway before being skipped to another.

  Sometimes lines of conversations were forgotten entirely.

  The arrival of the Oath of Life was definitely an unplanned disturbance to the meeting, throwing a wrench into everything. Meetings as they were always followed a pattern. The Oaths disagreed on insignificant things, like cats trying to claim hierarchy in a territory. Then they addressed the subject that brought them, disagreeing with the very necessity of the problem. Only then did they finally come to a decision that solved only a part of the problem.

  If only the issue between Ruth and Madness could just as easily be forgotten, he would be one of the happiest men alive. One look at Aurora, the former Oath of War, told him that he would not be so lucky.

  If he was capable of having a headache, he would have one. Then again, he actually was capable of having a headache. His mind pulled him back to the last time he’d had a headache and his eyes moved from the old man to Madness.

  A small nostalgic smile touched his lips as he remembered the one time he’d gotten into an argument with War and had been wrong. He had done something he should not have done, something he was man enough to know had not been warranted. His reward? Two slaps from Madness.

  He felt a shadow of the headache, a phantom that came with the memory. The Oaths here had no idea how lucky they were that Madness did not have his attention on any of them. Ruth had no idea just how unlucky she was that he did.

  As for the Oath of Life, Chetam would be lying if he did not find the man interesting. From what he knew of the stories of Melchizedek, the man was a questionable enigma. He had no genealogy which implied no father or mother. But did he really have no father and mother or were they merely unknown?

  Then, the more interesting part about him. He was a priest and a king. It had been a long time since state and religion had been separated from each other.

  The king of peace, he thought as the old man chattered away like a happy grandfather. Chetam could admit that he hated how the man spoke to them like children who knew nothing. But what really annoyed him was the fact that they were, in fact, children who knew nothing.

  All except Madness and his wife. Those two knew something. A lot, in fact, if he was going by the look Aurora kept giving the old man and the way the man responded to it.

  They were catholic so he didn’t think it should be that surprising. But that was the problem. What they seemed to know went beyond doctrine. They knew the man’s secret. Chetam was sure of it.

  And try as he did, he could only see one plausible reason they could have so much knowledge.

  The [August Intruder].

  But if that was true, then it would mean that the [August Intruder] knew a lot. A great lot. And if that was also true then the question became how he knew so much. Chetam had spies in every corner of the world. Even the famous S-rank [Seer] in Japan, Nezu, knew nothing about the spies Chetam had in his home.

  He had eyes in the offices of all the presidents. If the greatest SS-rank with the class [Unbound] thought to make a move, Chetam would know. But this old man was an anomaly. A being that should not exist.

  Yet Chetam knew nothing about him. Even his Oath skills that somehow helped with these situations hadn’t shown him the man’s arrival.

  Chetam’s eyes moved over to Aurora once more. But they know.

  It bothered him that another Oath knew something that he did not. The last time an Oath existed who knew what Chetam did not, he had been the Oath of Secrets. It made it understandable. Acceptable.

  Chetam’s hand balled into an uncomfortable fist. He slid the fist under his side of the table, slipped it between his legs and masked it there. The temperament that came with his Oath was trying to supersede his mind.

  There was nothing inevitable that he should not know, and yet, here was an old man that he did not know. It irked him. It was irksome.

  A small scuffle drew Chetam from his mind. It was a welcome distraction. When he gave it his attention, he found Pain halfway out of his seat while Grace tried to hold him back. Aurora had a cocky grin on her face. Even without her Oath, she refused to pale under the weight of the others.

  People would claim her husband was the reason but Chetam knew that he was not. He had done his research and knew for a fact that the [Dreadnought] class was the strongest tank and strength class the world had ever seen. And Aurora Lockwood was the strongest [Dreadnought] alive.

  Unless the old man has one that he’s hiding.

  A slight chuckle left the old man’s lips and Chetam shifted his attention to him. On one of the chairs, the Oath of Desolation had a thoughtful expression on his face. Not yet thirty years of age, he was not only the newest Oath present, he was also the youngest.

  His thinking face was fun to look at. Chetam wondered if the man knew that it was very evident that he was trying to be useful.

  “What’s funny?” Shield asked, addressing the old man, her voice cutting through every other sound in the room.

  The man shook his head, still chuckling. “It’s nothing important,” he said. “It’s just… when I met Abram, he was a certain type of way. Personally, I think he would’ve liked you.”

  Abram. Chetam’s mind catalogued the use of the name. Previously the man had been more than happy to work with Abraham’s more popular name. Now he called him by the name he’d answered before the change.

  He didn’t know if it was of any significance.

  What was significant, however, was that for the fourth time, without being addressed, Madness stopped playing with his pens. Once again, he stopped and looked up at the old man.

  As if suddenly remembering something, the old man turned and looked at him.

  An involuntary smile touched Chetam’s lips when it happened. The Oaths had their very own lie detector, and while it was difficult to operate, it was very functional. What had just happened told him two things.

  The first was that the old man had slipped up, said something incorrect. The second was that he knew how the Oath of Madness worked. It was clear in the look he gave Madness.

  Slowly, as if unsure of if he was uninterested, Madness got up and left his seat. A heavy silence fell over the room when he did.

  Chetam could feel a few of the Oaths tense up. The newer Oaths looked more confused than anything, as if it was some kind of taboo to get up during the meeting and Madness had committed it so casually.

  Eyes trailed after the man as he moved. Beside Chetam, he felt Shield tense up. He wanted to calm her down, soothe her, but didn’t. Favoritism would not look good on him. Pain looked ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

  As everyone watched, Aurora with a fond smile as if watching her man lift the world with one arm—she watched him do anything as if it was the greatest most impossible thing in the world, Madness walked over to a locked drawer and pulled it open. It gave way without argument.

  He stopped suddenly, closed it and opened what seemed to be a random drawer. Then he dipped his hand inside it and pulled out a handful of pens.

  The tension fled the room like a cheetah on a chase. The relief was so deep that Chetam heard a few people release their breaths. Still, everyone was silent as Madness returned to his chair. Only when he sat back down, placed all eight pens on the table and resumed playing with them did everyone ignore him once again.

  It was the way with Madness. When he got up, it could’ve easily been to start a fight or leave the meeting. When he took the pens, it let everyone know that there was most likely not going to be a fight. Still, it was not beyond the Oath to suddenly stab someone with it. Even Aurora, the undisputed love of his life, could not predict the things he did.

  Once upon a time, Chetam had asked her how their relationship worked, and her answer had been simple and worrying.

  “He’ll do what he’ll do,” she’d said. “And I’ll do what I can do about it.”

  He would’ve called it toxic if he didn’t know how much in love with each other they were.

  While he was playing with his pens, Aurora leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Pain frowned, whether it was from the display of affection or the reaction he’d given from Madness simply standing up, Chetam did not know.

  [Oath skill Outcome of Certainty is in effect]

  …

  [Outcome of Certainty]

  Nothing is ever truly certain in life. The higher the outcome the higher the reaction. The Oath is granted the ability to see an unavoidable outcome. Automatic activation is in effect when certainty is above 95%.

  Well, that’s unfortunate.

  Chetam missed having meetings where a fight didn’t break out. With the sudden tension, the fear of a fight, and the automatic activation, everything was obvious. Before this meeting was over, either this specific one or all the meetings combined, Madness would have a fight with someone.

  Chetam just had to make sure it wasn’t Ruth.

  It also meant that it was time to move the conversation along.

  “Alright,” he said, like a mother gathering the toddlers in the house. “We will speak on the subject of the [August Intruder]. King of Salem, and I really hope you are not a king.”

  The old man turned to him. “Yes, Inevitability?”

  “Please take a seat.”

  Quietly, he walked over to one of the empty seats and climbed over the glass table. The chair was right beside Aurora.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Is this seat taken?” he asked with a cheerful smile. There was something regal about his simplicity, like a king who never took his job seriously.

  She looked him in the eye and said, “Take the one beside my husband.”

  The man looked at Madness and shivered slightly. “The Oaths of Madness have, over the centuries, proven themselves to be very unpredictable, like children with weapons that the world doesn’t know are smart.” He pressed his lips into an awkward smile. “It should not come as a surprise that they are the one Oath I fear.”

  Aurora did not flinch. After a moment of staring at each other, the old man sighed.

  “Promise me that he will not bite my head off without cause and I’ll take the seat,” he said.

  Aurora shrugged. “You can always sit elsewhere.” She gestured at the different empty chairs that had once had occupants many years ago. “There’s more than enough to go around.”

  “True. But this one feels like the safest.”

  “It’s not.” Aurora shook her head. Then she pointed at her own seat. “This one’s the safest.” She pointed at the one he wanted to take. “This one is a paradox. It is the second safest and the second most dangerous.”

  Chetam had a feeling the both of them were intentionally talking loud enough for everyone to hear. They certainly had the attention of the new Oaths. And the fact that none of the Oaths were objecting was giving levity to the conversation.

  Even now, when she was no longer an Oath, Aurora played subtle mind games, setting up plans and strategies to lay a path to victory for her and hers.

  Deflating in defeat, the old man walked over to Madness’ side and took the seat next to the Oath with a worried expression. He wasn’t scared, at least he didn’t look scared. He was simply worried.

  “Now that that’s out of the way,” Chetam announced. “The [August Intruder]. Does anyone have any knowledge to share on the matter before we address the matter of the person themselves?”

  The Oath of Desolation, Elijah, raised his hand politely.

  “Yes, Desolation?”

  “I received the notification of his dominion before I became an Oath.” He dropped his hand. “Does that matter?”

  That was interesting.

  “Yes,” Chetam answered. “Although it presents more questions than answers. If you received it before becoming an Oath was it because you were about to become an Oath or because you were chosen by the [August Intruder]?”

  “He was not chosen,” Aurora interjected.

  “And you know this because?” Grace asked.

  Aurora gave her a friendly smile. “Because the [August Intruder] doesn’t know all the Oaths or who will become an Oath.”

  Grace's presence was a boon as far as Chetam was concerned. Not only was she an Oath that always sought out favor for everyone, but she was also Aurora’s friend. So, if someone angered Madness, Aurora could calm him, and if someone angered Aurora, Grace could calm her. Hopefully.

  “I see,” Chetam mused. “Then I guess it’s an Oath thing. Thank you, Desolation. Any other offers?”

  He looked pointedly at the Oath of Life.

  The old man sighed, then stiffened. He gave Madness a slight glance. Certain he had not garnered the man’s attention, he relaxed.

  “My apologies for that,” he said to everyone. “I was once struck by an Oath of Madness because I was breathing too loudly. I possess no idea how that even made sense. Suffice to say, it was my first encounter with near death experience. It left a certain level of trauma with me that had transcended time. Hopefully you’ll understand why I’m jumpy here.”

  “I understand.” Chetam dismissed the action as normal. “He’s given me a headache before, but it wasn’t much of a big deal.”

  “I’ll give you a headache again,” Madness muttered under his breath.

  The words were enough to make Chetam freeze. Was he the one that was going to end up fighting Madness before the meeting was over?

  “Just make sure to use the training room this time,” Chetam replied, feigning joviality. “The things in this place are quite expensive.”

  Life waited patiently, speaking only when he was sure that Madness was not offering any response.

  “From what I know of the [August Intruder],” he said. “His presence heralds something of an apocalypse.”

  “We are already aware of that, old man,” Pain said.

  “But what if I told you what the apocalypse comes with,” Life said, as if talking to a child that was interrupting his story. “Will you be quiet and appreciative then?”

  Pain looked as if he wanted to talk back but held his tongue.

  “Good.” Life placed his staff on the table. “The apocalypse will come with a more than significant rise in Gifted. And I am talking about eighty percent of the human race. Portals will not only keep monsters within them, but they will also let them out.”

  “So what?” One of the new Oaths, Language, asked. She was an average sized girl who kept her head clean shaved like a monk. “Is that what is happening right now? There are no portals so that we can prepare for the big portals?”

  Life waved her words aside. “Oh, no, dear. This is different. Since the [August Intruder] has declared the world as his, it has fallen under his protection. Right now, his presence is making the world stronger. The [August Intruder] is like a radioactive thing. Their very presence will affect every one around them.”

  “Affect, how?” Language asked.

  “We are about to see a simple, almost significant rise in Gifted that turn up. The country that gets the greater number tells you where the person is.”

  “The United States will get the boost,” Pain said with an uncomfortable frown. “As if they are not powerful enough.”

  “Oh.” Life perked up. “I believe that’s where Madness met them.”

  Madness said nothing.

  “It is,” Chetam answered. He had questions on the matter, because regardless of Life’s pool of knowledge from being as old as he was, he hadn’t met the [August Intruder]. “Aurora.”

  “Chetam,” she replied.

  Beside him Shield bristled slightly. It was respectful among Oaths to refer to themselves by their Oaths not their names. But Aurora was not an Oath.

  “Is the [August Intruder] a threat?” he asked.

  “Why her and not the Oath that found them?” Language asked, curious.

  Pain scoffed. “Good luck getting anything out of Madness.”

  “Really?” She looked at everyone present. “He really doesn’t talk to anyone?”

  “Oh, he definitely talks,” Pain said. “Just when he feels like it.”

  “Then how are we so sure the information she’s giving is correct?” Language asked before turning to Aurora and adding: “No offense.”

  “We’re sure because if Madness has met the [August Intruder]," Pain said, "then she’s definitely met the [August Intruder].”

  Language looked as if the information didn’t make sense. But it didn’t have to, it just had to be correct.

  “So,” Chetam said, pushing the conversation along. “Is the person a threat?”

  “To whom?” Aurora leaned forward, placed her hands on the table. “You? Me? Ruth? Madness? Themselves?”

  “The world,” Chetam clarified. “Are they a threat to the world?”

  “Are we about to have a tyrant on our hands?” Shield clarified.

  Chetam watched Aurora actually give it some thought. It was as if the question seemed to really bother her.

  “Honestly, from what I can tell, the [August Intruder] is a nice guy,” she said, eventually. “Never even thought they would have such an important title.”

  So it’s a man.

  From what Chetam knew about Aurora, she was quite specific. A man was a guy, and a boy was a kid. A woman was a lady or a woman, and a girl was a kid.

  “So he’s new to the role,” Grace mused. “Perhaps we can provide him with guidance.”

  Chetam was happy to see that he was not the only one who had picked up on the [August Intruder] being male.

  Aurora chuckled at her friend’s words. “You,” she pointed at each person at the table except Madness and Life, “want to give him guidance? And how exactly do you intend to pull that off? Would you have him intern with each Oath over time? Maybe three months to an Oath?”

  There was a touch of venom in her voice and Chetam knew the reason. She was angry about what had happened to her son. A three-month mentorship had led to him being stuck in a portal. And while Shield had been sent to ensure that Madness moved on to the next portal and not save his son, she had not been diplomatic about it. She had been very… Oath-ish.

  “It’s not like that,” Grace said in an appeasing voice. “We can—”

  Life got up from his seat, taking his staff with him. The action interrupted Grace and everyone watched as he put three seats between him and Madness.

  “That’s not a bad idea, actually.” He counted the three seats with his eyes and added a fourth with a single step. “From what I know, time spent with the Oaths will be good for him. The Oaths, too. It will grow him and grow them. You see, the [August Intruder] has this thing called…”

  His words died in his throat as Madness and Aurora turned the entire weight of their attention on him. Madness was calm, collected, expressionless. But Chetam knew better. The Oath could snap a person’s neck without a hint of an emotion.

  Aurora looked like she was about to take a person’s life.

  “Careful, your highness,” Aurora bit out. “You are about to put a very important person in danger.”

  “More like he’s about to ruin your plans to extort us,” Pain said, clearly raring for a fight.

  The bad blood between him and Aurora was still as active as the tension in the room.

  The old man sighed.

  “My apologies, everyone,” he said sincerely. “But unfortunately, I’m more wary of these two than I am of all of you.”

  “You underestimate the power the Oaths have, old man,” Pain snarled.

  I’m convinced he’s the one going to fight Madness, Chetam concluded, looking at Pain. The Oath just kept pushing for some reason.

  The Oath of Life chuckled in response to Pain’s words. “Oh, you beautiful and pained child. You are the one underestimating the Oath of Madness. I will give you a piece of advice. Mind you, it is not designed to instill fear in you, only caution. If you will listen.”

  “We don’t—” Pain began, only for Chetam to cut him off.

  “If it is about Madness, we are listening.”

  The truth was that Madness was the least understood Oath in the room, just the way a mad person was the least understood person in the world.

  “I have seen at least four generations of Oaths since I’ve been alive,” Life began. “And there was a generation I saw, the one before the one before you, that did not end kindly. They led me to speculate on a certain possibility.” He paused for dramatic effect, or maybe it was to give someone to chance to interject. When no one did, he continued. “I believe the reason the Oaths of Madness I have seen never seem to have a precise will of their own is because so much power should not be given to a person with intent.”

  “Is that it?” Pain asked.

  “No.” The old man focused his entire attention on Pain. “The Pains I have known over my years have always been good at exhibiting restraint. You, on the other hand, are a piece of shit. I wonder why.” He returned his attention to the group. “That generation of Oaths lost their lives in a battle that lasted three days. They took mountains with them and leveled cities. The two Oaths that did not die at the end of the fight, died a month or two later of their injuries. Things would’ve been different if the Madness of their time had been on their side.”

  Pain slammed his hand violently on the table. “Petty, old Life. You instill fear but forget what Oaths are. If you have come here to convince us that we will need Madness for what is to come, then you can scurry on back to where you came from.”

  “Pain!” Chetam snapped at him. “Your beef with Aurora is forgivable. What you will not do, however, is beef with every single Oath present.”

  Pain’s jaw tightened but he said nothing more.

  “I apologize,” Chetam said to the old man. “He gets… antsy around Madness’ wife. Why was Madness not on their side. What happened? Did he side with the enemy?”

  “She,” Life corrected. “Was the enemy. You people do not understand the volatile keg that Madness is. The Oath is necessary but a double-edged sword. That yours has someone that they answer to is a great stroke of luck you do not appreciate. Also,” he looked at Pain. “Only a fool of an Oath would question that Madness is the strongest amongst you.” He moved so that there were now five seats between him and Madness. “Madness is your necessity.”

  Chetam had been hoping that the man’s words would not be the case. As for Madness, he didn’t look the slightest bit interested in the story. The ten pens being pushed around in front of him looked more interesting.

  However, tensions were high now. Pain was liable to get into a fight with someone. Life had made everyone see Madness as a threat. Not that they didn’t already see him as a threat. With the current situation, Shield’s case would not go down well.

  There was only one thing that could be done.

  Chetam stood up, the action slow and purposeful. “In the end, their Madness died,” he said. “She was defeated. But that will not happen to us. As you’ve pointed out, there is someone that has a hold over him and we keep the possibility of pissing him off to the lowest.”

  Life looked amused, his eyes moving slowly to Shield.

  “There are often mistakes,” Chetam pointed out. “But everyone makes mistakes.” Then he addressed the others. “Madness is not the enemy. And before you start to ask yourselves if the same thing might happen to us and our Madness will turn on us, I will remind you. Ours has reasons not to turn on us, and we will give him none. Also, the case he gave us was one in four, so we are in the clear. The odds are in our favor.”

  “One in six, actually,” Life interjected. “I’ve seen at least six generations of Oaths.”

  “You just said four.”

  “No less than six is still the same as no less than four.”

  Chetam gave him an annoyed look.

  “Yes,” Life said as if he’d expected it. “I am intentionally vague for my own reasons.”

  Chetam rubbed his forehead with thumb and forefinger. “Whatever, Life. As for this meeting, I believe we should end it here before people start a fight they cannot stop. We can all go to our rooms. The next meeting will be held three days from now. A show of hands if anyone objects.”

  No hands went up.

  “Good.” Chetam pushed his chair back and prepared to leave. “I will see you all in three days.”

  Again, like most meetings tended to go, they had made next to zero progress. Dealing with the Oaths was like dealing with overactive children. Dealing with Life was like dealing with an estranged parent who thought they knew better.

  Chetam needed a drink.

  But before he could leave, Desolation raised his hand. Worry caressed Chetam’s chest.

  “I’ve got a question for Life,” Desolation said.

  The old man was more than happy to indulge him. “I’m listening.”

  “Which Oaths survived the fight in that generation.”

  “War and Desolation,” Life answered without missing a beat.

  “And you said that Madness died at the end of the fight, which means she was killed. How?”

  “Oh, that one was simple. Maybe too simple.” The old man turned and started leaving. “See you all in three days.”

  Everyone remained where they were, stunned by the abruptness of his answer that was not an answer. Life was already at the door when someone spoke again. Surprisingly, it was the last person anyone had expected to speak.

  “How did she die?” Aurora asked.

  The old man hesitated, then looked back at her. Only her.

  “She killed herself.”