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[center][i][b]The Unspoken: Fact or Fiction?
Vol. 1, Book 3 - Terrigen Personified
Extract 1[/b]

The mysteries of the Terrigen Mists, the Terrigen Crystals, and indeed the process itself are still just as unclear as ever before. We, citizens of the Refuge, know but a vague origin - paraphrased words supposedly said by the Blue Gods to the first Inhumans, and a monumental gift given that would forever separate the Inhumans from the rising orders of humanity.  
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A man, middle-aged, of average height and build, yet with an unnatural shaped head, stood silently. He faced before him streets and cities of crisp parchment wrapped in leather - descriptive tomes written aeons ago by authors only few can recall, both human and Inhuman. The man stood in the forbidden area to all but the royal family and noble or councilmen of Attilan. However of these only a handful visited the forbidden library, those whom were inquisitive perhaps, or those who sought valuable knowledge to be used in their own favour, or those who had secrets to hide.
Karnak closed the tome at the end of the first extract, shuddering internally at the truths and felonies the book held. He rounded the corner swiftly and placed the tome carefully nine bundles in on the second shelf of the third case in the second quadrant of the forbidden sector.
[i]Many speculative, though illegal, assertions to be found. But still, an area of dangerous facts locked away for good reason.[/i]
Some were tales of ancient evils, and how to awaken them. Others listed instructions for the building of all-destroying weaponry. Finally a select few accounted times and events where the rulers of Attilan had committed crimes, or performed dubious actions, or participated in usurpation, simony and even murder.
[i]Locked away,[/i] Karnak sighed while turning and striding away, [i]for good reason.[/i]

The gigantic guard, Pholtest, straightened sharply as soon as Karnak's footsteps began to be audible through the narrow hallway. In doing so, Pholtest rammed his head into the ceiling. He softly cursed with irritation as a thin layer of dust rained down from the stone roof on and around him.
Karnak passed by the guard without a word, though he had indeed noted the humorous event. The royal Inhuman entered the larger corridor and in doing so was obscured from sight by Pholtest.
A few seconds after, Pholtest slumped into his usual state, shooting a glare at the hard stone above his head.

Karnak pushed the heavy oak door open with ease - though it was heavily padded and robust. Any man without the enhanced strength of Karnak might have had trouble in the operation of the door. Mander, Karnak's father, had on many occasions consulted the regular members of the Order of Wisdom about this issue, nagging at them to leave the door slightly ajar for the conservation of time that might be spent opening and closing the 'damned' door. Clearly, in many of the Order member's old age, the needs and wants of Mander oft slipped out of their mind, ready for the next consultation.
The ground area was clear of any activity. 
The prominent Inhuman strolled gracefully through the expansive room, noting the cleanliness of the antiques littering the room, and also the exact point of how to break them. The Tower of Wisdom was home to many of these antiques, partly as a front of quality and long-standing for anyone outside of the Order, but mostly because the ruling Inhumans needed a viable place to put them. Mander was not wholly appreciative of the expensive gifts, alas, as it simply dealt him more things to worry about. On one visit from a group of prospective Inhumans originating from the studious schooling society of Attilan, Mander had flitted about like an irritating gnat - swatting the children's hands away from the ornaments and on multiple occasions gathering all the students he could find and drilling the large list of rules into their heads.
Karnak shook his head in a rare form of humour and proceeded towards the whitewashed steps leading to the council room.

"...A wise man is considerate, empathic, and always aware of another's troubles. Which leads me to suggesting that," The droning voice of Mander the priest, and Karnak's father, drained away as the soft footsteps of Karnak approached the council congregation, "My speculatively arrogant son is not indeed truly wise."
This constant state of friction and mutual disappointment was ubiquitous in the lives of Karnak and his father. Thus, Karnak only attended a small percentage of the regular council sessions - to avoid the exhausting conversation and to retain his calming hours of personal time.
Karnak did not reply to the obvious opening line or argument until he had sat in a chair ostensibly grown from queer roots that sprouted at the wooden tables exterior. His chair was four away from Mander's position at the far right end of the table.
"I would always choose intelligence over wisdom, father, and a smart man would know that they are anything but the same thing." He challenged calmly.
Karnak made a habit of ignoring the others in the room, whom did not speak but on Mander's approval. They were mere pawns of the old priest to Karnak.
"Arrogance, fellow Order members. The speculations can end here." Mander shifted his attention away from his son and onto the prime topic of concern now that the full Order was present. 

"It has been brought to my attention that two monumental problems loom before us on this day. I shall waste no time with telling you what the current rulers of Attilan have informed me. A short few days ago, Terrigenesis yet again graced our proud society with it's gift. The subjects of this process were five highly recommended young boys and girls, on the verge of exiting their childhood. Each was an honour student with no follies or felonies recorded, and they were all at the forefront of their respective progression groups. Three boys and two girls. What came out of the Mists, however, were not the same people. 
"One of the fundamental concepts of the Terrigen process is enlightenment, an aligning with one's own true self and the distancing away from petty emotions like jealousy, hate and selfishness. We do not know of yet if something went wrong with the process, or if the selections for Terrigenesis were ill-founded, but we do know that this has never happened before, and it would certainly not happen to an entire group of subjects consecutively. It is common knowledge that the Mists may lower a persons intelligence and mentality, yet changing a persons morality and personality into something completely unheard of prior? It is frankly unthinkable. Another piece of knowledge is that the Great Refuge is a safeguard from the disheartening state of the world outside us. Inhumans [i]do not[/i] leave Attilan. Even the most treacherous of us have not entertained the thought."
"What are you trying to say, Master Mander?" Blurted a middle-aged woman, a well-respected doctor. Her voice was fraught with fear, and that fear has even surpassed the rule of silence while the leader of the Order was speaking.
"I'm saying that," Mander murmured, his voice wavering ever so slightly, "There are five less inhabitants of the Great Refuge."