Raiya watched as Nemo began to use a crude marionette show to tell Felix the story of what happened during the mission. As Nemo unfolded what he saw were the accurate rendition of events, Raiya realized many disturbing inaccuracies. Now that she was dry and warming up, she was able to pull together the strength to lift herself up a bit and prop her back up on the arm of the sofa. Raiya was wearing a bigger scowl than she had when she was initially angry with Nemo for taking her kill. [color=ec008c]"It's quite interesting that your version of events neglected to mention that your bullet failed to kill the sniper, and [i]I[/i] was the one to take her down,"[/color] Raiya spat angrily. [color=ec008c]"And I just love how you glance over the fact that I utilized some of my biggest and best spellcraft to hold off Stockton, saving the lives of Travis and Zuri many times in the process, which allowed Zuri and Travis the chance to use that spell that sealed up Stockton's mana,[/color] Raiya growled. [color=ec008c]"But you didn't see any of that, did you? How could you when you're just off on your own doing whatever Nemo's do? It was ME who whittled down Stockton, ME who kept him preoccupied long enough to be tricked, AND ME WHO WAS BETRAYED BY THE ARCANOCRACY!"[/color] Raiya shouted the last part of her explanation in a flustered manner. [color=ec008c]"But could you let me take that kill? No!"[/color] Raiya grabbed the Nemo puppet and began moving it around in an arrogant manner, with its chest pushed forward and its head looking upward, [color=ec008c]"Oh hey! Look at me! I'm Nemo, the chief of the Morality Police![/color] Raiya said in a silly sounding deeper voice from her normally feminine voice. She made the puppet cross its arms, [color=ec008c]"Little girl Raiya, did you know that killing is bad? Sorry but only me, Nemo, chief morality can kill people. Don't you know you're just a little girl and killing hurts people? Let me swoop in and take this MASSIVE BURDEN off your hands."[/color] Raiya inflected 'massive burden' so that it sounded extremely facetious and condescending. [color=ec008c]"I will protect you little Raiya, after all, you're just a little girl who can't handle herself and isn't capable of being responsible for her own actions."[/color] After her angry display, having gathered enough mana for a simple flame spell, Raiya snapped her fingers, the puppet burst into a controlled flame that only burned the puppet to nothing but black dust.

[hr]

	Felix watched all of this unfold, the initial puppet show and the angry reaction from Raiya. Felix folded his arm and furrowed his brow. "So, another member has fallen. Unfortunate to say the least. I wish I could say something to console you all and reassure you that things will get better. Alas, I am at a lack of words. I know I did not tell you all before you were recruited, the true dangers of this mission. With that said, I would like to extend to you the option of leaving now and never looking back." Felix's rather calming appearance was now altered with an abnormally stern and serious expression. "Before you make your decision, I want to make a move in complete honesty. I have not told you everything." 

	Felix began pacing, clasping his hands behind his back, and walking back and forth with his gaze facing down. "The catholic arcanocracy is very clandestine. There are many things that even high ranking members within the magi organization do not know. One of those such things is such a closely guarded secret, that disclosing it is not just grounds for excommunication but execution. What I am about to tell you is something even Raiya, a grand-magi before her own excommunication could not have known," Felix continued to explain. "Ranking up in the arcanocracy is normally a simple procedure, a council of magi appoint nominees for receiving a promotion, and then the council convenes to vote on if they do or do not receive said promotion. Once the voting is over and the majority votes in favor of promotion, the individual who has been nominated receives their new mantle both figuratively and literally." Felix paused in both his speech and his pacing and turned to face the group, "What I have just told you is true for all of the ranks except two," Felix held out his index and middle finger to signify, 'two.' "The arch-magi, and the papal-magi. The explanation of the papal magi isn't pertinent to what I am about to tell you, though. In order to become an arch-magi, the nomination process occurs, but then the nominee who has recieved the majority 'ye' votes is referred to the papal-magi, who then decides himself if the candidate is suited to being an arch-magi. After the papal-magi confirms the candidate, the then candidate does not simply place on a new cloak." Felix shook his head, "No, the candidate then has to undergo a process called a blood oath, or better known as an aura contract. The candidate has to place a drop of his blood into an enchanted artifact known as the Holy Grail. Placing your blood into this object is akin to writing your name on a contract that binds your soul to the artifact for eternity. It forges an aura-contract creating a permanent ley-line between it and the contractee, which allows whomever controls the device to activate a high-thaumaturgical spell that can instantly end the life of the contractee." Felix folded his arms once more, "It essentially forces a life of servitude to the church, to anyone stupid enough to place their blood into it. I, like every other arch-mage before me, had to undergo this ritual. For this reason, I was not able to stand by Raiya when she was excommunicated, and for this reason I was not able to immediately oppose the arcanocracy when they began to head down the path of claiming the paragons for themselves." 

	Felix sat down in an empty leather recliner, and reclined the chair to prop his feet up. "Obviously, I figured out a way to subvert this artifice. Or I would not be here talking with you now. I uncovered an ancient spell that was designed to sever ley-lines specifically. Unfortunately that was not enough. The ley-line that connected me to the Grail was so deeply embedded in my aura that simply severing it would take the power of a paragon to achieve. In fact, the grail IS a paragon in and of itself. Its power holds true to the other paragons for certain. In order for me to sever the ley-line, I had to go deeper. Modifying the spell that severed ley-lines, I created a spell that could actually remove a portion of my mana-well. This spell's new variant that I created was untested. And, in order for me to achieve this spell, I had to be touching the grail to ascertain the portion of my mana-well the ley-line was attached to. I stole in, in the dead of night, and placed my hand on the grail, reciting the modified spell. It was a success, in as far as it did sever my connection with the grail, but at a great cost. Not only did I lose a large portion of my mana-well, but I also inadvertently started a chain reaction, a curse within my mana-well that has been gnawing at me ever since. This curse will continuously eat away at my natural mana reserves until I am dead. I set up this manor along of the largest natural earthly ley-lines, and constructed a massive runic circle that has been keeping the curse in stasis, and regenerating a small fraction of my lost mana. As long as I am within the bounds of the constructed spacial field, I will not die. For this reason, I have not accompanied you all on your missions, for this reason, I have not been able to lend my aid, for this reason I was not able to protect the ones who believed in this mission. It is because of my foolishness that I have to ask others to accomplish this impossibly dangerous task to prevent the destruction of the world at large." Felix finished his exposition leaning back in his chair, the seriousness of his expression still fresh upon his face.