It was said that whoever ruled Irongrip ruled the world. That was a statement declared by the first King of Grandom, who had taken over the entire stronghold as his own personal dwelling. The crude safe haven had taken nearly a century to construct, and four generations of builders to complete. It was a home for all the ancients of that time, and within a matter of months, a newly ordained King declared ownership of it within an instant.

  At the time, he was the most powerful man on the entire continent. But with his continued monarchistic line, the power waned as dissent grew. It wasn't until generations later that The Revolution Against the Monarch began, or RAM, as it was abbreviated to.

  With the overthrowing of a twisted dictator who hid behind the title of monarch, the absolute reign he held was defeated, and an elected government took its place. It was decided to keep the same name as the one used to wage war with the King, as a reminder to all what its true purpose had been – RAM.

  For ages, five council members elected from five divided districts decided what was best for the world. Years later, the official agency of RAM was created as its influence grew, and thus its regulation. Five Directors were selected by the high council, each one to aid in managing a district's technical affairs. It wasn't until their restructuring from Arkana and Neo that they were endowed with nearly the same deciding power as the high council itself.

  At this current time, the governing body of RAM consisted of ten members. Five of the high council, and five of the agency. As was stated before, they balanced power among themselves, although not always peacefully.

  RAM had been considered to be the end of corruption, and the halting of a greedy government that unfairly took from the citizens to benefit itself. While it remained that way for many years, it did not take too long for the corruption to start creeping back in.

  Rigged elections, and passing laws that extended the council's terms only played into a mounting hypocrisy. Although many in the governing body now pursued personal interests over the people's, there were still a few that honestly served in their position with faith and conviction.

  One of those was Director Nathan Hegris. Brutal and cutthroat was how most would describe him. He was considered by those in the agency to be the last Director one would want trouble with, but his desire for justice and his strict adherence to the law were undeniable.

  The director was arriving back to Irongrip after a long trip to the north to see Nocturne Castle. The sudden resurrection of the kingdom met him with suspicion, and he had taken the time to accompany the inspecting agents to discover what events had been unfolding there.

  There was much mystery behind the masked figure bearing the same name as the original King of Nocturne. Hegris believed Marin to not be entirely honest in his claims, but the fact that he had taken great care of the castle and restored it in an honorable manner satisfied him enough for the time being.

  Hegris and the two agents he accompanied traveled through Emporus, the city that surrounded Irongrip. Needless to say, all heeded the officials of the world government as they took passage to the center structure.

  Back inside the grand fortress, those who were not entirely afraid of the tall director attempted to hail him. His height and gangly appearance portrayed him as some sort of fictional creature that resided in the woods. He towered over those in front of him, and craned down to them during any interaction.

  Leaking out of his bowl hat were vines of hair, the individual strands congealing together into several ropes from years of ignoring them. When getting briefed on what business needed addressed from several agents, his gaze burned into them even through the dark sunglasses.

  Finally, after patiently being filled in on all the current issues he had missed out on during his journey to the north, Hegris retreated to his office to overlook paperwork and settle trivial affairs. The documents had slowly accumulated into a pile over the few weeks he had been gone, and there was much to decide on. This was even after most of it had been filtered through his secretary, who definitely had her work cut out.

  Nathan Hegris removed his sunglasses and began addressing his paperwork. He slowly processed the pile as the day progressed, until finally, his desk was in the clean and empty state he had originally left it in.

  Well, that was not good. The historical documents on Nocturne Castle were not underneath all the paperwork. He had specifically requested they be brought to his office from a Telepathic call as he returned to Irongrip.

  Perhaps he had just overlooked them through the monotony of government busywork. He skimmed through the document piles he had sorted and completed.

  They were indeed not there.

  Director Hegris buzzed for his secretary to enter his office. She opened his door within a moment.

  "Nancy, where are the documents on Nocturne Castle that I ordered to be brought to my office?" He asked calmly. He didn't like most of the people in the agency, but his fondness for his elderly personal assistant was well known.

  "They're not there? That's odd. I passed the request to one of our office workers," she replied.

  "Any idea who that might have been?" Hegris asked with slight annoyance.

  Nancy took a moment to think. "Agent Squelor."

  "Would you be a doll and summon him to my office?"

  "I'll get him." She shut the door as she departed.

  Hegris sat on his desk with his hands folded as he thought about the incompetence his agency apparently tolerated. He believed he had made himself very clear about what he wanted done. It was not often he made requests such as this, so when he did, they were usually taken quite seriously.

  The director wanted to cross reference a lot of information on his findings of the castle with the documents that should theoretically have recorded the same. The records would also give more detail about the King Sullivan Marin from the late 600s, and Hegris wanted to be sure the details lined up with the stories the apparent 'heir' gave him. The fact that the paperwork was not square on his desk was infuriating him to some extent.

  The door finally cracked open as a quivering agent in a black suit approached him.

  "Stop quivering, agent Squelor. Do you recall Nancy giving you a direct order from me?"

  "I do, sir," Squelor responded, trying his best to show as little intimidation as he could.

  "And do you remember specifically what that request was?" Hegris spoke in a dreaded tone.

  "Yes sir."

  "Well, tell me what it was," The director demanded.

  "It was to bring the documents of the Nocturne Kingdom to your desk, sir."

  Hegris slammed his fist onto the desk while standing up. The sound was so abrupt and loud, it could be heard from outside the office. Many knew that some poor soul was on the receiving end of his wrath.

  "THEN WHY AREN'T THEY ON MY DESK BEFORE ME?!" He exploded as his anger for the pathetic agent Squelor had mounted into a toppling tower.

  The lowly underling began quivering again. "S-s-sir, I tried to retrieve them from our archives, but they weren't there."

  "WHAT?!"

  "The records were not in their assigned designation. I double checked- nay, I triple checked the index just to make sure I w-wasn't wrong-"

  "The records weren't there… and you didn't bother making a report on that? Perhaps maybe informing ME of the situation?!"

  "Sorry sir, I understood you were on a mission away from-"

  Hegris wouldn't let Squelor complete a single statement.

  "You knew damn well that meant I was outside most of the time! There were endless moments for you to call me, yet you thought it best to wait to bring this to my attention upon my return!"

  Light elementals were able to master a skill called Telepathy, a form of communication via lightwaves. It had unlimited range, but it was only possible to use it under shared light, meaning that typically calls could only be accomplished outside, and during the day.

  Since Director Hegris was traveling, a majority of the time he spent was in open air, meaning it was possible to reach him though out the day. Squelor was just not a very bright agent.

  Hegris rubbed his temples in an effort to calm himself down and convince himself that everyone around him wasn't stupid, he was just really smart.

  "...Alright, since you can't be bothered to get a job done yourself, I have to travel down to the archives in person and see what the matter is. But you're coming with me."

  "I am?" He unwisely reiterated.

  "Let's go, Agent Squelor!" Hegris adjusted his hat and grabbed a few pens on his desk. He then made for the door.

  He threw it open and everyone in the main office stopped their actions for a brief moment to see Director Hegris storm out of his personal quarters with Squelor following meekly behind him. Everyone paused, that was, except for the secretary Nancy, who was quite used to Hegris's regular outbursts over incompetence.

  The two traveled down to RAM's archives, a subsection of Irongrip that contained historical data over centuries of managing the continent. The yellowing paperwork from ages past filled up drawers in vast columns of a secured area. No one was permitted entry besides the agency and high council workers.

  Hegris gained entry from the guards by his scowl alone, and Squelor followed closely with his head down. The dimly lit archive facility smelled musty from rotting documents and items that remained untouched for generations.

  Hegris went to a desk near the entrance and pulled out one of many dusty index books, flipping through the pages to find the exact location of Nocturne's kingdom records. In a similar way that Squelor had done, Hegris found the listing, and without wasting time, walked over to the section of documents from the seventh era.

  Squelor did nothing more than silently watch his superior retrace his exact steps. Hegris went to the filing cabinet, opened the drawer, skimmed to the correct section, and found the lengthy gap in the tightly packed records.

  It was indeed missing.

  Hegris sighed as he looked up for a moment.

  "...Where is it, Squelor?" He asked in deep thought.

  Squelor was nothing more than relieved that he hadn't made some critical error in fetching the documents. He hadn't looked in the wrong section, they truly were missing from the archives.

  "That's exactly how it looked when I went to retrieve them," he reported.

  "Do you know of anyone else who might've pulled the documents?" Hegris asked.

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  "Nope."

  Hegris then looked down as he leaned on the open drawer. It was silent for a long moment before he finally spoke.

  "...Someone's getting fired. Someone's REALLY getting fired!" Nathan Hegris slammed the filing drawer shut as he began to walk away.

  Hegris was so tall, his walk was a brisk jog for those much shorter than him.

  "Wait up!" Squelor squawked as he began chasing after. "What do I do now?" He asked.

  "Go back to work. And next time, put a little more thought into that smooth brain of yours when an issue like this arises. Don't be dull in the head!"

  "Understood sir!" Squelor happily responded, feeling relief that his time with the ruthless Director was now ending.

  When leaving the archives, Hegris interrogated the guards stationed at the entrance to see if they had any knowledge of Nocturne's paperwork getting pulled while he was away.

  No luck there.

  It was a troubling situation indeed, and one that bothered Hegris for a while as he tried some detective work to see who might've needed the documents. He inquired with other directors to no avail. There was no record of anyone swiping them.

  As the evening progressed, Hegris climbed the fortress of Irongrip to the upper floors, where he entered the section allocated for the high council members and their living quarters. Specifically, he had a meeting with Cyrus Maclean, the council member with the most seniority.

  Cyrus Maclean was the unofficial leader of the council, and the one with the most influence and sway over decisions RAM made. If he wanted a law passed, he could usually strong arm his opposition into voting in his favor.

  He had quite the muscular build for one who always donned luxurious robes, and tanned skin to match. It might've looked as if he was a farmer who labored under the sun before becoming a council member. He had shiny blonde hair slicked back, and a pointed beard of the same color. Despite being in his later years, he had a complexion appearing healthy and youthful, as if he cared for his body the same way he did his country.

  Cyrus was a righteous ruler, similar to that of Hegris. They had become friends over a shared interest in taking responsible action for the world over themselves.

  There was a knock on Cyrus's door. Once the council member acknowledged, the door opened, revealing the tall Director on the other side.

  "Ah, Nathan. There you are," Cyrus exclaimed.

  Hegris slammed his head into the top door frame upon entering.

  Cyrus cringed at the sight, giving Hegris a reminder that he was taller than what most of the building allocated.

  "You think I would've gotten used to that damn door frame being so low…" Director Hegris uttered while removing his hat and rubbing his head that throbbed in pain.

  "Yeah, that's gonna swell. I would've thought you'd remember its height from the first time you bonked into it."

  "Sorry, I have a lot on my mind…"

  "More than usual? Being a Director already gives you much to think about," Cyrus said while sitting beside Hegris in a leather chair.

  Hegris did his best to ignore the pain of his head while putting his hat back on.

  "Let me guess, its about the trip to Nocturne Castle in the Murok Mountains. How did that go?" Cyrus followed up with.

  "It was quite interesting."

  "Was everything as the submitted documents reported?"

  "Suspiciously so," Hegris responded.

  "Why suspicious?"

  "The sudden sprouting of that Kingdom makes little sense. For the longest time it lay abandoned. In a difficult spot that's not economically viable for anyone to operate out of. The fact that its thriving so much so that even great efforts are made to ease the journey to the castle by cutting down mountains makes me wonder," Hegris explained.

  "Well, we all knew that. Its apparent that the castle has come into a large amount of finances from someone. And a talented King or ruling body is putting it to good use," Cyrus wisely spoke.

  "Speaking of that King. Sullivan Marin. He claims he is blood to the throne."

  Cyrus scoffed. "Well, there's an unbelievable tidbit. I wonder if that has to do with why he reportedly wears that mask. Is that what ails you? His lie of being an heir?"

  "I sense more sinister reasons for the concealing of his face. I just can't figure out why. He also had the seal of Nocturne around his finger, by the way. The original ring."

  "Hmmm." The statement shifted Cyrus's view a bit. "Well, consider for a moment perhaps he holds some validity. But who he is isn't as important as what he does. How is the condition of the castle?"

  "Shockingly stellar. My fears were put on hold when I saw the care he put into restoring the structure, and how well the citizens were taken care of."

  "Then that's all that matters. Put your botherings on ice, will you? The fact that the Kingdom is operating in such a glorious manner is plenty to be happy about," Cyrus went for a pour of bourbon.

  "That's not what's bothering me, though," Hegris said, refusing an offer for a glass of spirits.

  Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

  "The records of Nocturne Kingdom from the seventh era are missing from the archives. And I don't know who took them."

  Cyrus loosened a long sigh as he bowed. The news was disappointing to him.

  "...I know who took them," he finally said, swishing his whiskey.

  "What?!" Hegris attentively sat up.

  "Hugo Duropolis. He had made a deal with John Reech to get all our documentation on Nocturne, past and present," he answered solemnly.

  "AND YOU'RE JUST NOW TELLING ME THIS!" Hegris exploded.

  "Trust me, I was meaning to tell you, just not off the bat. The documents will likely be returned after copies are made."

  Hegris scowled. He hated council member Duropolis with all the fibers of his being. He and Belmont Kruse were the two most corrupt council members he had seen in his lifetime. They both worked with shifty organizations – Reech's included – to gain an upper hand in both cold faction warfare and lining their own personal pockets.

  Hegris then let loose a five minute long rant about Hugo Duropolis. It contained a harsh criticism of his twenty two year long reign so far, as well as the pointing out of every decision that benefited no one but his own family at the expense of others. He spoke on the illegitimate way he became a council member, and every shady deal he made. Sprinkled throughout all of that were creative insults about his appearance and weight, something that even Cyrus admittedly chuckled at.

  When he was done, the Director finally lowered his head and ran his fingers through the unkempt hair. To say his fingers would come out completely unsoiled from what lingered in the strands would be a stretch.

  Cyrus sighed. He swallowed the last of his drink and set it on a side table.

  "...You know, all of that is why I got you elevated to Director," Councilman Maclean began. "It was to combat what transpires here. I alone can't stop it. I can handle all the mundane legal aspects of it, but I needed you to track down the sources that enable this behavior in the first place.

  You were an effective field agent, an excellent combatant and wielder of the light element. You got your jobs done. That's why I needed you in a higher position to track down men like John Reech and finally end their business."

  Hegris responded. "I've had agents scour Sunset Forest for the five years I've been Director now. And to no luck. I'm almost wondering if the intel we received about his hideout was false. The man is like a phantom, and wields Ryno as this weapon to get anything he wants."

  Hegris groaned at the thought of one day tackling the issue of Ryno, but he went on. "I still don't understand Reech's obsession with Nocturne. It's all the more reason to be wary of what is transpiring there. I brought up Reech to Marin and he denied his knowledge of him."

  Cyrus brought a strong hand up to halt Hegris from ranting any further. "Just focus on what we know to be evil right now, Nathan. Let the mysteries of Nocturne go at this time. That can be dealt with later. Just keep up the good work and do what you do best."

  Director Hegris finally stood up.

  "The entire ruling body of RAM has shown up for tomorrow's voting session. The approval of Nocturne as a recognized Kingdom is on the block. Are you voting positively for their endowment?" Cyrus asked as a final question.

  Hegris thought for a moment. It was a weighty decision he pondered the entire trip back to headquarters. "...Yes."

  "Then I will too. It will be nice having more influence up north, even if that does bolster Director Forlee and Lucy Gorma. I'll see you at the convergence tomorrow."

  With that, Hegris left and the night began. The Director got little sleep over the next several hours, and it was especially frustrating since he was in need of it after traveling so much. He had quite a bit to think about.

  The next day came, and at noon, the entirety of RAM's representatives met at the long table of the throne room, the highest and most decorated floor of the entire fortress. On one side sat all five high council members, and on the opposite, the five Directors of the agency.

  It was a rare event to see all ten rulers present in the same spot. Many meetings and sessions were held in the throne room, but never with everyone present. Most of the time, the figures were out visiting their districts, campaigning, or taking extended vacations – all at different time periods, and that made the voting sessions a sparse happening.

  On the high council side was Cyrus Maclean who represented the central district, which included Emporus. Hugo Duropolis of the western district. Belmont Kruse of the eastern, Lucy Gorma of the northern, and Cindy Karwell of the southern.

  On the Director side was Perri Virette of the central, Garren Forlee of the northern, Lester Bozeman of the southern, Adam Vongeller of the eastern, and Nathan Hegris of the western district.

  After the lengthy amount of time all the figureheads spent catching up and socializing, Cyrus Maclean stood up and rang a bell, signaling all to end the last of their conversations.

  "It's good to see everyone," he began.

  "Hello Cyrus," someone called out.

  "Yeah hi. Now I know most of you all are busy and made great sacrifices to be here, so let's not waste any more time in making these decisions so we can go back to our eventful lives. We have a decent sized list of topics to vote on, so I suggest we get to it and finish promptly," Cyrus opened with.

  The room fell completely silent as Cyrus then sat back down to address the pile of papers. He then stated the first topic to be voted on, and gave some information about it. At the raising of hands for approval or not, the first bill was stamped with a symbol of approval or one of denial.

  Cyrus would then set the document aside, and begin elaborating on the next. Hands would rise and fall as great decisions were made about what laws the Kingdoms and cities would follow. Every once in a while, an argument would break out between a few of the representatives. Cyrus would allow it for a while before the fierce debate grew unreasonable, and then he would shut it down.

  Hours passed as the governing body worked their way through the pile.

  "Alright, next topic would be the withdrawal of our troops from both the Orhome and Kybervald Kingdoms. This action would most definitely result in the two Kingdoms going to war. The bill was introduced by councilman Duropolis. If you approve this action, raise now," Cyrus stated.

  Obviously Hugo's hand shot up. Director Forlee's rose as well. A slow rising hand came from Adam Vongeller.

  That was it, just three approvals.

  "And those who oppose?"

  Everyone else's hand reached up, seven of them to be exact.

  "The ruling is seven to three in disfavor. The bill is denied." Cyrus slammed a large red stamp over the document. "Thank God."

  Hugo Duropolis gave a large grunt of disappointment. "You're all cowards," he silently spoke to himself.

  Cyrus moved the paper to the completed side and then looked over the next one.

  "Now we move onto the issue of Nocturne Castle. They are applying for Kingdom status in the northern district. All the paperwork they've submitted has been approved, and the inspection passed according to our demands. If it is to be, Lucy Gorma and Garren Forlee will receive a new Kingdom under their district. All for?"

  Lucy Gorma and Director Forlee's hands naturally went up. The amount of influence they'd gain was well worth the extra paperwork. Director Hegris raised his, then Cyrus Maclean. That made four hands so far, but six were needed for a passing grade.

  Lester Bozeman drummed his fingers on the table in deep thought, but then his hand went up as well. That made five. In the case of a tie, where in five vote yes and five vote no, the bill is neither approved or denied. It would be scheduled to be re-voted on during next month's session. It may become the case.

  There was a long pause, but then Cindy Karwell spoke up. "Why are we giving the power of Kingdom status to a fancy castle isolated way out in Murok?" She asked.

  "That's what I'm sayin'!" Duropolis bellowed out.

  "They've met our expectations, Cindy. But if you don't believe they are prepared for the responsibility that comes with it, you may vote no," Cyrus explained.

  "Vote no! Don't do it, Cindy. The last thing we need is Lucy gettin' more representation under her belt!"

  Cindy really didn't like Hugo, and was quite indifferent towards Lucy. But if Lucy gaining more power meant knocking Hugo Duropolis down a peg, she was happy to do it. She raised her hand.

  "That's six," Cyrus announced.

  Hugo's jaw dropped. Belmont shook his head. "You're making a mistake."

  Even though the approval was solidified, Cyrus still followed the formality of asking for the disapproval.

  The other four hands were raised.

  "The vote is six to four in favor of Nocturne becoming a Kingdom. It is now officially recognized as a Kingdom by RAM, and is afforded all the rights therein."

  Cyrus stamped a green seal of approval over the document.