Where Geno makes first familiarities with an annoying but mysterious rebel and starts hearing the topics the council discusses. But something is coming to interrupt...

No one's POV:
-

Geno looked around shocked. Where he had entered was like a huge stadium! There were stone stairs all around the place making an oval shape, starting from high and leading down. Already many black-cloaked figures were sitting on random spots, talking all together.

Geno looked down, he was standing on ground. He couldn't move from shock, he kept looking around. But then his eyesocket caught a glimpse of the ceiling and looked up. If it was possible for anyone to see it, his mouth had open wide underneath his hood.

The ceiling looked like a huge glass but showing nothing through it. On its surface the small skeleton could see white shades and weird shapes floating, they didn't look like anything specific. He suddenly flinched and realised there weren't many seats around.

He has stay motionless for so long to admire, he had forgotten to go find a seat quickly. He walked to his left and started climbing the stair-seats quickly, locating an empty spot that could fit 2. Once he sat down he sighed relieved. Much calmer he kept observing his surroundings.

At first he just stared at all other rebels sitting. The distance between him and the other side of the stadium seemed about 200m.! How would everybody be able hear from such distances! His thoughts were interrupted when he smelt something rather unpleasant, almost choking him. He turned to look.

Someone was sitting now to his left. They were very tall and if Geno hoped for a moment that it was Alter, he soon doubted it. The unpleasant smell that had hit him was from a lit cigarette the figure next to him was holding, pulling a little the hood to pass it through and inhale smoke.

Then they were letting the hood close around their head and the smoke was literally prevailing in there, some of it escaping through the holes for the eyes. Geno looked away and covered his mouth and nose to cover as much as he could his coughs. God, whatever that fella was smoking!

Definitely it wasn't Alter. After coughing a few more times, Geno heard them doing a tch! and a few seconds later the smell of the smoke started slowly vanishing. He turned again to look at the person next to him. They weren't holding their cigarette anymore and had their arms crossed.

But now they were staring straight at him. 2 golden glimpses could be seen from the holes of their eyes. Geno gulped and looked ahead trying to ignore their intensive look. He pressed hands on his knees, pretending to seem indifferent. Nothing, the person's stare didn't stop burning him.

"If I ruined your chance f-for a smoke..." He tried to speak in his girly pitch, cursing himself for stuttering. "... maybe you can go somewhere else? T-There are still empty seats you might prevent." He said. The other didn't respond immediately. They just looked again ahead and scoffed.

"Nah. I'll be fine for now. I can always have a smoke after the council..." They said and from the voice Geno understood they were a man. Nothing familiar to Alter's voice. The guy next to him also seemed kinda even more thin and slender than the priest. Now he was sure, there was no way it was his friend.

Also the aura the man was emitting reminded Geno nothing like Alter's. He was always feeling safe around him, not because of him being his guardian but in general, whether he was using the properties of his symbol or not, he was still for the smaller shield and shelter.

Now the guy next to him again, he was emitting anything but a friendly and safe aura. From the smoke bothering him, Geno passed to feel unsafe with him. He was certainly monster, a monster's aura was strongly obvious if you were focusing on it even a little.

A human's aura always felt much smaller and their presence was easier to understand by their soul color and trait. So yeah, generally Geno had a monster next to him. But if it could be just that. Something else was feeling terribly off. There was something hostile and unfamiliar and the smaller fought to hold back a hiss that was threatening to come out.

"What is wrong with me and the siren side decided to come out?!" He thought looking away and unable to tolerate the guy's stare.

"No need to get all uneasy and hostile fishy." The man said and chuckled. Geno's iris dissappeared. What did he just call him? "We are on the same side as it seems, so, there's no reason to fear me." He continued and Geno turned to slowly look at him. Now they were both staring to each other.

"Who the hell are you?" The smaller mumbled trying to still sound like a girl. The man wheezed.

"Gotta admit, your girly pitch is quite good, but you still use some foul language. Now it wouldn't seem much of a strange thing, just, for a prince ain't it a little inappropriate?" Twass. Geno couldn't stay motionless anymore. He grabbed the man from the collar of their cloak and pulled him down so their faces were on the same level.

"¿Quien. diablos. eres. tú?" He asked loosing patience but also panicking more and more. The man laughed again.

"¿Vas a estar hablando español ahora?" He asked catching off guard the smaller again and shook head left and right, once again quietly laughing. "Puedo hacer eso también si quieres. Pero..." He sat again normally and chilly. "... no es realmente necesario."

"Just like how it isn't necessary as I said before, to fear me, despite you feel that something's off with me. It's ok. I won't do anything to you. Just like how I did nothing but watching you from a distance. We even exchanged glances in the few times I was near."

It took only a second for Geno to understand what the other meant. Twice in Grillby's restaurant the same figure that was eyeing him was now the very same monster that was sitting next to him. He let go of him and looked again ahead with more panic rushing in him.

"F*cking creep..." He thought clenching his fists.

"No need to feel uncomfortable, c'mooon." The tall figure kept talking calmly, with clear amusement in his voice.

"Hombre, just shut the f*ck UP." Geno thought again clenching also his teeth.

"Is there something wrong? Are you getting irritated?" The man asked now. Oh, enough messing around! Geno turned again and grabbed him for a second time from the collar of his cloak, eyeing him with such anger and annoyance in his iris it would be enough to kill someone.

"Ə § € υ € η æ η œ m b r ə! I don't know who you are or how do you know so much about me. But keep irritating and messing with me, I promise you, my guardian won't be needed to £ * € κ ι π ρ break your bones, oh, because ! will be doing this myself. I already feel uncomfortable around you and you think it is funny making it worse huh? Well guess what: π œ. ł œ. ə §." He threatened.

The other seemed to genuinely getting caught off guard from Geno's outburst, blinking many times surprised as he was looking down at the smaller skeleton. But soon he seemed to be getting calm and chill again. His golden eyes seemed to roll behind the hood.

"You forget that you have another guardian, ain't ya?" He asked, now catching off guard Geno for one more time.

"What does that have to do with you being a creep and gilipolla molesto?" He asked, receiving the other's chuckle.

"Because the witch told me personally a very interesting story. And a second mission she has to accomplish. All for your sake, príncipe enano." The taller said, making Geno let him go from surprise. He sat back normally. "Echo, you see, she knows already where you're sitting and sended me straight at ya. She also told me about a little 'appointment' you will soon have after the council, didn't specify what exactly. But once the council is done, I will lead you to her personally."

"Sounds about right trust someone I don't even know and yet knows about me almost literally everything like a creep. Like hell I'll f*cking follow ya..." Geno replied sarcastically and looked ahead with crossed arms. He saw that no more rebels were entering the stadium and the movement around trying to find a seat had almost stopped.

"I heard another little rumor, that you are in the crew Reapers recently. Where your first guardian is also..." The man said suddenly. Geno's iris disappeared but didn't turn to look at him. The taller sighed and suddenly started speaking much more softly. Which kinda caught Geno's attention. "... I know the priest. We used to chit chat quite often. Like close friends. He could be cold and defensive with my other... companions, but he was ok with me... Hm. With that, something's telling me that this is not the first and last time us 2 talk príncipe." He looked at Geno tilting his head. Then he started talking again chilly and in that annoying for Geno tone. "But only time will tell when we meet again..."

"How long can ya keep it up talking like a damn creep?" The small skeleton suddenly asked him rudely, turning at him sharply. But a sudden breeze then passed and all light the lanterns were giving in the stadium, vanished. The small skeleton looked around forgetting the annoying yet mysterious monster next to him for the time being.

Any conversations and all whispers stopped immediately and it became quiet. Geno waited with some agony for anything to happen. The first thing he saw were 3 beams of light suddenly falling from the ceiling, on the ground of the stadium. However they were giving no ordinary light.

The one more far away from where Geno was sitting was letting him barely see, but eventually he realised the light was making the shape of a huge red rose. The beam in the middle was making a huge twig of basil. And the 3rd beam, closer to where Geno was sitting was shaping a blue aster.

"There are these 3 plants again..." He thought, impressed with how the light was made to fall in such way down. That was letting him to see well enough what was going on inside the stadium. For a few seconds nothing. And then, music from bagpipes and flutes started playing, escorted by the slow heavy rhythm of drums.

A gate to the far opposite of where Geno was sitting, started going up slowly and light focused there as long as it was going up. Geno squinted his eyeoscket to see what would happen. Dark cloaked figures came out of the gate, they were the ones playing bagpipes, flutes and drums.

They were turning and staring to all directions as they were playing their instruments, except the drummers who were gazing straight ahead and not turning heads not even a little as they were hitting with big baguettes their drums in sync. Suddenly another light appeared and focused on the gate the instrument players came out from.

Geno saw a figure behind them, walking by themselves with head lowered and slow steps. Unlike anyone in the stadium they were dressed in red and a hood was covering their head. They were walking in the rhythm of the drums and with each step Geno could hear the sound of chains.

"Heeere she comes now..." The man next to the small skeleton said and leaned forward focusing their look more to the direction of the red dressed figure.

"The witch?" Geno asked.

"Exactamente." The other simply replied never taking his eyes off where he had focused. The small skeleton focused to look too as the witch kept walking closer. In the middle where the light that was making the basil was falling, she stopped but stayed with her head lowered.

The instrument players kept playing for a few more seconds, but now they were all staring at the witch as if they were waiting for something. Indeed, suddenly the woman raised both her head and hand and with that, the instruments stopped playing immediately. Silence prevailed once again for many seconds.

"... Rebels!" The witch suddenly said and opened her arms turning to look around the stadium. Immediately after that, everybody stood up and raised their one hand in the air. All of them then made a simple but very weird gesture Geno had never seen:

"Huh? What's the meaning of this?" He thought but stood up and tried to do the gesture too. He looked around waiting to see what would happen next. At that moment the witch had her back turned on him.

"Don't worry if you can't do the gesture well young prince." She said suddenly and Geno's mouth opened wide. The man next to him fought to hold back his laughter.

"Wait, was she talking about me?!"

"Sit back." She said then and every rebel sat back down in sync, so Geno did. Echo looked one more time around her and stopped with her back turned at the gate all rebels had entered. "Friends! Allies! We gather once again here together. Thank God as I see we are still many and alive today. And in fact I believe more than the last council we had. Not just to all of us here, but especially to the new ones, welcome, to Vilanterna's 46th council!"

"Damn, so many councils!" Geno thought but clapped like the other rebels to not seem any different. Once the witch raised her hand, everyone stopped clapping and silence prevailed again.

"Now. For anyone who has any information of the enemy's moves around Lisbon, stand up and approach." She said. Random figures stood up from their seats and started going down the stairs. Once they were close, they stood in a queue.

Then they raised hands in the air and let the instrument players check them from top to bottom for whatever reason, probably in case they were carrying weapons to try kill the witch, before allowing them to approach her. Well, safety protocols first. Then Echo was standing near any of the rebels and telling them to start talking.

In the next half hour Geno was listening to stuff which although not connected with his case were quite interesting. Each rebel was revealing info about movements of the human soldiers and in general, what humans had done the past month until now. There were even 2 who had hear super important secret conversations by eavesdropping the humans on their side of town.

Risky. The most interesting of the conversations had to say something about the ships getting in 'quarantine' for the next few days. The owners of all ships were commanded to not move from their ports and go anywhere. Also the port of Lisbon wouldn't allow any ship come either.

But through further revelations, that whole quarantine excuse was a lie. A cover. For what reason? Lord Raymond wanted to prevent Bernard from coming here, because he wanted to do something for... political reasons. But what were these, no rebel had their hands on such info as it seemed.

"I see. Who knows what that scum is planning." Echo commented to these news with spite once she heard all these news. Many more minutes later after listening to all rebels, she thanked them and asked them get back to their seats. However 5 of them stood and didn't leave the stadium. The witch didn't pay attention to them. "Let us hear now the news from Azores. Step ahead, whoever has something to say." She commanded for a second time.

Other monsters went down the stairs and approached the witch. The 5 rebels who had stayed in the stadium started talking first. As it seemed they had news from Azores too. However there Geno a few seconds later stopped paying attention, to ask the mysterious man next to him a question.

"Why is the witch only interested about Azores? Isn't there like, Madeira too?" If he was recalling correctly, Madeira was part of Lisbon and also monster resident. Which could mean more allies. Why was it out of the conversation then?

"Madeira might did get the influence of the 3 Aces' plans too, but only there. The 3 Aces didn't prevent to include them in their mission of uniting humans and monsters. Which however saved them. In the 'scandal' that ruined everything 4 years ago, for it were blamed only whoever participated in the 3 Aces' plans. Because Madeira didn't prevent to meet the 3 Aces' influence, they sseemingly had nothing to do with the scandal at all. Even if someone wanted to accuse them too, there wouldn't be fake proofs not even for sample. They were clean. So at the time it is kinda 'staying on the shelf'. Echo hasn't announce anything about trying to get the monsters of Madeira participate in her plans and help her. She still keeps them out of this." The other responded crossing his arms but never taking his look off Echo.

Geno stayed quiet and tried to focus again on the council. But he didn't prevent to hear many interesting things. The last conversations were about the monster kings of Azores. There was nothing going on with them, they were rather inert. Except from one. And there was the only but juicy interesting info the little siren heard.

"The ruler of São Miguel was commanded send monster guards to Lisbon. A fleet of ships is on it's way right as we speak, they will arrive tomorrow."

"Who ordered them? Raymond again?" Echo asked crossing her arms.

"Yes! Lord Raymond will accept only these ships approach Lisbon."

"Oxymoron how it is. From one side he does anything in his power to kill more monsters. And from the other side he still needs them to serve his personal purposes..." Echo said looking around. She turned again at the rebel who announced these news. "... And how many times this month again?"

"They come for a 3rd time in Lisbon."

"Why so many times? Why specifically from São Miguel?" Geno thought trying to follow what was said.

"And you learned why?" The witch asked staring more intensively at the announcer of these news.

"Our Lady, these 4 years almost, Raymond commands at least 3 times per month the ruler of São Miguel send his guards to Lisbon, none of us haven't found the slightest clue why he does. I'm sorry to dissapoint you."

"... It's fine." The witch said lowering her head and stepping back.

"The sure thing is they're not called to help Raymond with his 'political' plans. No one has ever witnessed, I think, monsters being commanded arrest their own kind. They might witness that sometimes without being able to interfere sadly, but thank God they're not obligated yet to do that. No. Definitely something else is going on."

"Our leader..." Another rebel spoke. "... I think I have an idea of what is going on, why Raymond commands them specifically to come here. Maybe it's because they're still searching for-"

"Bullsh*t." A 3rd rebel interrupted the one who was about to speak. "If you're going to talk about what I think you will, both Raymond and the monsters are after someone who's long gone."

"But the perseverance they both have to keep sending guards and searching teams is suspicious. I think Lord Raymond knows something he doesn't say out loud. Boss..." The rebel turned to look at the witch. "... I think our enemy is after some really important stuff that have to do about the case of the 3 Aces, specifically-."

"Raymond fears someone who doesn't live anymore dumbass. As for the king of São Miguel, he has to start declining send searching teams for nothing! Not like he stops us from keep fulfilling our plans, but because he's wasting time on someone who's long dead. His efforts are fruitless and to waste. Any hope we have that the dead can come back is pointless. Face it."

"Quiet allies!" Echo got in the way and the 2 rebels, who were arguing stepped back and looked away from each other.

But before she could say anything else, suddenly a strange purple flickering light filled the stadium. Everyone started murmuring confused and worried while as Geno saw, they were looking up. The small skeleton raised head too. The ceiling of the stadium was emitting that light. His jaw dropped.

What was going on this time?

you may know that in the next chapter. 3500 words. see ya folks next time *pat pat*