The old council chamber lay deep within the eastern wing of the Alliance Headquarters. It had once witnessed the birth of countless important resolutions. Now, only the conceptual imprints on the walls still flickered faintly in the empty hall, reminding all of its former glory.
Aristothos arrived half an hour early and carefully inspected the surroundings. His hand remained pressed against the emergency teleportation rune at his waist—an escape measure Theta had prepared for him. Once activated, it could instantly transport him to safety.
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, steady and rhythmic. Gamma, the Third Creator, appeared at the doorway right on time.
Aristothos immediately went on guard, but when he saw Gamma's eyes clearly, he froze.
Those eyes were clear and sharp, without the slightest hollow emptiness characteristic of someone under control. Even more startling, they held a trace of exhaustion and vigilance—the expression of someone who had maintained a disguise for a long time.
"Relax. There are no surveillance devices here." Gamma entered the hall and casually set up a conceptual barrier. "I've checked three times, and the route I took just now avoided every possible observation point."
"You... you're not under control?" Aristothos could hardly believe it.
"From the first day, I noticed the Consciousness Seed invading me." Gamma sat beside the council table. "But I chose to cooperate. I let my surface consciousness accept the control while my true consciousness hid in the deepest depths and observed everything."
"How is that possible? The Consciousness Seed's control strength—"
"It requires extremely strong willpower and a special mental structure." Gamma cut him off. "Among the Creators, fewer than five can do this. Unfortunately, the others were either completely controlled or isolated like the group of four moderates."
Aristothos processed the information. "So all this time,