After speaking to Ethel, Mark wasn't sure what to think. Everything had grown beyond him. Their faction, once just a small group of survivors, had expanded into a force to be reckoned with. While they weren't among the ten largest factions, their strength and influence made them impossible to ignore, even by the top two.

With their faction growing so large, the need for micromanagement was almost at an end.

Mark could accept that. He was willing to help where he was needed, but he wasn't prideful enough to force his involvement where it wasn't necessary.

Right now, things were running smoothly enough that all he needed to do was check on things occasionally. Of course, he would still step in to help whenever possible, but there was no longer a fear that his absence would cause everything to fall apart. If he didn't show up one day, the others would manage just fine.

When they were about to move to the other room, Ethel gave them an amused smile.

"You three have been running at full speed for so long that I imagine stopping feels a little disorienting. So, I have a job for you. But if you can't take it, feel free to turn it down."

They waited in silence for her to continue. Which only made her chuckle.

Mark had the distinct feeling she had just tested them—and they had failed.

"In a short while, our allies from NAS will be joining us for the launch of our radio system. After that, though, they expressed the desire to leave the city for an experiment. I thought you might want to know as it pertains to Patrica."

Mark's brows rose. With the delivery of their services, Patrica had been exempt from punishment. However, with the religious district so close, it was possible that the NAS just wanted an excuse to hide her. After all, there was no guarantee that she would be safe from them.

The news was interesting, and Jonathan shot Mark and Sam a look.

"We'll happily accompany them later tonight."

Ethel nodded at them, happy they had gotten the gist of it.

"Alright, well, should we go see how far they have gotten?"

They had invited Elizabeth and her men to install the radio for them, and the woman had been hard at work since they'd returned this morning.

When the four of them got to the penthouse, she was underneath one of the consoles connecting up the last few wires.

"Alright, test channel one, please," she called out to a man from her team.

The room was suddenly filled with static, and then it dulled and came into focus. There was a voice coming over the speakers and a small round of cheers from the people working in the office.

At first, they could not understand the voice as it came through in German, but then it switched to English.

"This is a pre-recorded message broadcasting on all channels. Our resources are finite, so we will open comms at precisely 1800 hours UTC each day for a duration of 15 minutes. Please prepare your transmissions accordingly. Stay safe, and remain vigilant."

The recording then looped back into German and continued. They had already missed the window for today, so they would have to try and get in contact tomorrow.

Karter came out of his office by this point with Shelby in tow.

Flipping over to the next channel, they found India to have a similar message, the only exception being that they would keep their line open for half an hour.

Gibby then walked in with Lisa, Patrica, and Nathan on his tail.

Mark nodded to them as he continued to listen.

Every channel was broadcasting a similar message, with only a handful of minutes each day that they could be contacted.

There was only one exception to this: Japan.

If they took this as a sign of how well each country was doing, then it sort of made sense. After all, Japan was the only other place that had a spire in its territory.

Perhaps they did not have the luxury of spending their time on distant lands.

Unfortunately, when they tried to contact Japan again, there was a problem.

Commander Ryoji, whom they had heard from earlier today, came over the comms.

"This is the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Emergency Command, Please identify yourself."

Ethel didn't move from her spot as she spoke into the headset.

"This Ethel Wilson from America speaking on behalf of the Order of the Sage. We have some follow-up questions regarding your current situation and wish to exchange information."

There was a crackling on the other end, and then his voice came through clear and concise.

"Ma'am, this channel is open to countries only. Private citizens or enterprises are not permitted here. Please do not use this frequency unless there is an emergency."

Before she could respond, the line went dead as they cut off the connection.

Ethel wore a surprised expression as she looked at Karter.

The man just shook his head like he had expected this, but Ethel was not done there.

"Well, seeing as our calls for information had hit a wall, perhaps we should put our own message out there," Karter said.

They all agreed, and as they formed their message, they tried to figure out what they wanted to say to attract attention. Finally, they got something together, and Ethel handed Mark the headset.

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"Normally, I'd give this one to Samantha, but I think you're perfect for the task," she said as she extended the equipment over to Mark.

He shot her a questioning gaze, which she just shrugged at.

"You have a calming voice. Can you do it?" she asked.

Mark pursed his lips and shrugged, taking the offered headset and putting it on.

Turning to look at what they had written, he began.

"This is the Order of the Sage, one of New York's last holdouts. We are broadcasting this message across all public channels to offer valuable knowledge in exchange for any information you may possess. We can provide insights on the first rite, guidance on creating your own spire, strategies for combating the species we have encountered, and advanced mastery of the three types of energy.

Our line will remain open around the clock for anyone who wishes to contact us. As a token of our worth, we offer this piece of advice: When dealing with the Unbound, treat them with respect."

Mark paused as he started at the end of the page.

"-Lastly, I leave you with this: No matter the trials you face or how bleak the future may seem, you are never without allies. No matter what, New York will endure to the end, so I ask you to do the same. I look forward to meeting you when humanity comes out victorious on the other side."

The last part had not been in the script, but Mark couldn't help himself. If someone listened to the message, he wanted them to know they still had a chance. That there were still people out there who were fighting. If nothing else, he didn't want people to give up, not when the system walls between them were weakening.

When Mark looked up, he expected to get disapproving looks from the others, but he didn't see anything. In fact, for the most part, people's faces remained steadfast and hopeful. Ethel was sending him a knowing smile. Sam reached forward and slapped him on the back.

"Good job. Now come with me," she said as she indicated for Jonathan to follow her with her head.

They arrived in front of Lisa and Sam didn't hesitate.

"We've heard you are leaving the city for a short experiment. Our order would like to extend its hand to assist you. Could you make use of the three of us?" she asked unashamedly.

Lisa lowered the bottle of water she'd been drinking from, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smirk.

"With an invitation like that, I can't say no. We were leaving right after this, though. Will you be ready?"

Sam looked for their approval, and seeing as Mark had nothing further to do tonight, he nodded.

Jonathan wasn't too far behind, either.

Their agreement was all she needed. Lisa sent the bottle into her inventory and stood.

"Always good to have you guys. We should only be gone till morning. We just need to be out of the city by nightfall."

Mark glanced at the windows and noticed the golden glow of sunset had peeked into the room, it was already fading to orange and red. They had probably thirty minutes before night fell.

"Well, then we'd better get going, hadn't we?" Jonathan said.

The goodbye this time was completely different from when they had left the city before. Sam kissed Karter on the cheek, and Jonathan hugged Ethel goodbye, and they were off.

The guards at the front door waved them off, but other than that, there was very little fanfare. Mark found himself refreshed by the experience. NAS had a limo waiting, and they all climbed in. They slipped out of their territory and moved into the city.

Most places that ran in the day had closed, and scenes of the waking nightlife around them came into view.

Bars on the corners of streets flickered on their lights as low pleasant music began to fill the roads.

The day had been sweltering, so people walked out on the sidewalks, happy the sun was almost gone.

Mark glanced across the armrest to look at the priestess.

"I'm glad you got out of there, Patrica."

The woman in front of him was practically glowing with strength. The amount of energy coming off her right now was a stark contrast to what he'd seen before they left. She seemed far healthier and happier. His first thought was that she had a new item or completed a set, but that was wrong; this was more internal.

"Thank you, Mark. It means more than you can know. That's why I'm glad you're coming with us tonight."

Mark cocked his head.

"That reminds me, what experiment did you guys want to conduct out here?" he asked.

Sam and Jonathan turned to look at the woman with interest, and to their surprise, she looked bashful.

"Um, well, I'm truly sorry, but that was a small white lie. We're not going out there to do and experiment, or more accurately, its not a repeatable one," she said

Sam frowned, no doubt displeased her chance to witness something interesting was fading.

"Alright, then what is the intention behind this trip?" Jonathan asked.

Patrica had been watching the conversation the whole time, but she put a hand on Patrica's shoulder.

"We promise to tell you as soon as we are out of the city limits. We can't risk anyone finding out about this. Will you just trust us for now?"

Sam glanced at Mark and Jonathan and shrugged.

Mark had already confirmed that all three of them were completely clean of Corruption, so there wasn't much to lose. The gate was approaching, and they needed to get out without causing a fuss

"Alright, fine," Mark said. "We'll wait."

They watched as the limo approached the gate, and a guard got out, saluting to Lisa. They were then ushered into the wall itself and taken to a quiet area.

The was only a single guard leading them at this stage, and Mark was a little confused.

They climbed higher into the building until they got to a more remote section with almost no fot traffic.

From Mark's experience, they must be in one of the skyscrapers. At this point, they were probably over thirty stories in the air and climbing.

By the fiftieth floor, Mark realized something was wrong. If they had wanted to take off from a high vantage point, it would have been better to just leave from a window and raise from there. Lisa and the others had cautiously come here, and now they were acting all secretive.

When they got to a particular door leading to the sixty-first floor, Lisa turned around.

"Thank you, my blade. You can head home for the day."

The guard bowed just slightly and turned to head back down. Lisa opened the door and stepped in followed by everyone else.

Inside was a small, dull lamp and three individuals. Mark froze when he saw Lisa, Patrica, and Nathan staring back at them.

Mark was fooled by the illusion for only a second before he peered closer. Mana was wrapped around their forms, and Mark could see the people below it. He didn't recignise any of them but they stood and saluted Lisa and Nathan.

"Alright, you three, get ready to leave. You need to create three more illusions for out companions here, but that shouldn't be a problem, right Mia? Remember, return by morning."

Mark wanted to ask what was going on, but one of them connected them by rope and lifted them into the air with flight. Then, three more illusions appeared, looking exactly like Sam, Jonathan, and himself.

Then they left out the nearby window.

"Mark, could you make us invisible? We're giving them a couple minutes headstart," Lisa said.

Wanting to see where this was going, Mark surrounded them with a construct and [Light control].

"Okay, do you now want to tell us why all of that just happened?" Jonathan asked.

Lisa sighed but nodded.

"Of course, we apologise for the confusion and deception, but it was necessary…"

"What is this about?" Sam asked.

Patrica spoke up.

"I think I was being followed. That's why we told everyone it was an experiment because we didn't want them to know the real reason."

"And that is?" Jonathan said, getting impatient.

"Patrica intends to fuse with her god," Nathan said in a deadpan voice.

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