“We will make a concentrated potion from substances that block the energy radiating from our body, and we will make one more potion for the illusion that we want to create.”

  “And how will we be able to create those potions?” asked a man from the crowd.

  “For that, you all will be provided with the list of ingredients for making that potion,” said Ivaan, “do remember that we need to create many similar potions, and by using all of those potions, we will be able to create a concentrated one which will be strong enough to show the effect on the lord of Krimisha. Any questions?”

  All of them were silent.

  “Good, as all of you have understood what you have to do, you all can go now,” said Ivaan, “the list of ingredients will be provided to you shortly.”

  All of them were going back, but there was a single old man standing between them who wasn’t moving and was continuously staring at him.

  Ivaan looked at him, “Do you have a question?”

  “Many,” he said

  “Great,” said Ivaan, “ask me and I will clarify it to you.”

  “I’m trying to see,”

  “You are trying to see…what?”

  “What lord of Krimisha saw in you, what he couldn’t see in me,”

  “We all are doing the work together and for a single purpose…to be free,” said Ivaan, “we all are the same and we all are really good at what we do.”

  “Yet we have to obey your commands like slaves,” he said

  “I’m also the slave of lord Krimisha, and I’m not doing all of this out of my will or my ambition; I’m doing all of this to be free like all of you,”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “You don’t have to believe me, you just have to do your work, and when we are free, you’ll no longer need to obey my commands, nor will I have any desire to command anyone,” said Ivaan, trying to convince him.

  “Spoke like a true politician,” he said, “do you know, I’ve practiced my craft for my entire life, and I died old, I mean, really old. You are so young that you don’t even have the experience of the position you have, in short…you are incapable.”

  “Thank you for your kind words,” said Ivaan, “but I’m not interested in them. If you have a problem with me, then go and tell the lord of Krimisha.”

  “You’re telling me to commit suicide,” he said, “do I look like a fool?”

  “You are already dead…we all are, so stop annoying me,” said Ivaan, “If you can’t do anything, then stay silent and do your damn work.”

  “You'd better leave this position by yourself; I don’t want to show how great I am at my craft of spells,” he said

  “Listen, you old piece of shit,” said Ivaan, “if you don’t want yourself to be shredded into a million pieces, then you'd better walk away from here because you are forgetting that I’m still in command. So don’t compel me to use my power against you because you also know that it will do you no good. Isn’t it the reason why you did all of this in the first place?”

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  “How long will these powers be able to protect you?” he said, “Someday we all are going to come out of this hell, then where will you run?”

  “Who said I’ll run?” said Ivaan, “I’ll wait for you to see what you are capable of doing.”

  “Then I promise you…” He said, “It will be worth waiting.” He smirked and walked away

  Ekaksh came to him, “It looks like you need to stop meeting with everyone or else you’ll soon be found dead…again.”

  “I don’t care,” Ivaan said, “everyone has something to say, can’t pay attention to every fool.”

  “Don’t make that mistake, my friend,” he said, “remember these fools are working with you and you are working against the lord of Krimisha. Most of them should follow and do what you have told them to do, but if you fail to do so, then they will betray you, which can blow up our whole plan, so try to play along.”

  “Play along!!!” said Ivaan, “You expect me to listen to their shit.”

  “You just need to pretend that you are thinking of their best interest so that they will follow you.”

  “I don’t need them to follow me,” said Ivaan, “it doesn’t matter, they have to listen to me as long as I’m in command.”

  “And then you will no longer be in command,”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “Do you remember what I told you about my family?” he said with tearful eyes.

  “Yes, I do,”

  “My family got destroyed because of betrayals from the people who we thought were working from our side, but they were not, they were working for themselves,” he said, “you have to keep them together, it doesn’t matter how you do it because most people think only about themselves, not others.”

  “Believe me, I know very well about that,” said Ivaan, “I used to be the same as them, unfortunately, so I know to what extent they can go to put me down.”

  “So, what’s the next?”

  Then a man came to Ivaan, “This is the list of the ingredients for the potion, Master.”

  Ivaan took the list from him, but he was constantly staring at him, “What?!! You are not going to get an award for this,” and the man walked away.

  “This is our next step; we have to give this list to the lord of Krimisha.”

  “Who are you sending?” he asked.

  Ivaan stared at him with a grin, “No way!!” he said, “I can’t go in front of him, remember, we don’t want his attention on me.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s not going to happen,” Ivaan said, “but quite the opposite, I’m sending you to make him see that you are with him and I have converted you into his perfect disciple.”

  “Do you think it will work?”

  “Definitely,” said Ivaan, “once he believes that you are with us, then he will not pay any attention to you, and it will make it a whole lot easier for us.”

  Ivaan handed him the list of ingredients.

  “Remember, don’t give him any reason to doubt you.”

  “Understood,”

  “I know it is difficult for you,” said Ivaan, “you’re a good man, and it is possible that you may get triggered by some of his comments, so you don’t have to react to anything he says because he definitely will.”

  “And if possible, try to pretend that your ambition is somewhat similar to his and you are in full support of him, but don’t overdo it, keep it subtle.”

  “Okay, master.”

  “Go now and try not to make any mistakes.”

  ‘I can’t, after all, I’m trained by the best.”

  I don’t know why it's taking so long, lord of Krimisha thought. I think I’m going very easy on them, and that is why they don’t take any of my commands seriously. He was sitting on his chair made out of wood and gold, which was shining by the light of fire in the pits surrounding him. Looking for someone to come by, from the passage in front of him.

  Ekaksh came and stood in front of him, “Sire”.

  “Here you are, I expected that it would take some centuries for you to come to me,” said the lord

  “Apologies, sire, but I reached you as fast as I could after I was commanded to hand you over this list of ingredients which will be required in spell work,” he said

  “Indeed,” said the lord, and then he studied him carefully, “aren’t you the one who was against the speech of Ivaan, which was done on my command?”

  He does remember that, anyway, I should play along as Ivaan has told me to do.

  “Yes, sire, it was me.”

  “First going against my command and then handing me the list valuable to my plan,” said the lord, “quite a change.”

  “Yes, sire,” he said, “as all things change.”

  “Beliefs are not something that are changed so easily,” said the lord, “The change in you seems extreme, which doesn’t seem possible in such a short period of time.”

  “I’m surprised by myself at how much I changed in such a short time,”

  “Looks like you didn’t understand me well enough,” said the lord, “reality is I’m not surprised that you have changed in a short period of time, I’m surprised about what made you change your perception about this whole thing.”

  “I think you are well aware of the answer, sire,” he said with a smile.