Affinity: Chaos



Outside the meeting room. 

In the alley beside the building the meeting was being held, a figure stepped out of the void in the darkness, accompanied by another. 

"This kid doesn't listen." The figure sighed. 

The face of the figure became clear and it was none other than Lucas Dawson. Behind him was the man who was protecting Grey secretly. 

"What did the young Lord do, my Lord?" The man asked respectfully. 

He wasn't as strong as Lucas, so there was no way for him to eavesdrop on the meeting. He had no clue about what was going on inside, but he was certain there was no way the people inside would dare to hurt Grey. 

Lucas recounted Grey's suggestion to him. 

"The young Lord is thinking of the benefit of the Family. If we can get more people to support us, we will be able to properly defend the secret realm, while also grooming more talents." The man was in support of Grey's suggestion. 

The Dawson Family has always been overbearing which made them have very fast allies. If Grey were to be able to forge an alliance with a top Faction in the Middle Continent, it would be a massive boost for the Dawson Family. 

"You're right." Lucas nodded. 

People are wary of attacking the Dawson Family now due to their strength. If they were to find out that they had formed ties with a powerful Faction, it would make them even more scared. The Dawson Family has a few allies in the Western Continent, but they had more enemies. 

The only reason their enemies hadn't ganged up on them was mainly due to the fact that none of them wanted to take the lead. The Dawson Family was a large and powerful Family that even if ganged up on, would be able to cause massive damage to anyone they can attack. This means that the ones leading the battle would suffer more. None of them wanted to be used as a sacrificial lamb for the others, hence their current stance. 

"Has anyone agreed to join him yet?" The man asked. 

Lucas shook his head, "Not yet, the situation seems to be tense. A few are contemplating it while the others don't want it that way." 

….

In the meeting room. 

The place fell silent after Grey's words. He first threw out a threat and then suggested a friendly deal. This wasn't something most of the people present felt would've been possible. The Dawson Family are known for their personality and would never back down. 

'Could it be that they aren't as strong as they used to be?' 

This was the thought in the heads of most of the men. If the Dawson Family was starting to grow weak, then it was an even better opportunity for them to attack them and forcefully take the secret realm from them. That's not the only thing that could be acquired, there were a few things that were only available in the region the Dawson Family resided. 

These treasures were rare and very difficult to acquire. The Dawson Family has a monopoly over it which makes a few Factions and Families not too happy. 

"Anyone interested?" Grey looked at the people who were quiet. 

He was still carefully studying how they were reacting to these things. 

"Is this the thoughts of the Dawson Family, or just yours?" 

Someone finally spoke up, asking a very important question. They wouldn't carelessly believe everything Grey says just because he was representing the Dawson Family. If they were to agree to this and they don't get what they were supposed to get when they head over to the Dawson Family, they would be livid. 

"This was my suggestion, I'll naturally take it back and speak with my father and grandfather." Grey didn't hide the fact that he was the one who came up with the idea. 

The others exchanged glances, amazed by Grey's gut. Coming up with something like this without the permission of those above him took a lot of guts and courage, but he still did it. 

When they thought about it, this was the best way to resolve the matter of the secret realm. The Dawson Family as well as other Factions and Families will benefit from it. 

"Kid, this isn't a place to play around. Only speak of things you're sure of." A man said coldly, he was one of the few who brought the suggestion of taking the secret realm from the Dawson Family. 

"We should think of how to strengthen ourselves before the seal is completely broken. There are obviously other ways. But we all know how great the realm is. With its help, the Dawson Family has been producing geniuses among geniuses over the years." He added. 

"If you're suggesting that we hand the realm over, please, eliminate the thought. The realm is ours, and we will only share it with whoever we wish." Grey expressed his and the Dawson Family's stance. 

It was okay for others to enter the secret realm, but it was only those they accept that can. If others tried to face their way in, then they were declaring war on them, and they would retaliate. 

The man who spoke the last time looked at Grey, his eyes were cold. 

"Your father would give it up, if we have you." The man's eyes were on Grey. 

"There's also the Gnomes who can offer you a good sum for him." Klaus interjected. 

Everyone in the room looked at Klaus and didn't know if they should call him Grey's friend or enemy. A friend wouldn't come up with the ideas he was coming up with. Each of them had involved the Gnomes in one way or the other. 

"Why do the Gnomes want you dead?" Someone asked. 

"I almost killed one of their princes, and I killed thousands of them." Grey didn't show any fear as he said. 

"You're just one kid. How can you make the Gnomes want you dead at all costs?" 

"I have no idea." Grey shrugged. 

"Anyway, that's not the reason for the meeting." He continued, "Isn't there anything else? If not, we better get on my way." 

The men exchanged glances and continued with the meeting. While they were speaking about something, Klaus suddenly interjected. 

"You know, I was wondering if there's someone who can help us contact the Gnomes and have a peaceful diplomatic conversation with them." 

"What's with you and the Gnomes?" Someone couldn't hold it in anymore and asked. 

The man who spoke up was someone who had rarely spoken up since the duo arrived. 

"I just don't want them to kill my friend. Is that too hard to ask?" Klaus wasn't bothered, he added, "Those little girls are trying to kill someone just because he's so outstanding. What if they try to kill me too?"

The man looked at Klaus, he stood up, "I'm done with these shenanigans, I believe there's nothing more to do. Lucas wants to provoke us, hence he sent these little kids here."

"I will settle this with him when I next see him. This is disrespectful, and even if he's strong, he should know that we've lived longer than he has." 

The man stormed off the room, and others followed behind him. 

Klaus was straight up disrupting their meeting. Other than the breaking seal, they were speaking about an old ruin they located in the Western Continent. This ruin was so ancient that the expert who found it had zero clues about it. They were speaking of exploring it and when to potentially leave before Klaus interrupted them. 

"Did I say anything wrong? I'm worried about mine and my friend's well-being." Klaus said with a wronged expression. 

The others looked at him and some of them started to rise to their feet. 

"We will have this meeting some other day." Klaus said when he noticed everyone leaving. 

Before long, there was just the duo sitting in the room. 

"You didn't even let me annoy anyone, why did you bring me here then?" Klaus asked, annoyed. 

"You've already annoyed them all. What else do you want?" Grey rolled his eyes. He saw the hateful gazes most of them are giving them while leaving, it was evident Klaus had infuriated them, especially at the time they just appeared. 

Grey was able to settle the matter somewhat, but since he didn't agree with their idea of using him as bait, they were a bit annoyed. 

"Let's go, it's not going to be a peaceful night." Grey stood up, and like the others, they left the room. 

He had a feeling things wouldn't be as smooth as he thought. Even with the threat of his father, a few of the people present seem to have an idea. The man who told Grey his father would give up the secret realm for him might have an idea of kidnapping him and using him as a means of taking control of the secret realm. 

But Grey didn't think too much about it, since the realm is stationary, it wasn't a wise idea to want to kidnap him.