Chapter 1069: 1068: The Four Orders

’The Dominion?’

Simon searched his memories, but the name meant nothing to him.

"What is The Dominion?"

Zarven hummed quietly, his thumb brushing the square black ring on his hand.

"How long have you been with the Abyss, Blackmoon?"

"A few days."

His thumb stopped moving.

For a moment, the First Merchant simply looked at him. Then he shook his head.

"Only a few days… No wonder you haven’t heard of them."

He adjusted his position in his chair.

"Have you heard of The Four Orders?"

Simon frowned.

"No. What are they?"

"The name given to four hidden organizations. The Abyss, The Dominion, the Eternal Court, and the Blood Covenant."

Simon listened closely.

Even in his past life, he had never heard of The Four Orders.

"All four are led by Daemons," Zarven continued. "They remain hidden, and none has the population or territory of the great kingdoms. But they are the true powers of the Demon Realm."

"You’re saying they’re stronger than the six great kingdoms?"

"Yes."

Zarven answered without hesitation.

"In fact, I believe the kingdoms themselves are under their control."

Simon’s expression changed.

"Under their control?"

"Puppets, Blackmoon."

Zarven let the word settle before continuing.

"I cannot prove it, nor can I tell you which kingdom answers to which organization. One might control a single kingdom, another two or more. But from what I’ve seen over the years, I doubt those rulers are as independent as they appear."

Simon stared at him.

Six great kingdoms.

Four hidden organizations.

And the Abyss was one of them.

For several breaths, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

He had known the Abyss was powerful. He had seen enough of its members to understand that much.

But this was different.

Were the kingdoms merely acting on someone else’s orders? When their rulers made a decision, how much of it was actually theirs?

And how had he never heard about any of this in his past life?

Had these organizations only risen to power after his death?

Or had they always been there?

His fingers tightened around his glass.

If they had existed back then, what had they been doing during the war between demons and humans?

Watching?

Participating without revealing themselves?

Had some of the armies he fought been sent at their command?

He tried to recall the things he had known about the Demon Realm. The Kingdom of Death. The Demon King of Death. Other powerful demons. The enemies whose movements he had once considered so important.

How much had he actually understood?

How much had he simply assumed he understood?

’Damn it.’

There was an answer to part of that, at least.

He had been a human from Earth. Most of what he knew about the Demon Realm had been learned while trying to survive its inhabitants or stop them from destroying his world.

Visiting their cities wasn’t the same as knowing their secrets. He certainly hadn’t been invited into their most private discussions.

Still, knowing why he had been ignorant didn’t make the discovery any easier to accept.

Then his thoughts moved beyond the kingdoms.

The gods.

The beings above them.

And The One.

Where did they fit into this?

Were the Four Orders truly independent? Or were there others giving orders to them as well?

Perhaps these organizations were another means of controlling the Demon Realm. A way to keep demons divided and suppressed without openly intervening.

But where would that leave the Abyss?

What relationship did it have with those beings?

Simon had entered its territory, accepted its treasures, and agreed to the Sovereign’s test.

Yet he knew almost nothing about where it stood in all of this.

Most importantly…

Was he safe?

His gaze lowered to the reflection of the chandelier in his glass.

He had no proof that the Abyss served any of those beings. Turning a possibility into a certainty would be foolish.

But he couldn’t dismiss the question either.

Whenever the Demon Realm and the gods were involved, there always seemed to be something he had failed to see.

"Blackmoon?"

A hand settled over his.

Simon looked up sharply.

Seraya was watching him. Her fingers rested lightly against his wraps, and she offered him a small, reassuring smile.

"You’ve been quiet."

He loosened his grip on the glass.

"Yes. I was thinking."

She withdrew her hand as he set the glass down.

Simon inhaled deeply, then faced Zarven again.

"What else do you know about these organizations? Their history? Their leaders?"

"Not much, I’m afraid."

The First Merchant shook his head.

"Our wealth is the reason I know as much as I do. We find things they want. We supply things that are difficult to obtain elsewhere. Eventually, that makes it impossible to avoid their attention."

He paused, then released a long breath.

"Our ancestors tried to remain outside their disputes. They traded with them, but make no lasting commitment to any one of them. They wanted no part in conflicts fought over matters most demons would never even hear about."

"And they couldn’t?"

"Not forever."

Zarven glanced toward the city beyond the windows.

"It’s one reason we never established a kingdom of our own. For centuries, we had the wealth to support one. We could have expanded our influence, taken territory, and competed with the great kingdoms."

"But that would have drawn their attention."

"More of it than we wanted. Being useful merchants was one thing. Becoming a power that might interfere with their interests was another."

Maelis rested her closed fan beside her plate.

"We thought keeping our ambitions modest would leave us room to conduct our business."

Simon glanced at her, then back at Zarven.

"And instead?"

"We learned that our ambitions weren’t the only ones that mattered."

The First Merchant’s expression hardened slightly.

"Others had their own ideas about what should be done with our wealth."

Simon could imagine.

A race that could find treasures, with merchants traveling throughout the Demon Realm and fortunes gathered over generations.

They might have no interest in ruling others, but that wouldn’t stop others from wanting to rule them.

"So you chose the Abyss."

"Yes. They were willing to treat us as allies. We would provide what they needed, and they would protect us."

Zarven’s fingers touched the stem of his glass.

"The other arrangements offered to us were far less agreeable."

Simon didn’t need him to explain further.

He thought of the valuable herbs on the table and the artifacts displayed throughout the residence. Then he imagined everything the Daegrins owned beyond this building.

It would be easy for someone powerful to decide that they deserved a share.

Or all of it.

Refusing to establish a kingdom didn’t make that wealth disappear.

Neither did it remove the Daegrins’ ability to find more.

"I understand," Simon said.

Zarven nodded.

"But if you want the history of Four Orders, you should ask within the Abyss. Their records will tell you far more than I can."

Simon silently agreed.

He had been so occupied with his bloodline, his companions, and his own advancement that he hadn’t made much effort to study the Demon Realm itself.

The libraries and archives of the Abyss would be worth visiting when he returned.

Not only to learn about the other three organizations.

He needed to understand the world he now lived in, including the parts its inhabitants preferred to keep hidden.

For now, though, there was a more immediate question.

He looked toward the faint golden curve beyond the windows.

The Wall remained undisturbed. Below it, the city continued going about its business.

"How does The Dominion fit into your current situation?" he asked. "What has brought you into conflict with them?"

The First Merchant did not answer immediately.

Tavian lowered his eyes toward his plate. Neris’s hands became still, and Seraya sat back beside Simon.

Zarven released a deep sigh.

"We found a treasure, Blackmoon."

His amber eyes met Simon’s.

"And The Dominion has been attacking us to take it."