"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY WERE BEHIND THIS?!" yelled Lord Sinister, sitting up from his falling chair.
The meeting room shook as his voice echoed, making a few Titans flinch . He always had a hunch the Towers were the reason his older brother disappeared ever since it happened but hearing it first hand was still shocking. He felt his blood boil as his nails dug into the table, eyes staring at him from all sides. He looked at Fallen, his dear brother was in the middle of the room surrounded by the tables their kin sat at. He was brave for sitting in front of so many Titans both elder and young, dangerous and peaceful, eyeing him down.
Fallen continued, his voice even, hiding his nerves, "You heard me. The current Commander admitted his predecessor was the one who did it."
Sinister's eyes glowed a vicious yellow, his locks slowly turning red as they caught fire, "I'll kill those idiots if it's the last thing I do-"
"ENOUGH Sinister! You are scaring the children!"
The thundering voice belonged to none other than Void Reaver. Fallen may have hated the idea of seeing his father unprompted but Krampus was his son as well, he needed to know the truth about his possible demise.
Frost Spirit and his younger cousin Ducky Doom squirmed a little at the argument of being the youngest there. The spotlight being flicked on them which Frost despised. He was by no means a child anymore but was still treated as such compared to his older kin. Most of the other titans kept quiet, sharing whispers and opinions between each other, from time to time gazing towards them or the furious Sinister.
"And what was this about a portal, Fallen?" asked Swordmaster who tried to keep them on track, holding the hand of an angered Void Reaver as he sat down.
Fallen took in a deep breath, struggling to keep his composure under the weight of the gazes set on him, as well as the gravity of the rather personal situation. He sighed quietly, "The man said they have done it through a portal to a different dimension. A wasteland of sorts. The previous Commander apparently had her ways with magic."
"Could it possibly be Titan magic?" inquired Penumbras, raising his hand to attract their attention akin to a child during a lesson.
The headknight was here to keep company for his Mistress more than anything. But the mention of magic did catch his wavering attention, being one of the only Titans who still knows how to use the ancient spells left in old books. A fellow spell wielder of this caliber could serve as either a great servant or a terrifying enemy to the Eclipse Kingdom.
Fallen shook his head, "I am not certain. I was not told anything beyond that."
"Curious stuff really... But why should we join this cause? My army and I never met Krampus, and a war for someone I don't know does not seem appealing." intervened Umbra rather uninterested as she cleaned her nails.
Her Headknight grabbed her hand, coaxing her genlty, "My Mistress, we should know what the issue is about."
"Well, we know now. But we have better things to prepare for than this."
"My Mistress-"
"This is a family matter.... Gross. We do not have any relation with this and that's final." she concluded, standing up from her chair.
Jaxe kicked his legs off of the table, sighing dramatically, "Finally, I thought this meeting will never end!"
Swamp Monster was a little more delicate than his companions, giving his best wishes to Fallen and trailing after Jaxe to exit the room.
"I apologize Fallen, but I agree with my Mistress, this problem has nothing to do with us. However, I am truly sorry about your brother."
Penumbras placed a hand on Fallen's shoulder giving him a small nod before following Umbra out.
"COWARDS YOU ALL ARE!"
"Sinister behave yourself!" ordered Swordmaster, hitting his hand on the table, glaring at him with his piercing red orbs.
"While I agree with the missy that this battle should not be ours to carry. It is a little scary the tiny Tower people can use our magic" Gunslinger stood up as well, preparing for his departure as he spoke. "If they managed to do that back then I don't wan' to kno' what they can do now"
He tipped his hat, wishing the best of luck to Fallen and biding fair well to the others before leaving down the castle's halls. The conference hall was large with many seats, but as the meeting went on, more and more were left empty. Soon enough, remaining only the Void Family members to occupy them.
Sinister continued his loud rant about the "cowards" who let them struggle when they needed help, throwing a chair around with Fallen trying to calm him down. Seeing how uncomfortable the children were, Reaver walked over to them, kneeling down, patting Ducky's knee.
"Boys, why don't you go outside?", his tone soft as to not scare them further.
"But what about the meeting? And dad?" asked Ducky looking over to Sinister, who was pushing Fallen away from him.
Frost Spirit was lost in his thoughts. It affected the young man to have his dead father be brought up so shamelessly in front of everyone. Void placed a hand on his other nephew's knee making him turn to look at him.
" It would be best for you two to take a little break. Let the adults handle this, alright?"
Frost was about to protest when Ducky grabbed his hand pleading him with his eyes to leave. The young man gave in, allowing his brother to lead him out of the meeting room.
One problem solved, the next? Void had to stop his sons from fighting. He put a hand on each of the man's shoulders, pushing them away from each other as Sinister tried to grab Fallen by his hair.
"You will not resolve anything if you fight like school children!"
Sinister slapped his hand away, stomping out to get some fresh air, flinging a few curses under his breath. Swordmaster sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
"This is a disaster... Fallen, are you even sure this is true?"
Fallen breathed heavily from his spat with his younger brother, being dragged out of his thoughts by Swordmaster, "...This is what the Commander had told me"
"Well, it better be real. After this whole fiasco! Causing a scene in front of our very kin-"
"Mon amour, relax. We can figure this out and I am sure our brothers and sisters do not mean any harm"
"That is what you think, you doofus. They talk behind the each other's back all the time!" he huffed.
Silence settled for a few moments. The older Titans taking in the new information. What a horrible situation, when every soul believed the dust finally settled, that this matter could be laid to rest but no.. It couldn't be that easy.
Swordmaster puffed, being the first to break the heavy atmosphere.
"Even if it's true. We do not have any way to get to him. That portal could be destroyed, the spells could have been invented on the spot for all we know. We can stress about it all we want but Krampus isn't coming back. After three years, Creator knows where, he might as well be dead. "
Fallen kept on his stern expression, never once did he break it during a meeting and today was not going to be the first. He could feel how tense everyone was, even the Titans unrelated feared this could be their fate at the hands of the Towers. All odds were against them but somehow he still had a slither of hope. He placed a hand on his chest, squeezing the gem on his armor firmly.
He couldn't understand why it was there but it was. Shining boldly in the endless darkness it encountered...a bright...green flame stronger than the will of any Titan. Trully an odd but fleeting feeling.