Ah, child, are you here as well?

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The Illuminator Sachiel is hailed as the most influential spellcaster leader in the history of the Eredar civilization since the progenitor warlock Ogurei.
Of course, such a claim carries the suspicion of flattery, for the progenitor warlock belongs to the “mythic era” tens of thousands of years ago. To be blunt, many doubt whether this figure ever truly existed in Eredar history.
Moreover, Sachiel was no overnight genius emerging from the cracks of stone.
No matter how gifted he was, he still needed to study ancient legacies, undergo rigorous training under mentors, and persist through arduous self-discipline to achieve the stature he holds today—one that rivals the Twin High Council. To dismiss all his effort and growth with a mere word like “talent” is a deep insult to his entire life.
Yet, no one can deny that the Illuminator’s reputation in Eredar civilization is terrifyingly high.
Rumors say that thousands of years ago, the two High Regents considered inviting the Illuminator to join the Twin High Council, sharing the supreme authority of the Eredar people. However, immersed in the study of arcane truth, Sachiel resolutely rejected the temptation of power.
He believed that the pursuit of worldly power would interfere with his passion for arcane truth.
Whether this rumor is true or not, it confirms that, in the past, the Illuminator regarded the worship of material things as a betrayal of the spirit.
Yet, no matter how wise one is, no one can escape spiritual turmoil. Once deeply troubled, it can severely damage steadfast will and noble character.
Sachiel began studying fel magic over a decade ago. He once proclaimed to the two High Regents that fel power was the only hope to break through the bottleneck Eredar faced in arcane magic. He personally demonstrated a series of fel arcane secrets, including demon summoning, to Commander Kil’jaeden and High Regent Velen.
He hoped the fel path could be formally integrated into the Eredar civilization legacy.
That attempt failed.
High Regent Velen saw fel magic as fundamentally incompatible with the ancient arcane path and the rapidly evolving Holy Light doctrine. Commander Kil’jaeden praised the combat prowess of demons but expressed concern over whether spellcasters could perfectly control these wild creatures of the cosmos.
Together, they rejected Sachiel’s proposal, dealing a heavy blow to the Illuminator, who retired a few days later.
His power and position were essentially inherited by Archimonde, but Sachiel did not truly lose his unwavering resolve and stubbornness as a spellcaster.
The Awakeners’ Cult emerged after that failure.
Originally founded as a “spellcasters’ exchange group,” the organization gained horrific prestige through Sachiel among spellcasters. After over a decade of development, it became a Ouroboros hidden in the shadows of Eredar civilization.
Oronall City is their stronghold, but they are not limited to it.
Wherever spellcasters gather, the voice of the Awakeners’ Cult can be heard or seen.
Although prestigious institutions like the Arcane Academy still attract spellcasters devoted purely to the arcane path, there is no denying that under Sachiel’s leadership and manipulation, the Eredar spellcaster community has essentially rebelled and stands opposed to their own civilization.
Dick would say that executing all current Eredar arcanists would certainly lead to many wrongful deaths, but executing them one by one would inevitably leave some slipping through the cracks.
The reason this turmoil has not yet sparked social unrest before the coup is simply that even among the energy-affinitive Eredar, masterful spellcasters are exceedingly rare.
They are few in number but wield immense influence.
This is the complicated and exaggerated reality on the eve of the coup. Otherwise, Archimonde would not be confident that by quelling this rebellion, he could leap into the political core of the Eredar civilization.
Yet, in Dick’s eyes at this moment, the Illuminator himself, who commands such terrifying power, appears in an exceptionally poor state.
The once vigorous genius spellcaster leader now looks frail and aged.
His neck leans forward, his spine visibly twisted and deformed, his once graceful face covered in wrinkles, and strange gray patches apparent on the iconic blue skin of the Eredar.
Those once-clear eyes, praised for deciphering arcane truth, have become clouded. His hands, due to prolonged contact with fel magic, have transformed into claw-like appendages, and the skin on his arms and neck is roughened and scaled like armor.
This is no illusion.
It is the “demonic armor” technique brought by symbiosis with demons.
He sits like a soulless corpse on the gem-studded throne of the arcane leader. His beloved ruby staff lies by his side, and in one hand, he toys with a grotesque skull-shaped arcane implement.
Though it has horns, its fearsome visage clearly does not belong to an unfortunate Eredar spellcaster.
The greatest spellcasters of Argus stand beside him, no longer radiating arcane brilliance, but exuding a heavy sulfur stench and unabashed ferocity.
Their eyes flicker with green light, and the arcane seals on their foreheads have transformed into more violent fel marks.
This marks the beginning of physical mutation caused by deep fel corruption.
Their servants have mostly completed some sinister ritual, transforming their skin into glaring red, with black bone spikes and dark green fel crystals erupting from their bodies, their faces and limbs covered in foul-smelling sores.
But for these self-proclaimed “Man’ari” (the corrupted) fel servants, this is but a “small price” for power.
Though still within the realm of spellcasters, compared to the flexible, subtle, elegant, and infinitely varied arcane magic, fel magic’s brutal, direct destructive power and “non-discriminatory” aptitude clearly suit those who need power to accomplish “great tasks.”
Dick is certain that among those standing beside him are individuals disguised as demons.
The Awakeners’ Cult has ceased to hide their duplicity on the eve of the coup; they have fully unveiled their concealed power.
In this perilous environment, surrounded by dangerous enemies and disarmed, Dick reveals the betrayal and treachery of Archimonde under the cold gaze of the Illuminator.
When he first spoke, the senior members of the Awakeners laughed openly at him.
But as Dick presented more evidence, analyzed Archimonde’s thoughts and desires, and described his deeds, the laughter quickly subsided.
When Dick informed them that Archimonde’s followers had gathered at the Arcane Academy and planned a midnight strike at the Cult’s core to execute a decapitation of the Illuminator, even the Illuminator himself showed interest, while others fell silent.
The wise always believe in the power of logic.
They trust that a series of facts can reveal the impending truth, and Dick’s message and deductions made them realize that the strongest among them might indeed already have betrayed them in search of something more tangible than the “blessing of fel.”
“You should prepare in advance. When Archimonde enters here with beast-like intent to kill the Illuminator, you must execute the traitor with cold ruthlessness! You must slaughter him and treat it as a cruel omen of fel’s destined dominion over this world.”
At the end of his speech, Dick said this.
His proposal was cold and cunning, exchanging glances among some spellcasters who clearly relished the dramatic and ironic spectacle of a traitor’s beheading.
But no one spoke at that moment.
All eyes turned to the Illuminator seated on the spellcaster leader’s throne.
He was their fel path leader, the Burning Legion’s emissary on Argus, and the favored forerunner of the mighty “Benefactor.”
The Illuminator’s murky eyes sparkled with dark green light as they fixed on Dick. Dick felt a cold scrutiny, a gaze sharp enough to pierce his soul, and he pondered how to respond to the inevitable incisive questioning.
After nearly a minute of silence, the Illuminator finally asked the question Dick had prepared for so long:
“Then you? Diakem.

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The Returner, the One Bearing Murderous Intent, the Betrayer, the Seducer, the One Forsaken by the Holy Light—tell me, Diakem, who almost died at our hands, what drives you to disregard the inevitable risk of death, to brave the danger of being sacrificed to demons by revealing your former employer here?
Is it justice?
Or is your shattered code of the Holy Light compelling you to make a pitiful and helpless attempt at martyrdom?
Do you seek redemption?
Do you believe redemption will let the Holy Light shine on you again?”
This series of exquisitely phrased questions silenced Dick. Yet he did not keep the expectant crowd waiting long. He soon lifted his head and met Sachiel’s piercing gaze.
In a sincere tone, he said:
“I want to see ArchimonI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.