Rise of the Inquisition: Reconstruction

Lord Inquisitor XI

Still in the Chambers of the Inquisition. The door to the chambers is knocked on three more times, making Omega cross his arms, Jingks shake his head, while Paladin sighed.

"Someone wanna open up the door?" Paladin asked.

"Alexon," Omega turned, "you mind opening up the door so none of us have to get out of our seat?"

Alexon shook his head, he then snapped his fingers, and the doors to the chambers opened, revealing a man wearing a black suit who had long grey hair and crimson eyes.

"Who is this?" Merelona whispered.

"I'm not sure..." Omega whispered back.

The man was dead silent. Not making a single sound, he stared at Paladin and his two companions for a few moments, before he then stepped forward towards the table the Inquisitors sat around - standing opposite to Paladin.

While the man examined him, Paladin rubbed his chin and examined the man in response. To his eyes, the man was recognizable, and he could tell that the two of them had crossed paths once before. He simply didn't know where he had crossed paths with the mysterious man, but nothing in Paladin made him think that the man was hostile.

"Ohh..." Jingks shook his head. "Clerius, I forgot about you."

Clerius?

"Who's Clerius?"

Jingks turned to Paladin

"He's Clerius," Jingks pointed to the mysterious man. "He helped us when we were in High Garden, when we were doing everything we could to avoid having Mordred executed."

Oh... I see...

Now that he mentions it, I recall that Clerius is the servant of a woman named... Evius, who helped the Inquisition a great deal.

"You've changed, Lord Inquisitor," Clerius spoke with a low voice. "Blond hair, red eyes, and black armor... Your appearance is radically different from the Lord Inquisitor I met two years ago."

Paladin nodded

"My most recent experiences have not been favorable," Paladin explained.

"I believe you," Clerius said. "It's truly a shame about what happened, nobody could've predicted such a thing, and nobody can fault you."

Paladin shook his head and chuckled

You know Clerius, that's a general statement.

What is a shame? What is a shame?

Me failing to protect my Inquisition, failing to protect Archer from the Legion of Death? The amount of lives lost to the Legion of Death? An avoidable amount, if I had succeeded in protecting everyone. Maybe he was referring to the change Orion has undergone? Ashley taking over? Elves becoming part of society? Or maybe he is talking about the Septem Cult, and how they have a toxic grip over Orion? Or just maybe... just maybe he's referring to the dwindling power of the Inquisition.

Oh... and how could I forget? Clerius could be referring to how Lady Athena betrayed me, and how I brutally massacred her entire house in return.

"Most of what happened is a shame, and I'm not happy with any of the events that have happened," Paladin explains, "but I'm glad to be back with the Inquisition, and I'm glad to be making some needed changes."

Lies... The latter part of that statement is a complete lie.

I'm not happy being back here, I'm not happy with the Inquisition, and the fact that they attacked me on my return to Orion. I'm not happy with how they didn't believe in me, I'm not happy with how they refused to believe me at first. I'm not happy... and I'm not taking any of their damn excuses.