The last two days Elias followed through with his promise to not leave Asha alone in the apartment surely to be stalked by this ex-boyfriend of Aria's. If he thought about it, he didn't mind, but he didn't see it that way. It got him out of Tony's at the very least. His place was brimming with lost souls, enough that Elias was ready to send them on their way just to be rid of them. But Tony had been a friend to him in the beginning, and lest Elias do something he would regret, it was better that he be elsewhere. The hotel they found themselves in was leagues more luxurious, more grand than Asha's studio, even the opulence of Tony's home. But he would never stay here if invited. He'd rather sleep in the street than share in the gracious hospitality of their great lord and king, the mighty Damien Oakland. On the other hand, he had no quarrel with taking advantage of the man's resources, including his use of Rage. The power was wielded with expert finesse that Elias envied. Together, the two of them interrogated a higher-up at Moscow State University School of Medicine; another doctor, although he did not seem to be practicing, or if he did, it was to home-calls to the aristocracy of Moscow's elite. The trip to MSU summoned memories of his earlier days in Moscow, seeking the chancellor and demanding answers to his uncle's disappearance. MSU scientists had collaborated with Victoria University, including his uncle, when their ship disappeared in the Southern Sea, the stretch of ocean between New Zealand and Antarctica.
The interrogation was easy enough. The man needed a god and two came knocking on his door. They had originally targeted Damien, since it was well enough suspected that he shared these powers that the Ascendancy described. He was also easy enough to spot in a crowd, being a rather famous face and everything. His pretty mug didn't help that time, did it? Asha hadn't been too keen on their methods, but Elias assured her it was all for show. He wouldn't actually hurt the man, just meant to scare him. But knowing what he did about Asha, the good doctor's fear must have leeched into her mind, and he withdrew some of the intensity after that. The tactic worked, because in short order they learned all about this
other secret society, whom Damien referred to as the Inferi.
Elias had been rather tame in his questioning for Asha's sake up until the man uttered a key choice of words, ones that sparked lightning in his mind. The storm raged across his face and he all but shoved Damien aside, grabbed the man by the shirt, and wrenched him on flows of Rage from his chair, throwing him to the floor.
"An energy source in the ocean. It was being tracked."
"Where?! Where did you track it!"
"South of New Zealand."
With that, Elias knew who killed his uncle. The Di Inferi were after this energy source, the same one that his uncle tracked. The same signal that made Elias search the riverways of Russia. They needed a god this time, one that could retrieve the source for them.
Afterward, he explained his history in full to Asha and Damien. He told them all about the uncle that saved him from the deserts of Utah, his studies as a marine biologist meant to follow in his footsteps, and the news of his disappearance. It was during this tale that a
new story was brought to their attention. One that featured video footage this time, and Elias watched with mixed emotions of horror, awe and pride as a monstrous creature swallowed ships whole on screen. He knew it was no hoax. He knew it in his gut.
"We need to get a hold of this Captain SynJyn,"
Elias concluded. He would do it with or without Asha and Damien if necessary, but against the likes of that creature, he had a feeling he was going to need Damien's help.
SynJyn's ship even shared the same name as the power Elias wielded: 'The Rage.' He smiled at that thought.
They were going to need it.
