Jinchuuriki of the Covenant-ffnet_10440664

376 Pages·2021·1.28 MB·English

Jinchuuriki of the Covenant

by Myevltwin

Category: Halo, Naruto
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-11 05:46:18
Updated: 2014-06-15 17:19:16
Packaged: 2016-04-27 04:05:31
Rating: M
Chapters: 27
Words: 216,418
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Summary: This is a reposting of Jinchuuriki of the Covenant since it
was taken down about a year ago.

1. Chapter 1

A/N

So after a few months of searching, I finally found the email this
baby was stuck in and have now pulled it out to repost it since it
was taken down some time ago. I'm going to repost one chapter a day
hopefully because I'm rereading them and making corrections I missed
along the way. For those read this story before, aside from any
spelling or punctuation changes I make, nothing's really going to
change.

I will say that probably sometime next year maybe, I'll do a rework
of this story because I want to make this story better than what this
one is. This story was something that I enjoyed writing and was truly
the first good story I had. Plus, it also serves as a mile marker for
me as far as my skill was. I'd like to think I improved a lot from
back then, and I want to honor this fic for being a guideline to help
me improves.

Plus, with the Halo 4 out and an eventual Halo 5, I think I'll rework
the story so that if I want to, I can do sequels in my own unique
way.

Just so we're clear, this isn't a rework, this is only a repost of
the story that I loved the most.

The sun had just dipped below the horizon, lighting up the sky in a
sea of flames that ranged from bright oranges to dark reds. The
clouds looked as if they were aflame, making the setting sun, and
former blue skies more exotic to those watching it from the center of
the village. Even with all the smoke coming from the massive bonfire,
the sky still looked as if were aflame. For the people sitting around

the bonfire, it was nothing but a sad day of regurgitated joy and
despair. This was the day that the Kyuubi had attacked the village,
killing hundreds if not thousands of people for no reason. Had it not
been for the heroic efforts of their Hokage, the Yondaime Hokage,
they might have all died on that fateful day. His sacrifice insured
the villages' survival, but they had not understood what he had done
to his own humanity.

For some, the day was a day they'd sooner never forget than they
would forgive what had transpired. It was a time when everything had
gone wrong for them. Shinobi and civilians had been lost due to the
fighting. The previous wars had drained them of their resources, and
the village had been plagued by many who believed their time was up.
When peace came, and the Kyuubi suddenly attacked, they all grew into
despair before being saved. So to never forget those who lost their
lives, they burned a giant wooden fox in the center of the village,
there way of showing honor in the sacrifices of the many men and
women who died on that fateful night.

But for most of them, it was also a time of drunken revenge. People
who were drunk would chase after him in an attempt to "_finish what
the Yondaime started"_, as they often called it. So as the sun
finished setting, and eighteen beers began to take its toll on a few
of the far weaker ones', it was no surprise when they all sluggishly
got up, and staggered out of the bar into the open crowd of people,
half drunk and half determined to kill a little five year old
boy.

(-)

Naruto lay hidden under the table of his own home. Even after a few
years in the Academy, learning how to hide in his own home wasn't
something he was good at. In fact, he just plain right out sucked at
it. But since he knew that they very often never came to where he
lived, he figured he'd be somewhat safe from the attack. As he pulled
himself into a tighter ball, he tried to keep his breathing under
control, but with all the massive fireworks going on, and people
screaming for his blood, he failed.

Naruto kept his eyes closed, part of him hoping that this course of
action would help him get the night over quicker while another part
of him hoped it would be a bad dream that he would wake up from in a
few hours. That's what he always told himself on these days.

There was a loud banging sound at his door, and his eyes widened in
freight as he ran out from under the table, and jumped out of the
window while dragging his hand down the small drain pipe that
connected to his window in a feeble attempt to get away. This would
have worked better had there been rain or the pipe be a little wet.
Sliding down a dry pipe made his hands bleed as his skin was torn off
of his body. Naruto released his grip about halfway down, and fell
into the roof of a small newspaper stand and collapsing a wall from
the force of his fall.

The blond Jinchuuriki quickly got up, ignoring the pain as he ran
towards the shadows of an alleyway and as soon as he got there, he
quickly regretted it. Three men, one totally drunk, and the other two
looking less drunk, stumbled around while muttering "where is that
demon brat" as they rummaged through garbage cans. Naruto's skidding
stop had alerted them, and he stared them down for a fraction of a

second before running away as they chased him through the streets,
still totally drunk, and sluggish as they tried to give
chase.

Naruto pushed through the crowd of drunken people, grateful that most
of them were too drunk to turn and try to stop him. A few tried, but
in their drunken haze, it was like trying to grab a fish in a river
current. Naruto ran past the giant wooden fox as its head broke off
from the searing heat, and collapsed down in the massive wall of
flames that had been licking at the base of its neck. The once
metallic shine of the giant fox was now nothing more than black
scorch marks and burned holes that were dripping with the mixture
melted wood and smaller pieces of wood splinters.

He hated this place. The people talked of loyalty, of honor, of
friendship, and respect. But they chose to hate him. They hated him
for a reason that he couldn't explain. They hated him, and he hated
them. He wanted to get away from them. He was already running for his
life. What would a few extra thousand miles hurt?

He pumped his legs as quickly as he could as he could hear the
screams of revenge from behind him. Naruto managed to get out of the
village, blasting past the gate and three guards as he did. He didn't
dare look back. The guards wouldn't stop him, he knew that much. The
angry villagers, he wasn't too sure about. All he figured was that
they were still chasing after him. So he'd run. He'd run as fast as
he could. He'd leave the village so he wouldn't feel pain
anymore.

(-)

Xedraelee Onalerl stared out at the oddly blue and green world that
he and his scout force had found. He had found signs of life, human
life to be precise. He was one of many strike teams that had been
sent deeper into the system where the evil race of humans lived. In
his life, he had killed only three hundred humans personally with his
own hands. The rest he considered to be nothing short of a major
dishonor in his eyes. Using a ships' weapon system to glass a planet
from space wasn't something he enjoyed. He personally hated using it
to win a battle. To a Sangheili, honor was everything. You either
live with honor and die with honor, or have no honor at
all.

Xedraelee let out a small sigh as he walked towards the small control
panel of his scout ship, _Redemption_, and looked down over it
towards the small two manned controls that was the rest of the
bridge. Two of his men sat at their stations, checking the planet for
any other signs of life that might not be human. Though he doubted
the Covenant had made it this far just yet, he wouldn't put it past
them to actually have other scout ships in the area.

He eyed them carefully as they flipped switches, rotated orbs, and
pressed holographic keys before shaking their heads. Ahielee
Zarhatti, the youngest of the three by only one year, was the one to
sigh the hardest it seemed. "There is nothing but human and animal
life on the planet, Xedraelee." He reported almost instantly. He
wasn't the first Sangheili to question the orders given to them by
the three Hierarchs, and he wouldn't be the last.

Just why had they been ordered to destroy an entire race of people

that could learn from the Great Journey? Why had the Hierarchs
ordered their baptism by fire when they could join them in peace and
seek the same things? Maybe they were just looking into it too
deeply. After all, it wasn't like they hadn't fought with them
either. The Sangheili and the San'Shyuum had once been mortal enemies
until they formed a treaty to search for other holy relicts left to
them by their Gods. After they made peace, they seemed to start
another war, this time with the Lekgolo, though their war only lasted
a few months. The worms where quiet harmless unless combined into a
colony where they could use the body provided by the thick suits of
armor. Then they were a threat, and a force to be reckoned with. Of
course, the Unggoy had joined before then, and after several years of
working for them and being restricted several things, began a
rebellion. This had proven their worth to the Covenant, and they were
granted a special place in the military ranks.

Xedraelee wouldn't forget the other races that had joined, a few by
no means of force, but sometimes they weren't really worth it. A
single Sangheili could do what four squads of Kig-yar could do in
half of the time, and with better results. The Jiralhanae, one of the
more brutish races, were as strong as a single Sangheili, and
sometimes just as cunning and fast. But they lacked honor,
discipline, and above all else, true worth. Most of their ships were
hand-me-downs that had very little functioning equipment, and when it
was renewed, they were often repossessed. The Yanme'e, though odd and
weak, was very good at fighting on the wing, giving hell to any
ground-based opponents.

As Xedraelee closed his eyes, he wondered himself just why they were
ordered to burn every human world. Surely not all of the humans were
that bad.

His eyes opened, and he stood down between the two, putting a hand on
Raukee Odpaar's shoulder as he leaned over to take a closer look at
one of the screens he was watching. Raukee looked up at him almost
looking confused at what they were watching. The people they were
watching seemed to be burning something. It was too damaged to tell
what it once was, but there was no mistaking the crowd of happy
people running around as they continued their celebration.

Xedraelee had seen these before. They normally appeared when they
were disgraced by the UNSC, and were forced to retreat. These humans
obviously must have done something to them in order to be happy.
Maybe they weren't as primitive as he first thought. He couldn't
detect a Magnetic Accelerator Cannon (MAC) anywhere on the planet.
They had no high power grid like all the other worlds had. They
seemed to get their power from a nearby waterfall, meaning they got
it the old way before the Sangheili had learned how to harness the
power of their gifts left behind by the Forerunner's. Though it
pained them to do it, they had no other choice in the end.

Raukee tilted his head a bit as he magnified on a small image. It was
odd sight to him. He had never seen something like it before. Ahielee
looked over at it as well before the slightly older Sangheili brought
up on the main view screen. "What is it?" Xedraelee asked, curiosity
finding its way into his words.

"It would appear to be a human running away from other humans."
Xedraelee tilted his head to the side a bit as he watched the small
human child run out of the massive stone and wood gates of his home.

It was an odd sight. They were still chasing him. It seemed as though
only half of the twenty people chasing him had given up though. It
was truly amazing to see such a young looking boy run away from
adults though. Xedraelee remembered doing it once when he was very
little. It was probably before he started training.

Ahielee shook his head. "Humans," he said in disgust. "Why do you
think they chase him away? Do they not have honor in training their
young?" Xedraelee stood upright, his full height nearly bringing the
ceiling of the building onto his head. His bridge wasn't spacey, but
it did give them lots of room to work with, but still, a few more
inches in height might have been nice. Xedraelee turned to leave, his
long legs closing the distance between him and the sliding door in a
faction of a second. "Where are you going?"

"To the surface to check it out."

(-)

Naruto stopped as he tumbled through the trees at the fork in the
road. He jumped into the bushes and moved just a few small strands as
he watched a few of them run by him without paying a second glance at
the other road they could have taken. A few stopped and Naruto held
his breath before watching them run off, screaming about killing him.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they all passed. He
wanted nothing more to do with them. In the five years he'd been
alive, he'd been attacked only twice since he "Left the Orphanage",
and the last one had put him in ICU for nearly two weeks, that's with
the Kyuubi's help.

After waiting several minutes, Naruto crawled out from under the
bushes, his life now no longer in danger, and began plucking the
small thorns that were in his arms and legs. He was halfway down with
his left arm when a pitchfork went into calve. He dropped to the
ground instantly. Crying out in pain, he tried to pull the object out
with no real luck. For a bunch of drunks standing only ten feet away,
throwing a pitchfork was still rather hard. The man who had thrown it
had been aiming at his heart, rather than his leg. Of course when
you're drunk, you tend to think you're going to hit one thing when
you were actually hitting another.

Naruto continued to attempt removing the object as the drunken men
circled around, some patting their bats, steel pipes, and other odd
blunted objects while a few others were armed with broken katanas or
blunted kunai. A blunted kunai didn't make it less threatening to
Naruto. In fact, it made it worse. He would rather be cut by one then
he would be stabbed. He had been stabbed once. It wasn't very pretty
or fun for him.

"We're going to kill you now, Demon." At with that, the beating
commenced. Naruto's screams of pain echoed through the forest, but
were unanswered. He cried long and hard as they continued to beat
every inch of his body with their blunted weapons before the two men
with kunai and a busted katana stepped forward, ready to end it all.
Naruto watched in horror with stained eyes, and a bleeding head as
they approached him, one smiling evilly, the other a face full of
revenge.

The man drove the kunai into the back of his neck, cutting off
Naruto's airway before removing the object. As his body began to go

limp, the others began a series of stabbing motions into his body,
more so to keep him alive rather than dead. Even if they killed him,
they knew that the Hokage would surely kill them. But they wanted to
kill him so bad. He was an evil being. Why couldn't the Hokage see
that?

Just as they began to stop the beating and odd sound echoed from
behind them. One of them turned in time to see a ghost appear, and
then nothing at all. His body was thrown away, skewered by an odd
weapon that glowed in the dark. Just as the weapon began moving
towards them, it stopped, and a bright red light hit them from
behind.

(-)

Xedraelee landed down safely on the planet's surface. He was still a
few miles away from the town they had seen, and decided to keep it
that way until he checked out the odd boy that was being chased. He
wanted only to see why they ran him off. He figured that he had
stolen something, meaning that it might be worth something, even if
it was nothing but a piece of food, and then kill him. As for the
rest of the town, he was going to check that out later after making
sure the place was secure.

He activated his Active Camouflage (AC), and began running towards
the boys' last known location. With his long legs, and high stamina,
he was able to clear the gap in only a few minutes. He made sure to
move fast enough that even if they could see him, they really
wouldn't know it was him. As soon as he got near the boy, his eye
lingering with the few people that ran past him at the fork in the
road, he was certain that the boy had a reason to run.

He watched the boy for a few minutes, wondering just what he was
doing. Surely the boy had a reason to be afraid of them. Why else
would he run? Xedraelee had always believed that everything was done
for a reason. This also fit the case. He wanted to know just why the
boy ran. If it was for fun, he could understand that. If it was
because he stole something, he could understand that as well. Judging
by the images he had seen, the boy was obviously malnourished; a fate
that had claimed many lives with the weaker ranks.

After several minutes, the boy came out, picking off the small thorns
that covered his body. It was now that he got a good look at him. He
wore a shirt that was nearly three sizes too big for him, and was
tattered and worn out. He wore shorts that seemed more like pants,
and a small piece of string to keep them from falling down. His hair
was bright blond, like a sun kissed morning back on his home world.
The oddest thing about the boy was his three gashes that he had on
his cheeks. No human had ever had an odd thing like that on them, be
it some had painting drawn on their flesh but nothing like those.

As he readied his Plasma Sword, a piece of wood with three metal
spikes at the end of it stabbed into the boys' calves, effectively
pinning him to the ground. The boy cried in pain as he hit the
ground, his tiny arms quickly trying to remove the object while the
other humans, adults in size, began to circle him. Xedraelee
understood their language well as they spoke down to the boy. "We're
going to kill you now, Demon!" One of them spat. He didn't see who
said it, and he truly didn't care. The humans viewed this child as a
demon? Didn't humans have more honor than this? He had always seen

them drag their wounded off, never leaving one behind unless they had
no other choice. So why would they resort to such violent tactics
now?

As one of them began stabbing the boy with a rusted weapon, Xedraelee
let out a low growl as he stepped out of his cover, his AC flickering
as he activated his Plasma Sword. One of the men turned to greet the
sound, a wide grin on his face before seeing the odd weapon. He
stabbed him through the chest, his massive hands grasping his head
and hoisting him up without any effort. He tossed him aside, and
began marching towards the group of weary men.

He raised his weapon menacingly as a few began to scream. As he was
about to kill another; a bright red light began to shine from the boy
behind the men. His body glowing blood red as he somehow stood back
up, ignoring the pain his body must have been in. Even the mightiest
of the Sangheili would not stand from such wounds. So how had the boy
managed to do it? A question he wanted answered most instantly as the
boy cracking his neck to the side before turning around. The red
light blazed fourth as he glared at the men around them.

Xedraelee didn't know what to do. He was frozen in place by this boy.
This odd boy. God like he was. The red light twisting and turning
around his body, like a second skin being born. His nails turned into
claws. His eyes became dark crimson with slitted pupils just like his
own. The three odd markings on the side of his face thickened, and a
deep set of fangs began growing from his mouth. A single red tail
formed from the light as it solidified into a transparent
form.

Xedraelee was amazed by this. He knew not to bow before it or attack
it. To him this was a sign from the Gods. A God living in the flesh
of a human. Irony may have been a word used to describe should there
be others around to watch it, but alas, there was not.

The humans before him backed away in fear, some mumbling words that
he couldn't quite make out. He understood a few of them, but chose to
ignore them as he deactivated his weapon.

The Sangheili took a step back, his eyes never leaving the young boy
as he took a step towards the men. In one motion, the boy threw his
arm out, and the transparent boy tossed an arm at them, grabbing two
with a large hand before crushing them. _Such power, _Xedraelee
thought. _By the Prophets, what have I found?! _A moment of joy
entered his eyes. He found something extraordinary. This had to be a
sign from the Gods. They had not abandoned their great cause. His joy
was short lived as the humans began to turn tide and run. He quickly
upholstered his sword again, lighting it up in the dead of the night
as he became visible.

The boy clearly noticed him, but paid him no mind as he continued
crushing those he could capture. In a short time, the men were all
dead, the boy and Sangheili stared each other down. One with crimson
eyes that reflected a great rage burning within him, the other a pair
of reptilian eyes that had a sense of joy in them. Xedraelee knelt
down before him, his eyes closing as he spoke. "You need not be
afraid of me, my Lord. I am your follower, Xedraelee Onalerl. I am
yours to command." The boy stared him down for a few moments before
his eyes closed, and his body pitched forward, the red aura
vanishing. Xedraelee caught him before he could hit the ground, his

eyes scanning over the boy as his body continued to bleed out. _My
Lord, he bleeds! _He quickly contacted his ship. In a few moments, a
small beam of light came down from the star night sky as a single
small tube of a ship appeared above him. _My Lord, you shall never
again be tormented by these humans. _

(-)

Raukee blinked a few times as he stared down at the human child. The
boy lay partially naked on a large table, designed for most races of
the Covenant. Small mechanical arms twitched as they began to mend
his soft flesh with small lasers. Though somewhat crude in design,
they were able to mend flesh, and keep it mended long enough for a
real doctor to take a look. Raukee however, wasn't so much confused
by the appearance of the child as he was by what Xedraelee was
telling him.

"You expect me to believe that this human holds a God?" Xedraelee
nodded, and looked down at the child. "You lie," His fingers began
inching towards his Plasma Sword. Xedraelee met his angry gaze, his
sword fully gripped, ready to defend his God. "You would have us
believe that this human actually holds a God in him. I think your
years as a commander has led you to have blind power. You see only
what you want to see, and believe others will believe you no matter
what." He growled while gripping his weapon tightly.

Ahielee, watching from the corner of the room, staring at the boy. He
wasn't one to question his commander, even if the current situation
was something anyone else would question. His views on his
commander's sanity now were thinning, but part of him partially
believed his story. Like Xedraelee, he viewed things from a different
perspective. He believed everything happened for a reason. The odd
markings on his cheeks were proof of this.

"Perhaps if we simply check the video logs, we might see if he speaks
the truth." The two older Sangheili stopped arguing long enough to
turn towards the younger member. He had a valid idea. It would prove
to Raukee that he spoke the truth, and he could once again, put him
in his place, showing him that he was commander. The three left the
room, making sure to lock the door, even if it was against
Xedraelee's wishes.

(-)

Naruto's head was hurting. It was hurting quite a lot actually. He
had experienced pain like it before, but never remembered how he got
it. As he began to sit up, the first thing he noticed was that he was
partially naked. His shirt had been thrown to the floor, and his
pants were removed as well. Sitting beside him was a small set of
silver silk robes. He blinked a few times before putting them on. It
was too big. Really too big for him actually. He was certain that
only a person that stood about seven or nine feet tall could wear it
without problems. But he'd rather wear it then he would his old
clothing. He didn't have to remember what happened to know that they
were covered with blood.

Looking around the room, he became quite certain that he wasn't in
Konoha's Hospital. In fact, he was probably dead. That would at least
make sense for the robes, but that wouldn't make sense for all the
strange lights that flickered on and off, the odd pieces of metal

with needles on the end of it, or the odd fact that there was no
visible light bulb hanging from the ceiling, yet he somehow could see
clear as day in the room.

Naruto decided not to pay attention to it. Instead, he jumped off the
comfy bed he was resting on, and dropped down to the metal floor
underneath him. He was surprised that it was warm to the touch,
rather than icy cold. His sapphire eyes blinked as he shifted from
foot to foot, trying to understand why it was warm rather than cold.
He gave up after a few minutes, and simply smiled. Another test
proving that he wasn't dead… yet.

A hissing sound behind alerted him, and he turned around, a big smile
forming on his face before he noticed what stood before him. Though
covered in black armor, it was very easy to tell that it wasn't
human. It was far from it actually. Four odd pieces of flesh and
teeth made up its jaw, and its head was narrowed, much like a snake
in his eyes. Both eyes were reptilian, and on the side of its head,
rather than up front. It stood no taller than probably nine feet, and
was hunched over just a bit, making it look less than seven feet
tall. Two more were beside it, both looking just as equally confused
as he was before he backed into a corner.

"Who…Who…who are you?" Naruto's child-like voice caused one of
them to drop to his knees, the other two doing the same, but much
slower. Naruto stared at them for a minute, wondering if he was
really dead. Now that they were on their knees, he was able to see
that them straight in the eye.

"I am Xedraelee Onalerl, my Lord." The one in the middle spoke, its
head rising just a bit, making eye contact with Naruto before looking
back down at the ground again. "Forgive us for not getting to you
sooner, my Lord. These humans must have brought you great pain. We
have come to take you away from here?"

"Take… take me away?" No way. Naruto looked the three over. This
had to be a trick. Here he was, standing up against the corner of
some oddly lit room, calling him their lord, and stating they came to
take him away? Yep, he had to be dead. "Well this just blows." The
three looked up at him, confusion visible in their eyes. "I'm dead
aren't I? You three must be some form of Angels that have come to
take me to hell because I'm a "Demon", and you are just messing
around with me until we get there." Naruto shook his head at the
irony of it all.

"Forgive me, my Lord, but you are not dead." The one on the left
spoke up. It kept its gaze on the floor. "I, Raukee Odpaar, speak the
truth when I say that you are not dead. Xedraelee rescued you from
those humans, and brought you here. We are on our way to the holy
city, High Charity. Our Prophets shall speak to you of the ages you
have missed in your prison of flesh." Naruto raised a brow at his
words, but shook it off. Whoever or whatever they were, he didn't
want to make them angry. That was the last thing he
needed.

"Okay…" The three figures looked up at him when a loud growl echoed
from his stomach. The three shared a look of confusion before worry
crossed their faces. The one on the right got up to leave, coming
back a few minutes later with a plate of meat. He couldn't quiet tell
what it was, and he probably shouldn't ask what it was. When the

strange creature knelt down to hand it over to him, Naruto's stomach
roared again, and he sighed while taking the offered plate of food.
The figure backed away slowly, his head still down.

Naruto began eating on the odd pieces of meat, and found them rather
delicious, despite not being able to identify them, or even guess
what they might be. As he ate quietly, the three figures kept their
heads down, not sure on whether to talk to him, or simply leave him
alone to eat. They decided to speak with him.

"My Lord, have you a name for us to call you by?" Naruto swallowed
the meat in his gullet before answering.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he looked over again. They weren't as scary as he
first thought. True they were odd looking, but they were nothing
dangerous. Naruto tilted his head a bit, eyeing the other that had
yet to name its self. "What's your name?"

The third figure looked around a few times before remembering that he
had yet to give his name. "I am Ahielee Zarhatti, Uzumaki." He kept
his head down, his own mind telling him he was somehow unworthy to
gaze upon him.

"So… where are we going?"

"We are heading to our holy city, High Charity." Ahielee answered
calmly.

"And where is that?"

"It is on the outer rim of the UNSC's controlling system. We shall be
there in a few hours." Xedraelee answered. Naruto shrugged his tiny
shoulders, and put the plate on the bed in front of him. Ahielee
grabbed it, and walked away, ready to wash it. Xedraelee watched
Naruto look around the room for a few minutes before he too looked
around. He quickly realized that this place was not suitable for
someone like Naruto, and quickly stood back up. "Forgive me, Uzumaki,
but we have only few rooms on our vessel. I shall let you take mine
for the night. I'm certain you must be exhausted from using your holy
power." Naruto didn't catch the last part. He was tired, and after
eating his fill, it was no wonder that he suddenly passed out again.
Xedraelee managed to catch him before he fell, and picked him up
gently. "Our lord needs rest. Alert me when we come in range of High
Charity. I wish to speak with the Prophets about the boy. They must
be made aware of him before we bring him in."

Raukee nodded, and walked off, the door hissing close as Xedraelee
began to leave with the boy in his arms.

2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

The Prophet of Truth rubbed his lateral neck as he fought back the
urge to scream as he exited the council meeting. Why did he want to
be the religious leader for the Covenant again? Then he remembered
what the Oracle had said while he looked for a conformation on a