The words which Balthasar had spoken were enough to send chills down the spine of everyone who had heard them. Mother was shielding a living being? Preposterous!
She was the mother of death, after all, and all undead beings were her children. Why would she side with the enemies of her own offspring? It was simply unbelievable.
Had anyone other than Balthasar spoken these words, then it would have been akin to blasphemy. But Balthasar was different. He was the closest among the Horde Kings to their absent mother. If he were to suggest such a thing, then it was not Blasphemy. In fact, it was closer to a concept like that of divine truth.
Hushed whispers quickly spread across the hive mind, of which all Horde Kings were a part of. Brothers and sisters alike spoke their own thoughts on the matter, wondering if perhaps Balthasar was right.
That is until Damian finally spoke above them all. Judging by the tone in his voice, he was not pleased with the idea that their Mother would be assisting their enemies, and was quick to call the very idea into question.
"You can't honestly believe that Mother of all people is shielding the living from us? She created us! It is for her that we have conquered this world! So why then would she suddenly turn to the humans and protect them from our servants?"
Balthasar did not seem to enjoy the idea of someone questioning his authority on the matter, after all his tone was already filled with envy at the idea that this living being had been blessed by their mother, and it was clear he did not wish to pose such a concept to his siblings unless it was absolutely necessary.
For Damian to oppose him here, it was simply like pouring salt on an open wound. And because of that, his voice was hoarse as he hurled his insults towards Damian as if they were mortal rivals rather than estranged brothers.
"You dare question me? If I wasn't on the other side of the world from you, I would march my horde into your territory and force you onto your knees for such insolence!"
An all out brawl was avoided between two of the world's most powerful Horde Kings as they snapped out of their own obstinance and instead pondered deeply about the possibility that perhaps what their sister had said was actually true.
If the man in question was an actual horde of king, perhaps one who was not fully developed, then it would explain their mother's blessings being granted upon him. But if that were the case, then why was he killing his own siblings?
To blend in with the humans? Why? Humanity was on the way out. They were just a few years away from complete and total extinction. This much was evident. What with them being pressed into small pens like the cattle, they were.
Where their fate was to be feasted upon by the undead as they pleased.
And with the overwhelming amount of infighting that the humans seemed to love engaging in. It was only a matter of time before they went the way of the dodo bird. So why would this man who seemed to have been blessed with their Mother's boon hide among humanity? What purpose could such a thing serve?
It was then that another Horde King voiced her own opinion on this exact matter. Her voice was not as alluring as Lilith's was. In fact, it was quite meek, almost as if she were intimidated by the mere presence of her elder siblings. But the words she posed resounded with each and every one of them, almost as if it was the missing piece of the puzzle they had long since been searching for.
"What if this mysterious brother of ours is hiding among the humans so that he can learn the secrets of their newfound powers? Perhaps mother has sent him as a spy to hide among their ranks, and to learn everything he can about their mysterious abilities, which have coincidentally appeared along with the rise of our domains?"
What this feminine Horde King said made some form of sense. Especially when the rest of them had no better explanation to go by. Still, would their mother really sanction the second death of her beloved children for the sake of understanding the truth behind humanity's newfound powers?
One needed only think about this question for a single second before coming to the conclusion that yes, that is exactly what the Mother of Death would do. And because of this misunderstanding among the Horde Kings, Zane unknowingly gained a form of protection and a status among the undead who believed he was their double agent acting on the orders of their Mother.