Luck. I think a few of us were all trying to plain jail breaks, but it was harder since Thorne's dungeons nullified natural abilities.

[Hilda, it was a terrible time.]

If they had any affiliations, they did not make them known. I can't say I've seen the two around the Free Cities at any point either.

[Alucard frowns, weighing the thoughts carefully.]

We know that there have been Summoned in the past. Maybe they left some work behind, or shared notes that have been kept private for generations, resulting in what we see now.