Zacharael shook his head in consternation as he and the other Archangels filed into the room. This was not going to end up well. With both Hope and Mercy missing, the voice of Lumen was almost completely lost in the council. The faction that favored the God of Order was present in full strength, while even the moderate presences seemed to be trapped outside Paradisia. Of the eight Archangels, only five were present. Justice, Glory, and Order would use this opportunity to their advantage without a doubt, and there was little he could do to stop it. The opportunity was just too good for Empyrean to pass. The Archangel of Order would most likely push for the leadership over the armies during the Morningstar’s absence at the very least.

As if on cue, the effeminate looking Archangel of Order stepped forward to start the emergency proceedings. The council had taken some time to assess the damage caused by the recent attack, to hunt for possible culprits, and to come up with possible actions that needed to be taken in the current situation. They had all handled many of the day to day decision that had to be made but now they were prepared to make some larger decisions. Unfortunately. “Brothers and sisters. We have suffered a grievous blow. We are facing an unprecedented situation and we must make some harsh choices.”

Zacharael tuned out Empyrean’s posturing. The Champion of Nasir-Sin was prone to such things, not unlike the god he served. Empyrean would have done it even if the other Archangels were his only audience, even though they at least were wise to his tricks, but in this case, the posturing did serve a further purpose. As the inhabitants of Paradisia needed to be reassured that their leaders were not standing idle during this crisis, the entire council meeting was magically shown in many government buildings and plazas of Paradisia. This time Empyrean was posturing for a greater audience than usual, so he went further in his histrionics than he normally did. Such theatrics had their use, even though Empyrean would turn those theatrics to less noble uses later on.

Zacharael paid more attention once the discussion turned in his direction. He had been asked about the whereabouts of the missing Archangels and the positioning of the armies of Paradisia. He would have to explain things more clearly because the audience was not necessarily aware of all the recent developments, nor should they be as they were not privy to the council’s decisions or deliberations. How bothersome. This is why he disliked allowing others to observe the meetings of the Council of Archangels.

“The majority of our forces were pulling towards the core worlds due to the recent division among the gods. We wanted to make sure that there would be no opportunity for the armies to get fractured by divided loyalties between deities, thus falling to internal struggle. It would not serve the best interests of Paradisia to have our armies mixed up in a civil war between the gods. As a result, most of our forces are either trapped within Paradisia or the neighboring major worlds. We could not pull back all our forces of course, which is why some of those forces are now trapped further away or even on the borders. The lacking strength of the scattered forces is slightly worrisome.” Zacharael was silent for a moment, not entirely sure how much he should reveal. Finally, he decided to just go for it.

“The Archangels of Hope and Mercy are currently missing, and we have reports that they were seen entering Assembly controlled areas few weeks ago. We can’t determine the purpose of their trip at this time. The whereabouts of the Archangel of Death are currently completely unknown as well. The Morningstar was last located on a particular garrison world training a relatively large contingent of our Seraphim and Cherubim warriors. We have not managed to make contact, but we assume he is fine. The world in question is almost self-sufficient and can support our forces for years if necessary, so the only question is how long it will take for us to connect with the Morningstar to receive his instructions.” Zacharael gave Empyrean exactly what the other Archangel needed with his words about the Morningstar. Empyrean would find other ways of getting there even if he didn’t, and this way Zacharael could have the other Archangel owe him one.

“According to your estimation, are any of our armies or the missing Archangels in immediate danger?” Empyrean posed a question. Asking such questions from the Archangel of Wisdom was common as he could calculate complex odds fairly easily. He usually also had the best sources of information and could view situations from multiple angles.

“The armies within Paradisia and on nearby worlds are not. The worlds in question can all support themselves and even though the presence of our armies will put a strain on their logistics, we angels can go through long periods of time with little to no provisions. As I mentioned before, the Morningstar should be safe unless something completely outside our expectations happens. The situation with the missing Archangels can’t be determined. If Hope and Mercy have been captured by the Assembly, then they might be at risk, but I suspect they are fine. I’d place their odds of survival at 95%. The Archangel of Death is an expert at surviving almost any conditions, so she should be fine no matter where she is.” Zacharael gave a short estimation. If he was speaking just to the council, then he would’ve gone to details and more exact numbers, but now it was a bit inappropriate.

At that, Empyrean turned back to theatrics and started a pathos-filled speech about the need for unity and strong leadership during such a dire situation. Naturally he didn’t personally get to see the excitement building up among the gathered angels observing the proceedings all around Paradisia, but the building emotions were not hard to imagine. Empyrean of course emphasized the temporary nature of the new position of leadership, just until the Morningstar could take his rightful place.

Naturally Empyrean didn’t mention that the spatial mages of the angels would for some unexplained reason have so many other worlds to connect to first, and when the time came to connect with the sector the Morningstar was in, some odd difficulties with the process would be discovered. Of course those difficulties would be entirely temporary, but would still last a surprisingly long time. Empyrean would make sure of that. In fact, it would be great if the issue persisted until either the dragons or the Assembly attacked that sector and dealt with the problem. Even if the Morningstar did return, Empyrean would use all the time until then for solidifying his leadership. After that, there would be less resistance if an ‘accident’ were to happen. Maybe another attack on a gate just as the Morningstar was passing through?

With the hidden audience worked up into a frenzy, Empyrean called for the council to vote on a temporary leader. The whole thing was a sham of course. They all knew how the vote would end. Even if Zacharael and the Archangel of Destiny tried to go against the others, Empyrean had the votes he needed. As a result, they all elected Empyrean unanimously to show their unity during these trying times. Part of wisdom was knowing when and where to pick your battles. Empyrean was officially granted the temporary title of Executor, a war leader usually selected during times of war if the Morningstar was unable to handle or unsuitable for that role.

As Zacharael had feared, Empyrean was not satisfied with just this victory. “Have we found any evidence about the perpetrator of this unprecedented attack that has crippled us?” The new Executor asked Zacharael.

“We have actually found too much evidence.” He could sense where this was headed, how could he not, but this was not the time for resistance. Not yet.

“Too much evidence? That seems unlikely. How can that be possible?” Empyrean feigned ignorance. He knew what Zacharael had found; he was just playing for the crowd.

“We have managed to contact some of the nearby worlds and they have confirmed our findings. We have evidence implicating pretty much every possible party you could imagine. This includes the Assembly, the Dragonflight, the Pantheon, the gods, some small dissident groups, and even some of the Archangels present in the council at the moment. Among countless others. It is likely that whoever is behind the attacks planted all the evidence just in case they left something that might implicate them behind. Such things would be lost in the sea of evidence. There is also a possibility that the one responsible wanted to sow discord with the evidence.” Zacharael replied, trying to soften what was coming.

Empyrean turned towards the Archangel of Destiny. “Can the fates provide us with answers about the guilty party?”

The old Archangel considered the question for a while. “Focusing on the culprit would be in error. The danger doesn’t come from them, but from parties that stand to take advantage of the situation.” As usual, the old man didn’t answer the question straight, but he also dropped an unexpected nugget of information that could be interpreted in many ways. It could be a hint of prophecy. Or it could be a tacit approval of Empyrean’s planned actions.

Empyrean naturally interpreted it as the latter and turned back towards Zacharael. “I disagree with not focusing on someone that has attacked us in such a heinous way, but I take my fellow Archangel’s point. Knowing who can benefit from the current situation can help us find the culprit as well. Zacharael, who would benefit from this situation the most?”

“The obvious answer is the Assembly and the Dragonflight. The two are likely to take advantage of the situation to put aside their differences and attack us instead.” He answered. He had hoped that the Archangel of Destiny would be able to save them from this situation by pointing in another direction, but no such luck.

Empyrean put on an exaggerated look of confusion. “The Assembly? Do correct me if I’m mistaken, but I believe you mentioned earlier that the Archangels of Mercy and Hope had escaped that way. Just before the attacks happened I might add. This seems a bit much for a mere coincidence. Tell me, what are the odds of this attack being perpetrated with the help of angels?” He even used the provocative word ‘escaped’ just to implicate the two Archangels without actually coming out and saying it.

Zacharael didn’t see or hear the audience gasping in sudden realization, but he could imagine it. “Very high. An attack of this magnitude and precision requires either decades of meticulous planning and careful execution, or quite a bit of inside help from some parties that would not be a suspected before the attack.”

He knew that Rahmiel and Theliel were not involved, but that was based on his personal experience with the two individuals and not on evidence or reason. The situation truly didn’t look good. Of course, the inside help could’ve also come from Empyrean and his cohorts, and he certainly stood to gain even more than the Assembly. It was just that you didn’t lob such accusations at the Archangels of Order and Justice without some really solid proof.

“So let me see if I understand this correctly. It is very likely that the terrible attack on Paradisia and all the angels outside of it was helped by someone on the inside that would not be suspect in a normal situation. And just before the attack happens, the Archangels of Hope and Mercy lead the prominent clergy of Lumen to seek shelter with the Assembly, one of the parties most likely to benefit from the attack. This also happens after a schism forms between Lumen and Nasir-Sin. The two Archangels in question also happen to be the most prominent servants of Lumen, along with the clergy they so conveniently took with them. Have I got this right?” Empyrean had a solemn look as he questioned the Archangel of Wisdom, but his tone was filled with honey, as if this was the best moment of his life. Even Empyrean couldn’t quite mask his enjoyment of the situation despite his gift for acting.

“You are not mistaken.” Zacharael was forced to admit grudgingly, something that he was careful to keep from his tone.

The rest of the meeting went down a path Zacharael had expected. Empyrean called for the capture of Rahmiel and Theliel and started inciting all the people observing into capturing and even purging the followers of Lumen as the most likely perpetrators of the attack. The observers were already primed by his earlier rhetoric and had been searching for someone to blame after the attack. Empyrean had just provided them with the perfect target. This was one of the most effective ways of turning the populace at large against the servants of Lumen without being mired in an endless internal struggle. Painting the servants of Lumen as responsible for the attack removed lot of the sympathies they would have otherwise enjoyed. Instead of fighting against this new purge, the relatives and loved ones of those serving Lumen would turn into hiding those unfortunate people away from the people out for their blood.

--------

Dee watched with trepidation as the enormous black scaled dragon approached her. She had heard some things of the fairly elusive Black Dragon Aspect and was also aware that he was the dragon who had helped Selvaria destroy the hells. Suddenly she turned towards the purple dragon that had been sniffing her. “No. Licking. Understand?” To emphasize her words, Dee’s Domain pushed down on the dragon and she released a fair bit of bloodlust just to make things clear.

The purple dragon was frozen in the licking motion, just about to touch Dee, and finally backed off with a small protesting sound in its throat. “Hyacinth, go bother someone else.” The large black dragon commanded. As everyone present already expected, the command had absolutely no effect on the Faerie Dragon.

Suddenly a large and thick black tail slammed down on the spot where the purple dragon had been just a moment before. With a cackle, the small dragon flew around the tail and shot a bolt of arcane energy towards the black dragon that fizzled away before even getting close to the shining scales. Apparently the title of the Aspect of Anti-Magic was not just for show. The small purple dragon looked somewhat miffed at that, but there was little it could do about that. The dragon once again landed close to Dee and continued sniffing. The nearby Silver Dragon Aspect seemed extremely amused for some reason.

With a deep grumble, the black dragon turned back towards Dee and ignored the Faerie Dragon. “I’m known as Mneventh. I was a…friend of Selvaria’s.” He seemed to quietly grumble a bit more to himself. “You could say I’m something like an unofficial uncle of yours. In fact, I’m somewhat surprised Selvaria didn’t send you to me when her problems with the angels started. For some reason, she sent you to that useless Xinglong instead.”

He also looked at Dee’s horns where Croestia was staying and sent a silent message that only Croestia and Dee heard. “Pendant. It’s good to see you again, even if you don’t remember me. Hopefully Selvaria hasn’t gotten into more trouble now that you’re no longer around keeping her in line.” Croestia either didn’t reply or Dee didn’t hear the reply. Croestia had inherited a large portion of Dee’s personality, and her response to an unknown situation like this was to either stay silent or to get uppity. Dee wasn’t entirely sure which path Croestia took.

The silver dragon sitting on her haunches just behind the black dragon seemed to have a very exaggerated expression filled with astonishment and twisted enjoyment at the black dragon’s words. In fact, she couldn’t imagine old Mneventh acting so nicely towards anyone. Just the mere fact that he had not already squashed Hyacinth was what she would call a positive development worthy of praise. Usually the cranky Black Dragon had no patience with the mercurial Faerie Dragons and he was perhaps the only one that didn’t have anything to fear from the almost purely magical beings.

“Well if it makes you feel any better, Xinglong is no longer alive.” Dee replied, a little weirded out by the situation.

“WHAT?! I suspected that something had gone wrong since the Living Mountain was following you around, but who dares to attack Xinglong?” Mneventh was suddenly angry. He disliked the Astral Dragon immensely, but also considered it something akin to blasphemy that someone other than him had killed the rival dragon.

“There’s no need to worry. Vengeance has already been taken. Not that I even saw Xinglong that much, but still.” Dee said in a tone that wasn’t consoling, but rather firm in her own actions instead.

“Didn’t spend much time? Never mind, that sounds like a long story and this is not the time or place. We can swap stories later. I heard that your dragon form is a mix of an Abyssal and an Astral Dragon. I assume this is Xinglong’s doing to counter your Abyssal side? Can you show me?” Mneventh still found it bothersome to speak so softly and carefully, but what else were you supposed to do when dealing with a young girl that was practically your niece?

“Can I ask why?” Dee felt the situation was a little suspicious.

Mneventh released a small sound that seemed a little like a cough. “The form has something of a special place in the minds of many dragons. I’ve seen the combination only twice before, and it would actually go a long way towards making these talks go more smoothly.” Mneventh wasn’t explaining everything and made it clear that he wouldn’t just yet.

Dee decided to oblige him for now. She noticed how difficult it seemed for the dragon to stay polite, and appreciated the effort even if it was somewhat pointless. Despite her rank, Dee’s dragon form wasn’t exactly enormous by the standards of ancient dragons. The size of a dragon was somewhat affected by the power of the dragon, but mostly it was just a factor of age and the type of dragon you were. The light shining from beneath her scales had become even clearer though and her form was rather impressive even if it was completely dwarfed by the surrounding dragons. She had drawn the attention of all the dragons present after changing shapes.

“It truly is the real thing.” The Silver Dragon stated in a slight daze. She was here for two things. She wanted to confirm Dee’s draconic form and she also wanted to gauge the Champion that had a part in throwing the gods into such turmoil.

“Alright, I think you should tell me what the significance is now that I’ve obliged you.” Dee stated, noticing the odd reaction from the dragons.

“It’s not really the form itself, but the other two dragons before you that had the same combination or races were rather important for the Dragonflight. You might not be aware but you are not the first of your kind when it comes to being a combination of the two dragon clans.” Mneventh started, but his explanation was cut short by a derisive laughter.

A large Bronze Dragon was walking towards them with the mocking tone of his laughter rather clear. “Such a tiny wyrm. Why would we be bothered by something barely larger and older than a hatchling? Does she even count as an adult dragon with that size?”

For some reason, Dee hated this new dragon instantly. Well, she had a couple of obvious reasons to hate him right off the bat due to the way he acted, but her hatred seemed deeper than that for some reason. Something about the Bronze Dragon just irked her in the worst possible way. She reacted accordingly. “That’s funny coming from someone like you. I would’ve thought your mommy has told you several times that size doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s because others don’t say with the same tone of pity that you’re used to hearing. I’d say that derision might work too since you’ve probably heard that from any female dragon you’ve failed to impress.”

The Bronze Dragon growled a bit in anger and was about to retort but was suddenly blown away by a torrent of arcane energy from the Faerie Dragon. Dee could sense that the protective field surrounding the Bronze Dragon had been extremely effective and had stopped the majority of the attack, but a portion of the power sent by the tiny dragon had simply gone through the field. “Stay away soft-scale!” The purple dragon stated in a menacing tone before making a dismissive sniff. “I don’t need anyone smelling of rust standing so close to me.”

The Bronze Dragon roared a bit before speaking again. “It seems you’re finally showing the lunacy of your kind Hyacinth. Another tiny wyrm defending her compatriot while attacking an Aspect. I should’ve expected such idiocy from you, and I’ll have your skull for this.” Clearly he was picking a fight on purpose, though the purpose eluded Dee a bit. She had too little information.

She turned towards Mneventh. “Is that feeble idiot really an Aspect? Somehow I expected better from dragons, but I suppose that was too much to ask.”

Mneventh grinned in mutual distaste of the Bronze Dragon. This was more to his liking. No more politeness. “I think you’ve humiliated yourself enough whelp. State your business and once you’re done, you can leave. We don’t need incompetent dragons here, as all you’re doing is ruining our reputation.” He looked towards Dee slyly. A sudden thought occurred to him. Maybe he could use the idiot to his advantage. “Or maybe you should act like a dragon instead of barking like a cat. If you think she is lesser than you because of her size, maybe you should put that to a test.”

Dee didn’t bother correcting Mneventh about cats and barking. That would mean nothing to the dragon anyway. She realized some of what the large dragon was trying to do though. It seemed power was an important factor to the dragons and if her showing off a little bit of her power helped, then why not? The Bronze Dragon was one of the rank twelve Aspects and obviously had not realized the difference between them, blinded by his disdain and odd hatred. She wouldn’t need to go all out. Besides, she would enjoy killing him.

“Unless you’re afraid that is.” She goaded the Bronze Dragon. After that, there was no way for the poor dragon to back away. The negotiations between the two groups were about to get some extra entertainment. The only problem was that Hyacinth wanted to take part as well.