All activity in the workshop stopped as a blue glow caught everyone's eye.

Han didn't pay attention to all the faces staring at him, looking intently at the blade beneath him instead. Blue arteries were spreading across the grey metal, slowly reaching the edges. He would have to time this just right. If he didn't stop the process quickly, the metal would overflow with power and explode, but if he took it out early, there would be no point in imbuing the sword with magical strength in the first place. Still, better early than late as his previous failure had shown him.

He lifted the to-be-sword using sturdy tongs, instincts guiding his hands, as he moved a few meters and dipped it into cold water. After counting to three, he turned around and placed the blade on a metal platform.

"Now," he told the girl standing next to him.

Hui narrowed her eyes in concentration as she moved her hands and released the stabilizing spell she had crafted. A whistling sound rang in Han's ears as a gentle wind hit the metal a second later.

"Uff, I hope that worked," Hui said, panting a little, "I won't be able to come back to my full capacity till tomorrow's end because of it."

"Me too," Han murmured and watched the sword for a second. The blue lines slowly stabilized, instead of disappearing as they did on his first attempt. He turned his face to her and grinned, and she returned the gesture.

"I told you a stabilizing spell would work," she said.

"Well, I don't know all that much about how all those things work," Han replied, a little defensively.

Han always dreamed of making a difference in the world but didn’t have any role models to look to. Everyone who mattered was either royalty or powerful mages. And Han didn’t have a drop of either.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the applause of all the smiths in the workshop. Han awkwardly raised his hand in thanks before deciding that that was not an elegant gesture. So he brought his hand down when he thought of his uncle raising his hand and decided that raising his hand could be elegant. However, this time the movement was more awkward.

He could see some of them looking at each other and smiling, so he decided to divert the topic.

"Thank you, but let's get back to work. There is a war coming," he reminded them, "The Gazaarians will be outside our gates any minute."

The reminder sobered them all up, and he felt a little guilty.

Han himself had started working more in the last week, not only because there was more work to be done but also because it helped keep the fear away. Some positivity could help push the dread away a little, he decided.

"As a reward, you can go home after you finish your quotas for the day," he told them, and they all cheered, and the hammers started moving again after a second.

There was a coughing sound behind him, and Han turned to face Hui.

"How does anyone get used to the smoke here?" she asked.

"There is no evil greater than the one inside mortals. If they can get used to each other, they can get used to anything else," Han quoted, more seriously than he meant to be.

"Never heard that one before. Whose is it? Valkia?" Hui asked curiously.

"Reundethor," Han said and began cleaning up. Hui dusted herself and sat on the edge of the metal platform.

"We could use a five-hundred-year-old mage on our side," Hui said wistfully.

That was true, but Reundethor wouldn't fight for them, given that one of his Pupils was on the other side. But he had learned from his mistake a minute ago and decided not to remind Hui of the Green Witch.

He looked again at the sword. It looked like it had cooled. He gripped it and tried a few basic drills his aunt had taught him. The sword was lighter than he had hoped it would be. When it moved, it left behind blue wisps of energy in the air. A small satisfied smile found his face.

"What can it do?" Hui asked, following the blade's movements closely.

"Strike ten times as hard as a regular one," he said, "Though it needs to be recharged manually after a few times."

"You're gonna use it for the fight?"

"Yeah, figured it can't hurt. If I am going to have to survive near mages like you trying to kill each other, I am going to need something more than just my hands."

He stopped moving the blade, closed his eyes, and focused. A sharp feeling near his heart, and the sword disappeared into his pocket dimension.

"You could also do quite a bit of damage using surprise if you can summon it at the right moment," Hui said after a bit of thought.

"I am planning on doing that," he replied, "I have to use the one thing I have, don't I?"

Hui frowned and looked like she wanted to say something but decided not to. Han was glad- the last line had come out a little bitter. It was true, though- he had achieved quite a bit with just his mind. How much more could he have done with a little bit of magical ability?

"I think I'll leave," Hui said after a moment, "Amaar will be waiting. You're sure you don't want to come? Amaar and I won't be able to answer questions about your part of it."

"No. Yes, I mean, I am sure." Han replied, "I'm more valuable working here and making a few more spears for the walls. Besides, you speak more than enough for all three of us."

She rolled her eyes at him and was about to reply when a deep voice broke through the noise of the smith.

"Hey, Guys," Amaar said.

"I thought you were supposed to wait for me at the Council?" Hui asked.

"Have news. Councillor Hikari summoned Han specifically." Amaar replied.

Amaar and Hui were a study in differences. Amaar was tall, had calm eyes, and had brown skin that betrayed an origin from the Realm of Kaseas. He also didn't talk more than he had to, unlike Hui. Hui had light yellow skin, like Han, and radiated excitement all the time.

"Why?" Hui asked before Han could ask the same question.

"If I knew, I would have told you," Amaar replied, "Let's go. We are running late."

"I have stuff to do here, though," Han said.

"Amara can take care of it. She is twice your age and has been doing this for much longer than you. Won't you, Amara?" Hui said, to Han's irritation. He preferred staying here and losing himself in the smithing.

"I will, ma'am," the woman in question said, "Go Han, we can survive without you for a while. Also, Han, could you teach us how to make that?"

"Uhh, maybe later," he said hastily,” It involves a few things that require time. Besides, I have other-"

"We are running late," Amaar repeated before Han could make up a better excuse than 'stuff to do'. Hui and Amaar started dragging him towards the door with coordinated ease, and Han only started walking to avoid looking like a fool in front of the workers.

They came out on a busy street, filled with all the peasants who had flooded into the city when they heard the Gazaarians had decided to invade. Laborers were moving around rations and weapons in carts, and soldiers moved around, keeping order.

Even in the chaos, many eyes moved to them, whispers following.

Hui and Amaar were famous since they were children, having enough magical strength to be called "Omegas". And like all Omegas, they had secondary seats in the Council because powerful mages often were able to deal with problems in ways that others couldn't. Han himself had been a nobody till he was 15. He had saved a giant's life then, and Sev had not been hesitant in repaying his gratitude- the pocket dimension was because of the giant after all, and it was something very few mortals had.

The Council was not one to waste the opportunity. They declared him the Envoy to the giants, and he became the talk of the city for a while. At least, that nightmare had passed. Still, he had only started talking to Hui and Amaar because of their mutual disinterest in Council meetings. There ought to be more interesting things being discussed today than University sewers, though.

Hui started talking with the practiced grace of someone who always talked, easily ignoring all the stares.

"You know, Amaar, you didn't even ask us how the sword business worked out and if my wonderfully beautiful plan came to fruition," Hui said.

"If it didn't, you would be blaming Han instead of taking credit," Amaar thought out loud.

Hui put her hand over her heart and swore that she would never do such a thing. So Han recalled the last three instances where she had done this. Amaar was smiling broadly, which might as well be laughing for him.

"Your stupid memory makes this unfun," Hui said.

"For you," Han pointed out.

"It is, of course, a law that fun made at the expense of me is no fun at all," Hui solemnly replied.

"Of course, my queen," Amaar said, turning and bowing deeply, "Would you also want me to send for a Yamachian Boar for your lunch?"

"That was a good meal," Hui said defensively.

Han and Amaar both made choking sounds. That was the most disgusting meal Han had ever tried. They bickered for the rest of the ten minutes it took for them to reach the center of the city.

Amonis was a city of scholars, and the organization of the city center reflected this- they passed libraries, the offices of a few Omegas, halls for Scribes, and the West buildings of the University of Amonis before reaching the stairs of the Fengian Hall where the Council met. There were, Han noticed, a very high number of soldiers checking every single person going in and out.

"They have increased the security," Hui said.

"We don't want to turn out like Kita," Amaar replied.

That made a lot of sense- the Gazaarians had conquered Kita with minimum casualties by hitting their command office during the siege. And there would be at least a few spies in the thousands of refugees that had been coming in.

They were ushered in after a few checkpoints into the main chamber. The first thing Han noticed was that everyone was seated, and there was a discussion going on already.

As soon as they entered, the Chair of the Council, Councillor Hikari raised a hand, and everything quieted down. Councillor Hikari was a middle-aged, tall woman who looked much older than she really was. She had a firm but soft voice.

"Come on in, kids, everyone was here, so we decided to start as quickly as we could," she said.

"We're sorry for coming late-" Hui said.

The Councillor waved it away, "You're not late, now sit down."

There were two sets of seats in the Council. There were seven high seats in the inner row for seven Councillors, the most important parts of the city's bureaucracy. Around them, in the second row, were seventeen lesser seats for Envoys, Omegas, and other important people. All the inner seats were filled, but many outer seats were missing.

Hui, Amaar, and Han took their seats, just as Councillor Milman, a highly proclaimed scholar originally from Mesmir and now responsible for the University, started speaking.

"Should we not close the gates given that the enemy is at most two days away? We all know their propensity for internal attacks, and the number of agents will only increase as they come closer," she said.

Everyone ignored the breach of etiquette, for this was a time of crisis.

Councillor Sana, the master of the ports, replied, "There is a risk to keeping it open, yet we cannot forsake any of our people by leaving them outside the gates. If I am not wrong, the plan is to close the gates when their vanguard reaches the Trellian Pass?" He turned to Councillor Kaito, the commander of the Army and the City Guards.

"Yes," the man answered, "We will still have a day of time between their arrival at the Pass and our gates. Besides, we have protocols in place to ensure that everyone who came in through the gates is registered with the Office of Rural Affairs," he quickly nodded at the woman in charge, Councillor Fen, before continuing, "and any who are suspect would be temporarily detained."

Han noticed that Kaito looked very tired, and felt sorry for him. He was one of the few in Amonis to have seen war, and now he was leading an army filled with soldiers who had never handled a blade before against a host twice the size and filled with veterans. He probably hadn't even slept in the last week.

"And how will we know when their army reaches the Pass?" Councillor Milman asked.

Han felt a twinge of irritation. Milman was intelligent and represented the heart of what the city was about, but he was not being helpful here. His detail-oriented nature would get in the way of efficiency. Apparently, Han was not the only one to think so.

"Of course-" Kaito started but was interrupted by Hikari's voice.

"That would not be required, Kaito," she said, "A good question, professor, and it reminds me of a point I'd been meaning to make. It is better, I feel, if we don't discuss the details or even the nature of the plans we have. As the good professor mentioned a minute ago, the Gazaarians have a tendency for internal attacks, and internal attack includes betrayal."

Almost everyone in the room looked startled by the statement. Han blinked. He had not even considered that one of the people in this room might be working for the enemy. It was fitting that it was Councillor Rahman, the man in charge of the people's welfare, who replied, considering that he was from Nais, the capital of the Gazaarian empire. He would be the first to have fingers pointed at.

"Hikari!" he said in a hardened voice, "Must we not trust each other in these troubled times? Blaming one another serves only the enemy's purpose."

"I know." Councillor Hikari said calmly," which is why I am not blaming anyone. I have information that suggests that it is probable which is why I said this. Completely ignoring the possibility is the opposite of being pragmatic."

There was, he knew, no greater insult in her eyes. Han had perhaps been wrong. Milman represented the brain of the city's spirit, but it was Hikari who represented its heart- people who chose reason and logic above all else.

Hikari continued, "We have to walk the blurry line between paranoia and carelessness. We should share the general idea of our operations but not the details. Arthur, do you have the plan for the deployment of Omegas ready?"

Arthur Stone, commonly known as the Red Terror after the deadly red vines of power that he used often, was a man in his late thirties and the most experienced Omega in Amonis. He was their de-facto leader.

He was the first person from the outer circle to speak since Han had entered.

"I do," he said with a distinctive accent, "I will organize a meeting of Omegas after this session and tell them directly, then. If anyone here worries about its effectiveness, Councillor Kaito knows the details of the plan and can vouch for it."

Kaito nodded.

Han suddenly realized- if no plans were supposed to be shared in detail, then why had he been summoned? He frowned as Hikari spoke up again.

"Good. Now, as I understand it, you lot have a plan to deal with the Green Witch?" she said, pointing at Han, Hui, Amaar.

All heads turned to look at them, and Han felt uncomfortable with all the attention.

"We do," Hui said, "Councillor, we would feel much more comfortable if we found a second opinion on it. We aren't exactly experts."

"I would feel comfortable if you did that too. When you meet with the rest of the Omegas, consult with Arthur and Akari," she said.

Hui and Amaar nodded. Han didn't, for he was not an Omega and wouldn't be a part of the meeting.

"That being said," Hikari continued, "I called you specifically, Han, because we have some new information about the Giants, courtesy of our spymaster."

She nodded to the small woman from Smeara in the outer row, Chidhina, who nodded back, turned to Han, and started speaking.

"We have noticed that, since about three weeks, the Giants that lived near the coasts have started moving down south. I know that they commonly move, but they are leaving their settlements completely."

Han frowned. The Goments, the leadership of the giants, might have called a greater gathering, but those were rare. Those took time, besides, and if Sev had known, he would have told Han when they met two months ago.

"They started doing this precisely the day when the Gazaarians landed in Larava," the spymaster continued, "We also have reports of large storms in the south, though this not certain and might be unrelated."

The spymaster stopped speaking, and when it was obvious she would speak no more, Han turned to Hikari with an answer, but Hikari interrupted him with a hand.

"I know you may have explanations. But even if there is a small chance there is something else going on, we need to know. Further, and I know this is not their policy, I want you to go and make a plea for help. This is not only about us. If we fail, the Gazaarians will look south at them, next."

"We don't know that," Han pointed out.

Hikari raised an eyebrow and said, "You are talking like one of them. I am telling you what you need to say to convince them to help us. We need them, Han. Their help could be incredibly useful. Even if you can convince a few of their mages, we would gain a few Omega-level beings."

Han looked at her and nodded, "Alright. I'll pay them a visit. I'll find out a reason for all the movement, and ask for help."

Hikari looked into his eyes and whatever she found there seemed to satisfy her.

"Good. You can leave if you want now, child. Keep safe," she said with a smile.

He smiled back in appreciation. He had nothing to contribute and was much better off spending time elsewhere. Han turned to Hui and Amaar.

"I'll be going home now. I'll go to the Hall of Lar around sunset," he told them.

"Sounds great. We'll catch you there, then. We'll let you know what they say about our plan at the meeting," Hui whispered.

He nodded and waved goodbye to Amaar before sneaking out of the room, even as the Council started talking about who would lead the defenses where. Han would go home and get some desperately needed rest. But after that?

It had been a while since he had walked among the Giants.