When it came to awakened, the definition between an army and a crowd was a lot more subtle than one might think. A group of fifteen people had gathered in front of the Gremlin’s Timepiece, waiting patiently for Dallion to come outside. All of them could be defined as mid-level; all of them had multiple disfocus rings on. Along with the other artifacts they were wearing, this group was enough to take control of a mid-sized town, or even cause serious disruptions within a city, should they be inclined to do so.

On the other side of the inn door stood half a guild of competent awakened as well. While most of them lacked in level, a few made up for it. And of course, there were Hannah and Dallion. Domain rulers in their own right, the pair could be considered the strongest entities within the city, assuming the Order of the Seven Moons hadn’t secretly brought in any of their big guns.

Casting a subtle aether armor spell, Dallion opened the door and stepped outside.

“Well met, your grace.” The man in front bowed. “A pleasure to see you again.”

“Is it really?” Dallion asked. Thanks to his aether vision, he could see through the effects of the disfocus items, looking at the face behind the illusion. “You thought differently last time, Belaal.”

“That was back when you were weak,” the man said unapologetically, removing the disfocus ring. “Despite our differences, the Mirror has always acknowledged strength. We serve the hand that holds the sword.”

Rather, you’re the first to run off a sinking ship, Dallion thought.

“The past is the past,” Belaal continued. “What’s important is that we’re here with an offer for you.”

“Please, do tell.” Dallion crossed his arms.

“I heard that you offered any fury in Nerosal to become part of your domain.”

That was hardly surprising. Criminal organizations were always the first to hear things. Even so, Dallion was impressed at the speed they had managed to do so. His conversation with the lord mayor was a few hours ago. Originally, Dallion intended to spread the news right after convincing Hannah. Somehow, they had saved him the effort.

“It’s true,” he confirmed.

“I’ll cut to the point. I speak for the prince when I say that the Mirror Pool is offering its services and will be glad to join your new endeavor.”

The offer hardly counted as a surprise, considering everything else Dallion had gone through over the last year, but it did cause him to raise an eyebrow.

“You want to join my city?” he asked. “After everything you did?”

“I admit mistakes were made, but you know our capabilities better than most. And not to forget, we are willing to swear loyalty to you.” Belaal narrowed his eyes. “A full Moon vow.”

Any normal person would have asked about the catch. After spending some time in the imperial capital, Dallion could spot it right away. The Mirror Pool itself was the catch. When word went out that he had accepted part of the awakened underworld, many would think twice before joining his settlements.

“Do you take him for an idiot?” Hannah asked, joining Dallion outside. “No way anyone would agree to that.”

“That’s not your business, Hannah.” Belaal hissed. “This is between me and—”

“Shut your mouth or you’ll be going on expeditions to mend your teeth for the next hundred years.” The innkeeper didn’t let him finish. She wasn’t one to stay quiet before, and definitely wasn’t going to take that with her awakened powers fully restored.

“Let it go,” Dallion whispered.

“Why? Because he said a few polite words to tickle your ego?”

“Because he’s serious enough to get the whole Mirror here. Not just this group, but everyone else in the street.”

As he said that, all the ordinary passers-by suddenly stopped. There were close to a hundred of them all together. The vast majority were awakened, although there were a few ordinary people scattered about.

“Your skills have improved a lot, your grace,” Belaal had to admit. “Either that, or our trinkets aren’t as good as they were supposed to be.”

“Only members of the Mirror Pool would calmly pass by this scene without showing any emotions. Were you hoping to take me on should I refuse?”

“No.”

There was no lie in the man’s words. What was more, Dallion sensed a note of desperation. The organization was probably asking itself the same questions that any other awakened was at present: how would the war affect them? With the clashes between powers increasing, it was only a matter of time before everyone with a bit of strength was forced to choose a side. The sooner that was done, the more options one would have. Those that waited till the end would be forced to take whatever was left.

“We need you more than you need us, but are you in a position to refuse?” Belaal had no intention of giving up. “And by we, I’m referring to the Pools of most large cities, not just Nerosal.”

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“You have the authority to decide for them?”

“It has been indicated to me that should we be successful, certain other princes would be open to following suit. Very open to it, in fact.”

A perfect opportunity, dear boy, Adzorg said. Accept now, purge them later.

Adzorg… Dallion mentally sighed.

Think of it this way. Do you prefer to know what they are up to, or have them join someone else and keep guessing?

The old mage’s reasoning wasn’t bad, but Dallion felt it wasn’t enough. Accepting would give him an immediate boost. He’d have hundreds, possibly even thousands of skilled awakened become part of Sandstorm. On the other hand, he couldn’t be sure when the next group of people would dare join; likely not before he had made a second settlement. Was that a bad thing, though? The decision would force him to commit to increasing his domain.

A town of outcasts, hunters, furies, and criminals… Dallion thought.

“You don’t have to liklle it,” Belaal said. “Just be practical.”

The last person who had said something along those lines had been the general. Of course, back then Dallion held no power, unlike now. And still… could he really forgive them? After what they did to him? After what they did to Gloria? Giving a second chance was all well and good when theory was concerned, but when he was involved, things were different.

It’s your decision, of course, Adzorg said. But can you honestly say that I was any different from them?

All eyes were on Dallion. Depending on what he did, this might end up being one of the greatest mistakes in his life. Time seemed to slow down, as he considered all potential outcomes he could think of.

“Fine,” he said at last. “All that join have to vow. You should be prepared to do that at least.”

The tension that had filled the air quickly dissipated. There was no telling whether that was the right choice, but Dallion had made it. Now he and everyone else was going to have to live with it. Vows quickly followed, starting with Belaal. For over half an hour, members offered their fealty and, with that, becoming his subjects. By the time it was over seven hundred and eleven citizens of Sandstorm had emerged—much more than Dallion expected.

If there was one thing the Mirror Pool excelled in, it was speed and efficiency. Hardly had the process finished than Dallion was given a list of buildings to “take with him.” Without exception, they were structures that Nerosal wouldn’t miss and upon seeing their state, Dallion could understand why. All requests were quickly denied, although he did instruct the Mirror Pool to move all of their belongings to the arena. Additionally, he gave them the task of recruiting the local furies. The latter turned out a lot easier than expected; most members of the race were already involved with the Pool in some form or other. Those that weren’t, quickly joined on their own accord. Having a fury princess already part of Dallion’s domain tended to have that effect.

By nightfall, everyone that was supposed to leave for Dallion’s settlement had gathered at the arena or in Hannah’s inn. All final preparations had been made, and even the Order had given their blessing without any fuss. All that remained was for the actual move to take place.

Dallion stood in the top room of the Gremlin’s Timepiece, looking out of the window at the night sky. A while back, this used to be his room—the place that he got to develop his abilities. He knew every single of the item and area guardians there from the furniture to the boards on the floor.

“Afraid that you made the wrong choice?” Hannah appeared next to him.

Dallion gave the woman a quick glance, then looked back out of the window.

“Doesn’t she get upset when you use her form?” he asked.

“No. I’m the only person she can rely on to keep her sane.” The woman’s form morphed into that of Pan. “Her curse was linked to otherworlders, but that’s not the whole thing. If she remains far from an otherworlder for long, the void might consume her.”

“What? She didn’t—”

“Tell you that?” The copyette interrupted. “Would you have stayed if she had?”

There was a moment of silence.

“Let me end the suspense. No, you wouldn’t have. No normal otherworlder would. The thing about us is that we’re like water, always flowing towards something. When we face a barrier, we stop and build up, creating the impression that we’ve settled down, but it’s only temporary.”

“Except you?”

“You can say that.” Pan looked out of the window. “Magnificent, aren’t they? Seven glowing orbs of power in the sky. Ever so beautiful and merciless. The truth is that I can’t return, not after what I pulled. I tried conquering the world once, and it didn’t work out, so all that’s left for me is to seek out some calm and quiet.”

Calm and quiet didn’t sound like the copyette’s first choice. Thinking back, it reminded Dallion of a copying mechanism, exactly like Havoc, Aspion, his grandfather… They too had chosen the calm life, and each time as a result of massive failure.

“Is that why you joined me? Because of her?”

“Maybe in part. I’m more like the Mirror Pool, to be honest. Choose or be chosen. We’re in the endgame war. I’ve been through one already, so I know how to recognize the signs. Maybe it won’t happen right away. It might even be decades off, but things are in motion.”

Things were in motion and depending on the outcome, Dallion might end up in the same position Pan was in right now. With the skills, abilities, and companions he had gathered, maybe he too would manage to escape the banished realms and spend the rest of his existence hiding in a world without humans. Or maybe the next Order of the Seven Stars would summon him to act as their eyes and ears?

“Your choice was a choice. Only you can decide whether to forgive the Mirror Pool, but you can definitely make use of them until the time you make that choice.”

“Are those the words of wisdom from the ages?” Dallion cracked a smile.

“That’s what I get for trying to be supportive.” The copyette chuckled. “So you know how to move domains?”

“I’ve done it once before.”

“Good. I’ll be able to give you some advice. The most common mistake is trying to rush. Stay calm and everything will be alright.”

“And if it’s not, I’ll deal with it.”

“See? You’re learning, already.” Pan gave Dallion a pat on the back. “You’ll still need to find more people, though. Remember what I told you about quantity and quality?”

Dallion nodded. The conversation was only half a day ago, but with everything that had taken place, it already seemed months back.

“Anything else I should know?”

“Eye on front and never trust a weatherman,” the copyette said, adding some humor from his own world.

“I’ll try to remember that.” Dallion took a deep breath, then pulled Hannah’s inn and the arena out of Nerosal’s domain. The second move to Sandstorm had just begun.