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The Director continued speaking, Leon silently starting to pace around the man’s office as he listened, his aura shuddering and shaking as he did his damnedest to keep himself under control. Despite this titanic effort, a few licks of black fire erupted from his hands as he reflexively clenched them into fists over and over again.

The Sunlit Emperor had tried to steal his alliance with the Director out from under him. He was laying claim to the legacy of the Thunderbird Clan. He was claiming to be the head of the Thunderbird Clan. He somehow had a platinum card, which—according to old Heaven’s Eye legends—entitled him to control over Heaven’s Eye.

Not that Leon had expected or received such when he’d revealed his platinum card to the Director. The card was just a card, after all… but where Sunlit got his was gravely concerning.

Leon continued to pace about for a few minutes after the Director finished his first run-through of the meeting. The Director watched him, patiently waiting for Leon to finish processing all of this new information.

Finally, Leon halted, took a few deep breaths, and turned to face the Director. “What… what do you make of it?” he asked in a carefully controlled tone.

“That’s hard to say,” the Director admitted. “The only experience I have with such offers is what we negotiated between ourselves, and our alliance is hardly the sort that the Sunlit Emperor demanded.”

Leon scowled. He’d accepted the Director’s fealty, but in practice, they were still allies. The roles of senior and junior partners had reversed, but partners they remained.

“Fucking arrogance,” Leon whispered as wrath and indignity flashed through him. “Laying claim to my Clan…”

For a moment, Leon’s rage towered, only to suddenly hit a wall of shame and guilt. The very legacy that he’d railed against in the past was now under threat by the Sunlit Emperor. If Sunlit had staked his claim when Leon was still in his early twenties, Leon wasn’t sure how he would’ve responded—he wanted to say now that he was nearing forty that he would’ve fought for what was his, but that wasn’t something he often did in those days.

And now his claims of Kingship rested entirely on that legacy.

‘I’ll have to apologize to my Ancestor again when I get home…’ Leon thought with some trepidation before refocusing on the Director.

“What did you make of the offer in its entirety, then?” Leon asked.

“It’s, quite frankly, ridiculous,” the Director disparaged. “I can’t believe that the Sunlit Emperor would offer me something like this. It’s… disconnected from reality. I get the feeling that he thinks we’re similar, that we see the world in the same way. We do not. I will not support a man like that, no matter the power he claims he possesses.”

Leon nodded in gratitude, though a deep frown carved itself into his face. “Did you inspect his card?”

“No, he didn’t give it to me to inspect.”

“So he just expects you to take his word for its authenticity?”

A similar frown to Leon’s appeared on the Director’s aged face. “I may not have gotten a good look at it, but… from what little I could see, it had some authentic markings and magic within it. So either he had a very good forgery, or he has a genuine platinum card.”

Heaven’s Eye banks issued cards to its account holders—cards of more normal enchanted wood were given to average people while rich merchants and nobles were given silver cards, entitling them to more preferential treatment. Royalty and heads of state, meanwhile, were given gold cards. House Raime had a gold card carryover from when they were the Thunder Kings of the Great Plateau to when they were Archdukes under the Bull King.

However, Leon knew that Heaven’s Eye did not issue platinum cards. This system they had was inherited from when the Guild was several different institutions created by his Clan when they conquered Aeterna—the cards were IDs his Clan used, but platinum was reserved for use by Clan members only. Not their vassals, not their servants, not their retainers, Clan members only.

“My Ancestors survived eighty-thousand years living in the north…” Leon mused aloud. “Most of my Clan was destroyed by the Grave Warden, but if my Ancestors survived…”

“How many others did, too?” the Director finished. “Indeed, I’ve given some thought to this in the past, when I was trying to get into those old arks. I tried to track down anyone who could possibly have your Clan’s blood running through their veins. The results… well, I resorted to demonic blood magic for a reason. Still, I did uncover some circumstantial evidence that may support Sunlit’s claim.”

Leon glared at the Director, though his ire was reserved for the Emperor in question.

“There have been a few groups that have claimed descent from your Clan throughout the years,” the Director explained. “Most of them were exterminated not too much longer after making that claim. Judging how many of those claims were true or not is impossible, but I do know that the last group to surface in such a way was on the periphery of the Sunlit Empire, living in the mountains along its southern border. That group, I think, might have more credible ancestry given they didn’t make any public claims, but were instead destroyed without much fanfare with the Sunlit Empire using their supposed ancestry as justification for their actions.”

The Director paused a moment, his scowl growing just a little deeper.

“That group was destroyed about two thousand years ago.”

Leon clicked his tongue in annoyance. “My Ancestor told me nothing about this group. It’s possible that they didn’t have awakened blood, or since they died so long ago, she simply didn’t care to mention them. Whatever the case, she also made it clear that, with few exceptions, all of humanity could probably trace their lineage back to her in some way since she lived so long ago. For her, and my Clan, it was awakened blood that counted, and she’s assured me that I’m the last.

“If any of my Clan members survived the fall eighty-thousand years ago, they likely wouldn’t have been connected to Jason Keraunos and the ruling family or been very powerful. Any family they left behind would have lost access to any inherited power by now, having gone for sufficient generations without it. Sunlit doesn’t have my Ancestor’s power.”

“He doesn’t,” the Director confirmed. “At least, his lightning felt entirely mundane. Or as mundane as a tenth-tier mage can be.”

“That’s another thing,” Leon added. “Someone with a dormant Inherited Bloodline doesn’t advance that quickly through the magical tiers. That was the whole point of needing an awakening ceremony to begin with: Divine and Ascended Beasts noted that their human children had neither a human’s ability to grow nor the inherent strength of a beast. If Sunlit truly had an Inherited Bloodline, then it would have to be awakened.”

“His lightning was gold,” the Director added.

“Then his claim is nonsense, no matter how he tries to trace his lineage. He doesn’t bear the Thunderbird’s power, so he is as much her rightful inheritor as any random guy you could pick off the street.”

Leon went silent for a moment, his wrath cooling slightly, but it returned in force when the Director broke that silence.

“He’s still making the claim, and he’s an Emperor. He doesn’t fill the role of ‘Lord Protector’ where he stays in the background while all political decisions are made by someone else; he’s the Emperor of his Empire. He has unfettered access to the resources of that Empire.”

Leon scowled. “He’ll have quite the fight on his hands, then, if he wants to assert himself militarily. The Ten Tribes won’t follow him, not without the power of the Thunderbird. Even if he had it, it might be a stretch.”

“They followed you despite your marriage to Princess Cassandra,” the Director pointed out.

Leon’s scowl deepened. He didn’t have a good immediate counter to that point.

“Speaking of which,” the Director continued, “while Sunlit’s private reason for visiting Occulara may be to make this claim, you’re going to have to be ready for some public attacks made against you.”

“Is he going to be that jealous of my power? Does he consider me a proper threat to his claims?”

“He’d be a fool not to.” The Director paused a moment, frowning in thought. “Well, he is a fool, but for unrelated reasons. We have to assume that he acknowledges you as a threat to his power. But the reason you ought to expect public attacks is due to your marriage to a Princess of the Sacred Golden Empire. Ilion, thanks to the Lord Protector, didn’t make a fuss. Sunlit has no reason not to make a fuss.”

“What kind of fuss are we talking about?”

“That remains to be seen…”

Leon sighed, not needing even more reason to scowl, though the Director seemed keen on giving him more and more.

“Then we’ll deal with it when it comes. This private plea for an alliance is more concerning, wouldn’t you say?”

“I would,” the Director replied.

“What answer do you plan on giving him?”

“As I said, I have no intention of allying with him. However, he is one of the most powerful people on the plane, and flatly turning him down is a risky move…”

“Would he be able to harm you if you did unequivocally turn him down?”

“It’s hard to predict Sunlit’s behavior when he’s not surrounded by women. He spends most of his days slaking his various lusts, but in those moments when he’s not, my sources tell me that he’s… erratic. More so of late…”

“The war?” Leon asked. “Has he been taking the lack of progress poorly?”

“I can’t say one way or another; I’m not in his head and he talks to too few people for me to easily spy on him.”

Leon cocked an eyebrow and chuckled softly at the Director’s blatant implication that he spied on everyone of note that he could. He doubted even he was exempt from such surveillance.

“All I know,” the Director continued, “is that even for him, his mental state seems to be deteriorating since the sack of Argos. The rates of executions he’s personally ordered had increased, and his circle of advisors has shrunk as a result. Even a hint of accusation that one intends to try and ‘steal’ one of his concubines is enough to be sent to meet the headsman. Thoughts of usurpation have long since been excised from his government; there’s simply no one left who has the power or the guts to get rid of him, even if they might stand to benefit from his removal.”

“You’re painting such a glowing picture, Director. So, what? He’s going to act against us and there isn’t much we can do about it?”

“That’s an accurate statement. Negotiating aid from Evergold or Ilion might be prudent…”

Leon sighed, not wanting to ask the Lord Protector or the Grand Druid for help. He didn’t doubt they’d do what they could to render it—especially the Grand Druid, and especially if, as the Director suspected, Sunlit was going to go after his marriage to Cassandra—but he simply didn’t want to give any impression that he had to rely on them for help. He had a slight worry that that might set a bad precedent when he hadn’t even been a King for a full year.

‘I can’t wait to get back to Kataigida,’ Leon silently groused, surprising even himself with just how much he meant it. The homeland of the Ten Tribes had, thanks in large part to how welcoming the Tribes had by and large been, quickly replaced Occulara in his heart when he thought of ‘home’. It still couldn’t hold a candle to the Forest of Black and White, but he doubted anything ever would.

But after a moment, he also thought about Anastasios and the Grand Druid’s latest piece of advice. The former Thunderer was tenth-tier, and now Leon could very well be up against another tenth-tier so soon after becoming King. If he wanted to be a true equal to the Grand Druid and Lord Protector, if he wanted to be truly independent of them and their Empires, he had to reach the tenth-tier as soon as he could.

After a long silence, Leon said, “I’ll go and speak with them. Sunlit is claiming the Thunderbird’s legacy; that ought to give them a spook. He may see me as a threat, and he… now that I think of it, since there could be reason to think that he’s distantly related to my Clan… do you know if the Sunlit Empire has been experimenting with bloodline awakenings?”

“Not off the top of my head, but I could ask around.”

Leon nodded in gratitude. “If he thinks he possesses Thunderbird blood, but it isn’t awakened, one thing he might want from me is an awakening ceremony that might work.”

“Do you even have one?” the Director asked.

Leon gave him a cheeky smile. He, of course, has the ceremony that had been passed down through House Raime for millennia, and he also had the Thunderbird herself if he ever needed to reference another kind of ceremony. Hells, he even had Nestor if push came to shove.

But he wasn’t going to admit any of that out loud. The Director likely already knew most of that anyway, but Leon wasn’t in a hurry to confirm that information.

The Director snorted in laughter. “Walk softly, Leon Raime. I think this is going to get more complicated before it gets easier.”

“Things were going too smoothly anyway,” Leon bemoaned. “I’m not used to everything going this well. Besides, it’s good for enemies to step out into the open. Now we can plan and act instead of wait and react.”

“A fine way to look at this.”

Leon took a moment to stare out the Director’s office window before moving on. “How are you on getting the arks ready to move?”

“Still making preparations. Do you need me to go into detail with how I’m getting my soul realm ready or will you take my word for it?”

“I’ll take your word for it. That you’re doing this personally is already a balm for the nerves.”

“I appreciate your trust and confidence. You rarely show such things.”

Leon shrugged. “Let’s just… make sure that we’re ready to move on a moment’s notice. I’m going to get Tikos to get to work extracting my Hesperidic Apple trees and getting everything else I can’t live without ready to move, just in case.”

The Director nodded. “I can’t do the same for Heaven’s Eye, but I’ll batten down the hatches here and in the south. If the Sunlit Emperor moves against us, we’ll be ready.”

“Then until we meet again.”

Leon held out his hand and the Director clasped his wrist. With that, each trusting the other to do what needed to be done, their meeting ended.

---

“… So there’s no way?” Leon asked.

“That human is an imbecile,” the Thunderbird declared, her displeasure with the current situation plain for Leon to not only see but feel; her voice alone shook his Mind Palace with its intensity. In a lighter and decidedly more human tone, she said, “You are the last of my descendants, Leon. I have never lied about that. Your line has been the last of my blood for thousands of years.”

“Thought so,” Leon murmured. “It still presents a bit of a problem, doesn’t it?”

“Of course it does!” the Thunderbird declared. Her yellow eyes blazed with fury, the indignation she felt making Leon’s look tame in comparison. “To lay claim to what is mine, and now yours is an affront to all that is right with the universe! Leon! I expect you to present this man’s head to me once you’re through! I will accept nothing less in recompense for his arrogance!”

“His head, huh?” Xaphan called out. “You sure you don’t want someone better than Leon, here? This fuckboy doesn’t sound like much, but he might be better…”

The Thunderbird barely spared Xaphan a glance before giving his obsidian face an intimate meeting with the floor of his pavilion. Leon might’ve been just as angry and offended if he didn’t know the fire demon was joking at his expense.

Fixing Leon in her tempestuous gaze, the Thunderbird reiterated in much simpler terms, “Kill him.”

Leon viciously grinned. “He signed his own death certificate the moment he claimed our Clan as his own.”

“You’ll need training,” the Thunderbird continued. “We’ll return to a more intense regimen, more of the sort that we put into place when you were still a sixth-tier mage.”

“That intense, huh?”

“You need power!” the Thunderbird roared. “You need power.”

Leon nodded, but he sighed and sat down on the steps to his Mind Palace’s throne. “It’s always fucking something, isn’t it? Always some new threat.”

“If you’re going to bitch and moan,” Xaphan shouted, “then dissolve our contract! It is the domain of the ambitious to make enemies and encounter challenges! The powerful rarely celebrate those who upset the status quo, and thus, their power! I’d have thought you were used to this by now!”

“Yes, I am!” Leon insisted as he sprang back to his feet and glared at Xaphan in his pavilion. “Does that mean I can’t bitch about it every now and then?”

“Be strong!” Xaphan crackled back. “And if you can’t be strong, then act strong until it comes true!”

“I hate to say it,” the Thunderbird said, “but this loud spark isn’t too far off. Confidence can take you a long way, Leon. And if you’re confident, you can motivate yourself.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I already have enough people shouting at me to get stronger. I’ll do what I must. Fine. No need for lectures.”

The Thunderbird grinned. “If you’re not in need of lectures… then let’s get started.” She held out her hand and summoned their Clan’s Adamant blade.

Leon hadn’t been intending on training right this very moment, but he supposed he had some time to spare. A few minutes, at least. And to reach Sunlit’s level before anything negative could happen, he’d need every minute.

Returning the Thunderbird’s grin, Leon said, “All right, then. Let’s get to it.”