“That’s ridiculous!” Friya snarled.
“Really? Then tell me one thing you have achieved on your own.”
“Dimensional magic!”
“Wrong. That’s thanks to Rudd’s teachings and that happened only because Lith and Quylla changed his mind about non-magical bloodlines. You just rode their coattails.” The Friya-answer replied.
“What about this, then?” Friya took a deep breath and plunged into the despair, self-doubt, and sense of failure that had plagued most of her adult life.
The answer was comprised of her memories and the pain from the flood of negative thoughts brought Friya’s replica to her knees.
“Yeah, my life sucked and I got help. Big deal.” Friya reminded herself of the day of Phloria’s death and the void that it had left in her heart, making the answer cry and wail. “I’ve overcome too much to waste my time listening to the same shit I told myself while growing up.
“I know my limits. I’ve accepted my faults and I’m trying to be better. Nothing a knock-off like you can say can hurt me like Phloria’s words did. She knew and loved me whereas you are me and I’ve never loved myself.
“So shut up and let me study you.” Conjuring her intrusive thoughts paralyzed the answer but resisting them kept Friya from mustering the necessary focus to spot important details of her alter-ego’s appearance.
It took her a while and a few more trips on the memory lane to shut the answer up before noticing that even though the snakes-hair had a mana flow and carried spells, they were nothing like a Hydra’s heads.
They had no mind of their own, unfolding into regular hair every time the psychic onslaught brought the apparition to her knees.
“Nice try. I almost bought it, bitch.” Friya found herself panting, the Mindscape was slightly distorted. “I guess the magic circles are running on fumes. Thanks, Mogar. I hope to never see you again.”
“That’s rude!” Mogar-Orion snarled. “Why does no one ever stop just for tea or something? I’m trying to be nice here!”
“Are you serious?” Friya wanted to say something but it was too late, her consciousness was already on its way to return to the real world.
***
A few miles away, the Parliament of Leaves, at the same time.
Aalejah, Faluel, and Ajatar had taken turns explaining Jiera’s recent history without omitting anything. After learning about the plague, the monster tides, and the rampaging lost cities, the Council’s offer didn’t sound so alluring anymore.
The representatives of the six major clans seemed ready to back out, prompting Faluel into throwing them a bone.
“I realize that we can’t offer you the safety of the World Tree and losing people in battle means a great deal to you. Yet we are not sending you to your deaths. You’ll fight along the Council and your lost cousins.
“Also, since we are already working on the Harmonizers for the Svartalf and the…”
“Dvergalf.” Aalejah completed the phrase for her, reminding the Hydra of the goblins’ ancestral name.
“The Dvergalf, with a few adjustments we could try them on you as well. I can’t promise anything, but Harmonizers have already succeeded in Awakening people who were supposed not to.
“It should work for you too and maybe even help you to overcome your fertility issue if not even to evolve.”
“This is really interesting. I would like to hear more about this Harmonizer.” Much to everyone’s surprise, it had been M’Rael to speak.
Until that moment, he had never bothered to hide his hostility nor had he stopped trying to change his peers’ minds.
“Agreed.” One after the other the representatives of the six great clans nodded, quickly followed by the lesser clans.
Faluel went into great detail, explaining how Lesser Divine Beasts planned to use the artifact to ascend while humans aimed to escape the evolutionary dead end they had been stuck in for millennia.
“If you allow us to study your life forces and they are not so different from your fallen cousins, then we might use them as a base to fix the fertility issue. Awakening is definitely a possibility whereas evolution would take time.
“And that’s something your race doesn’t lack.”
“Indeed.” Representative Amari of clan Ni’Nire said.
She was a woman who according to human standards looked to be around her thirties. She had long silver hair that contrasted with her youthful visage, streaked blue, black, and yellow all over.
“I have to admit that all things considered, your offer has its merits. Maybe even more than the one we received from the Yggdrasill.
“Yet this doesn’t simplify things, it just makes them harder. Our colony is now at a crossroads and whatever path we take it will change the lives of our people forever. There is no turning back, hence we need time for every representative to discuss both offers with their respective clan members first and then among us.”
“I agree with Amari.” Representative Erama of Clan Un’Kidu said. He looked like a man in his fifties but was actually over 500 years old. He had shoulder length black hair with streaks of silver, red, and blue.
“I’m grateful for your offer and I commend you all for your bravery. Going to such lengths and putting your lives on the line for the sake of people who live a continent away is something that very few would have done.”
He gave each member of the group a deep bow, starting with Lith. His bow was also the deepest which required Faluel and Ajatar sheer willpower to not roll their eyes at the blatant favoritism.
“Please, give us some time to consider what we have learned today, my Lord. My wish is that no matter which offer we’ll take if any, we’ll be able to part ways as friends and that Clan Un’Kidu may count on your help in our future endeavors.”
“Clan Ra’Firo wishes the same and more.” Representative Bal’Eza had no qualms about pushing his colleague out of the way to pay his respect.
He looked even older than Erama and had longer hair of a bright red color streaked silver, orange, and blue all over.
“Your red scales are a testament to your bloodline belonging to the custodians of Mogar’s primordial fire, a duty that my house shares with your Brood. In the name of this kinship, I can promise that we’ll take your words into great consideration during the debate.
“Like you, we Ra’Firo don’t like to talk much but the little we say has great weight in the Parliament.” The elf gave Lith a bow and almost a headache as well.
“If there’s anything we can do to make your stay more pleasant you just have to ask. I’m sure that our Le’Ahy would be glad to show you around until the Parliament makes its ruling.”
He pointed at the hunter elf who still stood by his side, ready to protect him with her body or act as hostage based on the circumstances. She still held the purified stone in her hand, never letting it go even during M’Rael’s onslaught.
‘Interesting. The elves belonging to the six main clans have their hair of the same color of the element of their household.’
