Night has set on Nova Prime, the stars that were previously hidden by the curtain of blinding light, were slowly revealing themselves. After several minutes, countless white dots of various sizes have appeared on the pitch-black sky. The White Vortex galaxy in all of its beauty has revealed itself.

But, despite the coming of night, life on this particular planet didn't slow down, in fact, it seemed even more alive, with all the artificial lights turned on.

After all, Nova Prime was the biggest and most important out of all galactic hubs out there, it was second to none. There were several reasons for that, but the most important one was the fact that the Galactic Council was located on it. Therefore, it had to be well-connected to countless places in the galaxy, otherwise it would be breaking the fundamental rules of the council.

On the rooftop of the council, a tall, lone man, dressed in a white robes adorned with golden lines, was looking at the sky. His golden eyes were gazing at the stars as if looking for some answers in them. His face, exquisite, one could not locate a single blemish on it. Silver hair which was longer than the average was touching his shoulders. He looked like he was taken out of the painting, his silhouette was almost ethereal.

But, the most eye-catching characteristic of his was not his peerless beauty, it was his four pair of wings, silently floating behind him. They were detached, silently levitating in air, and yet, it looked like they were somehow connected to his back, with thin, pure white strands of energy.

Those glamorous wings of his were the most prominent characteristics of the race he belonged to. And their number was an indication of his strength and age.

"Looking at the stars again, Seraph ?" The voice of an old man has interrupted his train of thoughts." A pity I could not join you earlier ... today's meeting was prolonged."

"Why this doesn't surprise me ..." A calming, melodic voice flew out of the winged man's lips. "The negotiations, how did they go ?" He turned towards the old man.

This old man's appearance was a complete opposite of Seraph's. While the winged one looked like the star in the sky, he was similar to the sky itself. His pale blue skin was a contrast to his white hair, which was neatly tied into a waterfall braid. He was dressed in similar fashion as the winged man, but with a different color, that was slightly darker than his skin.

His blue robes decorated with golden lines fluttered on the wind as he approached Seraph. They shook hands, greeting each other. And a few seconds later, the lips on his face that were hided behind his short beard, curled into a slight smile.

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"No conclusion, as per usual." He laughed, visibly amused by the question. "Another several hours of this old man's life were wasted on another shitty, fruitless meeting."

"That was to be expected, such a problem cannot be concluded without at least several meetings." Seraph paused for a few seconds and continued.

"It is a matter of concern for the two biggest civilizations that resides within the council. And, we serve as mediators between them."

"Heh, we have such an ungrateful job." Old man rebuked.

"Ungrateful, but necessary." Seraph answered , leaning on the rooftop's railing, he looked at the stars once again and resumed his speech.

"If war breaks out because of this, it wouldn't be important who would win. But, who would survive. We're not in the past, where a single war wouldn't affect other races. If those two empires decides to settle this with force, hundreds of billions of lives would be affected. So, Huginn, which place do you think would be the most crucial and might affect the entire outcome of the war ?"

"Nova Prime." Huginn answered without hesitation, he certainly knew the importance of his workplace.

"Exactly, if they were to fight on their own, in some secluded place, it wouldn't be that bad. Unfortunately, such thing wouldn't happen. Both empires would try to seize the control of this place as soon as war breaks out."

He clicked with his tongue and continued.

"This planet serves not only as the Galactic Council headquarters, but also as one of the biggest trading hubs. It's a gathering point for many conflicting factions. Do you think they would watch how the two empires decided to have a sparing contest just outside the council, without taking any action ?"

"No chance."

"Everyone, whether they would want this or not, would be forced to join the war and pick a side. Our galaxy will be enveloped within the flames of war, that have never been seen before."

He paused for several seconds, after which he lowered his head, his eyes looking directly at Huginn's.

"For the first time in the history, winged ones might have to join the war if it breaks out." Seraph said these words calmly, not showing any emotion, and yet, it seemed like they carried enormous power.

While pretty much everyone would be shocked hearing them, Huginn was not. He knew the importance of this planet to the winged ones. They were the only race to completely follow the guidance of their ancestors, they would not allow others to destroy their legacy. For them, this planet was almost like a sanctuary, a sacred place that cannot be desecrated.

"But, I suppose you didn't come here just to talk about the meeting, or to simply look at the sky. You aren't that kind of person." Seraph changed the topic. "I know you for quite some time, and I am pretty sure you want to ask me to do a favor for you. Am I right ?"

"Man, you read me like a book." He chuckled and shuddered a moment later. His robes weren't suited to be used in the cold of night. "Yeah, there's something I want to talk about, but can we go inside ? It's pretty damn cold out here."