Mia and Ethan had spent a particularly gloomy week. Mia struggled to dispel the frustration that lingered after the incident in the bath, and she was particularly tense whenever the vila happened to even brush against her. Ethan, on the other hand, had enveloped himself in tortured silence, clearly engaged in an internal struggle with his vila counterpart. Most days, they had slept in the young man's room, with Mia appreciating the privacy offered by the vila quarters, which was much quieter than the infirmary. The showers were also more sophisticated, and if she chose her timing well, she could find herself alone in the room to calmly enjoy the warm water and the comforts of their almost-modern life. In return, they spent their afternoons in the infirmary with Lily and the two magicians when they weren't occupied with classes.

Ethan had obtained permission from Vassili to be excused from classes until the tensions definitively subsided, now accompanying Mia in all of her movements. She didn't complain about the sense of security that resulted from his presence, but it constantly reminded her of their unfinished activities from the previous weekend.

To distract herself, she had decided to delve into the many questions that swirled in her head about this world and its inhabitants. With the help of a few books and the knowledge of her friends, she hoped to better grasp the situation she was in, be a little less in the dark, and understand more about the implicit mechanics of their society.

With a book on her lap and a cup of tea in her left hand, Mia flipped through the pages of her current book while seated in one of the infirmary's armchairs, in the company of Ethan and Lily. The sun had already set, but she had no desire to retreat to her bed to once again confront emotions she was trying to bury. She persevered, but encountered numerous difficulties in understanding her readings due to lacking basic knowledge about Istarea—knowledge she hadn't yet had time to acquire.

"Arry vaguely explained the political system of each species to me, but... if they all coexist here, there must be some sort of alliance, right?" Mia mused.

"It's a bit complicated," Lily explained. "After the war, the system changed for many of us. Many clans and tribes came together, alliances were formed, and certain ruling castes underwent complete transformations. That's especially the case with the vilas," she continued, throwing a glance at Ethan, as if encouraging him to elaborate on the topic himself.

"The most respected families and elders would gather in a Council when it was vital. And that was rather rare. Each family lived more or less in its own corner with its own rules. With the other species... I guess you could say we were pacifists. Vilas didn't get involved in any clan disputes, and no one bothered us. That changed when the other species united and decided they were coordinated enough to have a chance at winning."

"It started with the magicians. Between the werewolves and the vampires, they had a lot of enemies," Lily continued. "Gradually, clan leaders came together to form alliances. They elected a representative for each type of magic and formed a council. From there, they were able to repel attacks without too much trouble, since they were coordinated. After defense, they began to counterattack. Under threat, the werewolf packs united and appointed a war chief to lead them under a single banner. The vampires already had a ruling caste, but they had never been particularly interested in the prospect of a full-blown war. They didn't really have a choice. Once each species was united, it was too late. The scale of attacks escalated, and even isolated areas turned into battlefields."

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"I don't know who launched the first offensive, but the vilas were drawn into the conflict. Since we can't really say we presented a united front, many families were decimated," Ethan continued.

"Wait, and what about humans in all of this? And the fairies and centaurs?" Mia inquired.

"With the fairies, not much changed, as we managed to stay relatively distant from the conflict, preferring purely defensive positions. We're not big fighters, but we're good at going unnoticed. We still have our King and Queen, and that's not likely to change. The centaurs applied the same philosophy and withdrew into the forest. As they live in herds and move fast, it was relatively easy for them to avoid the battlefields. Humans, on the other hand, were led by a King, like the fairies. They were pacifists, preferring to develop, mix, and trade with other species. Their prized goods kept them from enduring many attacks before the war. Wine, spices, minerals... the advantage of having a lot of cheap labor available. Their relationships and bribes helped them avoid a crushing defeat in the event of organized attacks. Unfortunately... their trade was disrupted by the war, and their King decided to join the battle in hopes of restoring peace." replied Lily.

"That's when my mother began rallying families to form a war council. She saw it as an opportunity to fulfill her ideas of purification. She had the perfect arguments to unite the vilas under her command: with the other species turning against us, families had no other choice but to listen to her. Vilas, powerful as they were, were outnumbered compared to the others. My mother knew that. She leveraged her relationships with other species not to create alliances, but to increase the pressure to her benefit. It wasn't hard to turn others against the humans, painting them as an arrogant species looking to parasitize others. She achieved two goals at once—steering the vilas away from the overall battle and directing the attacks against the humans, leading them to their demise."

"It lasted four years." Lily continued. "Humans weren't the only collateral damage; each species suffered heavy losses. The war began to wear down. At a certain point, the fighting diminished. A peace treaty was eventually signed before the numbers dwindled too much. The Arena is one of the consequences of that treaty. We can't say we live in harmony, but... everyone knows it is necessary. At best, it will definitively settle the quarrels between species; at worst... it's a welcomed break from war."

Silence filled the room for a few seconds, allowing Mia to absorb all this new information. The political situation on Istarea was complex, and she strongly suspected this was just a rough summary of its power plays.

"And what about now? How do they all come together?" she asked her two interlocutors.

"Diplomatic representatives have been elected. They meet every week to address the main remaining conflicts between the species. So far, it's been working relatively well," Lily answered. "If we start delving into the details, we'll be here for hours."

Mia sighed and slumped against the backrest of the chair. She wasn't even sure if she'd be able to remember the main points given the enormity of the information she'd just been presented. A yawn pulled her out of her thoughts, earning a smile from Lily.

"I think it's time for all of us to go to bed," Lily suggested as she stood up.

"Yeah... good idea," Mia agreed. "It's already a lot to take in."