A few days had passed since Ava manifested her ability and news of the half-breed’s special skill spread like wildfire. More tests were conducted to see the extent of her power and the possibilities it offered snatched the attention of many highly placed figures. As such, a meeting was underway to decide how they should officially handle her.

“I strongly urge you to reconsider.” [???]

A golden-eyed elf wearing a robe with wide sleeves spoke as she sat at the long table with her hands clasped together. The base color of her clothes was a vivid green like the leaves of a tree in the summer and her long hair was of a beautiful white color. Just like every other elves, she had a truly attractive face.

“She is under our custody, Elenaril. This matter will not change.” [Nylian]

Nylian did his best to hide his emotions and answered her. Besides the two, there were also five other men and women who were sitting around the table. This small group was inside a luxurious room that had nothing but a long table and seven chairs. On the white walls were seven different flags with each representing their respective clan.

“Nylian, let us help you. Her powers must be properly managed or she could become a threat and you know it.” [???] 

“Agreed. A half-breed whose allegiance is uncertain needs to be observed at all times.” [???]

Two men spoke up. The first one had vivid green hair and green eyes while the second had long blue hair and blue eyes. Just like with the white-haired woman, the two of them were wearing luxurious robes of different colors. It was the same for everyone present since each of them presented themselves properly to show off their authority. After all, they were the heads of the seven most important clans in the kingdom.

“We have her under our control.” [Nylian]

“You have been keeping her locked up, haven’t you? Who knows what sort of grudge she may hold.” [???]

“For all we know, she might be scheming to take your head.” [???]

Another two rebuked Nylian’s claim. One woman had short blonde hair and light green eyes while the one next to her had long green hair and silver eyes. Both of them, just like everyone else, had a certain refined and confident air around them. They were, after all, the ones that would choose and elect the next ruler from among them. From these seven clans, one king or queen would be chosen.

“You’re talking about a child.” [Nylian]

“A child that killed a slave trader and found her way back inside the forest at night… All at the age of eight.” [???]

“That human was careless and she got him by luck.” [Nylian]

“Don’t tell me you honestly believe that story you circulated yourself.” [???]

The man with vivid green hair raised an eyebrow and stared at him quizzically.

“It’s what she told me when I questioned her, Garrik. I didn’t make it up.” [Nylian]

“And you don’t think that she could have lied to you?” [???]

The elven woman with blonde hair crossed her arms as she brought up her point. Nylian also held similar doubts, but he hid them.

“She was eight years old. I don’t think a half-breed brat could trick me.” [Nylian]

“But, like Rania said, she might have lied. Do you really think that some brat could defeat a grown man armed with a sword?” [???]

The woman with long green hair spoke up next. They were all trying to convince Nylian of one thing.

“I know what you’re trying to do, Jastra. I know what all of you are trying to do.” [Nylian]

“Then, it makes things simple.” [???]

The man with long blue hair raised both hands towards Nylian.

“Let the seven clans have access to her power. Do not keep it to yourself.” [???]

“What would happen if I don’t, Dain? What if I choose to keep her powers for my clan?” [Nylian]

“Don’t say such foolish things, Nylian. You’ve been keeping her for this day, haven’t you? For twelve years, you’ve been keeping her for the day when she might be of use to our kingdom.” [Dain]

“Now is the day.” [Elenaril]

Nylian looked at the white-haired woman who interjected.

“That… Half-breed’s power is simple yet remarkable. No one has ever been born with it before and, if used properly, one can turn the tide of any battle.” [Elenaril]

Elenaril put both hands on the table and leaned closer.

“Don’t let her powers blind you. Instead of having her serve the best interest of your clan, it would be better to have her serve the best interest of the country.” [Elenaril]

“But, perhaps, you do not want to keep her for her abilities.” [???]

Another voice spoke up and Nylian turned his sight towards the source. It was the one man that had kept quiet until now. With long silver hair tied behind his nape, he put his elbows on the table, intertwined his fingers in front of his mouth and stared at Nylian with his sharp deep blue eyes.

“Perhaps, you just want to keep hiding her and not let anyone get in contact with her. It is understandable, that half-breed isn’t your child. It has your wife’s blood and a huma-.” [???]

“Hastos Elvyr, enough.” [Elenaril]

The woman with white hair called out his name in a stern voice. Her face had a bitter expression like she swallowed a bug.

“Pardon me, but what I meant to say was, we all know the story already, Nylian. There’s no use trying to hide her when she’s attracted so much attention. Besides, I’m sure we’ve all been keeping an eye on her in our own way since she was born.” [Hastos]

Hastos spread his arms to gesture to everyone present. He was speaking like he was the leader, but no one called him out on that. After all, such confidence stemmed from the fact that the current ruler came from his clan. This, in turned, meant that he had a direct connection with the highest figure of authority in the country. So, his clan’s influence increased greatly.

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“Don’t make your decision based on your emotions.” [Hastos]

Nylian couldn’t say anything back. He was right. Her powers were certainly worth the inconveniences she caused for raising her for twelve years and he should be happy that it wasn’t a waste. But, when it came down to it, he didn’t want to let her out of her room for all the world to see. She was Talindra’s shame and his failure. He wanted to keep hiding her. He didn’t like looking at her face that slightly resembled his wife. In fact, before her ability manifested, the thought of killing her instead of exiling her sometimes popped into his head.

“Nylian, although Hastos certainly didn’t put it well, I agree with him. Please think carefully on what is best for our kingdom.” [Elenaril]

Elenaril, the one person in this room that could understand him the most also wanted to let loose the half-breed instead of keeping her locked up. The others also spoke up and urged him to agree. The head of the Luceran clan closed his eyes and mentally let out a sigh.

“… Alright. Then, from here on, the half-breed Ava will be put under the joint ownership of the seven clans and, naturally, his majesty. Order her as you see fit.” [Nylian]

The king that he served was a given, but now, every other clan could call upon Ava whenever they needed her help for something. She would be obliged to lend them a hand whether it was a personal problem or one that involved the country. She wasn’t the Luceran’s exclusive servant anymore which meant that she couldn’t be used during power struggles between clans.

“Good. Now that that’s taken care of, shall we move on to the next topic? We need to settle this today so that we can present it to his majesty.” [Hastos]

Hastos nodded and took charged of the meeting. He often took a leading role like this now that his father became king.

“We need to discuss how we should deal with her. Right now, her allegiance is questionable. I don’t think she will happily serve our Faywood kingdom, given her nature as a half-breed and how we generally… Treat them.” [Hastos]

“That is true. If I was in Nylian’s shoes, I would prefer to lock her up forever. Does she even know the name of the kingdom she’s living in?” [Jastra]

“In fact, does she know which clan has been taking care of her for years?” [Garrik]

The woman with long green hair and the man with vivid green hair said jokingly, but their points got across. Each clan head wanted her powers, but not the individual. They were skeptical about her loyalty and for good reasons. With both her nature as a half-breed and how she was conceived, it was unlikely that she would choose to serve them.

“Nylian, what do you think?” [Rania]

“She can take care of herself and shows maturity surprising for a child which disturbs a lot of my servants. So, she might just one day leave, but she’s obedient and quiet. Frankly, with how docile she is, it’s hard to imagine her betraying us, but now that her powers have manifested…” [Nylian]

“It could be what prompts her to leave.” [Dain]

Dain completed Nylian’s sentence as he passed his hand through his long blue hair in deep thought.

“But you already tested her, didn’t you? It doesn’t work on her, only on others. Alone, her ability is useless.” [Elenaril]

Elenaril reminded him of the tests he conducted as if to tell him that his worries were needless.

“That’s as long as she doesn’t have anyone on her side. Don’t forget she’s half-human. They’ll definitely try to win her over to their side once they find out what she can do. Imagine an army with every soldier empowered by her. Each man could take on ten others and even untrained recruits would become a force to be reckoned with.” [Hastos]

“Hastos has a point. We need to make sure that she won’t leave Faywood and choose the humans over us. For that to happen, we need to have her trust us, depend on us, need us.” [Jastra]

“And how do you suggest we do that? I’ll be honest here, she won’t be getting any sympathy from me.” [Elenaril]

The white-haired woman said in a rather cold tone of voice and looked away.

“You don’t need to give that half-breed sympathy to make her attach to you. You just need to let her know that she’ll be fed, clothed and sheltered so long as she serves you.” [Jastra]

Raising her index finger, Jastra elaborated on her idea, giving more hints to her fellow clan heads.

“… We show her how cruel the world can be.” [Hastos]

Hastos said in an audible whisper when he realized what Jastra was saying. Everyone else also understood her goal and seemed to agree with her.

“We let her fend off on her own without our help so that she can see which life is best for a half-breed like her. If she wanders around by herself, she’ll definitely get captured and become a slave. We make sure she understands that.” [Jastra]

“But, it can’t be outside our control and we need to be able to intervene whenever we want. We can’t just let her wander around and become a slave for real.” [Garrik]

When Garrik rebuked the green-haired elf’s plan, the seven of them fell silent and tried to come up with a solution inside their heads. After what seemed like an eternity, one person spoke up.

“There’s one place that fits our needs.” [Nylian]

All eyes turned to Nylian who had a reluctant look on his face. It would expose Ava to the world and, consequently, reveal the shame and failure of his family. He didn’t like the answer he came up with, but it was all he could think of.

“Sanctuary Academy.” [Nylian]