As Grand Mage Meiscra positioned himself in the center of the Agarthan screen, Emperor Mirishial leaned back and crossed his arms. The old Agarthan elf had a penchant for long-winded speeches that could put even the most studious scholar to sleep. Of his several thousand years of existence, he never felt impatient as when he heard Meiscra speak. Was this how Vulkaryn felt all the time? Would it be doubly worse for him to listen to the scholar?

“My fellow councilors,” Meiscra began, his voice as dry as the pages of an ancient tome, “Agartha faces a difficult predicament. Our mages have suffered heavy losses on the Muan front and our reserves are stretched thin. We simply cannot commit additional forces without risking the collapse of our magical infrastructure."

Mirishial felt his fingers twitch, itching to summon a fireball to lob at Meiscra’s head. The Grand Mage did have a valid point, but he could see through his lies, even if the others couldn’t. Agartha’s reluctance to fully commit to the war effort had been a festering wound in the EDI's side for months. How many more Muan lives would be lost while Agartha hoarded their mages like a dragon with a gold addiction?

Despite his suspicions, he had no proof. He needed to tread carefully. "Grand Mage Meiscra," Mirishial said, "are you suggesting that Agartha would abandon Mu in their hour of need?"

Meiscra had the audacity to look affronted, as if Mirishial had just accused him of kicking a puppy. "Not at all, Your Majesty. We merely ask that the council consider the long-term consequences of overextending our magical resources. If we deplete our reserves now, we may find ourselves as defenseless as a newborn babe when the next threat arrives."

There was no doubt about this ‘threat’ he alluded to – it was the Ravernal Empire. It was an extremely convenient and reliable excuse, one he couldn’t easily display for risk of hypocrisy and double standards. As much as he wanted to admonish the selfish Agarthans, he couldn’t do so without straining the integrity of the EDI. And, judging from the reactions of the other members, they felt the same way.

The various screens erupted into a maelstrom of garbled whispers and mutters, discussing amongst themselves. High Seer Tasconbeau didn’t seem to need much time with his people before he stepped up, his king seemingly confident in whatever his right-hand man was about to say. “The Central Kingdom shares Agartha’s concerns. We must consider the future, lest we find ourselves without a leg to stand on. Perhaps a strategic reallocation of our mages would be prudent.”

Mirishial bit back a bit of a scoff. The two nations had been engaged in a game of magical one-upmanship for centuries, each trying to outmaneuver the other while maintaining a facade of civility. It was like watching two peacocks strut and preen, oblivious to the fact that their feathers were molting. And now they wanted to join hands in solidarity?

He wanted to say something, but he didn’t need to. Vulkaryn conveyed exactly what was on his mind. “Unacceptable!” he roared, the mic hitching as it struggled to register his deep bellow. “You speak of preservation, yet what good will our preparations be if Mu falls? You dare claim to be more important than Mu, the superpower of the Second Civilized Region? You, who have not even secured half the influence or power that Leifor has?!”

The Agarthan shot back, escalating the debate. Emperor Mirishial rubbed his temples. What could he do?

The Americans remained silent, mouths moving yet no sound registering. They had muted themselves. While they did well to hide it, Emperor Mirishial could just sense their judgement and disappointment. Although the members of the EDI were their own, it still felt… embarrassing. The Holy Mirishial Empire was supposed to unity the EDI, and here it stood, amidst bickering members – a failure.

They continued, going back and forth with pre-planned justifications and vicious accusations. Mirishial decided he'd had enough. “Silence!”

Their incessant selfishness gave him a migraine even the strongest healing magic couldn’t touch. He allowed the meeting to settle down a bit, biding time so he could think of a solution.

He began by reiterating their mission, hoping to think of something in the few moments it took for him to complete his little speech. “The objective of the EDI is to maximize our advantage and prepare for the return of the Ravernal Empire. You do have a point; losing experienced mages will set us back tremendously. However, the fall of Mu would be an even greater catastrophe. Their industry is necessary to produce the weapons and defenses we need to stand against the Ancient Sorcerers.”

He let the words sink in, pausing so he can think of how to word the solution he just thought of. “I understand your concerns, but we must find a middle ground.” He fixed Meiscra and Tasconbeau with a stare that could have frozen even a Muan’s blood in their veins. “I can permit a partial reduction in mage deployments, but only for front-line personnel. You must maintain your quota, but we can permit reassignment away from the front lines to instead bolster our logistics and training programs.”

Meiscra stroked his beard, his expression thoughtful. "Agartha will..." Meiscra sighed, glancing at King Schuler and his fellow Agarthans, "We accept this - this compromise, Your Excellency." The Grand Mage was like a gambler forced to fold a winning hand, his true intentions hidden behind a mask of acquiescence. Or rather, he was a gambler who knew to quit while he was ahead.

"The Central Kingdom will also agree to these terms," Tasconbeau said. His voice was smooth as silk, like the heated debate minutes prior never occurred. He glanced at his king, a brief flicker of something - annoyance, perhaps? - crossing his face before his diplomatic mask slipped back into place.

Vulkaryn snorted, a plume of smoke curling from his nostrils. "Eimor still believes this is not enough," he growled, his tail lashing behind him like an angry whip. "However, we shall… abide by this decision." The words seemed forced; reluctant, almost. It didn’t help that they came out in a snarl, either.

Mirishial watched Vulkaryn with a mix of exasperation and grudging respect. The dragon was about as subtle as a fireball to the face, but there was something to be said for his honesty. In a room full of simpering politicians, a little straight talk was almost refreshing.

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With the compromise reached, tenuous as it was, Mirishial allowed himself a moment to breathe. It was like trying to herd cats, each faction pulling in their own direction with little regard for the greater good. The agreement was about as sturdy as a house of cards in a hurricane, but at least it was something. He took a deep breath, savoring the moment of relative calm before the next crisis inevitably reared its head.

He watched the representatives settle down. They’d need to revisit the issue of allocation soon, but for now, they had more immediate concerns to address. With a nod to Liage, he gave the go ahead to introduce the next topic of the meeting.

Liage cleared his throat. “Thank you, Your Excellency, for your wise guidance on this matter. Now, while the Gra Valkan threat looms large, we must not ignore other concerning developments – namely those relating to the return of the Ancient Sorcerous Empire.”

The Ancient Sorcerous Empire. The name alone was enough to send a shiver of dread through even the most stalwart of hearts – so much that most people refused to use their true name: the Ravernal Empire. The name invoked terrible memories – cities reduced to ash, entire civilizations wiped from the face of the world.

Even through the screens, Mirishial could see the tension rise. Widened eyes and stiff postures revealed unspoken shock, perhaps even fear. The inevitable threat was one they would prefer to keep in the back of their minds as long as possible – an eventuality they hoped would never come to pass. However, as with a student presented with a deadline, procrastination only served detrimental.

Liage nodded to the camera. “Our next topic concerns Secretary of State Gordon Heiden, from the United States. Mister Secretary, if you would.”

“Thank you, Director Liage. Members of the Elysian Defense Initiative, I come before you today with new developments regarding the Annonrial Empire. As you may already be aware, there exist devices left behind by the Ravernals with the purpose of coordinating their return: you may know these as ‘revival beacons’. Our studies of the devices confirms that they emit unique energy signatures.”

Of course, the Americans were the sole exception, having never experienced the terror of the Ancient Sorcerers and only being familiar with them through history and archaeology. Mirishial knew the topic was about the Annonrials and their connection to the Sorcerers, but the agenda and supplementary material for this meeting didn’t go deeper. Anything past Heiden’s words right now would be uncharted territory. He wasn’t sure if he even wanted to hear what he had to say; he was terrified. But he knew he had to hear it, regardless of the grimness. He leaned forward, bracing himself for the American’s next words.

“We’ve managed to track these signatures and have compiled a map of all active beacons that are detectable by our satellites – not including those buried within mountains or deep in the ocean. We’re investigating the signatures closest to us first, but it seems that we aren’t alone in our curiosity,” Heiden said, the American screen replacing Heiden’s face with a map depicting the country of Gahara.

“We have strong evidence indicating that the Annonrial operatives are actively attempting to acquire them across Elysia.” The map was replaced with images of a broken vault, blood splatters marking the nearby walls. “In one confirmed incident in Gahara, a beacon went missing from a secure vault, just as we were on the cusp of securing it through diplomatic channels. The fact that the perpetrators were able to break through electronic locks, the presence of magically-charged bullet impacts on walls, and other evidence points to Annonrial involvement.”

Vulkaryn growled, “Those winged cretins…”

“It could be worse,” Prime Minister Sinclair offered. Indeed, it was a miracle the Annonrials didn’t choose to strike now, when the entire world was at disarray. However, Mirishial knew extremely well that the Annonrials didn’t just conform to something as idealistic as ‘miracles’. Whatever they were planning, they must have deemed it beneficial to not engage in open warfare at this moment. Either that, or they were wary of the Americans.

Heiden inclined his head in acknowledgment. “We’ll share this map with the members here. Our recommendation is to secure these beacons as soon as possible. To better protect these artifacts, we can also provide advanced security technologies – cameras, motion sensors, laser detection, containment units – to bolster defenses around any beacons located within EDI territories.”

It was a sound recommendation, but even Mirishial felt wary about the extensive American influence. He knew these devices were connected to something called a ‘network’; and that the Americans could likely spy on them. The alternative, however, was simply relying on his own units and technologies to keep the artifacts secure. Pride beckoned him to folly, but logic compelled him to swallow his pride. What good would pride be against the Annonrials and their masters? What good would pride be if, by slim chance, they refused the Americans’ offer of aid and the Annonrials managed to breach their defenses?

The other representatives and leaders seemed to think the same way – even the Agarthans and Eimorians. It didn’t take long for them to arrive at unanimous assent. It wasn’t the most preferable option, but they didn’t have any other choice.

“Then let us waste no time,” Mirishial said. “I propose the immediate formation of a joint intelligence-sharing body, dedicated to the location and protection of these revival beacons – and to maintain watch over the Annonrial Empire. Each nation must commit to rigorous searches within their borders and to securing any beacons found. We must allocate whatever resources we can spare to combatting this threat, as much as permitted without compromising our efforts against the Gra Valkans.”

The other members agreed.

“To that end,” Mirishial continued, “we will adapt our current network – the one in use to coordinate our actions against the Gra Valkans. We will create a dedicated sub-channel within that system, specifically for the Annonrial threat. Mister Secretary, would the United States of America be willing to lead this effort?”

“Of course. We’ll ensure everything’s set up for your analysts.”

Mirishial nodded, then turned to his advisor. He gestured for Liage to take over, delegating the responsibility of laying out the implementation specifics to him.

Liage stepped forward and moved to wrap up their meeting. “Before we adjourn, are there any other pressing matters to raise regarding the developments in Mu or our response to the Annonrial threat?”

He paused briefly. Seeing that no one immediately moved to speak, Liage continued.

“Very well. Specific technical requirements and data sharing protocols will be disseminated to your teams within 24 hours by my staff, working in close coordination with the United States. After this point, each member must have preliminary survey reports detailing efforts to locate potential beacons and submit them to the intelligence fusion center within 72 hours. Unlike Gahara, we are the pinnacle of Elysian civilization. We cannot bear the loss of any more revival beacons.”

“Unless there are any remaining dissensions or objections, I will have the proceedings recorder note that we are unanimously agreed to these imperatives."

Seeing no final remarks, Liage gave a conclusive nod. “Very well. This council session is formally adjourned.”