The Magic Brigade Headquarters in the Mainland's East Wing stood imposing and unapproachable. The people living around it had learned to let it fade from their minds, but Daniel Torres had never been this close or inside. The light-skinned young man with curly, raspberry blond hair, felt like he stood out despite his uniform. He wore the same one as the bodies around him, a white shirt with a blue layer on its shoulders and arms, and a pair of blue slacks. These people knew the building though and had long become familiar with its rhythm. For him, that rhythm brought dread. A soldier from an outpost rarely had any reason to go to headquarters. Those who did often came back dejected, regretting whatever they saw or heard. Headquarters put you under the scrutiny of those with greater power, and despite how he ranked among his peers, he couldn't shake the judgment that followed him across the lobby.

A Bridge-Gate sat in the wall ahead, its arch glowing with magical lines. As he approached its bars burned hot, melting into a swirling portal. He gulped, stepping through, not entirely certain where it would take him, nor entirely prepared. A hall flanked with high windows greeted him on the other side, and he followed its red carpet to large doors on its other end. Two Jotnar women stood to either side, their towering forms almost as imposing as the building itself. Their hair was dark and long, and their pale forms were finely chiseled. At nine feet each, they made Daniel feel like a schoolboy, and as they summoned taller maces and crossed them, he felt like he took a wrong turn.

"I think I'm supposed to be in there." He pointed at the door and they sneered.

"I think if you were supposed to be in here, we'd know." The one on the left replied. Daniel frowned.

"Well I wasn't given anything like identification. Maybe you could go inside and see if anyone is waiting for me?"

The women laughed.

"No, boy, that's not how this works. If you want to get into that room you have to get past us." Left spoke again, and Daniel sighed.

Would it be all right if he fought the two of them? They had to be strong to have this position, he didn't think he could win without damaging the hall. But he didn't think holding back was an option. Horizontal scars marred both of their faces, telling him they were prepared to die. He wondered about the person who scarred two Jotunar and wondered what happened to them if the women were still standing. Would the same happen to him? He was confident he could take them, but not without severe injuries. With a sigh, he accepted he didn't have a choice. The women held their maces in both hands, ready to jump. As he felt the spell silk react to the whisper of his magic, their faces changed, making him wonder how much they knew about him. They looked like the fight within had fled, leaving them with hands full of regret. It took him a moment to realize he wasn't the source, though. Their eyes were drawn down the hall, making him turn his head.

A woman was walking forward. Her hair was long and white, and her amber eyes glistened in the afternoon light. She approached in burgundy garb, with a white cape hanging from her shoulders. Everything about her said she was from Anders, including the sword in the white sheath at her side. This Anders woman was familiar though. Daniel had met her recently, and seeing her again made him smile.

"Anai!" He said in greeting. The older woman smiled back.

"I'm glad to see you made it, Daniel, and you even got here before me." She looked past him to the Jotunar, standing like statues. "I hope these two didn't take their joke too far. When I first came to this room they played the same one on me."

Daniel knew it wasn't a joke, but knew where the scars came from too. He was looking at the person who gave them.

"Ladies, if you don't mind we're both already late. Could you not delay us any longer?" They nodded, narrowing their bodies as much as possible as Anai walked past him. Putting her hand on the door made it open, and Daniel followed her into a large room.

Four other people waited inside. They sat at a round table with a compass rose etched into the surface, each one at one of its points. To his right, he saw two people. At Northeast was an olive-skinned man with a long dark braid, sitting in a green uniform. At east was a tan woman with short brown hair; her feet propped up as she sat in a pink and black dress. Across from her sat an elderly man, looking rather snug in the robe upon his body. Anai took the seat to the south and nodded at the southwest. Daniel took the space beside her, and the Jotun to the north glared as if he crossed a line. Anai put a hand on his shoulder before he jumped to his feet. She smiled, and he breathed the fear out of his heart.

"Now that you two are hear, we can start this Magic Council meeting. Who has reports on the missing persons?"

"Kado said, and I quote 'I'm not going to waste my time coming to some worthless meeting. If he wants me there maybe he should make my job easier.'." The East seat said.

"Elaine is currently filling in for me since she was already moving around. Young Rebecca is busy with matters in the Green Lands." The old man added.

"Then make sure they all get the minutes of this meeting. Regardless of their expectations we have an important matter to address."

"I don't remember my coronation being an important matter." East crossed her arms.

"That's because it wasn't and neither is the boy's. While we're on the subject, though, let's address him." The Jotun's pale blue eyes fell upon Daniel again. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I'm starting to get some ideas, sir."

"But judging from your uniform, no one told you before you came, right?" East smirked. Daniel shook his head.

"Then we'll make it clear. Daniel Torres, as the Head of the Magic Council, I hereby name you as one of our ranks." The Jotun boomed.

Daniel laughed, mostly in relief. "I'm surprised I'm here, honestly. I didn't think I did anything to get this position."

"You did enough." Anai replied. "I recommended you after you assisted me against that Wilds' raid. There aren't many Brigade members who can play such a significant role."

"Recommended?"

"Yes." The Jotun said. "Only the outstanding are ever noticed without a recommendation. The fact that you got the seat instead of one of them should show you its importance."

"Don't let Grast put any bad ideas in your head." East sighed. "He's just bitter that his pick turned the role down."

So that made Daniel their second choice? Considering his rank in the brigade he supposed that still was an award. He had jumped up more rungs than he ever imagined. Still, he was confused.

"How does that work exactly?"

"When a recommendation is brought to the council it is voted upon by members and nobility," Grast answered. "Since Sasha has already given my name, now would be the time for us all to share. You should already know me." Daniel did. He didn't recognize the man's face but knew the name of Grast, the Jotun King.

"I'm Sasha Almatt." East waved. "For the record, you got my vote."

"I'm Dae-Hyun, and you didn't get mine." Northeast said as he closed his eyes. Daniel promptly decided he wouldn't take that personally.

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"I voted for you, Daniel." Anai said.

"As did I!" The old man said. "My name is Ripley Deals."

"You also received a vote from Rebecca, the northwest seat. But the true west seat voted against you." Grast said.

"Kado, Mr. Southeast, did not vote." Sasha added.

"If I had to guess, you're telling me how you voted to show me that there's no reason to think were all friends." Daniel checked each of their eyes. "But also to show me that we all are allies, regardless of what you think of me."

"That's one way to put it." Sasha leaned forward.

"And that's all that needs to be said. Do you have any other questions before we move on?"

"Who was your first pick?"

"A former Enforcer by the name of Thomas Wilder. He turned the job down with a request to be a free-roaming agent and lead a task force." Grast tapped to the table, and a landmass rose on glowing clouds. "Which brings us to the major matter at hand. Daniel Torres, the compass rose you see upon the table tells you exactly what positions we serve. We are protectors of the Realm, each serving as the strongest mage at our designated direction. You fought with Anai so you know the trouble that the Empire can face."

Daniel nodded, thinking about the arduous battle with raiders from the Summer Wilds. Anai usually held them off, but something provoked different tribesmen to fight together. The soldiers serving under her didn't stand a chance, and while Anai didn't falter, she didn't want to trade lives. This role was not an easy lift. He looked at the council members again, thinking about the weight of the job. He couldn't fault Grast for his harsh words or see the vote against him the wrong way. Something was off though.

"Wait. There are three people missing, but there are six of us here."

Ripley raised a thin arm. "I'm the odd man out here, but not entirely. Grast meant it two ways when he said we defend the realm. You all just defend it in the usual way."

"Which brings us to the point of this meeting again." Grast tapped once more and the landmass changed. "The majority of you should have received reports from the Calm Lands, detailing the battle the Harrabaren recently faced. The rebel faction gathered and marched, forcing a confrontation that broke with injuries and a few deaths. Xerva believes the rebels attempted to test the strength of her unit, to see if they could claim Rial. Among them we saw several notable faces."

"The Quickstep, The War Raptor, and the Lunar Wolf were all spotted among them." Anai recounted. "Which is particularly strange since it doesn't match the Lunar Wolf's usual MO."

"Those aren't small timers either." Ripley shook his head. "Do you think that they've joined forces with the rebels?"

"This is my current belief yes. For that reason I'm raising each of them to high priority targets."

"The Diamond, The Many, and the Bolt were also spotted in the general area. Neither was seen on the front line." Sasha said, but Grast waved it off.

"The Diamond has no relevance beyond the next thing we need to discuss." He let the room fall to silence, making Sasha cringe. "The other two are normally irrelevant, however, we'll share the location of the Bolt with Lord Fillmore."

Daniel couldn't put faces to the names but he knew bounties when he heard them. The Quickstep and the War Raptor were ones he heard all the time, thrown together with rumors to make soldiers jump. He didn't know the other names but knew those two didn't usually move together. The call was a good one, but he had a question.

"How did two notorious bounties get into the Calm Lands undetected?"

"The Sea Father might have played a hand, which is part of why you're here now, Danny." Ripley smiled. "Reports from the Blue Strait claims they saw the flag of the smuggler over the course of several months. They were ignored because he's usually the Summer Sea's problem, but the fact that he was that far west before rebels appear is raising questions now."

The Blue Strait was within the Mainland's territories and to the southwest. Daniel would be in charge of making sure that pirates didn't come through again. Or maybe he'd be in charge of putting the right people in the role for it? He had more questions to ask later. For now, he let Grast go on.

"Right now we're keeping a vigilant eye on the Calm Lands. Xerva is doing a sweep to root the rebels out. In Mirror Town she's seen signs of a recent battle, and the city guard has been slaughtered. It seems a bit loud to be Rebels, but targeting Harmon's forces wouldn't be unheard of."

The room went silent all of a sudden, and Daniel caught himself wildly looking around. There was something in the air no one wanted to address, and he wondered if the job was his. He was about to ask the room a question when Sasha sighed loudly, drowning the thought.

"Also in the Calm Lands: the defection of Rien Almatt." She crossed her arms. "He kept his word on leaving if he ever crossed paths with the Diamond."

Ah, now he recognized that title. There was a well-known Enforcer who earned the title of the Hero, and at the celebration, he made a declaration. He was happy to fight for good, but his brother was somewhere out in the world. When they met, Rien would leave the Enforcers. Between his title and his rank, that couldn't be ignored. His name seemed to say a lot too. The Hero was a ward of the Almatt family? How did this make Sasha feel?

"Considering we knew he was going to do that, what is there to say? If anything we should blame the Sea Father. The investigation wouldn't have been necessary if that guy wasn't sneaking around."

"Daniel." Grast called. "What is the difference between an Enforcer and a soldier of the brigade?"

"Enforcers are stationed in individual towns where as brigade members are sent to outpost."

"Daniel!" Sasha called. "What is the difference between Thomas Wilder and a normal Enforcer?"

"Wilder is an exceptional investigator. After being noticed, he began relocating to solve difficult cases."

"Are you implying you sent the boy of to act as a copy of Wilder?" Grast turned to the woman.

"He's the Hero, isn't he? Heroes should travel and help different people. I did what I thought was right."

"Well…" Ripley said, swaying in his seat. "It doesn't matter what your intentions were, Sasha, you know why this is a problem." The woman said nothing in response. To the question in Daniel's eyes, Ripley's smile widened. "It's because the Tapestry is active, you see."

"The tapestry?"

Grast tapped the table, and the landmass became a tall shifting curtain. Its threads shined with light as they moved around, giving it the alarming illusion of life. There was active magic within it—twitchy fingers ready to make a mural. It was an eerily beautiful sight, that was hard to pull his eyes away from.

"The tapestry is a gift the Witch Queen gave to the King when she joined the empire. It activates when troubling times are upon us, changing to depict the people who'll be the greatest threat to the realm." The Jotun explained.

"This time it activated after your predecessor was assassinated." Ripley said. "It is not wise to have a seat empty when it's alive."

"Jerro Tux was no slouch either. Whoever killed him was strong and capable."

"What does the Tapestry have to do with Sasha's Ward?"

Sasha sighed, "He could appear on it. I can't even say he probably won't. The boy has a good heart and will do what he think is right. There's no guarantee he won't clash with the Brigade."

"And that would be bad considering he's the Hero. I'm already wondering what we've done that would make him turn on us." Daniel nodded. He thought about the half-elf. He was a year older than him, and they had never gotten the chance to meet. Still, Daniel thought they might have become friends. Maybe it was silly, but he could understand Sasha's hesitation. It felt wrong to name the Hero a villain. It felt telling.

Grast drummed the table. "Decide how we'll approach this, Sasha. Beyond your relation to him, Enforcer's fall under your command. This is your moment."

"I have a suggestion." Dae Hyun said. "He was last seen in the Calm Lands right? One of my officers is currently there, meeting with the Spirit Guard Captain. When she's done with her mission, I could have her apprehend him."

"I second this idea!" Ripley said. "Rather than put a number on his head, you can give him to me for rehabilitation." He looked excitedly at Sasha. The woman scrunched her forehead.

"Fine. And if this fails, a 300,000 phen bounty should be enough."

"Then that settles the major matters of this meeting. Let's close with updates on criminal activity under our areas. In the north the Infinite Spell's books have been found in circulation. It seems their creator is on a clockwise route."

"Nothing to report in the East." Sasha said. "Things have been pretty quiet with the exception of some of the nobles, blowing up smoke about secret Elf conspiracies. I'll probably have to nip that before it escalates again."

"The tribesmen have been quiet since Daniel and I pushed them back two months ago. Though I feel they're regrouping, rather than giving up."

"All things are calm in the west, according to Elaine's reports. She headed to the Blue Peaks because of vampire activity, but another report says its already resolved."

"This matter is one you should all be attentive of. The Yoshiki Sect, a demon worshiping organization have set out from the Triumvirate and have been spotted as far out as the Dragon Dens, and as far in as Central Mainland. I do not think they care to threaten the realm, but they are dangerous. I ask that we respond to them with appropriate force, the Yoshiki Sect is one of the older ones." Dae Hyun said.

"Then if that is all, this meeting is adjourned. Sasha, inform Kado that the attending the Summit is not optional for him." Grast stood, and the room rose with him.

The pale man towered at eleven feet and produced a compass the size of his palm. He pressed and its needle spun, wrapping a ball of light around him. Ripley did the same, and Daniel expected everyone but him to follow suit, but instead, they headed for the door. He watched Sasha go, noting her sullen face as she murmured to herself, and almost went after to see what he could do. Anai stopped him, however, giving him another smile.

"If you have a moment Daniel, I want to talk to you a bit more. Since you'll be in the Southwest I'm confident we'll be working together more in the future."

Maybe this was more of a suggestion to give the woman some space, but there was a chance to answer more of his questions too. Still, Daniel's heart ached for Sasha. He knew the story of her and Rien, and could almost feel how much this chapter hurt…