The next day, Aaron, Gabriella, Isaac, Jenna, Luo, Ejiro, Victor, Stephen, and even Christopher attended a dinner together. The venue was a rotating restaurant with a beautiful view over Torque. The gate to the Fifth Layer had yet to be repaired, but it was peaceful outside as workers returned to their homes.

The restaurant was fitting for a city run by vampires. It was padded with red carpet and golden decor. The tables were made of glass, and the chandeliers were made of bronze. The wine was also good, but Gabriella, Victor and Ejiro praised the freshness of the blood - the restaurant had stocked up on human blood after the last battle.

Isaac opted for a Virgin Mary, and Aaron ordered a glass of water.

“I’m glad you could all make it,” said Stephen. “We’ve had a tough few days and could use some rest. However, there are still some matters to settle first.”

Christopher grunted as his steak arrived, taking up only a third of his plate. “Right, we agreed I’d be getting half of the territory.”

Gabriella elbowed him. “No, only that you could expand it. We still have to give the eastern side of the guild to the West DA, and a portion of the north to the Wandering Lands, as promised.”

“You promised that?!”

She chuckled. “Maybe you should have read the alliance agreements. But then again, you only care about fighting.”

“Yes- I mean, no! At least give me land in the south. I want access to the sea.”

Victor coughed. “Then you will, but it might be best if the werewolves and the vampires stay under the same government. Now isn’t a good time to separate the Obscure Guild in two.”

“The rivalry between the vampires and the werewolves has gone on for too long,” Gabriella nodded. “We should let go of the old ways.”

“I see! I don’t care about politics. It’ll be less trouble if we don’t split the guild. However, there’s one other thing I want to do.”

“What is it?” Gabriella looked up from her small plate of spaghetti.

“It’s to build the biggest arena in the world. That way, humans from all over the continents will come here to fight.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Victor pointed out. “It’d make the guild more popular and pave the way for tourism.”

Stephen tapped the table with his fingers. “That’s right. Especially since the Topaz and Tremblay guilds are closed off.”

He gulped down the last of his wine. “I want all of you to come with me to the Inner Layer tomorrow. Seth Rayn will also join us. We have to take care of the remaining government forces hiding there.”

“Isn’t bringing the army enough? Why do you need all of us?” Aaron asked.

The strategist shook his head. “The Dark Faction’s stillness worries me. We have to take precautions just in case.”

“I see…”

…

It was 9 p.m. and dinner had ended. The restaurant had quietened as most people had left, but some decided to stay for a little longer.

Gabriella Rivampe and Isaac Tremblay stood by the window. The girl leaned on the metal bar and gazed at the dark streets below. “This brings me back.”

“To when you lived in the Obscure Guild?”

“No,” she let out a soft sigh, “back to when we met in Hellish City. You saved me from myself under the red moon. You were the one who told me that I didn’t have to follow my rotten instincts… that I could be righteous.”

Isaac glanced at her. She was staring at the Obscure Guild’s roof. He could spot a tear running down her cheek.

“It’s a pity we can’t see the sky from here.”

“Maybe.” Gabriella brushed her face with her black sleeve. “I feel comfortable under the concrete roof. The Obscure Guild isn’t a cage anymore; it’s a shelter.”

Isaac looked at the roof, but he couldn’t imagine living without a sky. The clouds, the sun, the auroras, and the stars were a part of his childhood. He yearned to go back to those days when he’d stand in the center of the Aspen forest, stargazing on the same rock his adoptive father had found him on. “Don’t you want to get rid of the roof and see the stars?”

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“I don’t. It’s different for a pure vampire like me, but vampires don’t typically feel comfortable under the sun.”

“That’s right…. But don’t high vampires also resist the sunlight?”

“They resist it, but they don’t enjoy it. Ejiro is an exception, I think, since he’s also a light mage. Plus, there are only a few high vampires.”

“I guess so. Still, you should go above the roof once in a while.”

Gabriella smiled. “I will, and even though I’ll be extremely busy as the queen, I’ll go out to visit you and Aaron whenever I can. You two are my best friends.”

“Maybe we can stay in the Obscure Guild with you.”

“...I’d like that if you weren’t mages. I can afford to stay here since Victor and the other vampires can train me. But you guys… You should go study under Seth, or at an academy.”

Nearby, Aaron and Anne were still sitting at the table.

After a long silence, Aaron made eye contact with the other wind mage. “We shouldn’t have the right to be celebrating right now…”

“You’re wrong. It may not look like much of a victory, after so many deaths, but we saved the Obscure Guild in the end. That’s a cause for celebration.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Aaron shut his eyes. “I lost some friends in this war. They were comrades I had fought with in the Wandering Lands. They wouldn’t want to see me sulking.”

“You’re not the only one. We’ve all lost many comrades.”

“Did you also fight in the Wandering Lands? I didn’t see you in the West DA’s army before coming to the Obscure Guild.”

“That’s because I was fighting in the north before getting dispatched here. After I heard about the Tremblay Guild's fall, I joined the Wandering Lands’ army to go against the guild’s new reign. It was home.”

“So, you weren’t there during the first attack?” Aaron asked, referring to the seizing of the Tremblay Guild.

Anne shook her head. “I travelled a lot as an unaffiliated mage. I was in the Central Continent, about to compete in a tournament, hoping to be promoted from the intermediate rank. When I heard what had happened, I rushed back to the Western Continent, but it was too late.”

“I see. Not many people would risk their lives to come here, not even mages. You’ll definitely get promoted to advanced rank after this, or maybe even get ranked as an expert like Ejiro.”

“Haha. Thank you. I’m hoping the Democratic Alliance will honour me. It was my father’s dream for me to become an accomplished mage. He wanted to become one when he was young, but he didn’t have enough money to enroll in a magic academy, so he ended up becoming a scientist.”

Stephen sat at the table. “A scientist? In what field?”

Anne let out a proud smile. “In aeronautics. He worked on numerous magic aircraft for the Tremblay Guild such as the S-Craft.”

“The S-Craft?” said Aaron loudly. “Isaac and I used to ride one when we were in the Snowrider Faction. It was incredibly silent because it flew with wind magic instead of a regular engine.”

“It’s safe to say he made enough money to pay for my tuition at the Central Academy of Magic.” Anne giggled.

“The one near Aspen City? I studied there for a few months-”

“Aaron.” Stephen interrupted him with a strange smile. “I heard Seth allowed you to join the war temporarily. Since you’re a minor what do you intend to do when we’re done here?”

Aaron Amon reached for his glass of water before realizing it was empty. He hadn’t thought that far. His end goal was revenge on Jacob Raider, but he was only 15 years old. The minimum age for enrolling in the army had been temporarily lowered to 16, but it would inevitably become 18 again soon. If it weren’t for Seth covering for him, he wouldn’t have been allowed to join Gabriella and Isaac in combat.

Stephen broke the silence. “Have you considered going overseas?”

“Overseas? To the Central Continent?”

“Yes. My wife could refer you to the Silver Peaks. She’s a teacher there, and my son also attends it.”

Anne smiled enthusiastically. “The Silver Peaks is the most prestigious magic academy in the world. A third of the world’s best mages graduated there.”

“I’ll think about it,” Aaron said.

Gabriella surged from behind him. “I didn’t know you had a family, Stephen.”

“I do. My kid, Ryan, is a year younger than you. I simply don’t talk about personal matters during work. But, most of the work is done now. Micky and Scott have already left the Obscure Guild. I’m only staying to make sure there’s no more threat.”

“Right,” Isaac said as he arrived, “we’re going back to the Inner Layer tomorrow.”

…

Rico and Jacob sat in their respective offices, attending a virtual meeting. Another person was on the call. He wore a dark, purple hood to cover his face.

“The Obscure Guild’s Five Seats were an embarrassment,” Rico frowned.

Jacob gave him a sly smile. “You were right. It’s time for the backup plan.”

Rico turned to the stranger. “Hi, mister-”

“It seems you’ll need my help after all.” His voice was deep and harsh. Rico thought it was fitting for someone of his status.

“I’m too busy with work to go to the Obscure Guild myself,” Jacob complained. “I’ll owe you one.”

“Before that, tell me what I’m getting into. Why did the Seats fail?”

Rico shook his head and tried to imitate the stranger’s harsh tone. “Our opponents were lucky. They have many strong mages on their sides, of which most died. But mages are nothing compared to you, are they?”

“Mages? Of course not.” The stranger’s eyes glowed through his dark hood - two bright crimson red spots.

‘They’re just like that guy’s eyes,’ Rico thought quietly, ‘but we shouldn’t tell him about Aaron’s friend or the master-ranked mage. The apostle might get suspicious of me and Jacob.’