Sundenelle studies the tactical map in the war room of the Imperial castle squarely in the capital of the Empire. Many things have happened since Mornistae summoned divine heroes from another world. It was long believed to have been a forgotten art, or even simply a fantastical myth. That it was accomplished is something almost miraculous. The gods can be fickle, so the the stories go, and this means it’s difficult to simply pray or even cast spells and expect them to answer favorably.
In this case, there was some reason the gods decided to answer by sending not one, but two divine heroes. By all appearances, one of them has gone rogue, siding with a splinter group of demon-kin to found his own territory. It’s understandable, to a degree, but Daniel has made himself an adversary to the Grand Zenkon Empire.
But, Sundenelle likely has him right where she wants him. She ordered a full retreat from Fort Twilight, allowing the demon-kin calling themselves ‘the Fievegal’ to capture the fortress. It’s a calculated move, though one her inner court is split on.
If Sundenelle learned anything about Daniel over the course of several failed attacks on the Citadel, it’s that he can’t be simply treated like a simple adversary from the world of Zenkon. After all, he’s most certainly not. She’d likely run into the same problems if Rikuto became an enemy as well. They both have wisdom and tactics not present on Zenkon, as well as a pool of technology within their memories that far surpasses the basics of what is available to any of the kingdoms within the alliance.
Daniel made a few specific demands in his letter, and by now, he’s doing his best to try to figure out what Sundenelle’s own angle is. She knows no one in their right mind would abandon a fortress the size of Fort Twilight without a fight, especially because the mountains are basically the last line of defense capable of actually slowing down the demon-kin from invading the east in force.
He’ll be forced to prepare for attack, wasting time and resources, and he’ll be more open to surrendering to Sundenelle when she makes her counter-offer.
Dragons or not, if she can starve them out or force them to ask for relief, they’ll be at her mercy.
She smirks at the tactical map, showing the estimated positions of the three separate corps of the Imperial Allied Army.
Byleathea approaches the table behind Sundenelle, asking gently, “Are you certain your adversary will take the bait, your Grace?”
“I can’t be absolute, but I have done everything I can to force him to make the next move. If he attempts to invade, we’re in position to flank his forces. If he decides to simply hold Fort Twilight, we can circle around and cut off his supply lines. And, if he abandons Fort Twilight, we only need to reclaim it before the demons. Without the dragons aiding them, our odds are considerably more reasonable.”
“I don’t like it… The dragons usually don’t partake in battles, but when they do, it can be devastating.”
Sundenelle looks at her mother, relaxing her expression. She’s not wrong, and she’s only worried about Sundenelle making a critical mistake. Daniel may be the one on everyone’s minds at the moment, but the demon army is still very much a threat, and they are unlikely to be idle. “Even now, our spies and reconnaissance teams have reported gathering demon forces in the north. It’s highly probable they will attack Fort Peony.”
“The furthest from the Empire…”
“The alliance stands strong, Mother. We will not falter on our share of the alliance’s duty.”
“I admire your honorable stance, my beloved daughter, but if I may, I am less worried about our enemies at our front.”
Sundenelle is quiet. Byleathea is completely correct. No organization is without traitors and spies in its midst, and by choosing the furthest fortress from the centralized command, those traitors and spies buy themselves time for whatever their schemes are.
Of course, Sundenelle is hoping she can bypass that problem altogether with her current machinations. Daniel is the key player; her real enemy. If his technology falls into the hands of the demons, it’s over.
And, given that his primary companion is the demon-kin Hekate, an unknown fox-like girl whose race is all but a complete mystery, it’s difficult to explicitly determine whether or not they’re a threat.
Until she knows, Sundenelle will do what she’s always done.
Stack the deck in her favor.
***
Choul meets with the messengers from the Empire in the special secluded room they prepared for the messengers after providing them food and drink.
“Good afternoon. I am General Choul of the Fievegal Imperial Army. Welcome to Fievegal territory.”
The leading officer of the messengers bows. “Greetings. Please allow me to speak on behalf of my retinue. I am Commander Jiinlara kos Lorlollan of the Imperial Army First Order Knight Corps. The pleasure is mine, General.”
“Thank you. Now then, please share the message that has brought you to Fort Twilight.”
“As you wish, General.” Jiinlara withdraws the message scroll from his messenger bag, handing it over to Choul.
Choul casts a simple analysis spell on the scroll to detect magic traps. He learned to do this after he witnessed a trapped spell scroll that killed the recipient’s attendant by incineration. Various spells can be bound to scrolls, and Choul learned that day, of all days, to verify that a scroll is safe.
Satisfied that it’s a simple message scroll, Choul opens it. This seems to surprise the officers. After all, it would seem at a glance that he didn’t even bother to check, since his spell was so instantaneous and unseen.
The message is rather brazen in a sense, though Choul takes it seriously.
“[Dear Daniel kos Lawson,
I mean no immediate disrespect, but I must insist that I can only acknowledge a recognized sovereign as a titled ruler. You must admit, the rise of the alleged Fievegal is sudden and without proper precedent.
I am not an unreasonable ruler, however. I will indulge you your conquest of Fort Twilight, if only to acknowledge the fault of the ill-conceived attacks on the stronghold known as the Citadel.
If you are truly a separate sovereign from the polity known as the Demon Covenant, I would be willing to invite you to the Imperial Court to plead your case for independence, and in due respect of your abilities, consider your eligibility as a vassal state to the Grand Zenkon Empire.
It is with sincere respect that I write to you, Daniel kos Lawson, as well as your wife, Hekate fell Lawson. I invite you both to the Imperial Court, where you will be treated with dignity and respect, but of those of honored guests until the validity of your claims can be confirmed.
Please understand, I cannot grant sovereignty to just any who declare themselves rulers.
I look forward to meeting you, Daniel kos Lawson of the otherworld.
Very respectfully,
The Enlightened Imperial Empress,
Sundenelle kos Lindenmorg,
Ruler of the Grand Zenkon Empire
Commander in Chief of the Eastern Alliance
Saintess of the Southern Divine Order
Lady of the house of Lindenmorg]”
Choul studies the letter for a moment. Sundenelle is very clearly provoking Daniel and Hekate.
Fortunately, Daniel’s plan has only entered the first stages. He has every intention of carrying out further mischief in regards to the Empress, and her refusal to acknowledge the Fievegal even after his threat is well within his expectations. In fact, he would have been more surprised if she simply accepted.
“I see. The Empress invites my Liege to meet in the Imperial Palace for an audience.”
“That is correct, General. The path to peace is to acknowledge one’s place.”
Interesting coming from the losing side before the dragons sided with Daniel.
Choul keeps his thought to himself, of course.
“The Empress has disregarded my Liege Lord’s offer. I will have to inform him of this outcome.”
“With all respect, General; not disregarded, but rather, made a counter offer. Business negotiations and political negotiations are the same in at least one respect; not least of which is leverage.”
Choul smiles cryptically. Daniel is trying to win his war without bloodshed where possible, but he has the full might of the dragons, a feldrok exceeding the known magical prowess of the strongest feldroks of the world, the former Demon Queen herself, and various other powerful allies. It is unwise to provoke him. Even if Daniel will be sluggish about the way he retaliates, he will retaliate. He will bring justice to all who oppose him.
Choul knows the answer already, so he doesn’t actually have to speak to Daniel, but he also can’t give in too easily, lest they be suspicious.
“Very well. I shall relay this message to my Liege, Emperor Daniel. However, I am certain it goes without saying; what assurances will the Empress allow to ensure the safety of my liege lord?”
“Her Enlightened Highness the Empress is fully aware of Daniel’s demon staves. To invite him to the Imperial Palace, she is taking the greater risk.”
“As you can guess, my Liege will not agree to arrive defenseless.”
“No, one would think not. Her Imperial Majesty intends to employ countermeasures to ensure safety of the Imperial Court. This is all we know.”
Choul nods, thinking. Most likely, these countermeasures will be everything the Empire can employ; every powerful mage possible to try to counteract Hekate and Vaergraes, specifically.
“Oh, I must warn you,” adds Choul. “The Empress should obviously be prepared to meet with Emperor Daniel as well as Empress Hekate and the Dragon Empresses.”
This causes a brief moment of consternation to cross Jiinlara’s face. The name alone should mean everything necessary to anyone listening; the Dragon Empresses are exactly what they sound like.
Choul adds, “More like, they will not be stopped from accompanying his Grace. The Empresses are… willful.”
Jiinlara bows. “Understood. We will prepare to receive Daniel’s… wives with dignity.”
“Please do. They are most agreeable, but fiercely protective of their loved ones.”
“If you may permit me to ask a potentially disrespectful question, General. This one is for curiosity, more than anything.”
“Ask your question,” replies Choul cordially.
“The Dragon Empresses… are they?”
“Dragons which my Liege Lord defeated himself? Yes.”
This surprises all of the officers. “General… You mean to say Daniel… conquered them?”
Choul smirks. “In a sense. I would ask you to observe them if you are afforded the chance and decide for yourself. Yesterday’s enemies can be tomorrow’s friends.” Choul bows. “Excuse me. I will send a message to my Liege. If you wish not to be confined to this tower, then I will have you brought back outside until we receive a response. Otherwise, you may rest and relax until we have received a reply. I expect it’ll take no more than a few days.”
“We’ll take you up on your hospitality, General. Thank you.”
Choul nods and bows respectfully, leaving the room. He heads to the main fortress, where the commanders are gathered with Rose and Blue in their human forms. Rose and Blue bow as Choul enters, while the others quiet down.
They all greet him, “General.”
“Thank you. Please relax. We’ll need to deliver a message to his Grace Daniel with Sundenelle’s reply. After that, it’ll be up to his Grace to determine what to do next. Though, I have a pretty good idea what it’ll be.”
“Leave it to us,” replies Blue. “We’ll deliver it within the hour.”
Choul nods. “I know, but no need to press yourselves. As long as Daniel knows by the end of the day, we won’t be revealing how fast we can pass messages between here and the Citadel, so either way, our guests will be waiting.”
“Aren’t you worried about them leaving their confined quarters and spying?” asks Rose.
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“We have very little intel of note, other than the tanks, which are currently hidden in the lean-to, and the only real modifications we’ve made to the fortress are the stone gates. Daniel and the Empresses are discussing whether or not we should stage artillery here, since we don’t know if we can hold it without unacceptable casualties if we make it even more appetizing as a target than it already is. Even if Sundenelle has sent a direct message, there’s no telling what orders she gave her army, so we must remain diligent.”
The commanders nod, and Rose smiles. “Forgive me if I’m overstepping, General, but… I feel like… we are more of a team than we ever were under… the Red Lord.”
“We are,” replies Choul. “What has been accomplished in this little time is proof that everyone has a role to play, and the most efficient work is when we play it.” He gestures at the other commanders, each representing the various races present. “If Daniel’s plan to tackle the Covenant is successful, we’ll be able to expand our military and villages. And, with more citizens comes more power for the Citadel, which means more golems.”
“I wish the other dragons would help us…” murmurs the rose-pink dragon.
“Daniel intends to keep his promise. He won’t force anyone to do anything if he can help it.”
“Aren’t they just taking advantage of him, then?”
“Yes, but they’re also increasing the population of dragons. In the next year, our numbers will more than double with just the eggs laid so far. I understand your own has started making noises.”
Both Blue and Rose blush as they glance sheepishly at each other. In order to serve, they asked Daniel what should be done, and he immediately asked the three Empresses to look after it, which they happily agreed. Daniel had the foresight to mark the egg with a special fabric ‘harness’ that won’t come off easily. And, since the Empresses are all higher dragons, they would never intentionally switch eggs with Rose and Blue’s. Rather, it’s more surprising that the Empresses were so willing to oblige caring for their egg, being lesser dragons as they are.
It seems the dragon leadership really has changed under Daniel and without the oppressive pressure of the Red Lord, his brother the Red Knight, and the Green Sage. The only male dragons remaining are either lesser dragons bound by contract to Daniel, or Choul, who is also bound by contract.
Of course, the Empresses are proof that, under the right circumstances, Daniel will remove the contracts if he comes to trust the dragons. And, the fastest way to do that was to give oneself over to Daniel, mind, heart, and soul, as evidenced by the Empresses, who genuinely do seem to care about him.
And, as if reading Rose’s thoughts, Choul mentions out of the blue, “Of course, I am interested in seeing what Daniel has planned for his years of service rewards. According to him, the military he briefly served in on Earth had such systems.”
All of the commanders and the two lesser dragons take particular note of this. “R-Rewards?” asks Blue.
Choul nods. “I won’t make promises for our Imperial Ruler, but I wouldn’t be surprised if land ownership or contract removal were to become specific benefits to serving long enough.”
This causes sparkles in the eyes of various members of the meeting, and Rose squeaks, “R-Really?”
Choul is leaving it vague, but in fact, Daniel has expressed that both of those are specific options he’s considering, but first, he needs to conquer some land. As for the contracts, he didn’t mention it to anyone prior because he didn’t want anyone to join, get the contract removed, and then betray him all by putting on a show. Since they’ve been respectful without that knowledge, Choul figures it’s okay to let these two know about it. They volunteered to serve mainly to earn prestige for lesser dragons in hopes that the greater dragons will see them closer to equals. In the Empresses’ cases, they may still have their prejudices, but they seem to sincerely take an active interest in Daniel’s stance on everything; individual merit stands above all, and equal rights are equal rights. Thus, they didn’t hesitate or balk at the idea of caring for Rose and Blue’s egg, and Choul knows that they are indeed caring for it properly, carrying it around in shifts with their own eggs, since it’s widely believed that interaction can benefit the embryos, rather than just leaving them in an incubator for the whole length of gestation.
“As I said,” starts Choul in reply after his ponderings. “I can’t make promises on Daniel’s behalf, but I suspect that those are among the higher rewards he’ll choose to give. If not, he’ll at least hear out wishes, I’m sure, and make true those he can.”
The group nods together. Rose says enthusiastically, “What else can we do to win faster, General!? I’m ready! Give me commands!”
Choul chuckles. He hands the message to her, saying warmly, “For starters, get this to Daniel. Fly high and safe, rather than low and fast. I want you to avoid all hazards. Even if Sundenelle’s message is sincere, we still don’t know where the archoneldwyn came from, how many there are, and what they might be plotting. High and safe.”
She nods. “As you wish, General!” She stands proud, asking, “Permission to depart?”
“Granted. Inform Daniel additionally that our situation is stable, and that we’ll delay the reply to preserve our secrecy as much as possible.”
“Will do! Come, Blue. Let us depart with haste. As she bounds to the door, she halts. “G-General…?”
“Yes?” asks Choul.
“W-... Were I to ask his Grace… Would he take it as disrespectful if I were to ask for more work?”
Choul smiles. “Respect is most often given in tone and wording. Daniel doesn’t easily take offense to requests. Feel free to ask him whatever you want, and if he doesn’t like the question or request, he’ll let you know not to ask about it.”
She bows. “Thank you, General. I’ll do that.” With that, she and Blue depart, headed for the Citadel once more with important information that they don’t want being intercepted via telepathy, if such is possible.
“Now then, where are we on shoring up defenses?”
Vahaka, the goblin commander, proudly puffs his chest. “[Goblins clear out debris. Tanks hidden good. Secret escape tunnels in progress.]”
“{We’ve marked out ambush points along both main paths out of the fortress, General,}” adds Myralkan, the Dattakorien commander. He scratches his cheek as he studies the tactical map. “{The dense foliage on both sides makes it difficult to detect incoming scouts, though.}”
“{We could raze the forest and open up the clear areas, General,}” suggests Sarm. Commanding the ogres, they specialize more in open warfare, as opposed to the smaller races like the dattakoriens and goblins, who specialize in stealth and ambushes.
Choul nods. It’s a good thought, and very easy for a dragon. Of course, to simply burn down a bunch of trees is to wipe out a useable resource and reduce it to a much less useful material. “{There are merits to the plan, but I think it’s more valuable to cut the trees down and bring the lumber in. Do we have the tools to do so?}”
The oni commander nods. “{I believe so, General. Though, we’ll need more hands to make efficient progress.}”
“{Of course. Then, let’s begin forest clearing. Myralkan, prioritize safety, but focus scouting efforts around the forest clearing east, first. Rolokahr, have the Uhl’tall man both walls with whatever means they need to be able to do ranged siege attacks. Ucahote, please have the tanks ready to run at a moment’s notice and intercept incoming forces.}”
Those addressed confirm their orders, “{As you wish, General!}”
“{Very good. If anything abnormal comes up, inform me. I’ll be keeping watch from the central tower of the main fortress. I’ll be able to hear you.}”
They all bow, and Choul makes his way to the top of the fortress. It’s a quiet afternoon as nature carries on, mostly ignoring the soldiers of the Fievegal carrying out their assigned tasks.
But, the grey dragon doesn’t lower his guard. He’s no longer a solo revenge-seeker. He is a leader in a fledgeling military, and though he is powerful himself, his real duty is to his soldiers.
And, nature has an uncanny ability to reveal something out of place, just as much as it has the ability to conceal something out of place.
He can not let his guard down for the sake of all of his soldiers and the leadership he cares about.
***
Daniel studies an old tome in the library of the Citadel. It’s after dark, and his only company at present is Xyreko. Naturally, the library is well-lit, and she is seated next to him as he reads the book she picked out for him.
Everyone else is -or should be- sleeping currently, and the communicators just need to be assembled, which they’ll do in the morning. Additionally, Geirahoel was able to break down the assembly design of the surveyor scope to components that can be made with the MDM teams, and she has one of the newest machines making parts, which there are four shifts to fill the day, allowing them to continue producing all day and all night. The lenses are the trickiest part, but she insisted that she can take care of it, and he hasn’t seen her as much since.
During his break, though, Daniel has been researching something important. Xyreko has a pretty-well encyclopedic knowledge of everything that has ever been told to her, but like a human memory, it can be difficult for her to pull up specific data, and in this case, she was only able to steer Daniel to a book.
The book speaks about a time during the height of the feldroks. It seems to be almost a journal entry, rather than a scholarly entry, but much of the personalization is lost in the translation, which Xyreko is projecting next to each page for Daniel to read.
He’s currently researching everything he can about Nemaisol, the strange sword that sometimes seems to have a mind of its own, and always seems to repel magic when drawn, including that of the wielder.
But, what always sticks in the forefront of Daniel’s mind is that even Xyreko can’t identify the element of the sword that causes the phenomenon. Especially because Nemaisol does seem to be stronger at times, capable of easily cleaving metal even in Daniel’s rather amateur hands.
Xyreko is a soulbound dattakorien woman who opted to become caretaker of the Citadel, along with others. This kept her from passing on and affords her many abilities she did not have in life.
Daniel is not the most optimistic person in the world, but he is always thinking. Part of what's needed to troubleshoot and repair equipment is the ability to break something down into its functions and identify the root of a problem, or what’s missing from the function.
And, he often begins thinking along the same lines about everything. He’d probably never be able to solve some grand mystery or escape from those trick rooms that rose in popularity on Earth. But, he considers possibilities -which can sometimes make him unduly paranoid-.
In this case, though, he can’t help but consider the possibility that the thing that makes Nemaisol peculiar is the same thing that grants Xyreko her continued existence.
There’s a soul bound to the sword.
And, on the page he’s reading, he finds the entry, “[The sword was discovered in an old temple preceding even the eldest of our village. However, when it was picked up, the one who touched it seemed to hear something no one else could, and he seemingly chose the name of the sword; Nemaisol.
Regardless, no feldrok was ever capable of drawing the sword from its scabbard, nor any other race. Surprisingly, an Uhl’tall elder seemed especially intrigued by the name of the sword, mentioning a fairytale she heard as a child.
Only the chosen one could wield the sword, as the story goes, and they could stand against any power in existence, even the gods.
It is difficult to believe, but the only things that can be confirmed through even the greatest of our efforts are that the sword cannot be broken, melted, or even scratched, even by our strongest. Even if the scabbard is damaged, it simply regenerates, regardless of prevention of mana and matter from reaching it.
It is difficult to say if this truly is the sword of ancient fairytales that the feldroks do not have record of, and no other historical records exist.
For reference and posterity, the fairytale as remembered by the Uhl’tall elder will be included in the appendix.]”
Daniel finds the referenced appendix, skimming through to find reference to the name “Nemaisol.” From what he finds, the sword appeared before the hero of the story, while a soft, angelic voice prophesied the battle to come.
And, then Daniel finds something especially interesting.
The hero became known as the first Dawnseer. And, he taught the art to the various races of the world to help prevent future calamities.
“A Dawnseer, huh?” remarks Daniel with amusement. “So, it wasn’t just smoke being blown out of someone’s…” He glances at Xyreko, clearing his throat and leaving it at that.
“It’s probably difficult to explain rationally, beyond saying that it simply works. It’s said that the world itself is alive enough to have its own mana, and disturbances within the world’s mana can be predicted, even a measurable amount of time in the seemingly unforeseeable future. I should clarify that it is unclear whether these visions are what may be or what will be, as they are, from what I understand, quite unclear, even to the best practitioners of the art of Dawnseeing.”
“Do you believe the future can be changed from the visions?” asks Daniel curiously.
“I… don’t have the luxury of speaking with certainty. My father was a dawnseer. I witnessed predictions that he made come true. But, it’s usually a premonition, rather than something that can be prevented… from what I have seen.”
Daniel shrugs. “Well, I’m already here, and from what I’ve heard, my rifle and the atom bombs were likely what caused them to summon us, which is strange. I wouldn’t think the atom bombs would… or rather, I figured they would interrupt the ability.”
“I cannot say. I can certainly confirm that they count as a significant disturbance to the world’s mana, though, and would have been very easy for dawnseeing to detect at least the initiation. Am I safe in assuming the dawnseer never mentioned the bombs themselves?”
Daniel thinks for a moment. “Huh. Now that you mention it, she mentioned a ‘staff of all four worldly elements’, but never mentioned ‘canisters of doom’ or anything like that.”
Xyreko stares at him in her obviously-smug way, and Daniel smirks. “Yeah, yeah. Are you capable of dawnseeing?”
“I’m afraid I’m not. I believe the Lady Vaergraes is, though. Or, a very similar reading of the world’s mana. Learning dawnseeing is an innate skill; something one is born with.”
“Innate skill… I remember that when I was summoned, but it never really comes up. So, people are assigned a special magical ability when they’re born here?”
Xyreko nods. “I spoke to Wenlianna about omni-affinity being a mere stepping stone to real magic, but it’s really a result of the short lifespans of humans and human kin, as well as the shorter lifespans of applicable demon kin. What the feldroks referred to as Class E mortals.”
“Class E?” asks Daniel, sounding a little insulted.
“Remember, the feldroks did not discriminate. It was merely to define races that have average lifespans shorter than two hundred years. As goblins average around fifty years, and humans of this world average a little over one hundred…” She trails off as she undoubtedly recalls the conversation about Daniel’s expected lifespan once more.
“It’s fine, Xyreko. I’ll try to remember to ask Vaergraes about it later. It could be handy to see the future.”
“Even if you can’t change it?”
“Sure. Though, that doesn’t mean I can’t try. After all, they summoned me for that very reason.”
Xyreko chuckles. “I suppose, if anyone can…”
“So, why did it matter about the Class E races?”
“Ah, yes. The problem with the omni-affinity belief system has more to do with the traits for magical attunement not being preserved through the generations. Some generations were likely watered down by changing biases of those without magic in places of power, or the masses not realizing they had magic due to not being taught. In fact, the first of the lesser dragons was merely the offspring of a greater dragon, and the greater dragons ostracized the ‘lesser dragons’.”
“I… see…” murmurs Daniel.
“Don’t worry, Daniel! I meant nothing by it. Just as parents with both of them possessing strong magic can produce a child with weak magic, there is always a chance that your children will possess natural gifts for magic.”
He chuckles softly. “Maybe. Assuming magic is a dominant trait.”
“Dominant trait?” asks Xyreko. Because she understands how he looks at things, he knows something she doesn’t.
“Selective breeding works because of both dominant and recessive traits, depending on the goal. But, if something is a recessive trait, it’s virtually impossible for first generation offspring to possess the trait if one of the parents doesn’t possess the trait’s gene. Which, since I come from Earth, a place with no magic, is impossible in me.”
Xyreko sighs. “Then, you are speaking of many traits, Daniel. Did I not just explain? The magic attunements are much more complex than summing it up into a single trait. And, many generations have thinned those traits out. Wenlianna will never be as strong as a feldrok or even a dragon, but she could learn to use magic that she has never believed possible, and by doing so, the practice would expand her mana. If you are worried about preserving the so-called ‘omni-affinity’ traits, then I will happily create a selective matchmaking program. Though, I had thought until this moment, you believed more in self-determination…”
Daniel widens his eyes, looking directly at Xyreko again. And, once more, her posture is her ‘knowing smile even without a face’.
He scoffs and finally relaxes. She adds pointedly with a soft tone, “Daniel, you have done just fine in this world without magic. And, it would be uncharacteristically arrogant of you to think you could single-handedly thin out traits already on the decline in some populations.”
Daniel chuckles. “You got me, Xyreko. You’re right. Though, I think it’s only fair of me to say that on Earth, it’s estimated that it’s quite possible that half a percent of our seven billion population can be traced back to one man.”
“Half a perce-...?” starts Xyreko smugly until she thinks about the math. After a moment of pondering, she jokes, “My goodness, you’ll easily beat him.”
Daniel finally laughs. “Very funny. Now then, we need to figure out how I got magic so we can mass produce it. You know, just in case.”
“Indeed.”
Daniel resumes studying the book, and Xyreko sits with him peacefully, offering help where she can.
Whatever happens, Daniel can only do what he can do. And, he has a lot to do.
***