The plan

In a distant, vast, and magnificent world, where magic and peculiar phenomena were commonplace, lay a gorgeous city named after the first princess of its founder, Rose De Franca.

Its vast palace and tall towers adorned with beautiful mosaic windows bustled with servants scurrying about, preparing for one of the biggest and most important meetings this world had ever seen.

A blonde, middle-aged man, followed by two people, stepped out of the thick blue mana veil covering a towering edifice called a Gate.

Standing over two meters tall, the man's luxurious costume fluttered as he gripped the pommel of his sword, ignoring the stomach-turning sensation of teleportation.

His deep blue eyes flashed, and his muscles tensed.

"At ease, Marquis Mathias. Nothing will happen."

An old, wrinkly hand gripped his shoulder as a caring voice resounded, forcing him to turn.

Despite Leon's advanced age and white hair, his pale gray eyes emitted a sharp glint of wisdom punctuated by mysterious occasional sparks of green hues.

Mathias shook his head, his clenched jaws contrasting with his liege's relaxed smile.

"This is my duty, your majesty."

"Come on, you're always so serious. What are you expecting to happen on such a grand occasion? A terrorist attack? Stop your paranoia."

The mischievous-looking blue-haired lady accompanying them snorted, fixing her dark sapphire dress and causing the magic symbols embroidered on her cape to pulse to life.

Before Mathias could respond, Leon frowned at the royal mage captain.

"Enough, Alice. Save your rivalry for later."

Then, his eyes softened as he gazed at his royal knight.

"Everyone answered the call to discuss the world's fate, not start a global war. Let's head in. I'm eager to discover what solutions will be brought to the table."

With a polite bow, a servant guided them through the palace's corridors.

On his way, Leon marvelled at the architecture and art before reaching a grand hall.

His eyes flashed at the magnificent, engraved marble columns supporting the high ceiling covered in colorful paintings depicting the Empire's glorious past.

Then, he noticed the charming young woman seated in the middle and how she smiled at them while they took their seats in the audience.

Her hazel eyes glimmered softly as her neatly braided blonde hair caught the light, giving her a mysterious aura.

After a few minutes of hushed whispers, she rose to her feet, her white ceremonial dress embroidered with regal golden patterns fluttering with her movements. Then, her voice echoed delicately in the large hall.

"I, Elisabeth De Franca, welcome you, kings, emperors, and nobles to Rose. As many know, my ability allows me to peer into the future."

Her voice trailed off, and she bit her lips.

"I have seen a war, the greatest that has ever occurred since the beginning of time. Nothing and no one still stood after its ravages. Without working together, we won't overcome this crisis!"

As her words lingered, the hall erupted into boisterous exchanges.

Hearing about a disastrous war from the mouth of the world's most renowned oracle and one of the only ten arcanists overwhelmed them.

"Who is going to start it? Tell us his name so we can kill him right here and now to avoid the catastrophe!"

Someone roared by him, forcing the loud chatters to calm down.

Unfortunately, Elisabeth shook her head and closed her eyes.

"The menace is veiled in shadows, escaping my sight. Perhaps the culprit has powerful anti-divination artifacts, has abilities to escape prophecies, or isn't born yet. Regardless, we still have a window of twenty-five to thirty years to prepare."

"We must allocate significant resources and bolster our military prowess to confront this threat head-on!"

An emperor yelled, his voice resounding with authority and determination.

He seized the opportunity to propose something he longed for, eyes alight with optimism.

"We should also establish magic schools for commoners. After instructing them, we'll recruit them in our military."

Yet, only scornful glares met his words. And he sighed at the reason. Who would accept mixing commoners with nobles in a world of aristocracy?

Yet, someone broke the awkward atmosphere.

"I never thought I would hear something so outrageous. Are commoners to be elevated despite their inferiority to even the lowliest noble? Have you become senile, old man?"

A deafening silence descended in the hall as everyone's eyes enlarged.

The self-proclaimed Beast Emperor, a dangerous man no one dared to go against, just sneered.

On the brink of unifying the southern continent, he stood as the most war-driven ruler on the planet. He exuded pride, even arrogance, embracing the philosophy proclaiming 'might makes right'.

"It's merely a logical proposition. No need to be vexed, even if it doesn't suit your fancy. You resemble a child denied dessert for the evening. Quite lovely."

He retorted, his lips curling into a mocking smirk. Yet, shadows danced on his face. When would this horrible system improve?

"Pfft."

Unable to stifle her laughter, Alice earned a deadly glare from the Beast Emperor.

He glanced at her, his eyes hardening in reprimand as he sensed trouble stirring like a gathering storm.

"Please, everyone, calm down."

Queen Aurora's amiable yet firm voice resounded.

"While King Leon's proposal seems sound, it carries significant risks that we cannot ignore. Consider the ensuing chaos if commoners flooded our cities seeking official magical education. It would disrupt our supply chains and threaten the stability of our realm."

"We must also acknowledge the sheer numbers of the common folk. Even if their magical abilities are inferior to ours, granting them access to such power poses a grave threat to our control."

Thorian interjected, sneering and insisting on the word inferior.

The idea of nurturing commoner mages without ways to ensure they wouldn't rebel sent shivers down every ruler's spine. Worst, they wouldn't be strong enough to make a big difference, making the millions of gold spent to control them bleed their treasuries dry.

Every ruler nodded, agreeing with him.

Meanwhile, Elisabeth's mana-boosted voice suddenly resounded.

"If I may have your attention. I have a plan. You may not like it, but it has the highest chance of success." 

Everyone turned to gaze at her.

"In order to survive the future great war, we must take drastic measures. We must summon warriors and train them before running out of time."

They unanimously grimaced, agreeing with her. They didn't like her plan.

"Are you for real? After the commoners, we have the summoning of aliens as a proposition..."

Alice tugged at Leon's sleeve, barely holding her laughter in, making Mathia's brows twitch in annoyance.

"I'm still wondering why we took you with us..."

Yet, Leon ignored her, focusing on Elisabeth.

"Why would we summon warriors? Can't we train our own?"

Filled with enthusiasm yet laced with firmness, her voice resounded.

"We discovered a mysterious ritual. With it, we can summon hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of otherworldly human souls. They will then reincarnate with their memories sealed until they reach the age of thirteen, becoming authentic inhabitants of our world!"

Her voice trailed off as she clenched her slender fists behind her back, her heart drumming against her chest.

"At thirteen, their memories will merge, forcing a unique talent based on their personality and lifestyle to awaken. They can also see their status and improve on their weaknesses to progress faster than any warrior from our world."

"What about the price?"

Unconvinced, The Beast emperor asked, tapping on his desk.

"Half of our world's life energy will be consumed to fuel the spell. Despite the steep price, the world will slowly recover."

Elisabeth nodded at him, the respect flashing in her eyes masking her emotions. They had to accept her plan or they would all die.

"Are we going to summon the equivalent of so many nobles only to let them roam freely?"

Elaris frowned, his long ears twitching.

"Do not worry. We deciphered another spell with the ritual."

She offered the elf king a gentle smile and continued.

"This one allows us to detect otherworldly souls from infancy until they turn thirteen. Once found, train and control them however you want."

The revelation hung heavy, stretching the discussion into the night.

Even as the sun dived below the horizon, replaced by the gentle moon's glow, they failed to voice a decision. Half the world's life force... the cost was immense: weaker spells, new deserts. Yet, the threat of impending destruction hovered above their heads.

Worst, unbeknownst to them, one of the summoned already appeared, floating inside an old house...