Interlude - The meeting. 2/2

Rhiannon was searching for someone, but she couldn't find her.

Finally, midnight arrived, and all the ego-swords sat at a rather luxurious dining table.

The wooden table was enormous and had a red cloth where the food dishes were placed.

The barrel that Fion brought contained a drink that they all poured into their glasses.

Each one took their seat around the table, but the central spot remained empty.

After several minutes of silence, the last ego-sword finally entered. She had a downcast look but exuded an aura that made the other ego-swords tense.

She seemed to search for someone with her gaze but didn't find what she was looking for.

The other ego-swords saw this, and upon realizing she didn't come accompanied, almost all of them had the same thought.

She's not here.

Some thought it with regret, while others believed there must be a reason for her absence. However, one of them saw this as an opportunity.

Sitting in her seat, the ego-sword asked, "What news do you have?"

Rhiannon was the first to stand up and detail how other lineages were expanding. Then she spoke about the appearance of abnormal creatures.

Fion also stood up and recounted some fights she had with candidates from other lineages, describing the abilities they had demonstrated.

Then, Niam and Cerys stood up to tell about their encounter with an ice dragon and how they had strategically withdrawn.

"You did well to retreat. Only Rhiannon and Nion can stand against those creatures. Good job."

"I appreciate your words, elder sister," Niam said formally as she resumed her seat.

"Thank you very much, Eirlys!" Cerys said cheerfully, and for a moment, they all froze at her words.

Was Cerys starting to be like Fion?

Why did she address Eirlys like that?

The most impressed by this attitude was Rhiannon.

Eirlys, coughing intentionally, decided to address the matter as she noticed everyone's reaction.

"It's okay. We're all sisters, so it's no problem if you call me by my name," she affirmed, trying to maintain a sense of camaraderie among them.

Rhiannon was astonished to hear Eirlys' words.

She couldn't believe Eirlys had said that.

While trying to process the situation, Eirlys continued speaking. "And Nion..." she began to say but was interrupted by Fion, who emphatically declared, "I'm Fion!"

Eirlys sighed and calmly replied, "I appreciate your report, Fion, but please pay more attention to the names of those clans. While it's true that a dead enemy can no longer cause problems, they have been gaining a lot of ground in recent years, and that's annoying."

With displeasure, Fion grumbled before sitting down, while Rhiannon observed the scene with a mixture of astonishment and confusion.

Why was Eirlys so compassionate today?

"Rhiannon, you have more information, don't you?"

Eirlys knew Rhiannon well enough to know that she had intentionally omitted information.

"Of course. As Nion said," Rhiannon responded, intentionally emphasizing the last word, "The candidates from the enemy lineages are using special ego-swords."

All the ego-swords turned to look at Rhiannon's face upon hearing this revelation, except for Fion, who had been watching her angrily from the start.

"Can you be more specific?"

"I don't want to jump to hasty conclusions or throw out senseless theories," Rhiannon glanced intentionally at Fion as she said this, "but I can say that they are using a method to recruit more candidates and, consequently, increase their strength to expand their influence."

"What level of threat are we talking about?"

"Niam and Cerys can handle them individually without any problems, but the challenge lies in their numbers. We won't be able to protect everyone," explained Rhiannon.

Eirlys continued questioning, "Do you know where their bases are?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have that information," Rhiannon responded.

All the ego-swords were impressed by the information Rhiannon had gathered in the past ten years and the conclusions she had reached, except for Fion.

For Fion, Rhiannon was still a self-centered and arrogant ego sword.

"Very well, let's move on to suggestions for improving our lineage," Eirlys proposed with a small smile. "We'll start this time with Cerys and Niam's ideas, and then we'll proceed to the others."

"We should create a place for our candidates to rest. It's annoying to dodge all the humans while trying to climb up here," Cerys recommended with a smile.

"An inn?" Eirlys asked.

"Yes!" Cerys replied.

"I think we should include some sort of guards to prevent humans from entering the mountain... they're bothersome if they're not our candidates," Niam said in a serious tone.

"I see..." Eirlys responded as she thought of a solution.

"I propose that we seek out Eleonora. She might have better suggestions and research than Rhiannon," Fion suddenly added, catching everyone off guard.

The pleasant atmosphere that had been building at the table was shattered by Fion's sudden suggestion.

Rhiannon frowned.

Cerys and Niam, who seemed to be silently discussing which dish to choose, fell silent upon seeing the expression on Eirlys' face.

She was completely serious.

Eirlys maintained her composure and calmly responded, "Fion, I appreciate your input in the discussion, but this time I'm seeking the opinions of Cerys and Niam. Your turn will come soon. By the way, I'm only asking for suggestions to improve our lineage."

"Well, it seems like Eleonora isn't important to the lineage. Is that why you easily abandoned her in her grand mission?" Fion said sarcastically, gripping the red fabric of the table tightly.

Fion, with a mixture of determination and fear in her gaze, fell silent, watching Eirlys.

Fion trembled inside, but her need to know Eleonora's true whereabouts was stronger.

Eirlys had said a long time ago that the reason Eleonora didn't attend these meetings was because she was on an important mission.

At first, this sounded believable, but over the decades, this explanation had become flimsy to Fion.

It had several contradictions!

First, if Eleonora went on an important mission, why did she always seem to be waiting for someone whenever she attended these meetings? Was she assigned such a difficult mission that she didn't know when she would return?

Second, Eleonora had never missed more than five consecutive meetings.

"The meetings took place every 10 years. So what was Eleonora doing all that time? Couldn't she have come to report on her progress at least?"

Third, no matter how much she searched on her own, she never heard any news of Eleonora anywhere on the continent. It was as if she and her candidate had vanished from the world.

The worst part was that Eirlys always avoided the topic, saying that she would return soon, but it had been too long already!

Fion wanted an answer.

"Fion, enough already. You can discuss that with Elder Sister Eirlys later," Rhiannon said, wearing a rather serious expression.

Ironically, only after daring to make such a comment did Rhiannon address her by name without confusion.

"Rhiannon, it's fine," Eirlys said in a low but audible tone for everyone.

Fion bit her lip and avoided bringing her hands to her mouth.

She didn't want to show her vulnerable side here.