The golden eyes

What Zaelia didn't know was that someone was watching carefully. Archanium, from his golden city, was enchanted by this young mortal and her ideas. If she hadn't said loudly that she would never ascend then she would have been the youngest goddess of history, he had planned to invite her to his side Archanium liked her way of acting. In some ways, he felt similar to her, he felt close to her. He whispered to himself.

"I am pleased with what you do."

She stood up, the sun was slowly rising and was starting to enlighten the tents. Zaelia didn't take out the blood and dirt from her expedition yet. The tears from earlier spread the dried blood into a kind of mud on her face and made her look like an animal from the gates of the night world. She took a step slowly in the direction of the exit of the tent. She had no pain and no fear, she was determined. She knew what she was about to do, she considered the risks and benefits, and she thought all night about it without daring to say it loudly.

She took her time to walk in the night's silence. She took the main path in the direction of the elder's tent. She opened their tent and stepped inside. A few men were already awakened and were watching her. A small group followed her in silence, minutes were passing and they were more and more numerous. She took the swords she brought from the town and that stayed on the floor. She went outside and gave them to the ones who were present. 

One of the elders went out of his tent and scolded her.

"What are you doing? Who do you think you are to enter the council tent and take resources by yourself?!"

She had a murderous aura spreading around her. 

"My men didn't die in vain. We are going to take these swords and start pillaging farther and farther. We will conquer the world. Like it or not."

The elder raised his voice. 

"Zaelia! You pushed it too far! We are going to exile you."

She watched him and smiled. She stepped toward him and, then, in front of everyone, right in front of his tent she used her new weapon to cut his head. That was only one move. People around opened their eyes widely. Nobody would ever dare to imagine disrespecting an elder and, even worse, killing one. Zaelia committed the worst crime possible and she didn't seem to care about it. Her rage was palpable, she gritted her teeth as the head rolled on the floor. She bent herself and grabbed it by the hair, then she raised it high above her as a trophy. 

They saw her, full of blood and covered in sand from the journey. The tears from her night had dried and left a kind of hard mask all over her face. Her hair was soaked by the fresh blood of the decapitated head she raised above herself. She was shaking with anger, her other hand holding tight to the sword. 

She roared, she was looking more like an animal than a human and her scream was the call of her pack. They answered her yelling. The other elders came out and understood that this was the end of their era. They didn't even try to protest, at this point, they knew it was useless. The tribe would change forever from now and they would not be the bunch of pillars they were anymore. She stared at the other elders with a furious glare and her voice echoed in the noise. 

"I want to hear you apologizing for how you considered Zephira. I want to see you bend the knee in her homage." 

The elders were reticent, they didn't want to bend a knee in front of the tribe and even less in the honor of a dead elder they disrespected. Zaelia yelled as her patience was very limited right now.

"Now!!!" 

Her voice was carrying like a heavy weight and they immediately kneeled in front of her. They felt her power, they felt that it was a matter of survival for them to comply. She smiled with an arrogant smile. She was glowing like a goddess in the sun rising, the mud around her eyes was making their color shine, and all of them could see golden reflections inside. A color that was not there before. Everyone knew that Zaelia was blessed by Archanium at this instant. She has been chosen by him to serve him and she had his full support. She felt a strange sensation in her heart. This was not a question of power, she felt supported in her choices.

Zephira's fears were going to turn into reality. Zaelia was taking the tribe on a very dangerous path. 

Once this was done, she stepped into the council tent, she returned all the tables and chairs. She took down everything that was a symbol of the oppression of the elders. She opened the door and the top central hatch in the ceiling then she started a fire with all the belongings of the elders, in this tent that represented the power. 

She sat in front of the fire as it got bigger and bigger and the whole tribe joined and sat around. The first persons to enter were the ones who followed her in the desert. Xzander was right next to her. They all remained silent. They had issues believing that was truly happening. 

Zaelia was staring at the fire with her golden eyes, they were reflecting the dancing flames and everyone was watching them, secretly admiring them. They were two divine symbols and the heart of Men was beating strong for them. 

They were approved by Archanium, they did well to leave the desert to go to this town. They thought about the eight dead in the sand wave. Even if they were sad to have lost companions they were very happy about everything that happened after that. Thanks to this expedition and thanks to them, Zaelia took the lead of the tribe. For them, for their honor, for their death to not be in vain. 

Zaelia spoke with a strong voice to be heard by everyone. 

"From now, we will build houses but mostly, we will build a palace. We will build the most beautiful temple in the glory of Archanium that the world has never seen."

She was smiling with a terrifying expression. She was looking like an angel of death. Zaelia murmured.

"We will build the Golden City on earth."