Chapter 263: The disciples

In the grand halls of the Church's headquarters, Aether's six chosen disciples gathered for their annual meeting. The very thought of such a gathering brought a smile to Morena's lips, for it was she who first proposed the idea, and her comrades had no reason to decline. This year, Wane played host to the gathering, his demeanor more dignified than ever before, his eyes sharp and focused.

Around the grand table, the others were gathered, each one with their own distinct personality. Kaida, once timid, had grown in confidence and poise, her bond with Wane deepening with each passing day. The two were now inseparable, often leaving the mountains to explore the world beyond.

Jon, the eldest of the group, remained as stoic as ever, his eyes fixed on his training and honing his skills over the mana. His dedication to his craft was unmatched, and his hard work was evident in every move he made.

Morena, ever vigilant, kept a watchful eye on the affairs of mortals. Though she too trained relentlessly, her interests lay in mortal politics, and she was the one entrusted with maintaining the Church's relations with the other nations.

Halbor, the elf lord, had focused his efforts on developing his people. His mountain peak was now home to many of his kin who had decided to settle there after his arrival. He welcomed them all with open arms, and his peak had become a bustling hub of activity and prosperity.

Finally, there was Lana, the curious explorer who could never stay in one place for too long. Since Aether's departure, she had become a wanderer, her travels taking her far and wide across the mortal plane. She kept her true identity hidden and never let go of her obsession with dragons, always seeking to uncover more knowledge about them.

*****

The hall was adorned with intricate carvings and elegant tapestries that hung from the high ceilings. The air was thick with tension as the disciples gathered around the table, all wearing their ceremonial robes. Wane stood at the head of the table, his piercing gaze scanning the faces of his fellow disciples.

The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on the walls as he spoke, his voice low and grave.

"I'm glad you all could make it," Wane said, his voice echoing throughout the hall. "As you all know, there is a pressing matter we must discuss."

The room fell silent as Wane continued, "Yadour is on the verge of collapsing. If things continue the way they are, the empire is doomed in a matter of a few years."

"Lumia is barely holding on with their civil unrest, as well. What are your thoughts on the matter?"

All eyes turned to Jon, as the senior disciple, he had the first say. He shook his head, his expression disinterested. "The mortal matters are not for us to meddle in," he said bluntly. "I do not care if a nation or two collapses. Another one would quickly rise from the rubble."

Morena sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "Jon, you know as well as I do that our duty as master's disciples is to maintain balance in the mortal realm."

Jon maintained his stoic expression and continued, "Our duty does not include intervening in mortal matters, Morena."

Halbor nodded and turned toward her, "I agree, besides, Yadour is collapsing because the Demons and Elves are rising up for their freedoms. It's about time the mortal plane had some resemblance of equality, why would you want to intervene in that?" He frowned.

Wane rolled his eyes at Halbor's speech but refrained from saying anything.

Morena sighed and continued, "I did not say we have to directly meddle and take sides, I simply propose that we control the aftermath of the conflict. War is never a good thing, it's always followed by poverty, illness, famine—"

Halbor interrupted her, "War isn't a good thing, but sometimes, it's a necessary one."

Kaida added, "The mortals are always fighting, we can clearly see that from past history," she hesitated for a bit before continuing, "I'm afraid it will be hard to intervene in this matter,"

"I agree with Kaida, how would we contain the aftermath without, taking sides?" Wane said.

Lana who had been quiet the whole time suddenly spoke, "I'm with Morena on this,"

The others turned toward her in surprise, although she wasn't the eldest, as the only dual element mage, Lana's opinion held quite the say in matters such as this.

"Think of it this way, master's goal is to gradually change the mages to the new orthodox system. That should be what we focus on. There is no need to intervene in the conflicts of the nations, but we could at least contain the damage."

"The church could send aid to both sides as a neutral bystander. We won't join the fight, but we could help calm things down."

"I don't get it, what's the point of doing that?" Wane asked.

"We are the guardians of the mortal realm, assigned by master himself. A conflict of this scale is bound to intervene with his plans of changing the magic system," Lana said, to which Morena nodded by the side.

The table went silent for a few moments as everyone began to consider the possibilities. It was a delicate balance between maintaining order in the mortal.

"What about the other nations?" Kaida suddenly asked.

"After suffering their catastrophic loss, Rimor closed in on themselves in order to recover. Zasal and Tinada joined hands, forming a new alliance, but for now, they are content just watching things unfold," Morena explained.

Jon sighed and spoke, "The church itself can provide aid to the people, as Lana suggested. This should help boost the church, but we should not personally make a move."

All of the disciples nodded in agreement before Wane added, "Then let us vote. All in favor of the church sending aid and working towards stabilizing the aftermath of the conflict, please raise your hand."

Everyone raised their hands, even Halbor who hesitated for a second before eventually doing the same.

"Then it's settled. Morena, please contact the head priest to discuss the details."

"En, I will."

"Now with that out of the way, it's time to talk about more interesting topics," Wane grinned, suddenly regaining his previous childish-like attitude.

Kaida who was sitting by his side chuckled lightly as he spoke, "I'm sure you all progressed very much this past year, so let us head to the back. I made sure to strengthen the training ground this time. It shouldn't break that easily."

Jon who had a bored expression the entire meeting, suddenly stood up, "Good, I had a few spells I wanted to discuss with you all."