Myth Council I

The streets of New Athens cleared themselves as the day started. Even the higher sectors were not an exception as the aristocrats stood aside in deference as the Myth Tower was released.

"How snobbish," Rakna huffed as he walked up the granite stairs of the second-highest layer of the spiral city. Kaelith following next to him snorted in amusement.

"What else do you expect them to do? To everyone here, it's the day where their Presidents gather, so to speak. They decide how things are run; the highest authority endorsed by the System itself and composed of the most influential, powerful Hosts and Locals."

"I approve of it!" Akronis stated loudly from atop Allan's head. "This pleases me very much!"

"They aren't doing this out of respect for you, stupid bat," the vampire slayer retorted.

Nyx shook her head at the duo's antics and turned toward Evelyn, who had a stiff expression as they approached the Myth Tower. "Are you okay?" The goddess asked worriedly.

The Cambion tensed up for a second before sighing. "Yes… I think it should be fine."

Rakna glanced over. "Don't worry too much. As long as you're with me, nothing should go wrong. I won't let the Council protect 'them' if they ever try."

She smiled softly. "Yes. I have no doubt, but…" She looked down. "I fear for what I—"

"Evelyn," the therian cut her off. "Don't hold back," he uttered and she blinked in surprise. "There is nothing to fear. The judgment will be all yours, so let it free; your hundred-year-old grudge."

The succubus' eyes widened slightly and their dark green color briefly glowed red before she schooled her face into a healthy flush and a smile. "Yes!" She replied happily.

Natsu, who was hanging from her shoulder, looked at her from the corner of his eyes and inwardly smirked at what he could feel was already brewing up to the surface.

After all, even he had been startled to see the compatibility he had with her as a Soul Beast. When thinking about it, it made sense to him. Being a Hell Priestess was one thing… but the requirements for having such a Path was another.

"Here we are," Kara exclaimed as they reached the end of the stairs and were faced with a carved stone tower, crowned by a floating ring of crystallized mana. It was a structure that could only be found in the Four Major Plateau Cities.

It was situated at the center of a circular platform, pillars erected along its circumference to hold up the roof, from which water flowed down like a fountain.

At the entrance of the tower, a pair of Adjudicators were silently standing guard. Not far from it, a small group of people seemed to be waiting for Rakna.

"Ah, lad! Good morning," Gaelius Eldron waved his hand in greetings, a grin on his lips.

"Mhm," the therian nodded as he reached him. "Good morning," he said and succinctly greeted Caer and Merlina who were there. The latter reciprocated with a nod and the pink-haired man let out a chuckle.

"It's a nice morning, isn't it?" He smiled.

"Eh? Were you also part of the Council?" Flavia asked curiously.

"I'm just here to accompany my wife like all of you are right now," the Blossom Wind replied. "I'm sadly not part of the Council myself," he shrugged. "I'm quite far from being a Top 10 Host, or even a King or prominent merchant. Just good old Caer," he joked whilst wagging his finger, his squinted eyes forming perfect crescents as always.

Merlina was the one who gave him the most unconvinced stare.

"Don't be fooled," Kaelith rolled her eyes. "Caer Llawen may not be the most powerful member of the Throne of Glory Guild, but he's still one of their most vicious assets," she uttered. "And there is nothing more misleading than his title; harmless compared to the scenes he leaves behind after his battles. Your guild is a bunch of weirdos, wolfy. Remember that."

Caer laughed lightly. "Aren't you being a bit mean?" He pouted. "I would argue that I'm a gentleman no matter the place, even the battlefield."

"Sure, you do that," the vixen droned sarcastically.

Rakna watched his guild mate react with faux hurt and then turned toward the two other people that had been quietly awaiting their turn to speak.

One of them was an elderly man with a patient and kind smile wearing the robes of the Basilica; Lacros Hortensia. Someone Nyx greeted with a respectful smile.

The other was a woman perhaps nearing her 30s with luscious hair comporting two colors at once, orange and red, with charm and appeal fit to be admired. Her expression was marginally colder in nature compared to Lacros, but her blue eyes were soft and seemed even wiser.

But most crucially, she exhibited inhuman traits, such as a pair of antlers stealthily growing above her temples, semi-hidden by her hair, and faint golden-bronze scales on the back of her hands that brandished unusually sharp nails.

She wore a black dress tailored for Basilica members, with the customary eight-branched cross around her neck as a necklace. When the focus was put on her and Lacros, they promptly bowed with one hand over their heart.

""We greet the Kind Demon's Kin,"" they spoke in unison.

Rakna blinked, unsure of how to respond, while Kaelith seemed surprised for a reason of her own.

"Light of Tribulation…" She muttered and the beautiful woman straightened her back with a smile, seemingly amused by the title.

"It is my pleasure to meet you all," she said with a polite tone. "My name is Fiora Leonhart, known as Light of Tribulation to some. I am somebody that some refer to as the Founder of the Basilica of Eternal Night," she revealed and a few gasps spread among the listeners.

"Um, if I may…" Astraea raised her voice curiously. "Are you perhaps a Qilin?"

Fiora's smile widened. "Correct. I am a Tribulation Qilin, wielding Lightning and Light as one. I'm the only one of my kind in the System if you're curious."

"She's a Wilden, wolfy," Kaelith further explained to Rakna. "One of the strongest we know and one of the few everyone has collectively agreed that fighting isn't worth any reward. A Qilin is a Divine Beast, a Child of Heaven of sorts, but not quite a Celestial. She's stupidly powerful," she said blankly and the woman in question chuckled.

Honestly, Rakna didn't need anyone to tell him that. If it wasn't because he knew she wasn't hostile in any way, his mere instinct to flee would have been difficult to overcome. Unexpectedly, he could also smell something beyond friendliness from her… something closer to devotion.

"If she wasn't part of the Basilica and peaceful, she would most likely rule over entire Plateaus just by herself," Kaelith shook her head. "I knew she was part of the Myth Council, but last I heard, she hasn't partaken in over five hundred years."

"Well, how could I possibly stay still when the nephew of Arimane Blade is here?" Fiora said with a bright smile. "This might mean nothing to either you or him, but the Kind Demon saved me from the worst possible fate, even if unaware. I have thus a debt I can never repay to both him and any of his kin."

Rakna snorted. "Well, I'm sure the old man would be happy to hear that. He once told me that there is nothing in life more pleasing than someone owing you a debt for free."

The Qilin giggled. "Good to hear. Please be assured that my power is all yours. Should you need me or the Basilica, I shall force them to accept you as their leader," she stated confidently.

Lacros sighed. "Please don't do that…"

She ignored him, too happy to show her commitment. "And should you wish so, I would be more than happy to even bear your child," she declared with no change in her expression.

A few people immediately choked on nothing but air and Lacros facepalmed. The girls shook their heads in exasperation, Lanata's mouth opened wide in an 'O' shape, and Kara laughed without a care in the world, "My, I'm genuinely curious of what kind of child would result from that union."

"A unique breed of Qilin and Ten-Tailed Werewolf…" Hans muttered under his breath; his interest piqued. "I have to admit, I would love to see it, if just to record it on paper myself."

Kaelith's expression was blank as she retorted, "Follow the pecking order. You're last; dead last."

Fiora seemed startled by the collective effect of her words. "Oh, I apologize," she cleared her throat in embarrassment. "I had no idea I would be intruding. Please forget that."

"Oh no, please don't think that," Kara smirked teasingly. "You're more than welcome."

"That's enough," Rakna groaned. "I understand," he said and looked at the Qilin. "Your loyalty was heard and received. I'll be sure to rely on it, so be prepared," he said with a small smile.

With a small widening of her eyes, Fiora's mood spiked up. "Yes!" She replied eagerly.

"Ding, Strongest Wilden, Get." Allan quietly imitated a video game notice to the side and more than a few people smiled in amusement.

"Wow, little Majesty, just two days and there's already a top-tier powerhouse swearing allegiance to you?" A new voice echoed from the staircase leading to the tower and everyone turned toward it; Zialtra's dominating presence quickly joined them.

"Oh, the gorilla," Hans commented off-handedly.

"Tch, who are you calling gorilla, you fucking midget."

A step behind Zialtra, another woman approached. One that Rakna had never seen before, but that plenty of others knew about, especially Nyx. A woman with pink eyes dressed in a tantalizing black dress approached the group and without saying anything, glared at Rakna as if he was her mortal enemy, which got her a confused expression in return.

"Hello, Guild Master," Nyx greeted the woman.

"Ah, yes," Enya Fendyrlen looked away from the therian and smiled at the goddess. "It's good to see you, Nyx. I haven't seen you for several days now. Polia misses you."

Nyx smiled 'gently'. "Please tell her that I certainly don't."

Enya chuckled. "All right. I'll be going in. Let's talk later," she said and gave one last glare at Rakna before heading inside the tower with a huff, the Adjudicators scanning her to confirm her identity.

"Did you do something to her, devourer of mine?" Higure inquired with a tilt of her head.

"I've never even seen her before today," Rakna responded. "Who was that even?"

"Enya Fendyrlen," Caer answered. "Fifth Ranked Host, Leader and 'Master' of the Wiccan Guild, and titled Monarch of Sorcery & Magic. I've met her a few times. She's an innocent child under all that pretense. She's probably jealous of the spells you and your uncle used during your battle."

"Well, the girl's cute like that," Zialtra said mischievously. "But don't underestimate her. She isn't a Monarch for nothing. Magic has no secrets for her. She can dispel others' spells and cast some herself capable of eradicating millions of lives without breaking a sweat."

"I see…" Rakna muttered. "Well, I'll try not to provoke her."

"Or seduce her?" Allan added with a smirk.

"That too," the therian deadpanned and eventually approximated the entrance of the Myth Tower where he paused next to the Adjudicators when an idea popped in his mind. "Hey, you," he called out to one of the marble-like paladins, and due to his authority, it immediately responded.

[| Rakna Xiorra Blade. Clearance Confirmed. State Your Attentions. |]

"Only Myth Council members can enter this place, correct?"

[| Entities Fulfilling Entry Conditions Can Pass. |]

Rakna hummed and pointed at two people; Astraea and Ceresta. "Then, can they?"

The Adjudicator turned its eyes toward them and spent an abnormally long time examining them before answering, [| Affirmative. |]

The therian smiled. "You heard the big guy," he said and both girls blinked in surprise. They hadn't expected to be granted access.

"How peculiar," Caer chuckled. "This is probably the first time I see this."

"You don't say…" Zialtra raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go. Evelyn, you should be called in after a while," Rakna said and the succubus nodded with a serious face. "See you later then."

"Mhm, good luck in there," Kaelith crossed her arms.

Promptly, everyone with the clearance began to step inside the portal-like doorway and when only Zialtra remained, she flashed a grin at Hans. "Later, midget."

The azure-haired boy's eyebrow twitched. He grunted quietly and before she could even move, he abruptly walked past her and sent an indifferent gaze at the Adjudicators as if daring them to do something. Before they knew it, he had stepped inside and disappeared from their sight.

"…huh?" The Hunting Queen was left gawking.

"Hm…" Caer rubbed his chin. "As expected of the Wailful Nightmare…"

"Wait, wait, wait! Brick head!" Zialtra shouted at the Adjudicator. "Why'd you let that one in?!"

[| … |] It remained silent and she frowned. It wasn't normal for them to just stay silent at a question from a council member. In other words, it meant her wording was the problem.

"…Adjudicator," her voice lowered a bit. "Is there a Host called 'Hans De Vale' in the System?"

This time, it reacted and after its eyes flashed, it replied, [| Negative. |]

Zialtra's eyes widened and then she burst out laughing. "Hahaha! I can't believe it! It's not that they allowed him to pass; they didn't even register his presence," she cackled to herself and finally went inside. "Hah, that midget is a bag of wonders."