A Story of Evil

Even before the meeting could begin, there were already eyes set on both Sol and Alice. Not in any good way but, in a seemingly condescending stare. And, as always, it was King Nova who voiced out what everyone else couldn't say.

"Can anyone enlighten me why these two are part of the meeting?" He asked; not even removing his eyes from them for even a single second.

"They're here because they are also an essential part of the meeting Nova." Was Jubilee's straightforward response.

"Jubilee I know that you are now the Supreme King but, you should at least respect the boundaries we've set for these meetings. You can't just call on people whenever you please." Queen Aqua commented.

"I am respecting the boundaries." Jubilee said, with everyone ready for the lecturing he was about to say once again.

"Aqua these aren't just some ordinary children. They are the catalysts who allowed all the change to begin. They are as much of a part of this as any of us are."

This was the truth. None of the major change would've happened if Sol and Alice didn't disturb the calm of the ocean. Their ripple created any others and, it would be safe to assume that even more ripples were being created as they spoke.

Hence Jubilee was able to slip past the inquiries yet again. Wearing a triumphant smile on his face as he assured the assembly of one thing. That it would be the last time Sol and Alice would be tagged along.

"Fine let's just get on with it." King Sylas said and, the consensus to this was unanimous.

Sol thought that the meeting would simply focus on the things that transpired that night. That it would only focus on the new enemy which came and went like a sudden burst of catastrophe. But he was wrong. Part of this meeting were all the laws and restrictions made by the monarchs on their citizens who visited other domains and, on the visiting citizens. These have been carefully crafted; using the laws imposed by king Jubilee on visitors during the harvest festival.

There were a lot of rules but, some caught Sol's attention. Those that were almost unanimously taken in by every other domain.

First is that, someone with a criminal record will never be given the chance to transfer citizenship.

The second is that traders, although exempted from the taxes on their own domain upon taking out their merchandise, may still be imposed with taxes by the domain they would visit.

The third is, a forced union between two different ability users will never be allowed, not even after an accidental pregnancy. The child of these two, if ever, will first fall upon the mother for growth and weaning before transferred to the father. After sharing ten years each, the child is free to chose which domain he or she would stay in.

Lastly, someone who decides to transfer citizenship should first indoctrinate himself or herself to the ways of the domain he would transfer to. The government will give the verdict if the training is sufficient through an examination.

All of these have been fashioned based on the laws made by King Jubilee. Although there were some slight alterations on each domain, they were nevertheless almost the same when it comes to the thought behind.

Other things regarding politics were also included. They didn't directly talk about the creature that came. No. They talked about all the things concerning this. What it would affect and, how they would shape their domains to something which could withstand the coming calamity.

After two hours of this conversation, it was finally time for King Jubilee to call forth Sol and Alice. Just as the king said, they were catalysts of change. And this is a job they would continue to do at that point.

"One thing we clearly need is an abundant supply of every type of crystal. The reserves on the plantations are running low and, we don't have any extra of this on the newly acquired lands."

Why they needed this was clear. The new weaponry made by king Jubilee and queen Lilia relied heavily on the use of mana crystals. These serves as bullets in themselves. Allowing a massive output of continuous damage before getting depleted. Furthermore, mana crystals are also used to regulate whatever mana is used on any building.

Although the [Core Seals] are powerful, their energy needs to be regulated first if it would not simply be spread. The only cores fitting the former criteria of simply being spread are the water, wind, and earth cores.

Other elemental cores such as lightning and fire require the regulation of mana crystals. Allowing their safe usage.

Hence, with King Jubilee calling forth both Sol and Alice, the council finally understood what the Void King wanted. Something which the young King Ezekiel voiced out.

"Let me guess, you want a team which would search for the mana crystals?"

"Correct. Specifically, I want this team to be lead by Sol and Alice once again."

There was no negative reaction to this. The monarchs already know how capable of a leader Sol is. After all, none of the soldiers deployed on the domain expansion died. Aside from this, the said soldiers even matured and grew in battle sense. Making them more reliable soldiers than when they were initially deployed.

"How many soldiers do you need this time Jubilee?" Queen Reoul asked right away.

"Actually I already have a list, so you don't need to search yourselves."

"Oh? And who would those be?"

The names stated by king Jubilee surprised the paladins. Not because these were people they didn't know. Nor were these people of high power or status. Rather, these were the same allies they got in the Domain Expansion Division. Specifically, Hendrickson and Jade.

"Let me get this straight, you only need two people to assist your paladins in the mission?"

"Yes."

"Jubilee, isn't the outside a bit more dangerous now? We have enemies out there and sending just four doesn't seem like a wise choice."

"Oh but it is. In fact, I think Solomon here already understands why."

All the monarchs looked at the young male paladin at that point. Waiting for whatever answer he could give.

King Jubilee wasn't wrong though. Sol really did grasp the rationale that came with the numbers and, since it came to that, he decided to just outright say it.

"With lesser people in the team, there is a lower possibility for us to be seen by the enemies. Hiding and mobility would both be easier with this number. Plus..."

"Plus what kid? Spit it out." Nova demanded, not being a big fan of waiting.

"I have the same powers as the king. I can control space and gravity to an extent. Meanwhile my partner's damage increases depending on the gap between her powers and the enemy's. The only reason why we need so many people in the division before was because of two things. One is because there is a large number of areas that needs to be cleared and, the second is that Alice and I weren't allowed to use our powers. Both of those variables do not apply to this mission and hence, it is only logical for us to proceed with this size."

"Well he definitely speaks like you King Jubilee." Ezekiel said, satisfied as well as surprised with the response given by Sol. Something shared by all monarchs who were within the room.

"If that's the case you should include at least two more fire users to the team. Jade's power can grow stronger if fed with more flames. He'd be more of a powerhouse."

"That actually makes a lot fo sense Nova. I didn't think you had it in you to think of something as reasonable as that."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding man."

Jubilee said, getting the approval of everyone else. However, he was not finished with the additions to the team members. In fact, he had one more soldier which he needed to place on the team.

"Since Nova added someone, I'd also add Cain Bloodbourne to the team." The mention of the name surprised both Sol and Alice. Not even thinking that he would be placed on a mission as dangerous as that one.

"Who?" Nova asked, not even hearing the name before.

"He's a kid I've been training who utilizes technology. This mission would be a great testing ground on how far our advanced weaponry could take us in the fight." Jubilee explained as quickly and clearly as possible.

Once again he got everyone's approval. Nobody could deny that their fighting methods as well as their weaponry have already been greatly outclassed by what the Void has been producing. Jubilee was right, they needed to see how far a powerless Void could go on such a mission because, if this Bloodbourne fellow could survive while also contributing greatly to the team, then the same technology would make their own soldiers even stronger.

"I believe that is all we have for our agenda this day my fellow monarchs." Jubilee said, standing up and preparing his teleportation.

"The team will be leaving after a day of preparation. You are free to gear your citizens that are joining this mission however you wish."

Jubilee also explained that he would use a technology to teleport to them in case it is needed. He also explained that he has already used this countless times and that it is foolproof. Destroying every bit of doubt left in the mind of every member of the monarchs.

With this, the council finally ended that day's session as everyone teleported back to their respective domains.