Into the fields of Summer - 113. Deliberations

Chapter 112 – Deliberations

“It’s good to see you Chris, I am very happy to see that you’re well,” Reza said, as he entered the video feed.

“I think we all share Reza’s feelings,” smiled Luigi from the screen.

“Thank you, it’s good to be back,” I smiled at them.

“Your highness, since you are the one that defeated the demon general, can you give us an account of the events that transpired? Any additional information on the abilities of this demon general, will surely help us prepare for the next,” Jeppe said.

“Of course councilor,” I replied. I took a moment to collect my thoughts and then started to discuss what transpired between Azarahel and I. However, I omitted mentioning to them that I consumed the demon general, Patri and King Ethnar still believe the rest are not ready for that information, and I totally agree with them. It took me almost 20 minutes to finish my end of the story, several questions were asked along the way. Victor and August also helped me in recounting the events between the powerful demon general.

“Are all generals going to be this difficult?” grumbled one of the representatives of the WCC.

“Let’s hope not, all we can do right now is prepare,” Luigi, the WCC co-chair pacified the concerned clan alpha.

“So how are the talks with the human agencies?” Yal asked from beside me.

“Representatives from Canada and the EU are flying in tomorrow, they want to meet us,” Luca replied.

“Then there’s the issue of whether or not you’ll want to reveal yourselves to the humans,” Reza added. He paused, then continued, “Hiding your involvement in this alliance will surely be more difficult moving forward.”

“We understand your concern Reza, and that is something we are discussing from our end. We will let you know of our decision as soon as we have made one,” I replied.

“There’s also the matter of recruiting into our security forces, the recent event in Fort Smith has bared our vulnerability to large scale engagements,” August said.

“I agree with August. This is something we will have to discuss in the next WCC meeting,” Juan replied with an introspective tone.

“Same goes for the VHC, we have to shore up our forces for the next confrontation with the demons,” Reza said.

The meeting ended after several more minutes discussing various matters.

--

After the alliance meeting, my uncle, Yal, and I were back in my study to discuss our next move.

“So, do you think we should reveal ourselves to the humans?” I asked my uncle.

“I think it’s about time, I agree with Reza, it will surely be more difficult for the alliance to hide our involvement especially with everything that has transpired.”

“Do you think the High Circle and High Court will agree?” I asked.

“That’s something I cannot guarantee, several members of the High Circle and the High Court are averse to further involving ourselves with matters concerning Earth. Further involvement with the humans could pose risks to the realm.”

“Risks? What do you mean?” I asked.

“Think about it, the moment the humans learn of our existence and the realm. Such an event will have repercussions, our existence will force them to re-think their strategies in dealing with the other races. We will be a new factor for them to consider.” Yal replied.

“Let’s not forget that the realm could also be a tempting place for them to invade, you know how some humans are consumed with their lust for power and wealth,” my uncle added.

“But the barrier protects the realm, right?” I asked.

“Yes, we do have the barrier, that’s something we have going for ourselves,” my uncle replied.

“So, I think this calls for a greater monitoring of the humans?” I teasingly grinned at Yal.

Yal let out an amused snort, then said, “of course, seems like my team will have to work harder to monitor any threats coming from the humans.”

“I’ll make sure father gives you the additional resources,” my uncle said while holding a grin of his out.

--

It was already 4am and I still couldn’t sleep, there’s a lot to think about, not only about what has been discussed in the meeting earlier or with my uncle and Yal, but also this entire ascension process. This whole climbing the ascension hierarchy has thrown me into a loop, I mean, do I have to actively search for the remaining keys? Is full ascension something I’d want for myself? The emissaries clarified some of my questions, but they’ve left more to be discussed. As a third ascended what am I now capable of? Let’s also not forget about my bouts of “possession” whenever I faced a demon general, it seems like there is a higher power taking me over but what is that all about? Are the higher beings actively intervening in my ascension process? Do I have a benefactor amongst the full ascended beings? I groaned in frustration as the questions filled my mind, I was starting to get a headache, and all this thinking has brought me nowhere nearer to the answers I seek.

Sleep did not come easy, but finally it did. I already knew where I was the moment I opened my eyes, the beauty and scenery is unmistakable, I was in the Plane of Ascension. I moved my head around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the emissaries but I was disappointed to find myself alone. ‘What do I do now?’ I thought. Moments later, I decided to look around, the Plane seemed endless and it was all mine to enjoy, I couldn’t help but giggle as I thought of it as a special members lounge only accessible to the third ascended and above.

I wandered throughout the Plane for more than an hour and found it utterly beautiful. It’s hard to describe something as spectacular and breathtaking, I was at a loss for words.

When I grew tired of walking around, I decided to experiment, if this is a place that’s only for those that have ascended does that mean I have greater control over my powers here? To test my theory, I willed the Book of Songs to materialize and it did! I flipped through its pages and finally, the scripts were finally readable to my untrained eye. I can finally understand its contents. Every symbol written on it carried a certain weight of magic on it, then I remembered how one of the emissaries said that the book’s powers were directly connected to that of the flow. I don’t know how but every time I set my eyes on a page, the music and the intents of the song immediately flowed into me, the creative and destructive potential of each syllable from the book scared me. The Book of Songs is something you don’t want to mess with. That’s something Azarahel learned the hard way.

As I perused through the book, I absentmindedly started humming a tune, the moment I looked away from the book, I was shocked to find myself in the middle of a vibrant and colorful forest, ‘did I do this?’ I thought, did I seriously just create an entire forest by humming a tune? Recovering from the initial shock, I flipped through several more pages and started humming and even indulged in some singing, the air shifted and the entire place was awash with energy, flowers sprouted and trees continued to grow larger and larger, with a small flick of my hand I created a swarm of butterflies.

I was taken out of my reverie as someone spoke not far away from me, “Ascend” the deep male voice said.

I tried to look for where the voice was coming from and to my shock I was greeted by a bright silhouette of a male figure. I squinted my eyes and held my hands in front of my face to shield my eyes from the colors emanating from the figure. Then he spoke again, “Ascend… Ascend…”

“Huh?” I asked in confusion.

“You must ascend, master light and dark and all four elements, those are the fourth and fifth keys. Ascend!” and just like that, after a bright explosion, the figure vanished.

I was confused for several minutes, but the figure seemed to bear no ill-intent towards me, and he did give me a clue! I don’t know what he was referring to mastering light and dark, but I did know about the four elements! That’s the next key! I already knew how to use three elements, it seems like I have to accelerate my training in the arts of air magic.

--

It was already almost noon when I woke up, and I’m glad to have not been disturbed. I yawned and stretched my body and thought back to what has transpired in the Planes of Ascension, Air! I have to learn it and soon! I rushed out of my room and went to the portal.

“Where are you going?” My dad asked as I bumped into him in the corridor.

“To the palace, be right back,” I said as I waved my hands not even looking back.

“Okay…” my dad replied, and his voice showed confusion. I can already imagine him shaking his head in amusement as I made a dash towards the portal.

Crossing into the threshold, I immediately changed my clothes to my palace outfits as second nature and started making my way towards Patri’s office. Scanning my hand on the panel of my grandfather’s office, a green light told me the King was inside.

“Chris, it’s good to see you again.” Patri smiled at me.

“I have to learn Air Magic!” I said.

“Huh?” My grandfather asked.

“Air Magic, I have to learn it soon.”

“Okay, I am happy with your enthusiasm to learn a new element, but if I may ask, where is this sudden willingness to learn coming from?”

“Mastering the four elements is the next key to my ascension,” I replied.

Patri’s wrinkled his forehead as he absorbed what I told him. “I see, and where did you learn this?” my grandfather curiously asked.

“Someone told me, it’s hard to describe, but it seems a higher being is helping me out, I was in the Planes, the place I told you before, and it appeared in front of me and told me to ascend, the being gave me clues, and the next easiest path for me to reach fourth ascension is to learn air magic.”

“I will have it arranged, I will have an Air Master available to you as soon as possible.” Patri said to me.

“Thank you Patri, you’re the best.” I smiled at him.

“Don’t mention it Chris, I’m excited to see what this next level of ascension will bring, however, I do not have to remind you to be cautious, this whole thing is something me and even my father are unfamiliar with”

“I know Patri, I will be careful.”

“Okay, that’s good to hear and since you’re already here, I have to tell you, there will be a meeting in a few hours with the High Circle and High Court, I want you to be present.”

“What is this meeting about?” I asked.

“Our future relationship with the humans,” Patri tersely replied.

“Oh, I see.”

“I want you to be there, as ambassador to Earth, and as someone who has fought the demons several times, your insights are more than welcome in the discussion.”

“I understand Patri, I will be there,” I replied. Then after a pause, I asked, “Are we expecting a strong opposition?”

“Expect several members of the High Circle and High Court to voice their concerns. I am not yet sure how Havar’s faction will take this, but in the end, it’s going to be my decision to make.”

“I hope he does not give us much trouble in the deliberations,” I replied.

“Let’s hope so.”

--

Back in Greensburg, everyone in my household was already eating lunch when I joined them.

“So, did you do whatever you had to do in the realm? You were in such a rush earlier,” my dad said.

“Yes, Patri’s going to find an Air Master for me.”

“Hmm, nice, then when you learn it, maybe you can teach Etalos and me some new tricks,” dad grinned at me.

“Of course dad, how’s your training by the way?”

“It’s good, my teachers are very understanding and are very helpful. Goodness, I’m still getting used to the fact that I’m able to manipulate air, imagine, me, a human, with magic!” Dad said is disbelief.

“And not just any magic dad, you and Leo have become Bronze level mages, that’s good!”

“Certainly, that’s something to be proud of, very few elves even reach that level, and to become Bronze in such a short span of time, it’s almost unheard of,” Nomir added.

“I agree with Nomir, getting to silver level will be a task, and it will take longer than the time it took for you to reach Bronze, but I’m sure with your level of skill, you’ll get there,” Kalron said.

“Becoming silver would mean that you’re amongst the top 1% of all mages.” Nomir added.

“That big a jump huh?” Dad asked.

“Yes, Platinums are very rare,” Nomir shot a glance at me, then continued, “Platinums are 1 in a million, Golds are 1 in 2,000 and Silvers 1 in a hundred, Bronzes are make up 11% of the elvish population, Coppers 21%, about 2/3 of the elvish population have magic capability below that of a Copper.”

“Wow…” Dad muttered.

“Exactly,” Nomir tersely replied.

“So, this Air Master, any idea who it will be?” Etalos asked with excitement. “Maybe it’s Master Anisa,” my friend added.

“The Air Mage in my Ascension?” I asked, remembering the lady that joined the other members of the Mage Council in bestowing the blessings of the elements on me.

“Yes, that’s her, she’s an amazing Air Mage,” Etalos replied.

“Well, let’s see if Patri can get her to tutor me.” I replied.

Discussion then moved on to other stuff like August’s upcoming move to Greensburg and my preparations for matriculation. *groan*

--

To get some semblance of normalcy, I spent the afternoon reviewing for my matriculation, the sooner I get this over with the sooner I will be able to deal with the next steps in my education. Thinking about it, I am now inclined to study in the realm, being a prince and ambassador, I think additional training and learning from those with greater experience and knowledge in fields I don’t know much about will help me be a better servant of the realm.

Etalos joined me in my study just as I finished my review.

“Hey,” I said to Etalos.

“Hey, Chris, you doing okay?”

“Yes, just finished studying, and now I’m nervous for this upcoming meeting Patri has invited me into.”

“You’ll be fine, I’m sure you grandfather and uncles will not leave you hanging.”

“That I am sure of, however, there will be a lot of eyes on me, I can’t help but me nervous.”

“I suppose that’s natural, just be yourself, I’m sure you’ll win them over. If not, then I’m sure you can just knock them out,” Etalos giggled.

“Haha, funny…”

“Seriously, you’re already ambassador, your words will carry weight in that meeting, don’t sell yourself short.”

“Thanks, Etalos.”

“Come on, let me help you prepare for this meeting. I have some files that might help.”

Then for the next hour or so, Etalos and I reviewed the information we had on almost everything from the vampires, werewolves, humans, and even demons.

--

Victor and Henry joined us in the house for dinner, seeing my boyfriend again was a welcome sight.

“So, you two love birds got anything planned for Valentine’s?” Dad asked.

The look on Victor’s and my face must have been really comical, after everything that’s happened, understandably, it appears we’ve both forgotten that Valentine’s was just around the corner. However, Victor was first to recover, and said “Of course, I have everything planned,” though his voice slightly betrayed him, I knew him well enough that he was bluffing.

“Yeah, me too, I have a surprise just waiting for Victor.” I forced myself to smile, I hope that was believable, internally, I was panicking, I did not have a surprise for Victor! Gosh, I hope Etalos has some tips for me.

“Okay, just wanted to check on the both of you,” dad added. Then my father turned his gaze towards Kalron, “How bout you Kalron? Anything planned?”

Kalron stammered and almost choked, “uh, uhm, I think so.”

“Good, glad to know that.” Dad tersely replied.

“How about you William, any plans, anyone special?” Victor teased my dad and much to my surprise my father actually blushed and turned his gaze away from us! Oh boy, this bit I gotta hear.

“Daad, is there someone special? Have you been holding out on us?!” I exclaimed.

“What?! No! This isn’t about me young man, goodness, kids these days.” Dad harrumphed as he crossed his arms.

“Uh huh,” I shot my dad an unconvinced look.

--

Etalos joined me in crossing to the realm, I had my senior meeting to attend while he had some stuff to deal with in our office.

I took a deep breath before entering the corridor that lead to the meeting room. There were several guards stationed across the hallway and understandably so, most if not all members of the senior government hierarchy are attending this meeting. Wearing my silver circlet and tight fitting red and gold robes, I mustered the confidence to walk towards the assembly hall.

The guards beside the large wooden doors nervously exchanged looks as I approached them, and without question they both opened the doors for me. I nodded towards them and after a brief smile, I entered the large and ornate assembly hall. The assembly hall was reserved for special meetings like this, where a large number of senior government officers are in attendance. The assembly hall had high ceilings, approximately 40 feet high, its walls lined with white marble. The space was circular in shape, In the middle of the hall were four semicircular tables, 2 tables to a row, and facing each other to form a two tiered circular meeting space.

There were already familiar faces in the room, some however were foreign to me. However, it was easy to spot Patri who was seated at the middle of the first row of one of the tables, Uncle Rehanmir was to his right and King Ethnar to his left. Gramps saw me approach them and patted the chair to his left, guess I’m sitting with the big boys today.

Almost 10 minutes later, the room was filled with members from the Advisory Council, High Circle, and High Court. The room was filled with people in Red/Gold and Blue/Silver robes, well more on the blue and silver since only royals wore the red-gold ones.

“Good morning everyone, I am glad you have all made it to this session,” Patri said as he started the meeting. “I have called for this conference to discuss a very important matter, as you may already know, Prince Christopher has already slayed 2 demon generals. Both affairs were done in a joint mission with the vampires and werewolves, I believe the alliance with the two other races has greatly benefited us.” Patri paused, then continued, “It is to this end, with 7 remaining generals remaining, I believe we will benefit if the humans are made aware of our existence. I believe it’s time we end our seclusion.”

Silence engulfed the assembly as everyone took their time digesting what Patri has just said.

“The secrecy of our existence is paramount, it’s part of our basic law, and we have left earth for a reason.” Stomir said, a member of the high court.

“Indeed, we have left Earth for a reason, and now matters there cannot simply be ignored. Our allies in the VHC and WCC have also voiced concern that hiding our involvement from the humans will be more difficult as we move forward. They already had a hard time covering for us in the recent operation,” Patri replied.

“Then, I think we should withdraw from the alliance, we have nothing to gain from helping them anyway,” Stomir grumbled. Prince Havar who was sitting beside Stomir was smiling all throughout the exchange between Patri and High Court Judge.

“Now, Judge Stomir, I think we should hear more from the King, there should be something more behind this decision, I believe the King has not made this decision lightly,” Prince Havar said as he smiled at Stomir then set his gaze on us across him.

Patri kept his calm demeanor, however, knowing him, I knew he was surprised to have his cousin take his side.

“Prince Havar is right, there is more to this,” Patri replied. He took a moment to set his haze upon everyone within his field of vision, then continued, “We need the cooperation of the humans to deal with the demon threat. They may not have our magic, nor our technological advantages but they do have the numbers. We don not have the capacity to send tens of thousands, of troops across the barrier at a moment’s notice, not only will it exhaust our energy reserves but it is a logistical challenge, let’s not also forget that sending the Royal Guard en masse to earth will compromise our security, what if the demons find a way to enter our realm while a significant fraction of our forces are on the other side?”

“I see your point, your majesty, but this is such a drastic and bold move on our part,” said Melira, a judge from the High Court.

“It is indeed drastic but not uncalled for,” added Prince Delic, Patri’s brother.

“What does the ambassador recommend?” asked Yelindra, also a judge from the High Court.

Mustering enough confidence, I replied, “I agree with King ZoHal, we must engage the humans. I’m not saying that we let all of them know, just like the vampires and werewolves, we should limit this information to the higher levels of human government. The humans have more to lose with the demon threat being on their side of the barrier, they’ve already lost more than a hundred thousand, and have received multiple military defeats at the hands of the demons. They’re in no position to make unreasonable demands from us at this point.”

“If I may ask the spymaster, Master Yalekin, what security ramifications are we expecting from the humans? I agree they are in no position to make demands from us at this point. However, after the demon threat is dealt with, how sure are we, they won’t set their sights on our lands,” asked Faron, a member of the advisory council.

“First, we have the barrier to protect us from human incursion, second, assuming they’re able to breach the veil, we have enough troops to deal with them here, this is our land after all, we have the advantage here. But getting back to your question, at this point it’s hard to be sure of the exact human response, but I don’t doubt that there will be military hawks from the human camp, that will see this as an opportunity for them to expand their riches and territory. Some of you will remember, profit sharing and taxation agreement some of the sore points in the Vampire Accords and Werewolf Treaty. We should be wary of the humans, but the demons are the greater threat. We can deal with the humans through better intelligence gathering,” Yal replied.

“I agree with Master Yalekin, we can deal with the humans if it comes to a military confrontation, however we can surely get ahead of them through better monitoring of their movements, we have the resources for that.” Patri added.

“So, a deal with the humans huh? How do we move forward with this?” asked Yelindra.

“Our contacts in the VHC are willing to serve as liaison for the initial meeting, Reza Hatami and Luca Tremonti of the VHC will help us,” I replied.

“How expansive is this relationship with the humans going to be?” Asked Stomir.

“At this point it’s just security cooperation, any talks on the economic and social front will be shelved until later,” Patri replied.

“What else can Prince Christopher tell us about the demon threat?” asked Prince Havar.

“Uhm, the threat is certainly something we should be concerned about, there are 7 generals left after all. You have all read the reports on the first two battles with the generals, the damage is extensive and we have taken losses, let us expect the next generals to be more cunning, and be more willing to cause larger damage,” I replied.

“I see, then, I see there is no problem with this proposal of the king, let us engage the humans,” Prince Havar calmly, yet confidently announced. I exchanged looks with my uncles as Prince Havar made his announcement, I never expected him to be on our side.

For the next hour or so, the assembly discussed the finer details of Patri’s plans. After the meeting ended, those in attendance broke into smaller groups, as the power players made idle talk and caught up with each other. Prince Havar just finished talking to a member of the High Circle when I approached him.

“Oh, Prince Christopher, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Havar asked as I got close to him.

“Sorry to be upfront, but I never expected you to support Patri.”

Havar snickered then replied, “Oh, your highness, I only have the best interest of the realm in mind, but don’t confuse my support on the measure today as a sign of me being okay with the humans. I believe they will show their colors soon enough, I still am lobbying the High Court for the consideration of casting the Astra Spell. If you won’t do it, we will find another way. This relationship with the humans will not last, believe me, I’ve been around long enough to know we cannot trust them. My support today was for the sake of the realm, in the long-run that involves ridding Earth of that filth,” Havar replied almost with a disgusted sneer at the thought of us cozying with humans.

“I don’t know how to convince you otherwise Prince Havar, I really believe there is an opportunity for us to work with the humans in a productive and mutually beneficial manner.”

“How about this… why don’t you convince the King to include me in the entourage that will be talking with the humans, maybe all I need is more contact with them? Maybe a firsthand interaction with those creatures will change my mind about them?” Havar suggested.

“Really? You would consider that?” I asked.

“I will do this for your sake, but don’t count on it. I believe I will still be proven right in the end, but what is there to lose? Get my cousin to include me in the delegation to Earth and I might start changing my opinions about the humans.”

“I will see what I can do,” I tersely replied.

“Let’s just hope the humans will behave properly, I am not inclined to be patient and understanding with their faults,” Havar added, before leaving me alone to think things through.

--

“Aren’t you guys bothered with how Prince Havar took Patri’s side?” I asked the room with Patri, Gramps, my two uncles, and Yal.

“I was caught off guard as well, I did not expect that from him, however, thinking about it, I think Stomir was his proxy as the voice of the opposition earlier,” Patri replied.

“Those two have a cozy relationship,” Uncle Rehanmir added.

“So why would he support us?” Uncle Selvenus asked.

“Maybe it has something to do with the favor he asked from me,” I replied.

“What favor?” Gramps asked.

“He asked me to convince Patri to include him in the delegation to Earth.”

“He what?” Yal asked in disbelief.

“He is up to something, that I’m sure of, but if he wants to be part of the delegation, so be it, it might strengthen his relationship with Chris, if anything that will be a plus for us.” Patri replied.

“So, you’re okay with him joining me in Earth?”

“For the meeting? Yes, with reservations but we will just have to keep an eye on him, knowing Havar, I’m sure he will take every opportunity to paint the humans as the enemy along with the demons, we will just have to reel him in,” Patri replied.

“Okay, I see your point. I’ll reach out to his office to let them know that Prince Havar will join the delegation.”

The conversation then moved towards more light hearted banter as we discussed the love life of both my uncles, both of whom have been very tight lipped about possible love interests.

--

“So how was your meeting?” Etalos asked when I returned to the house.

“Better than expected actually, it wasn’t that bad, the assembly agreed to involve the humans in the anti-demon effort.”

“Hmm, that sounds promising, so I’m guessing more work for us huh?” Etalos grinned.

“Yes, indeed, speaking of which, we will have to tell Reza and Luca to inform their human contacts that we will join them in the upcoming meeting. The moment you learn of the names of the human representatives, ask Kalron to do a thorough background check on all of them, I want to know who we are dealing with.”

“Consider it done.”

“Thanks, Etalos.”

“Always a pleasure.”

As soon as Etalos left my study, I called Victor’s phone.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey, how did your meeting go?”

“Well, it was okay I suppose, goodness Victor, I don’t know how you deal with all this politicking.”

“You’ll get used to it, just remember to live your life as well, you may be a prince of the realm but you are also Chris, the son and friend we all love,” Victor replied.

“That’s rich coming from you, don’t even try to hide the fact that you forgot about Valentine’s coming,” I said in mock anger.

“As if you didn’t as well,” Victor snickered, then he continued, “I guess we have to be more aware of our lives outside the roles we’ve found ourselves. Honestly though, we should find more time for us, let’s not all this trouble consume all of our time, I get that we have responsibilities but we need to enjoy life as well, that means enjoying the moments we share with the people we love, that means, enjoying the time we have with each other.”

“Oh Victor Meyer, are you getting sappy on me?” I teased.

“Can’t a boyfriend be sappy?”

“Of course you can, I actually quite like it. So, it’s a date on the 14^th then huh?”

“Yes, it’s a date.”

“Looking forward to it Mr. Meyer,” I replied.

“Looking forward to the surprise you’re so proud about,” Victor replied teasing me, fully knowing that my remark over dinner earlier was totally off the cuff.

*groan* “Yes, surprise, I know, I know,” I giggled.