Fire Mage

The next day, the Council Hall stood restored as if the chaos of the previous day had never occurred. Cracked marble floors were repaired, shattered pillars rebuilt, and every trace of destruction erased. Yet beneath that flawless surface, tension lingered like a storm waiting to break.

All council members were already seated.

At the center of the grand stage sat Rhea, now occupying the seat of the Council Leader. Below her, arranged in a semi-circle, were six elevated seats reserved for the council elders.

After a brief silence, Salvatore rose from his seat and walked toward the center of the stage. His composed expression revealed nothing, yet his presence alone quieted the restless murmurs in the hall.

"Good morning," he began, his voice steady and clear. "I understand that all of you are unsettled after yesterday's incident. But rest assured—we have taken the necessary steps to address the situation."

A ripple of whispers spread through the hall as council members exchanged uneasy glances.

"You must have many questions," Salvatore continued. "But before we address them… let us formally welcome our new Council Leader."

He turned toward Rhea.

"And congratulate her."

A wave of applause followed—some sincere, others reluctant.

Rhea rose from her seat without haste. She stepped down from the dais and walked toward the center of the stage. Pausing for a brief moment, she took a slow breath before speaking.

"First, I thank all of you for your trust."

Her voice was calm, yet it carried clearly across the vast chamber.

"Without your support, I would not be standing here today."

She inclined her head slightly before continuing.

"I will speak of reforms and future changes soon. But today's gathering has a more urgent purpose."

The hall quieted almost instantly.

Rhea's gaze sharpened.

"It concerns yesterday's assassination attempt… carried out by the three candidates."

At those words, several representatives from the Azure Federation, Rogue Throne, and Blood Empire stiffened. Some lowered their heads. Others avoided meeting her gaze altogether.

A councilman from the Ember Kingdom abruptly stood up. He had dark hair and a thick walrus mustache, his expression tense.

"Did you discover why they targeted Sir Runeth?" he asked.

Rhea nodded once.

"A few weeks ago, I received an anonymous letter," she said. "It claimed that the candidates of the three Empires were conspiring with a demon."

Shock rippled through the hall.

"At first, I did not believe it. However, I informed Lady Edith. She chose to investigate the matter personally, alongside Sir Kaisar, Lady Kirell, and Sir Meledin."

As she spoke, she raised her hand. A strange eyeball artifact appeared in her palm. With a flick of her finger, it activated.

A holographic projection formed above the stage.

The hall fell silent.

The recording revealed a secret meeting—Asthar, Nedia, and Zegan, standing alongside two unfamiliar figures. As the scene progressed, Kaisar appeared and confronted them. Moments later, another figure entered the battlefield.

Gasps erupted.

"That's—!"

"Red Duke?!"

"Sir Hector?!"

"The Holy Son of the Order Church?!"

Voices overlapped in shock as recognition spread instantly.

All eyes turned toward the representatives of the Order Church.

"Order Church is colluding with demons?"

"Explain this!"

"Cardinal Adolf, what is the meaning of this?!"

Fists slammed against tables as the hall descended into chaos.

Rhea raised her hand.

The pressure in the room shifted. Conversations died instantly.

"We will investigate the Order Church's involvement thoroughly," she said calmly. "No one will be exempt."

Her tone allowed no room for argument.

She then summoned another eyeball artifact and activated it.

A second projection appeared.

This time, the scene showed the battle at Reaper's Alley—Kirell, Kaisar, and Meledin confronting Zegan. At first, confusion flickered across the faces of the council members.

Then Zegan revealed his true form.

The manifestation of death itself.

The temperature in the hall seemed to drop.

Several members leaned back unconsciously, their expressions turning pale.

Rhea let the silence linger before speaking again.

"Although we do not yet know the full reason behind their betrayal, we prevented a catastrophe."

She paused briefly.

"And we eliminated two of the three candidates."

A wave of shock spread through the hall.

"The third—Zegan—has escaped," she continued. "However, he will be found. And he will be judged."

She raised her hand once more.

Stacks of documents appeared in midair.

"These were recovered from the demon Xelyria's base," she said.

Then she began listing names.

"Bishop Joseph."

"Bishop Nelson."

"Archbishop Tyrell."

"High Priest Ben."

Each name struck like a hammer.

Faces in the crowd turned pale.

"It seems," Rhea continued, her voice growing colder, "that the Holy City itself has been infested."

Her gaze swept across the assembly.

"And not just one Church."

More names followed—members of the Order Church, the Justice Church, the Amber Church… and even several council members present within the hall.

The reaction was immediate.

Panic erupted.

Several individuals leaped from their seats and attempted to flee.

They didn't make it far.

Guards stationed at the entrances moved instantly, blocking every exit. Others were restrained by nearby members before they could escape.

Within moments, the hall was filled with struggling figures, forced to the ground under overwhelming force.

Silence followed.

Heavy. Suffocating.

Rhea stood at the center of the stage, watching it all unfold.

Then she spoke.

"From this moment onward… no one involved will escape judgment."

No one dared to respond.

The Council Hall fell into absolute silence.

The Holy Knights entered soon after, their arrival cutting through the lingering tension like a blade. Orders were read out without ceremony, and within moments, names were called.

One by one, those identified were dragged from their seats.

Some shouted in outrage. Others tried to resist. A few collapsed entirely, their faces drained of color. It didn't matter. The knights moved efficiently, ignoring pleas and protests alike as they forced the accused toward the exits.

The hall grew quieter with each removal.

When the last of them was taken away, only a heavy silence remained.

Rhea stepped forward.

A faint pulse of wisdom power spread from her, subtle but undeniable. Conversations died instantly.

"We're not done yet," she said.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the entire chamber.

A few members straightened. Others frowned, still unsettled from what they had just witnessed.

Rhea let the silence linger for a moment before continuing.

"What happened yesterday wasn't an isolated incident."

Her gaze moved across the hall, steady and unhurried.

"We lost Sir Meledin."

That alone was enough to shift the mood.

No elaboration was needed.

"Demons are moving openly. Their followers are already inside our cities… our institutions."

A brief pause.

"And the strength of the Holy Knights is declining."

This time, there were no immediate protests—only tension.

Rhea exhaled softly.

"So we adapt."

A murmur spread.

She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.

"I'll be forming a Mystic Order."

That was enough.

The hall erupted.

"We will not allow it!"

"This is madness!"

"You're proposing forbidden techniques in broad daylight?"

Several representatives from the churches stood at once, their expressions sharp with anger. Others joined in, voices overlapping.

Rhea didn't interrupt.

She simply watched.

On the other side of the hall, the reaction was different.

Kirell leaned back slightly, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed by the outrage. Kaisar remained silent, but his presence alone drew attention. Representatives from the Forgotten Nations exchanged brief glances before nodding among themselves.

The divide was obvious.

"You're replacing the Holy Order?" someone demanded.

"No," Rhea replied calmly. "I'm fixing what we lack."

That slowed them.

Not silence—but hesitation.

"We need people who can respond quickly," she continued. "Not armies. Not rituals. People who can act before cities fall."

"That's what the Churches are for!" a bishop snapped.

"Then where were they yesterday?" someone else muttered.

That single line shifted the room more than any speech could.

The argument didn't stop, but it changed.

It became sharper. More fragmented.

Rhea let it play out for a while. She answered where necessary, adjusted where it mattered, and ignored what didn't.

Eventually, the resistance weakened—not gone, but no longer unified.

When the decision was finally pushed through, it wasn't clean.

It was forced.

Chairs scraped against the floor.

Representatives from the Sacred Empire stood first. Then others followed—Amber Church, Order Church, Truth Church, and more. One after another, they walked out, their silence far more telling than their earlier protests.

The doors closed behind them.

What remained was smaller.

But steadier.

Rhea didn't react to those who left.

Instead, she continued as if nothing had happened.

"Kaisar will lead it."

That drew a few looks.

"Each faction will assign someone to oversee their side. For now, we'll start small."

She paused, then added,

"Send who you can. Twenty at most."

That was enough detail for now.

The rest came through questions.

"How strong do their affinities need to be?"

"What kind of training?"

"Is this permanent?"

The discussion shifted from opposition to logistics.

Rhea answered simply.

"They'll be trained. Those who improve stay. Those who don't… won't."

No long explanation. No structured breakdown.

Just enough.

When someone asked about elements, she gave a short response.

"Light is ideal. But we don't have enough of them. So we use what we have."

Her words were practical and direct.

That was enough to satisfy most.

The rest of the conversation flowed more naturally after that. Concerns from smaller nations, requests for support, doubts about resources—each was addressed without turning the discussion into another speech.

Time passed.

Slowly, the tension that had filled the hall began to settle.

By the time the sun dipped low, most questions had been answered—or at least acknowledged.

Rhea looked across the hall one last time.

"That's all for today."

No grand closing.

No unnecessary formality.

Just an end.

The council members began to rise, some already deep in discussion, others silent in thought.

Outside, the light had already begun to fade.

On July 8th, Chaos Era, Year 0001, the Union Council's annual meeting came to a close.