There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL)

If Protocol Aspen called for every important personnel in the Eastern Federation, Protocol Ficus referred to the summoning of the representatives from the twelve, now thirteen, prominent Houses in the Eastern Federation--six of which were part of the Old Houses.

These thirteen Houses had certain authority within the Eastern Federation, something that put a check and balance to the government’s policies. It was an authority of respect, from the great service these Houses made in preserving the civilization and developing the nation.

That being said, the President still retained a right to do a summon, when a great emergency in which the fate of the nation was in the balance. The meeting had to receive an endorsement of at least five Houses, of which two must be from Old Houses. And once the meeting was approved, these Houses were obliged to attend, without exception.

Even then, the meeting this time was drafted very abruptly. The invitations only came during lunch, and yet the meeting had to be attended in that same evening. If it wasn’t for the existence of teleportation portals, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Immediately after they arrived, the representatives--most of whom were the current patriarch and matriarch, unless they felt too ill and therefore sent their successor instead--were politely led to the deepest part of the tower, where security was the tightest.

It was a very comfortable lounge, with plush armchairs surrounding several coffee tables in which refreshments were being served. If it wasn’t for the urgency of the meeting, it would almost feel like they were in a party. Especially because most of them had no idea what was this meeting about, except that it had something to do with the recent incident inside the military’s eternal dungeon.

But the large double door of the lounge opened at one point, and as their eyes caught upon the figure of three people, they stood up. After all, even among the Houses, there was a hierarchy; and the four--now five--Old Houses were above everyone else. And the three people who just entered were the representatives of these Old Houses.

Ludya Mallarc hadn’t been seen in public for a long time, for her role was often being fulfilled by her son and grandson, instead. But everyone in that room knew her; the memory of her soft yet stern demeanor played out in their hand like their once scary Headmasters.

Escorting her, piquing everyone’s interest, was the new patriarch of the recently revived House of Ishtera. A beautiful young man in his late twenties, with expressionless blue eyes that didn’t show he wanted to be there. He was, undoubtedly, the youngest among the participants. Coming with Ludya Mallarc was a good move on his part, because no one would dare to question his eligibility with her as his guarantor.

Behind them was an unassuming man from House Asporo, who calmly led Ludya Mallarc and Luzein Ishtera to the table where the ’patriarch’ of House Apsoro was. It was them; the Old Houses who endorsed today’s emergency meeting.

With the arrival of those three, there was only one left on the list. They had only needed to wait for another five minutes, however, before the patriarch of House Horin, the eldest among the representatives, arrived along with three escorts. With the complete formation, the staff wasted no time ushering the representatives inside the rather large, but closed-off meeting hall.