The Council

"It is like you saw it in the fire, master," I said to a statue.

My master knows best how to manipulate people. And I know best how to use their souls efficiently.

Now that all people are on their way to me, we officially have the first realm under our control. And with the souls of the world, I can free Master Messiah from his chains.

I walked out of the ruin that was on the mountain and at the foot of the mountain there were already thousands... no hundreds of thousands of people looking up at me.

I am comparable to a god right now.

This feeling of being able to judge all these people, all those who worship me like a god and are subordinate to me.

I love it.

I manipulated the magic particles under my feet and started walking in the air.

My voice amplified, I above the lowly people who worshiped me like animals.

"You have now arrived. I, Eron, will accompany you into a new age. Together we can stand against the Hydra and create our own paradise" I shouted to the crowd.

Cheering, shouting and joy covered the mass of people under my feet.

Such lowly creations would never understand the true nature of a god.

I am... The ultimate creation of our master... Only I can bring new glory to my master. And... this... lowly human woman.

I took that woman, Rione, yesterday, who is also under my spell.

All these people can only obey like my pets and so does she.

But it does not stop there.

Rione is the key to unite our worlds and open paradise.

"All of you will open your eyes... Children of the human kingdom.

You will all understand very soon…

Swear your allegiance to our goal... swear your allegiance to me and my master... and together we will stand against the Hydra and its goals.

The Hydra must not continue to regard us humans as a lowly people and certainly not influence our world!

We will take our destiny into our own hands!"

This speech is unnerving. I hate working with these insects. But they are part of the big picture and I can transform them. Some could certainly be useful as can be seen from their sealed mana veins.

"Stretch out your hand to me and make the oath! Fight for Messiah! Fight for humanity! Fight the Hydra!" I shouted to the lowly people

All raised their hands as if to touch the clouds. You shouted the trust and the oath from the deepest of your soul.

So I gifted my new servants and pets with the mark of Messiah. A branded third eye on their forehead, which amplifies their mana affinities and links their memories to that of Messiah.

Our Lord will know everything and through these people the power of his mana will also expand. We will not lose. The Second Realm and the Heavenly Realm will fall.

"Together, the Hydra cannot defeat us. We humans will continue to exist and usher in our own era."

I finished my speech and let the lowly people build our new kingdom. The kingdom only for our world. We are getting ready for war.

I went back to the ruins where I also held the crone captive. I looked at her as she hung chained to the wall. She looked up at me with hopeless eyes and spoke.

"What are you going to do?" she gasped desperately.

What are we going to do? We are going to save mankind from the power of the gods.

"Gods?"

"You don't know the system of this world, huh? You humans have forgotten everything that ever made up our worlds," I said, annoyed.

I opened her cell and went in to her.

"I will open your third eye. As a gift and clarification of our good will," I said as I gently slid my fingers to her forehead.

The symbol of the third eye also appeared on her forehead and you could tell from her look that all the memories of Messiah were streaming into her mind like a movie.

"Do you understand? We can no longer tolerate these injustices. The Hydra took us, our magic and the beauty of this world... and the Heavenly Realm banished our master and mocked us humans."

She must be convinced. Our plan must work in order to summon the paradise that our Lord longs for. A world where everyone will be happy.

She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"I am so sorry for what you have had to suffer. Musashi and the others are on the wrong side..." I untied one of her arms from the magical shackles chaining her to the wall.

She stroked my face with one hand and looked at me like a mother mourning her child... a feeling I never got.

"I understand now Eron... I understand so much... but is there only this way?"

Only this one way, for which we need your help, Rione." I said this while my hand held her face and our eyes synchronized.

I brought her face closer and our lips touched tenderly. The soft lips of this female were warm and pressed with love against mine and we kissed.

Disgusting. But necessary.

"Let bygones be bygones and bring new glory to our world, Rione."

"I still need time..." she said, averting her eyes from mine.

Take it. It will be confusing and new, but it is an important step. I'll be waiting for you, Rione." I put on a smile as I spoke these words to a lowly woman.

I still left her in her cell out of caution that she might jeopardize our mission.

I went and meditated again so that my soul could connect with the second realm.

I opened my eyes in a purple glowing forest filled with magic and new creatures. Crossbreeds of wolves and birds.... Tigers, with gills... and so much more.

This is the world that the Hydra took from us. Centuries ago, the human world looked exactly like this. I still have to suppress my mana because otherwise they might track me down.

Since my body is not physically on this plane, I have to be careful because otherwise it will affect my soul. All harm and happenings affect the soul and mana in this world.

I disguised myself and continued to search for useful information and living beings.

If only we could get hold of dragons, this war would be finally decided.

Master Messiah mentioned stories and legends about how the dragons could destroy even Heavenly Glitches back then... and from their fire the human kingdom was born.

Dragons decide wars and that even against the Celestials. Only they all disappeared after the Akiyame and Shikiyame together destroyed the Cult of Messiah. At least they believe that they forced the master back.

However, a seal can be broken and with our new realm and the new mana of these filthy people, we can break its bonds and attack the Hydra again.

Only this time we will be victorious.

Anyway, I have to keep looking... There is only one species that can match the dragons.

Rhagar is probably too old to turn the war in their favor like he did... together with that old Akiyame... Musashi's grandfather. These old people should die and finally give up their lives. It is forfeited and the Master will create Paradise, which the Hydra and Celestials could never do.

On the higher islands, better tools should be waiting.

I went to an edge and tried to spot a cloud sailor. These are flying creatures that move between the planes, looking for new habitable places. By holding on to them, I can thus climb the plains and search for better goods for the master.

***

***

A meeting has been called in the palace of the capital. The Hydra must call a crisis meeting after centuries of peace.

All the forces of the Second Realm gathered to discuss the latest happenings. Among others, I am invited as the last member of the Akiyame.

"Fukashi, you know yourself that you are not the last," Rhagar said to me.

"My old friend... with all due respect, this boy may have become degenerate and effeminate over the years after his father," I replied.

And this because you were afraid that he would become like your son and his brother.

"I had placed too many expectations on my family and destroyed them. Nevertheless, our clan lives on in me and my followers after millennia. But Musashi would be the heir and I am unsure if the boy will make it," I said doubtfully.

"The boy can do more than you can imagine at the moment. I see the boy's future before me and he also managed to find my children and bond with them. Your son had hidden them," Rhagar replied.

My eyes widened at that moment. And the shock made my muscles throughout my body wince.

Rhagar's children. They were thought lost and declared dead yet the boy found them and even made a connection?

If they are anywhere near as strong as Rhagar, Musashi... my grandson could become so strong that he becomes the strongest man of all the planes.

Dragons only bond if the rider has potential to wield their power... but if even 3 descendants of the strongest dragon of time bond with him, he could possibly be on par with the Celestials.... What kind of powers does this boy have?

"I must teach him, Rhagar. Otherwise, it could be the end of us. Well, we have to get to the meeting now."

I sat down at our meeting table in the Celestials' temple and we discussed the current situation.

Eron has managed to consolidate his kingdom in the human kingdom and all humans are loyal to him. They have even sworn the oath of the Messiah to him and thus inherited the wisdom of a Celestial," I announced.

,"That is impossible. Messiah has been sealed for centuries and his power should be extinguished," replied the leader of the Shikiyame.

"Obviously, he managed to pass on his power and now this fellow named Eron is planning to get it back," the last member of the Hydra replied.

"We don't have any decisive weapons at the moment to go through the war again, as we did back then. Rhagar destroyed more than 60 percent of Messiah's forces back then and eventually even sealed Messiah itself," Lord Shikiyame replied.

Rhagar is definitely not in a position to fight another war, but there is hope. I spoke confidently.

"Go on, old man." said the third head of the Hydra.

"Lord Shikiyame... your son Tatsuya has discovered my grandson... the heir of the dragon, and above all, my grandson has found the descendants of Rhagar."

"Rhagar's descendants? They were believed dead, old man, and above all, what good are centuries-old eggs to us?" was the Shikiyame's question.

,"They have made a connection with Musashi and have hatched as well. Three dragons that could seal the fate of our worlds."

"All three made a connection with the young one?! Old man are you sure? He would be comparable to a god..." said our mysterious member.

"Rhagar also accompanied him and led him to us along with your son Lord Shikiyame," I said.

We cannot ignore the boy and we have to bring him to us.

"I agree."

"I will devote myself to him," I replied.

My dealings with dragons have always been the best of us and I should teach him how to strengthen his alliance with them.

"I will take care of him with his martial arts," said Lord Shikiyame.

"And I will strengthen and expand his magic. He should thus have the highest value of mana we have ever seen if even three of Rhagar's children chose him."

"So be it." I said.

With a wave of my hand, I alerted our noble guards to ride out with their dragons and search for the two boys. Without hesitation, 5 dragon riders moved out of the capital to search for them, and we the Hydra members retreated and prepared for the boys' arrival.

The preparations for war will begin soon. The fate of the world lies once again in our dragons and in the youngest Akiyame.... An irony of fate.

May the Hydra once again stand against the plans of Messiah.