"My idea is we should find a citadel in a death zone between the Domains."
Sunny stated after taking a heavy gulp of tea. The taste was sublime, and delicate, a great alternative to his usual cup of bitter coffee.
"That will be horribly hard. Odds are we won't even survive before seeing such a citadel. They're death zones for a reason. Surviving there for longer time is far from possible."
Jet retorted.
"I cannot disagree with you, but in my opinion it's the only way to control the battlefield. We have to find a place that is possible to fight for, and make it known. When that happens the Sovereigns will wage a war there, and that will provide us an advantage we need to win, a controllable environment."
"You're calling death zone a controllable place…"
Then Nephis interjected.
"I think it's a good notion. At least it will allow us to turn that place into some kind of trap. But beforehand we have to find and conquer such a place. We don't know any."
Sunny nodded.
"That's why I volunteer to start an exploration. My transformation ability is best suited to do it, and make it out alive if something happens."
Then Kai protested.
"So we're depending on you?"
Sunny sighed heavily. He looked around the room. It was really something else seeing them all talking about slaying monarchs over cup of tea. But why wouldn't a cup of tea lead to eventual change of the shape of the world?
"You are busy either protecting the waking world or serving the clan. All of you are more or less unable to throw away everything, and go to a death zone. It has to be me. Only I have time to spare."
Effie was also unsatisfied.
"But when you'll do that it seems like all work is going to be done like you."
"It's only the first step. The most crucial, but it doesn't mean your work is going to be not important. First of all I won't make Nephis suitable as a replacement."
Effie was dumbfounded.
"What do you mean?"
Nephis replied audaciously.
"He means that I have to become a Supreme myself."
Sunny shook his head.
"I like your ambition, but not quite. Every single one of us, Saints, should strive to become a Supreme. Of course, Nephis has the greatest chances, but you're not losers either. Every single one of you belongs to the strongest Saints in the two worlds. Also that way we increase our chances."
Jest opposed again.
"It's not that simple. There are only three people who ever managed to challenge the Forth Nightmare, and return. Also chances are that even if we reach supremacy we will be immediately attacked by the Sovereigns. After the Nightmare the Spell will send us back to the waking world, and by then our presence will be known to everyone. Not to mention that we have to find a seed, and enter it."
Then Nephis replied.
"There are solutions."
Everyone looked at her in anticipation.
"I thought about it, and I think we shouldn't try to enter seed. That way we will disappear for some time, making it known that we're trying to conquer a Nightmare. So instead I propose that we should try to reach Supremacy naturally, without the Spell."
Julius furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief.
"Naturally? Does that mean…"
"Yeah, Teacher Julius, she means using the ways from before the Age of the Spell, before the death of Gods, and all that mess."
"Do you perhaps stumbled across the way to become a Supreme?"
Sunny laughed.
"Oh, no, much worse. We're going to infer it."
"Inf… Are you crazy? For hundreds, or maybe thousands of years no one awakened without the Spell. It's unreasonable to expect yourself to achieve that."
Everyone looked at Julius helplessly, except for Sunny who continued.
"We are unreasonable. And it's not like you're correct, Teacher Julius. We did achieve natural awakenings already. Not exactly we, but a few such Awakened serve under me."
"Really? And you haven't told me anything? Good gracious!"
"If that's fine by you I would like to help me with managing them. I heard that all your students are very promising in one way or another.
But we're losing the point. We're soon going to have a bunch of natural Awakened. We will try to use them to research the way, and perhaps even develop some natural Masters. However, that is currently beyond our reach."
Effie nodded, and put her declaration as well.
"We will do many of them too. Since Sunny was nice enough to leak the secret of awakening to us, we will make good use of it. As the Government's Saints we cannot pass on the opportunity to empower our forces. Increasing the number of awakened will be our priority task."
Satisfied with Effie's words, Sunny turned to Nephis.
"Meanwhile we can start to consider what we know about the path of ascension. Princess, do you have any thoughts?"
"So that's what were you doing. I was worried why you didn't bring that many Memories for sale. But it seems you have achieved much more than I. My approach is different.
I believe that the key to Supremacy lays in what we've obtained during the transcension. Saints can bind citadels to their bodies, can convert spiritual essence present in the world into their own. The world responds to our will to some extent. Therefore my idea is that we should deepen that connection to the world, learn to sense our source element.
In my case I recently discovered that I can perceive something, I think it's passion if it's directed at me. Sometimes when I'm being close I feel it flashing. In some ways I've always been an object of some reverence, but now as a Saint I can tell something about it is different.
Despite some of you can think otherwise, fire, and light aren't my source element, and therefore they don't provide me with essence. The Spells describes my aspect as the power that comes with indescribable longing. I think that longing is my element.
If we're going to win, one way or another we have to build up that element so it can become the foundation of my own Domain, when it will come to exist. Otherwise if I will be Supreme, and…"
It was quite enough. Nephis just decided she has first to become the best Saint she can be. Which wasn't that bad, but there was something strange in what she said.
"Are you able to see our passion?"
"I've been feeling it since you arrived in my citadel."
It explains how she was able to see them right before anyone informed her about their arrival. But if Nephis' senses are so sharp, then what about the Sovereigns? Don't they feel their Domains? How much can Anvil sense from what's happening here? Did he give her a sword?
"Great… that's great… No! The heck, Neph! I've never heard your situation seem so cliche! And your crown already is."
Effie bursted into complaining. But Kai had a different.
"Effie, out of all of us you're the least entitled to say that. You know how you get your essence."
"Yeah, I know, I know. But it annoys me sometimes. Why couldn't my element be something like, I don't know, good health? Why does it have to be resolve? It feels stupid."
Jet sighed, and pointed at the brighter side of things.
"At least it's managable for our propaganda machine. We can promote Nephis, paint her as a matyr, or a self-sacrificing hero. And probably we won't be even lying too much. I'm glad, princess, you're making things simple for us. I for example don't know any other way to get essence than killing."
Sunny decided it's time to bring a conclusion here.
"So it's a promise. We're going to figure out the path, everyone in its own way, but we're concentrate on Nephis. We're not exactly in a rush. We're going to take some years"
Then Cassie decided to bring something up. Perhaps it was a matter of that she finished her cup of tea.
"There's something more we have to talk about. We already witnessed the powers of both sides to some extent, but we still have to figure out what they are. If possible we should learn their flaws before making any specific plan for the war. You know that knowledge is heavily guarded. No one right in his mind will reveal his flaws easily, especially, if it's dangerous."
Unexpectedly it was Julius who decided to offer something. He smirked in mischief.
"I can help to some extent. You all know I'm an academic professor. Imagine that as one I can help you make an investigation involving our academy records, to track the instructors from years when Anvil, and Ki were students. The list of instructors can't be a secret so no one will be alerted by someone like me reading through it. Someone has to remember the Sovereigns. It won't solve anything, but you'll at least know where to look for information. I will provide you with some names in 2-3 weeks, sorry, but I have a schedule. The instructors should at very least know their dormant abilities."
Then Aiko decided to contribute as well, thought in a very specific way.
"I also have a proposition. We develop our Brilliant Emporium with an intention to reach citadels in both Domains. It's not that much, but it will help you to get closer to your targets, especially to the daughters of Song who had to see Ki at least once."
Julius plan involved finding people who can remember the Sovereigns so Cassie can interrogate them. Aiko on the other hand promised to get closer, but using Sunny's skill to craft Memories, and intending him to do the job of kidnapping the targets. It was very dependent way of contributing, but their ideas were very meaningful at the same time.
"Thank you, your help will be very appreciated. I don't imagine looking all by myself. Probably I wouldn't achieve much."
Cassie expressed her approval for the plan.
Later they were talking about their insights, the general direction of exploration, the insights related to the process of Awakening. The plans were very preliminary. The notion of slaying the Sovereigns was still distant, and very surreal. But they understood very well it's only a matter of years. If they let themselves wait comfortably for what has to come, they'll probably find a way to conquer some distant citadels, or worse… think of some measures to carry out an invasion through Storm Sea. Things could only become more complicated.
Also there was a problem that they needed to carry out the evacuation of humanity. It was mostly a matter concerning the Government, but that doesn't mean there was no use of the clans. Quite the contrary. They were the main player in the process. Dream Gates were theirs. House of Night was transporting them from NQSC. Their Awakened were closing Nightmare Gates, and many belonged to clans. The evacuation required very extensive cooperation. Therefore the conversation stepped into the topic.