"It happened a few years ago." The man from the desert explained.

"Some Abominations had killed most of her Feathers (AN: Salaark's fake Awakened), the borders were overrun by invaders from all the neighboring countries, and she was on the hunt for the one staging the crisis. It was a real mess.

"The Overlord ordered Ruria, my predecessor, to cull the monster tribes during her absence. Ruria was over seven hundred years old and had a bright purple core. She believed that she was on the verge of another breakthrough."

"The fabled white core of immortality?" The woman from the Empire sn.i.g.g.e.red along with most of those present.

"That's a legend. No one has ever achieved it."

"Yeah, a legend. Like Awakened ones, Mage Towers, Dragons, and Elves. Yet…" He didn't finish the phrase, he simply waved at his peers.

"Anyway, Ruria was certain that with more life and death battles she could finally evolve. She defied Salaark and told her to shove those bulls.h.i.+t orders up her feathery a.s.s, wis.h.i.+ng her to enjoy the experience. And here I am."

"Wait. How did you get a territory without anyone challenging your claim? I'm sure this is the first a.s.sembly in decades."

"Because I didn't claim it, Salaark gave it to me. Back then, I was a wandering Awakened who had agreed to help her. She gave me Ruria's territory as a reward for my services. Not before taking most of Ruria's treasures and books for herself."

The man sighed at the memory. Salaark had left him the crumbs, yet even those were more than he had ever dreamt about. He couldn't even imagine how powerful the Guardian had to be to berate such knowledge to the point of gifting it away.

"This is unacceptable!" An old woman from the Kingdom yelled in outrage. "How can you bow down like sheep to a bloodthirsty tyrant? Why haven't we killed Salaark already?"

At those words, the hall fell into silence. Raagu looked at the woman like she was insane.

"Sure, we can beat her, but at what price? How many of us are willing to die in the attempt?" Not a single hand was raised.

"Let's suppose for a moment that we kill Salaark, that the other Guardians don't decide to avenge their fallen comrade. Then what? Who is willing to a.s.sume the duty of a Guardian? To prevent the chaos that would ensue after her death from triggering a war that could destroy all of our territories?"

Under the disgusted gaze of the other Awakened, the woman understood the foolishness of her words and lowered her gaze in embarra.s.sment.

"If I ever hear such nonsense from you again, Xola, I'll think you've become senile and take you out myself. Enough wasting my time. Who's still interested in Clein's territory?"

Those who already had a territory in another country lowered their hands. They didn't want to become Salaark's underlings. Only the wandering Awakened remained. Even if they had to pay their due to Salaark, it was better than the alternative.

"Very good. Before proceeding with the Spirit Duel, the second item on the agenda. Treius Clein wasn't killed by Salaark, but by a seventeen years old Ranger. I suppose you have heard about Lith Verhen."

Raagu was discomforted noticing that only some of the Awakened from the Kingdom recognized the name. She distributed pieces of papers with all of his known achievements.

"He must be an Awakened too." Said Xola trying to regain a part of her credibility. "Treius was a lazy idiot, barely twenty years old, but Glamus Awakened him when he was still a kid and provided him with his best equipment.

"A street urchin Awakened like Nalear managed to kill Linjos, one of the best mages of the Kingdom. I can't believe a Ranger still wet behind his ears could defeat Treius with fake magic."

"Agreed." Raagu nodded.

"Fine, but who cares?" Said the young woman from the Kingdom.

"He's playing by the rules, pretending to be a 'genius' and minding his own business. Heck, we should send him a thank you card for getting rid of the Black Star." Many agreed with her.

"You are all idiots. It's no surprise many of you are stuck at a blue core even after centuries." Raagu stared at them like they were trash.

"I just told you that a twenty year old Awakened, backed by one of the most powerful men of the Desert and with a bright cyan core has been defeated by someone even younger with no background. How can your answer be 'who cares'?"

The revelation amazed most of the younger Awakened, while the others were simply interested enough to be relieved of their boredom.

***

Gorgon Empire, In Magic Empress Milea's throne room.

After months spent wandering the Garlen continent, Scarlett the Scorpicore was fed up with failing at everything and had decided to ask for Leegaain's help. The problem was she had no way of contacting him.

The rune of his communication amulet had been offline for weeks, forcing her to meet him in person. Luckily, Milea knew about Scarlett and her most notable aliases, so getting an audience with the fabled Magic Empress hadn't been too hard.

"Good morning, your Majesty. Thank you for receiving me with such short notice." Scarlett's human form gave her a deep bow. She looked like a woman adventurer in her thirties. Her ashen gold hair had red shades and she wore a gold rimmed pince-nez on her nose.

Unlike the Guardians, she had chosen an inconspicuous human form for her travels. She could barely stand humans as it was, she had no desire to have flocks of admirers pestering her.

"Any friend of Leegaain is also my friend. It's an honor to meet one of the Lords of the forest." Milea allowed Scarlett to stand up and shook her hand.

"I relinquished that t.i.tle. Now I'm simply the first of my kind." Scarlett didn't like the idea of being called "the Mother of all Scorpicores". She found it pretentious and it made her feel old.

"What can I do for you?" Milea asked.

"Thank you, but I just need to talk with the old lizard."

"Coming here was the right move. He's been very busy of late. Without a mind link, it's impossible to reach him." Milea closed her eyes for a second and a humanoid Warped next to her.

"Scar, you haven't changed at all." Leegaain said with a disappointed voice.

He had the appearance of a lean albino man, 1,75 meters (5'9"), with snow white hair and skin. His eyes were purple with vertical pupils. He was wearing a lab coat over a set of pitch black clothes.

"It's nice to see you too." Scarlett replied with an inhuman growl.

"Since we are both busy, I'll get straight to the point . After Salaark saved Balkor, and Linjos's death, I've decided to step up my game and become a Guardian." After failing to avenge her comrades, losing her only human friend had been the last straw.

"Yet no matter what I do, ever since I fought your feathery lady friend in the desert, no world tribulation has occurred. I left my forest because I knew that a quiet life also meant no challenges and no tribulations."