"Oh? Does this shattered land of so many city-states look like peace?" Lord Caducus said, looking down at the young Lord Ariolus. "Does this kind of peace really make us strong? Or does it teach us to waste away, always being satisfied with less? Is it only right for the smaller city-states to chip away at each other? Should we not stop their wars as well?"
"Nonsense," Lord Ariolus said. "Clever wordplay at best! How are you counting the lives of your people to throw them into war?!"
"My people have not suffered from the war between Fluentem and Nix," Lord Caducus said. "They suffered from the years of 'peace' where they had nothing. And how truly peaceful is it if anyone who comes knocking can take it? Fluentem needs Nix's protection."
Lord Ariolus' hands curled into fists.
"What 'protection'?! You'll rob them of everything they have and force them to work for more! All the prosperity they once held in their hands, and their future prosperity as well, will now only go towards your coffers, with nothing left for themselves!"
"Why the outburst?" Lord Caducus said. "Am I so heartless as to not care for the people? How am I worse than their current leaders? After decades, they still haven't restored Fluentem to its former glory with their numbers! Aren't you simply jealous that I thought of it first? Lord Ariolus?"
"Why would I be jealous?!" Lord Ariolus cried. "You have just acquired a city-state that has come from decades of struggle! Why would I want it?"
"Which is why my rule will be generosity—
"Enough!" Lord Maledic said, rolling towards them.
He had waited, hoping there would be some benefit to their back and forth, but it was nothing but a distraction.
Look at the old enemies fight each other. Look how flustered Lord Ariolus is. It was like watching a bad play.
"Whether peace is good or Fluentem is weak is a discussion for philosophers and priests! Has your years of experience taught you all nothing?!"
Even Lord Caducus stiffened at this rebuke from one of Aeternitus' forefathers.
"This is not about a simple promise among lords that has been broken," Lord Maledic said. "Once Lord Caducus begins, he will not end at one city-state! What has he given you that has made you all blind to this?"
Lord Maledic stared at Lord Lapis at the end of this.
Again, the past was being touched on. How could they act so when they knew that Lord Caducus was a warmonger filled with greed?
Maledic could not get so easily past it.
"It seems Lord Maledic most enjoys talking about things we would all prefer left unsaid," Lord Caducus said. "What did I offer them? I offered… peace. They will not turn against you, old man."
Lord Ariolus stepped forward again.
"Anything that you bring us is lies!" He shouted.
He had completely lost his composure.
"I remember the future! I remember what you did! You took and you took and you lied! The only reason Ariolus was spared was because I was too late to pick a side and too mighty for your city to bully mine. And what was Ariolus' reward? Every city around us burned to the ground. For years my people starved and went without! We had no one to trade with, so what could we do but suffer? And we got off lightly! What about your people?! You filled your armies, but there was almost no one left to work the few fields you had."
Lord Ariolus took a deep breath and stroked back his hair before continuing.
"Nothing you do is anything close to prosperity!" He said, louder than the rest of his words. "I remember what you did, Lord Caducus! Where is the cleverness in pretending I forgot?"
There was silence.
The lost decade that had hardly been mentioned had been screamed about, in front of Bonum and Malum and everything.
And that silence proved the truth of it. The lords didn't need to question what Lord Ariolus was talking about. They knew. The few who didn't, like Aes, knew better than to speak here.
"Stop talking nonsense, Lord Ariolus!" Lord Lapis said.
That knowledge didn't mean some didn't try to feign ignorance.
"Stop talking nonsense yourself!" Lord Ariolus said. "This isn't some fantasy! You lived it just as I did!"
"Ah," Lord Caducus said, "you don't like the past? I also didn't like it. Isn't it convenient we're here then?"
The lords near Lord Ariolus shivered.
"…What are you saying?" Lord Ariolus replied.
It was obvious what he was trying to lay claim to.
"Without evidence," Lord Maledic cut in before Lord Caducus could reply, "I wouldn't believe a word."
Maledic rolled himself toward Caducus.
"Is that why you won't speak against him?" Lord Maledic said. "Did he promise you the past as well as the future? I wouldn't believe him, my dear foolish lords of Aeternitus."
"So do you know how it was done, Maledic?" Lord Caducus sneered.
"Of course not," Lord Maledic replied. "But there are more important things than the past. Our present must be cherished as well."
Lord Caducus scoffed.
"As if you really believe that, crippled as you—
Maledic was done entertaining his words. He cut Caducus off.
"But for the rest of you, is it fear?" Lord Maledic said. "The first one of you who stands against Lord Caducus alone will die—
"So who will stand against me?" Lord Caducus laughed. "Why are you making my argument for me?"
—if you stand alone," Maledic finished. "Let me be the first to say that I will wholeheartedly support anyone who stands against Caducus in this new future to come."
Maledic wasn't even bothering with Caducus' title now, but that wasn't what made Caducus' jaw spasm and clench.
Caducus, who had spent decades begging to even meet Lord Maledic for the chance to gain the old legend's support, was seeing it offered to anyone who went against him.
"Let me personally show you there's nothing to fear," Maledic said. "Caducus is but a man…"
One moment, the sky was sunny and the day was warm enough. It was early fall in the northern part of Aeternitus, and the breeze was bracing no matter what. The next, the sky was gray, and frost formed on the stone seats.
It was snowing, quite suddenly. It started, and within a few more moments, it was thick enough to obscure sight.
Such a seemingly gentle use of mana.
Lord Maledic couldn't breathe.
Ice clung to his lungs.
The earth was his strength, but he sat in a wooden chair. He couldn't even touch the stone.
Against children like Aureum and Hiems, this small distance didn't matter. Against a sorcerer of such strength, it did. His own mana that Maledic resonated within his body over centuries would have stopped Caducus' mana. If Maledic was the stronger of them.
He was not.
And the snow that Caducus quickly accumulated across everything also played as another layer of mana between Maledic and his source of strength. Making this quick and distant choking of Lord Maledic possible.
Lord Caducus was solely responsible for all of it.
One man can be enough trouble. Especially when he has centuries of mana at his disposal. Especially when he has only greed in his heart.
The lords sat as if they were dead. Many had seen this strength before. Some had suffered this white blight personally.
"Who will stand against me?" Lord Caducus said. "You? You wretched withered thing, why did you even try to step back upon this path of glory? Death is a mercy to you. There is nothing legendary left in you."
Caducus walked slowly towards Maledic.
"Who will you protect?" Caducus said. "You should be thinking about who you can beg to protect you instead."
It seemed not a single Lord in the seats would rise to Lord Maledic's defense. Not that Caducus gave them much more time than this.
His mana rose in his hand, and he prepared a quick killing blow as Maledic choked in his chair.
Aes, half-frozen himself, moved to jump in front of his lord.
He wouldn't make it in time. Even if he did, he was not enough.
Lord Caducus continued without pause.
The air moved as Caducus swung down. No, it was the weight of unseen mana that moved.
In one swift motion what had been snow formed into a great blade of ice as it was being swung down. Much larger than any human could carry. It shattered into the ground.
The ground shook with its weight. The crash was loud.
The seats that were stuck underneath the great blade of ice crumbled. Even the stones of the flooring cracked, with a ragged scar upon the centuries-old stones.
But the view of blood splattering across the summit of Aeternitus was nowhere to be seen.
"Who?!" He shouted.
Caducus had seen it. The moment his blade of ice hit them, the mirage had shimmered and disappeared.
None of Maledic's known allies had a pearl like that.
The mirage was of light mana. The seemingly weakest of all of the elements. It was a simple trick done at the correct time. Perfectly when Caducus had gathered his snow at first, so the snow obscured both his senses and his sight. Precisely when his emotions were high, and Caducus was rushing towards his enemy's death, so he would not be wary of checking for such a thing.
Still, it was only a trick.
Within a moment, Lord Caducus had traced the mana back.
A rather plain and plump woman shook in the cold. It was Lord Pulcra, the lord of Triviis.
"I… I also remember…" she said, as the cold bore down on her. "I also remember what happened to our city… To my home."
She didn't have to shout. Her soft words were heard by everyone.
Caducus gestured, and ice shot towards her.
He wasn't going to waste much effort as he had for Lord Maledic.
Lord Ariolus leapt. He summoned his staff into hand and stuck down. The wood sprouted new buds and quickly grew into a wall of trees.
"Why would we listen to you?" Lord Ariolus said. "I'd rather have died fighting you than watch your greed wreck my people's livelihood!"
"My greed is what will save us from obscurity!" Caducus said. "Aeternitus will go down in history because of me!"
Yet, Caducus was looking for Maledic as he spoke. There was only an empty chair, tauntingly close to where the large gash on the stones was.
The old man was already gone, or being hidden by other sorcerers here whose tricks weren't so obvious.
Maybe his sworn man, Aes, took him away with the distraction.
Once out of Caducus' range of control, any water sorcerer could pull the ice from his lungs.
The pale-haired Caducus scoffed. His beauty did nothing to soften his scorn.
"Ariolus under green leadership, and the decrepit little Lord Maledic… who else will stand against me in what's to come?"
"I will," Lord Pulcra said.
But she was not joined by the other city-states. Dozens and dozens of lords stood in the crowds, all responsible for their people, and all were silent.
They labored under the illusion that they may not have to suffer, as long as they gave the beast a pound of flesh.
The pause of silence and shivering stretched. After a while, Lord Lapis quietly spoke.
"Lapis will honor the agreement with Nix," he said.
"Agreement? What agreement!"
One lord spat.
An enraged Lord shoved Lord Lapis. Many cold stares followed him. These few brash lords were right to feel safe mocking him. Lord Caducus did nothing to stop them.
Still, Lord Lapis stood by Lord Caducus' side. Since Maledic was away, where else would he stand? It seemed obvious to him.
"Ardere will keep our word with Nix," Lord Ardere said.
An old and refined man stood next to Caducus. His leering smile spoke volumes of his true personality, however. As if this crass grasping for power was all an amusing game for him.
"Two of the major cities…"
They had both mentioned an agreement. Many of the lords of smaller cities had been here to observe. In their defense, alone they held no power to bring Nix to heel or even to effect its fate in any great way.
But every city was connected to the others.
Whatever the other major city-states decided with Nix, it would have ramifications for all of them. The smaller lords wanted to be ready.
But this…
"What agreement?"
"Imum will stand by Nix for as long as our interests align," Lord Imum said.
A middle-aged woman by appearance. Her hair was cut short for practicality. Her face didn't smile, but her eyes did. She took her short steps to be by Nix's side.
"Ceres chooses to walk with Nix. For now."
The gentle but tall Lord Ceres took slow steps to Nix's side.
"Lord Ceres?!"
It was Lord Leviora who had spoken. Imum, Ardere, and Lapis. Cities and lords who played for wealth and gain. Some might call it prosperity while others would call it greed. It was a surprise they had joined hands with Nix, but not by much.
Not for Lord Leviora, who had gotten the same deal from Nix.
The past, according to Caducus, was in his control.
This little old man, though not as little or as old as Maledic, with the appearance of a weathered sailor, was also a lord of a major city-state.
The old man Leviora had told Caducus to take his deal and shove it up his rear-end. In writing, of course.
"Are you serious?!" Lord Leviora shouted at Lord Ceres.
Lord Ceres was a tall man with severe features but a gentle demeanor. Ceres had always been a leader of decency for Aeternitus. No matter what the other cities had done.
"For the time being, this is best," Lord Ceres said.
His words were measured, even as Lord Leviora lost his composure.
"You can't believe him—
"If it's true, the consequences would be too high," Lord Ceres said.
Then he turned away and also stood by Caducus' side.
"If you're done with your little outburst, Lord Leviora?" Lord Caducus said. "I take it you will still not be joining me?"
Lord Leviora spat in Caducus' direction.
"So, Imum, Ceres, Ardere, and Lapis," Lord Caducus said. "These are counted among my allies. Will Ariolus and Leviora take on half of Aeternitus alone?"
It was obvious that Caducus was not even counting the countless minor city-states' lords in his observation.
"Maledic has survived worse than you," Lord Ariolus growled.
"Ah, yes," Caducus continued. "Fluentem is powerless, of course. But you shouldn't expect help from Bonumbas either. Lord Mors is gone. I will allow those who have made the wrong decision to rethink things once all has come to light."
As he spoke, the snow that had grayed the skies cleared.
With one last smile, Caducus left with a leap. The lords on his side looked around at each other before leaving as well.
Lord Ardere rose up on a pillar of flame. Lord Ceres on a floating river of water. Lord Lapis and Lord Imum simply walked out in the silence.
The clouds had cleared, and sunlight was restored, but for countless people, their futures could only be bleak and cold.