"That sounds sad," Sara said, looking at Seer with a sympathetic gaze.
"So, what did the king do about your mother getting poisoned?" Helios asked.
"Nothing. They are all rotten," Seer spat, gritting her teeth as her face contorted with anger.
"I have something to tell you, Leader," Nova interrupted, his voice breaking the heavy silence.
"What is it now?" Helios asked, shifting his gaze toward Nova with a weary sigh.
"I think you forgot you have an alliance to run," Nova noted, he's expression neutral but firm.
"You mean the alliance with those twelve fools?" Helios countered, a frown deepening on his face.
"Thirteen. You forgot someone," Sara added in a teasing voice, a playful smirk dancing on her lips.
"Can you two lovebirds stop showing your love?" Riku grumbled, his expression sour as he turned to trudge out of the meeting room.
"He finally didn't use an artefact to leave the room," Helios remarked, watching the door click shut behind Riku.
"Can we go, or should we call him back?" Ray asked, glancing between the others with a look of uncertainty.
"You guys can leave now. I still need to meet those people," Helios replied. As the group filtered out, only Sara remained by his side.
A few minutes later, figures with shadow runes covering their faces appeared in the shadows of the room.
"You guys aren't going to show me your faces?" Helios asked, his voice turning cold and his eyes narrowing.
"Don't feel like it, Alliance Leader," one of the twelve Seeker organization leaders replied, his posture relaxed and dismissive.
"Fine. At least give me your names," Helios said, his voice regaining a deceptive calm.
"I'll go first, then," the person who had just spoken said, stepping forward slightly. "You guys can call me Spider."
"So we can say anything? Then you can call me Dragon," another person added, crossing their arms confidently.
"You can call me Wolf," a third person chimed in.
"Tiger," the fourth person stated bluntly.
"Maybe Owl," the fifth person suggested, tilting their head curiously.
"I'll be Panther," the sixth person said.
"You can call me Lion," the seventh added with a boastful puff of the chest.
"Cheetah," the eighth person said.
"That's a fitting nickname for you. You're a cheater, aren't you?" Owl remarked, her voice low and dripping with venom.
"Shut up!" Cheetah snapped back, his hands clenching into fists.
"So, can I say my nickname now?" the ninth person asked, sounding slightly impatient.
"Yes, you can. Don't mind them," Helios said, casting a sharp, warning look at Owl and Cheetah.
"My nickname will be Eagle," the ninth person declared.
"Bee," the tenth person said.
"Chamomile, because it sounds interesting," the eleventh person said in a cheerful, airy voice.
"Are we just going to use animal names now?" the twelfth person asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"Yes," Dragon replied firmly.
"No, there are no rules that say that," Helios corrected, glancing at Dragon.
"Do our Vice-Leaders get their own nicknames too?" Bee asked, her eyes brightening with interest.
"No, the Vice-Leaders aren't getting any nicknames," Helios stated flatly.
"Maybe I'll pick the name Bull," the twelfth person decided, shrugging his shoulders.
Everyone looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"It's a great nickname!" Bull insisted, his expression defiant.
"Yes, it is... it's just so great," Owl said, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to hold back her laughter.
"It's trash," Dragon said in a mocking, flat tone.
"Big question: are we going to name our alliance the Animal Kingdom?" Chamomile asked, her head tilting slightly to the side in genuine thought.
"Maybe. I mean, we are almost all named after animals," Lion noted, nodding in agreement.
"Do you guys think before you speak?" Dragon groaned, rubbing his temples.
Suddenly, the round table became chaotic. Everyone began shouting over one another.
"Shut up, Cheetah! No one said you could talk!" Owl yelled, her face flushed with frustration.
"Are you still angry about what happened between us?" Cheetah shot back with a smug grin.
"What happened between the two of you?" Eagle asked, leaning forward with an interested, gossipy look.
"You three are off-topic," Bull interjected.
"Even Bull is saying you guys don't know what you're doing," Panther said, pointing a finger at Bull.
"Bull, shut up. No one asked for your opinion," Spider snapped.
"I didn't even say that!" Bull cried out, looking exasperated.
These twelve fools are fighting like children, Helios thought, his jaw tight as he massaged his forehead.
"Shut up, all of you!" Helios roared. His voice was like a crack of ice, carrying a heavy weight of authority that instantly froze the room. Everyone turned to look at him.
"We're not naming our alliance any of those dumb names," Helios said, his voice simmering with frustration.
"Oh, that's sad. I even had a list of names that start with animals," Chamomile whispered, looking genuinely disappointed.
"Do you have a better name, Alliance Leader Helios?" Spider asked, watching him with an interested, challenging gaze.
"A good name... I can think of one," Helios said, though inwardly he panicked. Should we just go with Animal Kingdom? I can't think of anything!
Circlet, do you have any names? Helios asked in his mind.
What do you take me for? A dictionary with every word in it? Circlet's voice echoed in Helios's mind, dripping with sarcasm.
I should have gotten a book artefact instead, Helios retorted mentally.
That guy would be useless unless you were trying to read bedtime stories to your sister, Circlet scoffed.
"You're taking your sweet time," Dragon prompted, his voice sounding increasingly impatient.
"Patience. You can't rush greatness," Owl said, casting a mocking side-eye at Dragon.
"We are trusting a man who named his Seeker organization 'Order of Blackthorn,'" Panther muttered under his breath.
"Maybe if you all wait, you might get your answer," Sara said, standing tall next to Helios with a reassuring hand near his shoulder.
"The Obsidian Tridecagon. That sounds like a good name," Helios finally announced, his voice filled with a forced sense of pride.
"Animal Kingdom sounds better," Bee insisted, crossing her arms.
"Shut up! I'm not choosing Animal Kingdom as our alliance name!" Bull shouted.
"No one asked for your opinion, Bull!" Bee snapped back.
"I think you should really stop talking, Bull," Cheetah added, shaking his head.
"It seems like some of us don't like my idea," Helios noted, his eyes locking onto Bee. "So, let's take a vote. If I get the majority of the votes, we use the name The Obsidian Tridecagon. If I don't, we can choose another name."
Helios looked around the table. "All in favour of keeping the name The Obsidian Tridecagon, raise your hand."
Only three people kept their hands down.
"Why do you want to change the name, Tiger, Bee, and Panther?" Owl asked, her voice full of curiosity.
"I just don't want to raise my hand," Tiger grunted, looking away.
"I started this I have to end it," Bee said in a bizarrely self-righteous tone.
"I just don't like you," Panther said bluntly, staring Helios in the eye.
"I don't care anymore. Meeting dismissed," Helios sighed, his shoulders slumping as he walked away, looking utterly exhausted.