"After all we have sacrificed, how can you say we don’t want the prosperity of this land!?" Prince Leon stood up, slamming his hands on the table.
"Okay, answer this then. Suppose a large natural disaster strikes in Eldoris, and only you and your fellow Dawnstar brave men are close enough to aid them. But then some lords at the border of the Empire, once again near you, start infighting—a chance unlike any you will ever have to reclaim your land. Where would you go?" Damian asked calmly.
Prince Leon stood straight and snorted. "Of course I will save the people."
Damian picked up the black paper beside him and pushed the ink bottle forward, saying, "Yes? And can you sign a mana contract right now stating that?"
Silence. All eyes shifted from one man to another. Five seconds, and Prince Leon did not move at all. Damian put down the paper, shifting his focus from Leon to Maelor and Souldealer. Then added,
"The purpose of ours is not to win more land or get vengeance. Did you ever think about what you would have done if Sanctuary rejected you in your greatest time of need? Where would all the women, children, and elderly of yours be today? Would you even be alive to fight the demons?"
Damian stretched his hand towards Einar. "Tell me, Souldealer—after seeing what this woman can do with her sword, would it not be easy for her to take advantage of the distracted Empire and carve out a piece for herself? Gaining more men and people compared to what she gained by welcoming all of you and making herself, and all of Sanctuary, a potential enemy of the Empire?"
The Souldealer looked down. "She is more than capable."
"I am not asking you all to leave this place—you all are of the Sanctuary now. But in this building, where we decide the path of the future for this place—I will not have separate divisions based on stupid ambitions. You will not have a hand in shaping the future of our children!" Damian made his point clear. Not a single infraction in his voice from start to end.
"So once again, go live on this island—planning whatever delusions you might still have—or accept what is inevitable. Become a part of something bigger than just your name. Years ago, it was taken from us Sunblades, and we are still alive. What will be of Goldflame’s fate?"
Prince Leon gritted his teeth and turned around, walking away. A few steps towards the door, however, and he realized there was no one behind him. He turned back, disbelief plastered on his face.
Maelor sighed and stood up. Before going, however, he looked straight into Damian’s eyes and spoke up, "If you ask, I will die for you. I owe you more than one life. But he and Olivia are the last of my family—I will do as he says till I am capable enough to do more."
Damian smiled. "It’s a minor thing, Maelor. It does not change anything between us even if you live on the other side of the world."
Maelor nodded and walked away with his older brother. They did look back once, realizing Souldealer had chosen a different side. Both brothers somewhat expected it, though, so they did not wait on her.
She sighed. "To Sanctuary, I will forever be a lady from Dawnstar, and to the people of Dawnstar, forever a betrayer of trust."
"No one will say that about you, of all people, Lady Souldealer." Surprisingly, it was Lucian who spoke up to reassure her.
"That’s right.." Sam agreed.
Grace said with a smile, "We too are from Dawnstar, Lady Souldealer, if you might have missed it. I don’t know about others, but for me especially, the respect for you is greater than 90% of Transcendents I know. Even with power balance being all over the place, you never left Dawnstar’s side."
The Souldealer shook her head. "I came very close at times."
"She’s kidding. She never even thought about it," Einar added from the side, as she and Souldealer exchanged a look.
The mood in the room relaxed a little. Damian also stood up and walked near the open side wall. The solid air shield wall showed the dark city sleeping in low moonlight. He had installed the steel runic window-frame when he had some spare time in which the spell was inscribed. It had been one of those long days where he had done more than hours permitted.
A few seconds and someone called his name. Damian looked back—it was Grace.
"Yes," he walked back near them.
"I said, are you sure about all these changes? Isn’t it a little too much at once?" Grace repeated.
The others stopped talking and were also looking at him—it was indeed a valid concern.
He replied, "With my position being new, it’s a chance to change things."
"So we can say it was your fault if something goes wrong and we have to make a change?" Sam asked. That was quite clever of him. Damian only nodded.
"Why are you always ? It’s always the extremes with you!" Sam complained. It made Damian chuckle.
But there was truth in his words. Before, in most problems, they didn’t have many choices—but this one was different. He was actively choosing to do something big when the issue could have been resolved with a more peaceful method over time.
"Because I want to go forward. Our history is stalled—for the past century, not a single thing has changed. The way we grow food, the way we travel land—the way people die every day," Damian replied.
"Maybe this is the best? Sometimes it’s better to let nature take its course," Evrin said.
"Nature is not some caring mother of ours who wants the best for us." Damian shook his head. "It does not care for us or anything—it just is. We do not simply know about our own capabilities."