Raze said nothing else. He simply stood at the edge of the elevated platform, his eyes like glass as he looked out over the assembly. The people below were left in a state of utter confusion, the silence stretching out until it beca uncomfortable.
They had walked into this eting expecting a debate, a grand discussion where they could ask questions about the logistics of the war, the secret plans for the assault, and exactly how Raze intended to bypass the Noble Guild’s legendary defenses. They wanted reassurance. Instead, they were given a cold ultimatum.
"That’s it?" one of the guests whispered, looking around at the others for a reaction. "He speaks nothing of a plan? No strategy on how he is even going to take on the Grand Magus? He just tells us that they are his enemies and he’s going to attack with or without us?"
"Why doesn’t he try to inspire us?" another added, their voice rising in frustration. "He should be telling us what forces have already joined. The River Moon Guild must be fully committed if they are helping set up this stage. If he talked about their combined strength and gave us a reason to believe they are strong enough to win, maybe we could actually do sothing together."
There were those in the crowd who were making excuses for Raze’s bluntness, hoping to find a hidden aning in his lack of a speech. It showed that despite their fear, they desperately wanted to be swayed. They wanted a reason to fight.
"But he didn’t say any of that," a guild leader countered, his face pale. "Is it because he doesn’t have any hope? Is this just a suicide charge to his death?"
"In the first place, the Dark Magus has a dark past," a governnt official noted, narrowing his eyes. "It’s not as if we can trust him the way we trust the established orders."
"But the Dark Magus did say he didn’t care," soone else reminded them. "He said he didn’t care what happened to the world after, he just wanted revenge."
This part of the declaration had caught the attention of the various governnt representatives and the larger guilds who were constantly eyeing the vacuum of power. They had been worried that if the Grand Magus disappeared, Raze would simply step in and replace them, creating a new problem they would have to deal with. Hearing Raze’s words, they could feel the raw, unfiltered anger behind them. Whether his claims were true or not was another matter entirely, but his lack of ambition for the throne was almost more terrifying than if he had wanted it.
"Do you not want to say more to them?" Song asked, leaning in close to Raze. "You should answer their questions. It is quite clear that a lot of them are curious and looking for a leader. This could be our last chance to bring them over to our side."
"I said what I said," Raze replied, his voice carrying an icy finality. "If those here don’t wish to join or can’t see this as a massive opportunity to change the world, then it ans they will be easily swayed by the Noble Guild the mont things get difficult."
Raze looked down at the crowd, his gaze piercing. "If they don’t have the conviction to get rid of the Grand Magus now, then at the first sign of trouble, the mont they no longer believe we can win, they will change sides and betray us. I don’t need people like that at my back."
Because Raze was still using wind magic to carry his voice, everyone in the seating area heard his words clearly. The blunt honesty hit them like a physical blow. Many of them realized that Raze knew them better than they knew themselves; they could already imagine themselves fleeing or switching sides if the battle turned against them.
For those who truly wanted to fight, a new fear took root, not fear of Raze, but fear of the traitors sitting in the chairs next to them. In this war, it seed the only person they could actually trust to see the mission through was the Dark Magus himself.
Just as a few of the more courageous leaders stood up to speak, a piercing scream erupted from the back of the assembly.
"HELP!"
The scream was desperate, raw, and full of terror. "PLEASE, HELP!"
The shouting caused every guest to whip their heads around. Raze and his group stood tall on the platform, their eyes locking onto the individual stumbling into the clearing. As the man finally reached the light of the eting area, they saw a mage who was huffing and panting, his lungs rattling with every breath. His clothes were soaked through with heavy blood marks, and thick, dried blood was sared across his face and hands.
"What happened to him?" Alen asked, his hand dropping to his weapon.
"I’m wondering how he was able to even get in," Song said, his brow furrowing. "The River Moon mages should have escorted him. No one should be able to just run in frantically like this."
One of the mages in the crowd recognized the newcor and rushed toward him. It was Ponto, the Pri Minister of one of the key territories of Alterian.
"What happened, Ponto?" the man asked, grabbing him by the shoulders to steady him.
"I was on my way to this eting," Ponto wheezed, his eyes bulging. "I was setting up our forces... our military strength was ready to fight. We were going to join the Dark Magus against the Noble Guild depending on how this eting went... but that’s when he ca. He eliminated them all. He slaughtered our entire army of five thousand strong mages just like that."
Ponto gripped the man’s robes, his voice breaking. "The blood on ... it’s the blood of my own people."
"Who did this? Who could do such a thing?" the mage asked, his voice trembling.
Ponto opened his mouth to answer, but no sound ca out. Instead, he reached up with a trembling hand as if to touch his own neck. A thin, red line appeared across his throat, and a second later, his head slid clean off his shoulders, falling onto the ground with a dull thud right in front of the horrified guests.
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