Manifest War: The Weapons Within

A commotion could be heard from Carmen’s room as she tirelessly rummaged through her drawers. The sound of things being moved and thrown around decorated the airwaves. Carmen was frantically looking for something she had misplaced and the item continued to elude her.

“Where is it?? I know I left it here before.” She remarked with an annoyed tone.

She slid her vanity table over slightly and saw a sparkle of light that caught her attention immediately.

“Ah, here it is!!”

She reached down and picked up a silver hair tie with red jewels embroidered on the sides. Carmen quickly put her hair together with it and suddenly she heard someone call out to her.

“Carmen, are you ready yet?? What’s taking so long?” Sarah yelled from outside her door.

“Coming!”

Carmen looked in the mirror one last time and smiled, now feeling ready to take on the day. She rushed out of the room and was greeted by Sarah, Rivell, and Zalthia in the hallway.

A week had passed since Carmen awoke from her coma and now that she was back to full strength, it was time for her to visit the Ability Clinic. After a brief breakfast, the group put on their cloaks and left the castle, heading out into the grand city of Ariana.

As they walked around, there was a great deal of hustle and bustle going on throughout the streets. People were constructing booths and stages, placing decorations on shops, and preparing food. The city was transforming right before their eyes.

“What is all the commotion about?” Rivell asked, looking around with wide-eyed wonder.

“The Summit Festival is happening soon. It’s held every time Volaire hosts the All-Nations Summit.” Zalthia responded, guiding the group through the crowds of people.

“The All-Nations Summit?”

“It’s where all the leaders of the six nations come together and discuss various diplomatic matters. Topics like conflicts, treaties, new laws, issues happening in Resotera, etc. will all be brought up during the meeting. It’s held every year and this year is Volaire’s turn to host. Last year it was held in Melspire.” Zalthia replied, hoping this cleared up any confusion. Rivell understood and the flurry of questions came to an end.

After a few more blocks, the group found themselves in front of the Ariana City Ability Clinic. The building was even grander than the one the trio visited in Cable Village, having a few more floors and a much larger entrance. The white brick, steep roofs, and symmetrical proportions of each wing of the building matched the Ariana skyline perfectly.

They stepped inside and walked over to the front desk. After everyone removed their hoods, the receptionist immediately bowed upon seeing Zalthia and Carmen, showing her respect to the two members of the royal family.

“My ladies, what can this humble servant do for you today?” She asked with a smile.

“Take us to the Belouis shard room please, thank you.” Zalthia replied, accepting the greeting.

The receptionist gave a simple nod and directed the group to a different area of the Ability Clinic. They walked into an elevator and it began to climb, taking them to the fourth floor. The doors opened to reveal a massive, windowless room with curved, all white walls. On them were multiple large paintings of past Belouis royalty and Vestas. At the center of the room was a boulder sized, opaque crystal floating on its axis. A large stone pillar stood next to it with two indented panels on it.

“Woah, there’s Queen Azhane!” Rivell said, pointing at her portrait on the adjacent wall.

Next to her was a painting of a young man with shortly cut silver hair, deep red eyes, and a silver stubble.

“Who is that?” Sarah asked, trying to read the name tag underneath it.

“That’s Arthur Belouis, one of the founders of Volaire. His strength was instrumental in establishing this Nation’s independence, especially during the first great Manifest war. He’s also our great, great, great, great, great Grandfather or something like that.” Zalthia responded, laying out all the facts about this nation’s past. Sarah looked impressed as she admired the other paintings evenly distributed about the room.

“These portraits are of all the generations strongest and most accomplished Belouis royals. Their influence must be undeniable before they can be placed on these sacred walls.” The receptionist chimed in with a proud smile.

The group examined the rest of the room for a little bit longer until Zalthia asked Carmen if she was ready. Carmen nodded and made her way to the large floating shard, placing her hand in the indention on the stone pillar. She forced her Core Energy into it and the shard began to react. It spun and shined brightly, speeding up and intensifying with each passing second. The crystal surprisingly flashed the color black before shifting to a dull green, holding that color as it slowly stopped spinning.

Zalthia and the receptionist glanced at each other, silently confirming that they both saw the same thing.

'I’m going to need to talk to Azhane about this..'

Zalthia grew more concerned as she realized the implications of what this could mean. The receptionist walked over to the stone pillar and placed her hand on the second indention.

“Congratulations Lady Carmen, you’re a Lower Emerald Class Vesta. Your resonance level is 4,800rlvl.”

Sarah approached as Carmen removed her hand from the stone.

“Hmph, look at you being all strong and stuff.” She joked, impressed by the reading.

“That's awesome! I knew you would be way up there.” Rivell chimed in, feeling happy for her.

“Ohhh it’s nothing.”

Carmen confidently laughed and proudly stuck her chest out from all the high praise. While the trio talked about the grade, Zalthia made her way over to the receptionist and whispered in her ear.

“Keep what you saw here to yourself. We don’t want anyone thinking we might have another Calamity Class Vesta within our family. Not until we can fully confirm her resonance.”

The receptionist agreed and bowed her head.

“As you wish, My Lady.”

Everyone got back together and hopped into the elevator, heading back down to the first floor.

Carmen then followed the receptionist to the front desk and after going through a few processes, she got registered and received her Official Vesta License. Carmen couldn’t contain her excitement as she examined the little card in her hand, detailing her resonance level and Class. After a brief celebration, Zalthia dismissed the receptionist after thanking her for the hard work, and the group left the Ability Clinic.

As they made their way back to the castle, Zalthia glanced at Carmen while she continued to admire the card in her hand.

“Now that you’re officially a Vesta, you’ve got a great deal of responsibilities and standards to uphold. It’s time to start taking things seriously from this point forward, no more fun and games. One reckless decision or move could cost you your life. Always remember that…” Zalthia said with a stern tone, making sure her point was heard loud and clear.

“Yeah. Everything has gotten very real now and I promise I’ll do my best to make you guys proud!”

Carmen stared directly into Zalthia’s eyes and gave her a determined nod, showing that she fully intended to follow these instructions. Zalthia smiled and appreciated the answer, feeling satisfied by Carmen’s newfound level of growth.

Ariana City was lit ablaze with celebration and great festivities as the streets were littered with people from all over. Today marked the beginning of the All-Nations Summit and the Summit Festival. The city was more busy than it had ever been during this time of year and everyone was eager for the various events to kick off.

Live music from traveling bands, Vesta related games, multinational foods, and merchants selling various wares were just the tip of the scale for everything happening on this momentous occasion.

As the morning went on, the leaders of the surrounding nations began to arrive in extravagant fashion. Their convoys were fully decorated in the crests and colors of their respective nations. The multitude of carriages made their way down the long road towards Castle de Belouis, arriving just on time. As they approached the courtyard, Rivell looked out the window and saw the growing crowds of people downtown.

“Man, I’m getting kind of nervous with all these people around.” He said with an anxious cadence.

“Why are you nervous? It’s not like you have any guests to entertain. Just enjoy the festivities.”

Sarah slapped him on the back, urging him to get a grip. The two stood off to the side in the hall, waiting for Carmen to come down the steps. As they waited, they noticed all the people moving about the castle in a hurry. After a brief moment, Carmen came around the corner with Asiah of Three walking next to her.

“Sorry, I had to talk with Zalthia for a bit. Are you guys ready?”

“Yeah, but uhh, who’s that?” Sarah asked, looking at Asiah with a confused expression.

“Hi, I’m Asiah. I’ll be escorting you all and Lady Carmen to the festival grounds. Pretend I’m not even here.” She replied with a kind smile, brushing her short curly hair to the side and adjusting her dark sunglasses.

“Oh, okay. Nice to meet you!”

When they made their way to the grand foyer, Rivell caught a glimpse of a beautiful woman with incredibly long and flowy blue hair that reached past her knees. Her eyes were bright blue and almost crystal like, accenting nicely with her light blue, traditional style yukata. Upon further inspection, her neck had multiple gill-like slits and small scales on the side.

This woman was the Ocean Goddess, Lovell, Ruler of the Siestro Kingdom. Accompanying her was an entourage of other Siestian soldiers and royal guards, all wearing similarly colored clothing and plated armor. She turned her head over towards Rivell and smiled brightly at him, happy to see another Siestian in these parts. He blushed and stared, fully bewitched by her womanly charm.

“What are you doing?? Let’s go!” Sarah exclaimed, forcefully grabbing his arm and pulling him along.

“Uh right, s-sorry!”

Rivell finally gathered himself and pushed his glasses back up, promptly leaving the castle with the others.

Deep in the center of Castle de Belouis sat a large, circular meeting room. Inside were six flags with different crests for each nation hanging on the walls, pristine marble floors, and a large round table directly in the middle. Around the table were six equally distributed chairs, lined up perfectly with each flag.

The double oak doors to the room opened and in entered the first of the leaders to arrive, Jonn Ravenfell (Age 51/ Calamity Class / 29,600rlvl). He had shortly cut grayish black hair, a tall, chiseled physique, and incredibly vibrant blue eyes. Jonn's sideburns raced down to his short beard, hiding a slight scar that decorated the left side of his cheek.

Known as the Knight King, he was the current ruler of the northern nation, Melspire. Jonn Ravenfell was an honorable man that would do anything in the name of justice and he never took the easy route, always wanting to challenge himself and his subordinates. They called him the Knight King because of his position as lead knight for the previous leadership, King Bently. King Bently didn’t produce a successor and so, thanks to Jonn’s overwhelming loyalty and resourcefulness, he handed over the crown to him upon his retirement with little hesitation.

He was incredibly skilled with the sword, earning him a spot among the Blade Monarchs. Many regarded him as the strongest swordsman in all of Resotera, having clashed with and beaten three of the other Blade Monarchs with relative ease. Jonn’s impeccable sword skill coupled with his Calamity Class abilities made him a terrifying foe in combat, absolutely relentless in his resolve.

King Ravenfell stepped into the room with his wife and son following close. Already seated at the table was Queen Azhane Belouis (Age 28 / Calamity Class / 31,800rlvl). Standing behind her on each side was Zalthia of One and Graymoor of Two. They bowed their heads to Jonn and his family as Azhane sat with a warm smile.

“Ah, welcome King Ravenfell. I hope your travels went smoothly.” Azhane asked, happy to see him after such a long time.

“Yes, yes, my travels went well. Thanks for the greeting and great hospitality! Always a treat to visit Ariana City.” Jonn replied with a hearty bellow.

Azhane took notice of his entourage and swiftly made a comment.

“Oh and I see you brought your family with you. Is that little Caleb I see? My how you’ve grown.”

Her tone was playful as she looked at the crown prince with her sharp red eyes. Jonn let out a laugh as he patted Caleb on the back, agreeing with her words.

“Yeah, the boy isn’t so little anymore. Soon he’ll outgrow his old man and try to kick me out of the castle.”

He continued to laugh as Caleb stood there with an embarrassed blush on his face. After a brief exchange, he turned his attention toward his wife and Caleb.

“You two go and enjoy the festival while I conduct my business here. I’ll see you all later this evening.”

His wife nodded before giving him a kiss and they were escorted out of the room by their entourage. Shortly after he took his seat at the table, the other leaders began to flood into the room.

King Darius Crane III (Age 75 / Middle Sapphire Class / 11,000rlvl), ruler of the Olun Kingdom entered the room. The elderly man limped over to the table, steadying himself with his cane. His dark green robes accented against his black skin and the lights above caused his bald head to shine brightly.

King Darius was a kind ruler that always preached equality and fairness between people. He always tried to see both sides of an argument and would often gather the opinions of many before coming to a decision on things.

Following behind King Darius was the Ocean Goddess and Protector of the Seas, Lovell (Age 154 / Calamity Class / 27,100rlvl), ruler of the Siestro Kingdom.

Her long hair swayed as she walked towards her chair. Lovell's beauty rivaled Azhane and she had just as much confidence with each step. Even though she looked incredibly young, Lovell was actually the oldest person in the room. With Siestians aging significantly slower and living much longer than humans, her youthful appearance was quite deceptive.

Despite her “youth”, Lovell was all about tradition and upholding the standards built from previous generations. She always put her people first, looking out for their best interest. While she was more than willing to help out humans and other nations in their affairs, if something went wrong in the process, Lovell would quickly cut ties and end relations in order to protect her citizens. As a Calamity Class Vesta with the ability to control the seas, crossing her was extremely ill advised.

She sat at the table and sent a kind smile to everyone present, exerting a fairly pleasant and calming aura.

Next to enter was Gabriella Ramos (Age 46 / Upper Sapphire Class / 13,600rlvl), the Empress of the Arista Empire. She cheekily grinned at the group as she walked towards her chair. She wore a striking red dress with a deep, plunging neckline, multiple golden necklaces, and long golden earrings.

Her perfectly cut, long black hair accented against her tan skin and Gabriella’s lilac colored eyes glistened in the light. Her outfit was quite gaudy for the occasion and further highlighted her immaturity. Even at the prime age of forty-six she still acted childish and flaunted her riches with every chance she got.

Gabriella Ramos was known to be an absolute tyrant, having near zero regard for her citizens. If they were not from an affluent family, blessed with great abilities, or a combination of the two, you were nothing more than worms in the dirt to her. She ruled the nation of Arista with an iron fist and had created a culture of exploiting the weak for the benefit of the strong. Middle class did not exist in Arista because of her policies.

However, despite her corrupt mentality, she was incredibly cunning and able to make the impossible happen in many situations. Thanks to this, she had been able to help build the Arista Empire into an absolute powerhouse, establishing them as the strongest military presence in all of Resotera. Funneling a great deal of their wealth into soldier training and top of the line armors.

As she took her seat, she gave Azhane a side-eyed glance before speaking up.

“Azhane, I’m surprised to see you here without any councilmen to hold your hand. Are you sure you’re up for this? Would hate to see you fumble your first summit.” She chuckled, trying to get under Azhane’s skin. Azhane glared at the Empress, before returning a slight smile.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fully capable of handling this meeting myself. Besides, I’m sure I'll contribute to the conversation more than you will. You can just sit there and do nothing while the adults do the talking, since that’s something you’re used to doing.”

Gabriella grinned at Azhane’s rude reply and the tension in the room significantly increased.

“While the adults do the talking? In what world do you think a child like you would be able to contribute to our conversations? If that’s the best insult you can come up with, I’m afraid you're way out of your league. ”

“Ladies, need I remind you that this is a sacred meeting between leaders? This isn’t the time nor place to be acting like bickering children...” Jonn interjected with his deep voice.

Gabriella rolled her eyes while Azhane continued to glare, clearly making fun of the Empress with her thoughts. The tension was relieved and the final leader made their way into the room.

The last to arrive was the High Priest of the Holy Core Church and ruler of the Lumen Theocracy, Leo Vaux’Hallah (Age sixty-two / Upper Amethyst Class / 8,300rlvl). He quickly took his seat wearing his usual white and gold robes, topped off with a tall white hat.

Leo Vaux’Hallah was ordained as a minister for the Holy Core Church at a fairly young age. He was often applauded for his knowledge on all things related to the Core of Alaira and the teachings of the Holy Core Church. Over many years of service he was eventually appointed as the High Priest, giving Leo full power and control over the Lumen Theocracy.

He did away with a great deal of the Church’s old teachings and propelled the nation into a new era. Thanks to his guidance, the Church had grown considerably, gaining new members and citizens in rapid succession. This growth also allowed Lumen to become the second greatest power in terms of military strength, drafting young members from the Holy Core Church to build their ranks.

Now that everyone had arrived, small pockets of chatter filled the room. King Darius turned his attention to Jonn Ravenfell and asked him how he’s been.

“I’ve been well, old friend. How has your family been? I bet Prince Marcus is eager to take over.” Jonn replied playfully.

“Oh they’re good. And not quite, that son of mine has been rather nervous about it since I made the announcement of my approaching retirement. It’s all fine though, I have faith that he'll be ready in a couple year’s time.” He responded while scratching his bald head. As their conversation continued, Lovell chimed in with a question.

“King Ravenfell, is your son going to be attending university at LaVeda next year? My protege will be there and it’ll be nice for her to see a familiar face.” Lovell softly asked, curious about his plans.

“Ah yes, Caleb will definitely be attending. Your protege better watch out though, he can be quite the charmer.”

Lovell giggled at the response and shook her head, finding the thought of their youth getting together quite amusing. More chatter filled the room as all the leaders caught up with one another and after a while, the room grew quiet. Everyone fixed their gaze toward Azhane Belouis as she began to speak.

“Now that we’ve all caught up, I wanted to thank everyone for attending this year’s All-Nations Summit. Even though this is my first year sitting amongst you all, I will continue the tradition of leading the discussion as this year’s Summit host. I’ve watched my father conduct these meetings in the past and I feel more than prepared to accommodate any of the topics spoken about today. Now, with that being said, shall we get this meeting started?” Azhane said with an authority filled voice, oozing great confidence.

Everyone agreed, signaling the start of various discussions taking place around the table. The doors to the room closed shut and the leaders felt a surge of Core Energy wrap around the room.

“There. I've sealed us off inside one of my closed spaces. We may speak freely without any fear of someone overhearing our conversations. Don’t worry though, we are still within my castle. I just wanted to provide extra security today since so many issues have been cropping up as of late.” Azhane said, assuring the leaders that there was nothing to worry about. They nodded and appreciated the additional steps taken, impressed by the mastery she possessed.

Now that everything was fully in motion and preparations made, the six leaders began their lengthy discussions, covering a multitude of topics over the next few hours.