The Hidden World

Yuki stayed silent as she clasped her hands together, her mind racing. This sounded like a job offering and she had just stepped into an interview. Kilik must have asked about her life before telling her this in order to see if she was fit.

‘I don’t know if I want to pass that test though,’ she thought.

Accepting such a position might prove detrimental to Yuki’s plans. She didn’t know if she would be trapped here in the dragon cities if she took the seat. She would think so as it's essentially a government position.

‘Does that mean I have to take over Sophie’s position as the head of those Dragon’s of Gaea as well?’

“It seems that you have some reservations,” Kilik observed. “I understand. But, let me tell you a few things. First, you don’t need to take this position. You are the successor, but in the end, you are the one that will make the decision on whether or not you want the seat.”

“Thank you,” Yuki replied. 

“That is how we’ve always operated,” Kilik smiled. “Sometimes, the position does get rejected as not everyone wants those types of responsibilities. I’ll clear some common misconceptions that many have though.”

He raised a finger and leaned forward in his seat.

“One. You are free to do whatever you want even as a council member. The only times you are obligated to do anything is when a summon is made,” he said. “Of course, it is preferable if council members set a good example, but it isn’t required. You are free to explore and live however you want.”

“Most of the time, not even half of us are actually here,” a man added, seated at the seat crackling with lightning.

“That is true,” Kilik nodded. “We come together once in a while to discuss matters, but it isn’t required either. We live just like others do. Second. We are not a governmental body. We’re a council. We look into matters and try to solve them best we can. We do not make policies or law.”

Leaning back, he put three fingers up.

“Third. Something that even our own people sometimes think is that we do not want power. We do not want control. We like things the way they are now. So do not expect any seizure of power or plot to take over. You will never be drawn into such meaningless conflict.

“Now, moving on to something else I want to discuss about this position,” Kilik said. “But before we do, let’s do the normal protocol. I do not want anything from this meeting leaking out when you step outside. I take it you’ve all gone through the process of taking an oath when you arrived at an outpost?”

Yuki’s group nodded in reply.

“This will be just like that,” he said. “So please, repeat after me. I will not disclose the information spoken at this meeting or the location of this meeting in any way to any one not deemed safe by the council.”

They repeated the words, Yuki going along as she had not been excluded this time. She felt the magic binding to her, making sure that she would do what she had said.

“Good. Now, to the other thing. I’ve already explained why you are the successor and why we want to fill the seat as soon as possible. Let me explain why it would be in all of our best interests that you accept the seat.

“If you refuse, then we must go public with the news of Sophie’s death and the vacancy of a seat on the council. Questions will be asked about who the successor for this seat is as there is always one. Since you refused, we will have to report that there are none and so we will be searching for one. This is where the problems arise.”

Yuki waited for him to explain as he paused for a few seconds.

“Remember, this council has no real power nor are we searching for such power. But there are those that do not realise this. These mainly the young ones like you, but less experienced. They will vie for this seat, seeking power that isn’t there. 

“Next, when they do come up to claim it, there will be trials held. The number of earth dragons aren’t the greatest compared to others, but there is a decent number. Of the ones that will rise to the top, one will become the successor.

“Then, disputes will occur, particularly from the Dragon’s of Gaea. They too will vie for the seat, but they aren’t strong enough to become the next archmage. There will always be those outsiders and adventurers whose strength is unrivaled. However, the Dragon’s of Gaea will refuse to accept this as Sophie was their leader and her successor will become the leader of the Dragon’s of Gaea.”

‘There’s an awful lot of politics for a culture with no government.’

“The council only succeeds when the right people are on it,” Kilik sighed. “Those seeking power will throw it in disarray. I can’t afford for this council to lose its trust. Yuki, do you know what the main flaw our society has?”

“I do not,” she replied.

“It’s our lack of unity. We do what we want when we want. In some ways, it’s a good lifestyle. But when we go through adversity, we never reach out for help. We struggle on our own until someone offers their hand and even then, it’s not likely we will take it. Then, the person who offered that hand will blame themselves when the other continues to struggle. That is our flaw.

“Now, it isn’t the most fatal of flaws,” Kilik said, “but there are times where it becomes problematic. When war breaks out, we are always the last to act if we act at all. When the Kienva War began, we argued endlessly on whether or not we should get involved. When civil war broke out among the three races, we only watched from the sidelines, still arguing. We knew who had started that war, but many argued that it wasn’t our job to get involved. That it was simply natural conflict that will only strengthen the races later on.

“Then the Demon Purge happened. The last time we ever took action. It took a week of deliberation in order for us to decide that saving our fellow demons was a good thing. One week. In the week, hundreds had died and thousands had fled. 

“Yuki. This council is nothing more than a group of people giving out suggestions. I do not want to see our word get even more devalued.”

“Do you not have respect?” Yuki asked. “Why would their trust in your words fall?”

“We have respect. We do not have authority. Our words are nothing more than suggestions. Combine that with the fact that if Sophie’s seat is occupied by anyone other than you, the integrity of our council will fall no matter who is selected. Whether or not that fall is permanent depends on who is chosen. So please, at least consider the offer.”

“Can I have a few minutes to think?” Yuki asked.

“Of course. Go ahead. We will be waiting for your answer.”

“Thank you.”

She shut her eyes and sighed. She understood where Kilik was coming from and what he was saying. He also addressed her concerns on being trapped here. The main problem was whether or not she felt ready to take on such responsibility.

‘It’s not just the seat. I would be managing an entire group of people along with the seat and the guild.’

But there were benefits. If she accepted, that would mean she would have access to a group of powerful beings. It would also save the dragons from unneeded conflict which would be important for her if she planned on asking for their assistance. 

‘Akira. What do you think?’ she asked, still closing her eyes. 

[Any decision you make, I’ll support it.]

‘Thank you, but what would you do,’ Yuki replied, a wry smile on her lips.

[I would do it. There doesn’t sound there is any inherent downside to accepting,] she said. [Unless you’ve found one?]

‘The only one I can see is that I would have a lot on my plate if I take the seat. That’s it unless something comes up that we didn’t know about.’

[If you’re worried about the guild, I can handle it for you if you become too busy,] Akira offered. [With Uriel’s help, we can do the day to day operations. I’ve already been doing that.]

‘That would help me a lot,’ Yuki said. ‘Are you sure though? You also do intelligence reports. Wouldn’t it be a lot?’

[I’ll just be sharing the workload.]

‘How about this then. You’ll become co-leader with me. I’ll trust the decisions you make and hand them off to you when I need to do something else.’

[I have no problems with that.]

‘Thanks. I really appreciate it,’ Yuki said. ‘Remember, if you have a problem, you can come to me. I’ll always have time for you.’

[And me you.]

Yuki opened her eyes and looked at Kilik who gazed back with an expectant expression.

“I’ll accept the seat,” she said.