Sachihiro

I walk deeper into the rooms and I can already feel where the aura of the place has slightly changed to fit these strangers marking how at home they are in my house. I make as though ‘m looking around before deciding on a seat and lounging in it as it swallows me like fluf. I adjust and become actually comfortable before paying attention to Michael again.

‘’Please sit,’’ I gesture to him and he takes a seat looking at the envelop again before placing it besides him and getting comfortable.

‘’What can you tell me about the Conclave?’’ He leads and I smile to myself as the wolf within him comes to the fore.

‘’The Conclave is organisation founded by some of the oldest mortal beings on the planet for their own book club but it grew beyond their expectation as they found a cause in the eminent annihilation of this age of existence.’’ I surmise while analyse this side of Michael, the confidence with which he holds himself, the slight threat in his aura, the signs of a killer.

‘’How old is it and how powerful are we talking?’’

‘’The organisation I estimate a few hundred years in the background of the kingdoms of the worlds. But officially it’s only been open to the general public for about thirty years. And by ‘general’ public I mean the best of the best from all around Gaia.’’

He nods looking at the floor thinking and taking all this in, probably trying to put it to scale in comparison to the knowledge of his world. Saya says he does that, when she says a ‘punch from a aura enhanced tier one Awakened’ he says ‘four pound hammer pulled by mechanical lever’.

‘’How big is it in comparison the rest of the big organisations in the world?’’ he finally asks looking at me in the eye. It’s as though he is asking me whether or not he can trust me, whether or not I have his back or I’m loyal to this Conclave that we sort of both belong to. A question I have asked myself before.

The education of my children has been heavily influenced by the Conclave, the most powerful relationships I have built through the Conclave. A lot of my wealth, a lot of my teaching, equipment, house I’ve built down in Pangaea a whole continent and months of travel away from my home the Tundra. If ever things get shitty with the Conclave how will I get myself out, how will I keep my children from being raised loyal Conclave patriots before they can make their own choices?

‘’They own a few kingdoms in terms of debt or magical bindings or whatever. Saya says as far as she has seen the complete army when all the squads are combined come close to eight hundred thousand strong. I understand that’s not a lot where you are from but you need to understand the amount of damaged a single soldier from Conclave ######.’’

‘’I can imagine after seeing Saya and her squad a few times.’’ He says and I nod, he’s getting the idea.

‘’So who is this Apxaios and where does he fit in?’’

‘’The Old Man is more a myth than an actual person. Said to be the oldest living human being on the planet, cursed or blessed by the gods in the role of being a Champion of the Creator/Destroyer Universe. Or messenger or vessel or whatever else it fancies. Fathered a few hundred children the few thousand years he’s been alive, some of which were lucky enough to spend a few years with the Old Man and gain some knowledge along with the inherit benefits of being the scion of a Champion.

"They found the orginsation, the Old Man subverts the organisation from whatever it was into a ‘nobel’ structure of tolerance, change, competence and prosperity for all those it choses into its inner structures.’’

‘’So is it all it seems to be?’’ He finally asks bluntly.

‘’It is actually believe it or not, and likely to remain so for few hundred years more but everything dies, even integrity. There are steps put into its governance charter to try and prevent the ascension of a complete psychopath but safeguards can only go so far. The final goal is to retire to a utopian world named Conclave and live like gods for a while before moving on to Ascension.’’

‘’Doesn’t sound very appealing to me,’’ He says under his breath and I find myself responding before I can stop myself.

‘’There is something for the killers. I’m told...’’ I say leaning back on the couch, right foot on my knee stretching my hip joints. ‘’That’s enough about the Conclave for now, suffice it to say it’s a powerful organisation with a lot of reach and very powerful enemies. And that summons is from the person who inspired the creation of the Conclave in the form it has taken today.’’

‘’So I can’t say ‘no’ then.’’ He concludes and I smile.

‘’No Michael, you can’t say ‘no’. But I can tell you now that if the Old Man chose you for something you should be extremely honoured, and know that your mantle is going to be tested.’’

‘’What about you, you sound like you aren’t coming with me.’’

‘’Unfortunately I cannot answer the summons, my family needs me now more than ever and I cannot rest until I know they are all safe at the Den, close to Deep Keep. Then I have to make sure I protect them, watch over my family until the worst of the storm passes or we acquire enough strength to stand by ourselves.’’

‘’So that’s the plan is it? We are all off to a bunker to weather the end of the world.’’ He says with a hint of cynicism and I huff ironically. That was me some years ago as well; ready to face any challenge and never willing to show my back to an enemy even if it meant my death, it took a while to convince da and Aunt Helen as well. It isn’t in our blood to run from a fight but I had to convince them and I did by filling the house with adorable babies that need protecting.

‘’Yes that is the plan for now; I cannot afford another until we have reassessed the situation after whatever is supposed to happen happens.’’

We look at each other, he looks away first. He knows what I have to lose as he has lost it himself already. His children are probably long dead by now and his descendents probably don’t even know he even existed. He didn’t just lose his children; he lost his name in coming here. They all did.

‘’What do I say to Saya?’’ he finally asks after a few moments of silence.

‘’The truth,’’ I say simply. ‘’Let’s go for that dungeon dive in case I never see you after today, I can’t trust a man I’ve never killed anything with.’’ I suddenly say standing and walking out of the apartment. ‘’Ten minutes, outside. Bring your friends,’’ I send as I jog up the stairs to my wardrobe