Auriella sat at the opposite edge of the semicircular table, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. The air in the room was thick with tension as the Infernal Ten waited for her to speak. 

Their presence was suffocating, each one a figure of immense power and influence in her world. She took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage she had.

“As you saw earlier, our world is doomed to fall if we continue as we have,” Auriella began, her voice steady despite her nerves. 

“Even if we ask for an alliance now, I’m almost certain the world would still fall due to the animosity between our people. So, I propose creating a new land, one where demons and humans can learn to coexist.”

She paused, her heart pounding as she scanned their faces, waiting for a response. Silence hung in the air, heavy and oppressive. 

Rowan was the first to break it, his voice booming through the room like a thunderclap. 

“A new land? Do you have any inkling of how many mana stones that would require, girl? How preposterous!” he bellowed, his breath hot with anger as he exhaled harshly at her from across the table.

Gwyn giggled, her voice a melodic contrast to Rowan’s fury. “Oh, Rowan, don’t be like that. I’m sure she means well, right dear?” she said, winking at Auriella with a mischievous glint in her eye.

Auriella nodded, her resolve hardening. “Of course! I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn’t suggest it if there was any other way.”

At the far end of the table, Magnus and Isla were whispering to each other. 

Auriella’s gaze lingered on Isla, the Gorgon who was rumored to have the largest collection of mana stones. 

If she could just convince Isla…

But as she looked over, Magnus caught her eye, his glare sharp and filled with disdain. 

“What are you looking at, Blueberry? We’re not interested,” he snapped, his tone dripping with contempt.

Isla sighed softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. 

“You were just thinking you need me as a donor at the very least, correct?” she asked, her eyes covered by a cloth but seemingly seeing right through Auriella.

Auriella suppressed a gasp, her mind racing. She hadn’t expected Isla to be so perceptive. Should she confess her thoughts?

Before she could respond, Elara, sitting beside Isla, hummed softly, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. 

“Of course she is, Lala! Everyone knows you hoard mana stones like it’s no one’s business,” she said with a grin, only to yelp in surprise as Isla pinched her side.

“Why’d you do that, Lala? I was just stating a fact, you meanie!” Elara pouted, rubbing her side. Caesar, sat beside Elara, comforted her with a tender smile.

Isla ignored her, turning her attention back to Auriella. 

“Tell me something, Lieutenant General. Why do you believe this new land will change centuries of strife and grief between our people?”

The room fell silent, all eyes on Auriella. This was the moment of truth.

Auriella gathered her thoughts, her mind flashing back to the years she had spent on the frontlines. 

“I fought alongside the humans for three years. I know how they think when it comes to us and the Voidkin. They may fear us, but they fear the Voidkin even more,” she said confidently, meeting Isla’s covered gaze.

A small smirk tugged at Isla’s lips, her curiosity satisfied. “Very well. I’m in favor,” she said softly.

Magnus scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. “You’re too soft for a Gorgon, Isla,” he muttered.

Without a word, Isla partially removed her blindfold, her eyes flashing open for a brief moment. 

In that instant, Magnus’s body began to turn to stone, freezing him in place from the neck down. 

As Isla covered her eyes once more, Magnus grunted, flames flickering from within the stone as he fought against her curse. The stone cracked, and with a burst of fire, he shattered the remnants, his form intact.

“Vindictive over one comment? Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I see,” he grumbled, glaring at her.

Valen sighed heavily, the dysfunction around the table weighing on him. 

“Xena? Cyrus? Phina? What about you three? What do you think of this plan?” he asked, his voice weary.

Xena, known for her obsession with weapons, leaned forward, a spark of excitement in her eyes. 

“Hey, little one. Can you show me those tentacle monsters’ weapons again?” she asked, her knuckles propped against her cheek as she smiled eagerly at Auriella.

“Um, I suppose I could…” Auriella stammered, reaching for the mana stone on her sword. 

With a flick of her wrist, an image of the Voidkin firing their weapons appeared above her head.

Xena’s eyes gleamed as she hurriedly sketched the details, her hand flying across the parchment. 

Once she finished, she let out a contented sigh. “Alright, I’ll go along with her plan now,” she said, her tone chipper.

Valen facepalmed, exasperation etched into his features. “Cyrus? Phina?” he pressed, turning to the last two members.

Phina, ever carefree, shrugged. “Personally, I don’t mind one way or the other. The sea is open to all, you know,” she said with a breezy smile.

Valen groaned, his patience wearing thin as he turned to Cyrus, hoping for a more substantial response.

Cyrus, half-awake, smiled lazily. “More land? Sounds good to me, boss man,” he mumbled, resting his head on the table as he promptly dozed off again.

Valen rubbed his temples, exasperated. “Well, it sounds like most of us are in agreement, I suppose. We’ll need about… a hundred mana stones to create a land about half the size of Naverra. Can you procure that amount, Isla?”

“Of course,” Isla replied, her voice even and calm.

All eyes turned to Cyrus, who was the best suited to create Amanara. Phina nudged him awake, and he blinked groggily.

“Huh? You want me to do it? Alright… right after my nap,” he muttered, his head hitting the table again as he drifted off.

Valen let out a long sigh as he stood. “Meeting adjourned then. Let’s get this plan underway!”

As the others dispersed, Auriella found herself at the door of the tower, her surroundings slowly becoming clear as the meeting's intensity faded. 

She blinked, realizing she had been removed from the tower due to lacking the magic seal on her palm that's necessary to keep her there.

Just as she gathered her thoughts, Oriana appeared, sprinting towards her. “Auri! What happened?” Oriana asked, panting slightly.

Auriella smiled, a sense of genuine happiness washing over her for the first time in what felt like ages. 

“Would you be willing to move with me, Ori?” she asked, her tone light.

Oriana looked confused. “Um, where to?”

Auriella chuckled softly. “I can’t say much, but… I guess you could call it a new world,” she said mysteriously, walking back toward the barracks for lunch.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. As night fell and Auriella prepared for bed, a note slipped under her door. 

She picked it up and read the simple message: ‘It will take about a week to complete.’

Excitement bubbled within her as she quickly gathered materials to write a letter to Leo. 

Conjuring a ruby bird, the same shade as Leo’s eyes, she carefully tied the letter around its leg. But before she released the bird, she paused. There must be something else she could do for him.

“Oh, I know!” she thought, rummaging through her bedside table. Her fingers brushed against a small necklace—a gift from her mother on her fifth birthday. 

It was something she had always cherished but never worn, fearing it might be lost.

Opening the locket, she saw her own picture on one side and a photo of her mother and father on the other. Her father’s image had been scratched out, leaving only her mother’s smiling face. 

Auriella carefully removed the picture of her parents, placing it back in the drawer for safekeeping. She closed the locket and, with a letter opener, scratched her and Leo’s initials into the metal. 

The engraving was sloppy but legible, a personal touch she hoped Leo would appreciate.

Placing the locket in the bird’s mouth, she sent it off to Miravia, to Leo. 

As the bird took flight, Auriella closed the window and crawled into bed, a sense of peace washing over her as she drifted off to sleep.