Not a servant under Divinity, but to serve man.

  Not an empire of tyrants, but to stand as one.

  Not to repeat the past, but marwards.

  Not a unity of sves, but a coalition of Epa.

  - Procmation of the Epan Coalition

  Fortia watched Alsaria as the Goddess of Light took a step forwards. Of Peace felt her heart start to pound. So this was it. Frankly, she should be killed for the damage she just did to the White Pantheon. But Alsaria did not kill her. She did not kill Maisara either. She merely looked at them with disappoi. She looked at Essa’s empty thro Kavaa’s and Iniri’s and Helenna’s and she sighed. She sighed and she spoke. “I have caught up with what is going.” Alsaria said in that magnanimous voice of hers.

  Fortia felt her throat shut down. There was nothing tue about frankly. Somethiy, she could muster up a defence for even if she was in the wrong. But what she had doo the White Pantheon, there was no weaselling out of. Alsaria stood in the middle of that ring of marble thrones as everyone around her sheepishly turheir eyes away. “I have only one question to the two of you, how did you find guiding the White Pantheon?”

  If there ever was a question Fortia could not answer. It was that. Maisara said nothing, only a low rumble emitted from her throat. That was enough to say everything. Fortia did not even bother opening her mouth, her as were indefensible. She merely shook her head.

  Alsaria grimly looked over the two, and then waved for her new cohort to e into the room. Fortia could up from the marble floor to face them. “I am reg leadership of the White Pantheon. If aakes issue, raise your case.” Alsaria said, no one did so she tinued after a moment. “Leona is dead, I saw it. Neneria killed her.” She took a sigh as she walked to her tral throne. She stopped at it, then sat down slowly, smoothing her dress as she did. The group of Divines she had brought were slowly starting to filter their way into the room. “Iniri, Helenna and Kavaa helped free Kassandora. I do not know why their thrones are still here.” Fortia did not kher, her and Maisara had talked of it but their grip over the Pantheon was only a wartime emergency. It wasn’t Alsaria’s total trol.

  Alsaria took a sigh, and the shuffli were silenced. Fortia’s eyes timidly sed that new group of Divihe mermen of Anktia she knew well, during the Great War, they had served as part of the Coalition, but not the White Pantheon. Arascus had tried to sail the world and strike at coastal Guguo, but Anktia’s forces had proven uable even with Anassa and Olephia supp Arascus’ fleets. Although not instrumental in any of the major battles, they had served as a wall for a tury that Arascus could not break. Emperor Tasaidien represehem, a shawl of silk around his waist and his chest bare. His hand csped tightly around a brorident, only slightly shorter than Fortia’s spear. A red of coral sitting upon his silky dark hair. He saw Fortia and made a respectful gesture of aowledgement. Fortia tried to return it, she thought she succeeded.

  And Alsaria tinued. “Tasaidien, you are known to us already. There is no need for introdus.” She looked at the White Pantheon members and sighed. “I am the Leader of the White Pantheon.” She repeated herself. “And to all of you here, I have only ohing to say.” Fortia held her breath. She felt Maisara’s warm hand around hers.

  But Alsaria said something none of them would expect. “I apologize.” Alsaria looked coldly at them, her voice tense. “I have failed all of you. The fact Arascus is back is my fault. I vouched for Kassandora back then, that pret gave Essa a reason to keep Anassa alive. We should have done more to hunt Fer down too. I became zy and satisfied. Ultimately, if we killed Kassandora back then, we would not have this trouble now.” Alsaria stood up from her throne and she bowed to all of them.

  She straightened, and sat back down. “Ultimately, we all failed ourselves. I have no iion of apologizing for your treatments, because we all suffered each other.” Fortia did not care an inch for that, frankly, Alsaria was in the right. Fortia would not apologize for her words either. “But that is long past. We do not o love, or even like each other, but we will tolerate ourselves.” Alsaria finished. “sider all yrievances wiped, the ste is .”

  Fortia felt Zerus’ eyes on her and Maisara. Alkom’s and Theosius’ too. And Sceo’s. She sighed and stood up, the scales of her bronze skirt eg in the room. It didn’t feel so empty anymore, nor so cold. The lights had not ged an iher, but they weren’t that blinding white anymore. “I wipe the ste.” Fortia said. “What was said was said. We ot take it back, but we move on.” Alsaria smiled as Fortia sat back down.

  And Maisara stood up. Fortia was gd she did not have to push her friend into apologizing. “The threat we face is too great to worry about our petty squabbles.” Maisara said. “Everything I said was correct, everything Fortia said was correct.” She looked at Alsaria and sighed. “And everything Alsaria said was correct. But we have ran out of time for such discussions. I wipe the ste.”

  Maisara sat back down as she saw Zerus smile. It was the first time that God had smiled before her in how long? A tury? Two? Something like that. Alkom even gave them all a little cp. Fortia wished he didn’t. Frankly, these Gods of Forces did not uand what went on in the mind of an abstract. They were powerful, but power was all they had. Alsaria spoke up. “The White Pantheon has shrunk, and it will grow. As the leader of the White Pantheon, Tasaidien, I wele you to the White Pantheon, to take the seat by Maisara.” Atis’ old seat. Fortia smiled. It was a small thing and the seating order meant little iy. But just as Leona had been by Alsaria’s right hand, Essa on her left, just as Helenna and Kavaa and Iniri had always beeo each other, just as Fortia and Maisara never left each other’s side, it was a good gesture.

  “Mur, e forwards.” Alsaria said. Another of the figures stepped forwards. This one looking almost human. Whereas Tasaidien was as tall as Fortia, Mur was taller. Yet his neck was too long, his hair seemed to ighe breeze ing in from the open doors. His clothes rose into the air at the ends, in the same way that Neneria would use fairies to pick up the hem of her dresses. His fingers were like snakes, his arms fell half way to his thighs. His skin was just slightly hued with the blue of an o. His eyes were greeinged with a spark of red.

  “I e as the Emperor of Uriamel.” Uriamel had not sat on the Great War’s side-lines like Anktyda, instead, they served as the White Pantheon’s equivalent to what the Dwarves did for Arascus. An untouchable fe located deep in the os. It was an Empire in name only, instead being a colle of kingdoms and duchies and republid free cities, all joiogether uhe banner of Mur’s family crest. The man wore it on his silver armour, an octopus reag around the world. Maybe he did have Arascus’ ambition, but he did not have Of Pride’s talent. Internal strife was on in their nds, but it wasn’t surface territory, so there was no reason to worry about it.

  “Take the seat o Theosius, I wele you to the White Pantheon.” Fortia kept her face ft. Alsaria was smart, she was separating them out. Mur and Theosius knew each other too. It was a good move to stop fn Gods from taking over the White Pantheon. “And the third addition. Itni.” One of the figures in the air, with an e glow around him settled on the ground.

  “I e as the God of Pichqasuyu.” He said, his voice melodic. Two red settled on his back, his skin was bronze, his face hard and he wore a multitude of bracelets on both his arms, eae clicked against each other as they moved. “To represent my nation.” Fortia blinked in surprise and looked to Alsaria. A National? Into the Pantheon? Alsaria saw her and shook her head.

  “Pichqasuyu is a try of five regions that share a single Divine.” She said. “He is strong.”

  “I would think I am. It is an honour to join the Pantheon.” He took a knee before Alsaria. Fortia looked at him again. She could not remember the st time she had seen any God bow before her. Well, Kassandora had done a few times, but Kassandora never meant it.

  “Take the seat by Alkom.” That was good too, it was on the opposite side of Fortia, but not closer to Alsaria than she was. The Goddess of Light really knew how to run the show, Fortia knew if she brought new people in, she would have just assighem the three seats furthest from her.

  Silence desded upon the new Pantheon as Fortia looked over the other Divines Alsaria had brought. These must just be allies of the three who had just joihen. Or maybe weaker beings. She reised some of the Anktydan ones, but that was it.

  And Alsaria broke the silence, her voice as proud and forceful as the day the White Pantheon was formed. “Arascus has returned, a repeat of the Great War is going happen if we do not act quickly. We will not handicap ourselves with ws, rules and decrees.” Fortia stared at Alsaria in awe. And she realised why it was Alsaria who led the Pantheon, because Fortia would have aken such a step. Even though she knew she should, even though everything told her it was the right thing to do. How could she break tradition like that? And Alsaria tinued. “Zerus, you will go to the UNN. Sceo, you will go to Guguo. Both of you will be blunt, you will inform of the situation as it stands, and you will demand aid. Both of them have oo militarize their industries.”

  Fortia did not know why the smile was creeping onto her face, but it was. This was it, this was how Divinity should act. This was what she had been missing for a thousand years. Alsaria leaned bad turned her head to look at the Goddess of Peace. “Fortia, Maisara and Tasaidien, you will crush this Epan rebellion. This is no lame of words and diplomacy.” Fortia and Maisara shared a shocked look. With this sort of mentality… They would be crushed just as the Goddess of Order had crushed Anarchia’s budding rebellion a few months ago. “Great War tactics are allowed.”

  And Alsaria turned once again, to the God of Fes. “Theosius, repower the smitheries. Requisition nd, resources, men, whatever you need. Create a turion Model to ter Kassandora’s artillery. You will work with Mur.” The God of the Fe leaned ba his seat. His muscles pulsed as he smiled.

  “With pleasure.” He said, his voice terribly low and tent.

  And Alsaria tinued. “The Guardians, Seekers and Padins also need neonry, the sort of guns that we see wielded by Kassandora’s armies. And armour to withstand it. I expect you will succeed at both.”

  Theosius took a deep breath, his smile growing wider. “How could I fail the Pantheon?” He asked.

  Mur’s smile went too far up his face. “Uriamel needs a goal t unity. It shall be done.” Alsaria smiled and hen turo Alkom.

  “You will assist in the Epan -up with Itni. Arda has fotten what Divinity is. Fortia, you know how to and. I expect you to remind them. Itni, Fortia is sed only to Kassandora in and. You will see how she runs wars.” Fortia felt the smile creeping onto her faleash itself. The first tury after the Great War had been good, when people still remembered the power the White Pantheon actually wielded. Now, it was time to remind them.

  “I was invited into your house, I did not expect to lead.” Itni said in his musical tone of a voice. He looked from across the room. “But I prefer to return to Pichqasuyu and build up an army first.” Fortia did not return his smile. She had nothing against the man, but politeness was expected from a newer. It was the bare minimum he could do.

  “Of course.” Fortia said.

  “I have no issue with that.” Alkom added.

  And Alsaria stood up. “I am heading out now. I expect to see UNN and Guguoan forces in Arika in three months’ time.”

  Fortia couldn’t let the woman leave just like that. “What for?” Alsaria’s shoes left the ground as her hair started to spiral as if it was a scarf carried in the winds. Her form started to glow as she smiled down at Fortia. There it was, that was the look Fortia remembered. The blindingly bright eyes, the air around her shimmering, her dress trailing low past her feet. This was not the Alsaria that had spent the past thousand years guiding the world, this was the Alsaria that Fortia had fought besides during the Great War, the ohat had quered the world once already.

  And Alsaria spoke, her words seemingly ing from all dires and eg around the great hall. “To inform the world that the White Pantheon will no longer abide by Pantheon Peace.”