Golden Dawn

|Chapter 20 ~ Ambassador|

I gaped at him, too shocked to try and hide my mortified expression.

"W-What did you just say?" I muttered, stumbling over my words like an idiot. Angelus didn't seem to notice and broke our intense stare-down by folding his muscular arms in front of his chest.

"Exactly what you think." He sighed. "Although your race is extremely troublesome, you may have some use to us after all." I gulped, still trying to recover from my shock.

"And what might that be?" I squeaked and was rewarded with a wry grin from the male. He managed to turn purely demonic in a matter of mere seconds.

"You will have to figure that out by yourself."

The remaining days before the inevitably summit passed too quickly as I stayed hidden in my room filled with beautiful spring. The blossoms and green forests however, did not succeed in bettering my overall mood. My mind was exploding with all the possible qualities we as Aliums could - if at all - contribute to a war that involved our very own planet. It was a difficult matter to make any sense of and hellishly burdensome on someone like me. A person who had lived on her own for more than most of her life and who was suddenly responsible for an entire nation's fate.

My words not only affected my own life, but the Alium population as well - Christa and the rest of my friends back in the underground city included. The helpless children and woman, even the elders I saw back in the city came to mind. Their helpless faces obscured by dirt and grime from the underground dust as they stared out in front of them, unable to change their fate.

Only obligated to watch it unfold. 

 I shook my head. No. I had to do my best, no matter what happened. In order to save the Aliums - even if that included the horrible Zack Unity - I had to try. It was cruel to give up on so many young and innocent lives. Decades that could have been well-lived under better circumstances.

Just when I finalized that conclusion, a soft knock sounded on my door. I was immediately cautious as I opened it, dreading the sight of another Lesphares in my doorway.

Utter relief washed over me when I however saw Gandila standing in front of me. Her long onyx hair hung loosely down her back and her face was steady, not revealing any emotion as she greeted me. I was surprised to see her, but immediately turned grim when I realized what the reason for her visit probably entailed.

Gandila sighed. "I hope you are prepared. They are all waiting."

As we made our way through the long hallways of Lîxîlîa's palace, Gandila tried to relay the most important information I needed to know. If I did not wish to die by one of the ambassador's blades, I were to show them their earned respect.

The intel regarded every ambassador that was to take part in the summit and according to Gandila, each Lesphares represented a certain part of Nova Terra's natural landscape. They were anointed as the region's guardians in order to safeguard its riches as well as its people.

There were five different territories in total. The Sandrîanî lived in the heated deserts of the south, the Vîtîatî in the western forests - that one could get lost in for all eternity if not guided by someone of the domain - and the Nîxîa in the far northern region where summer had yet to be seen. The Ophînîa people lived all along the coastline where the east and western oceans joined to form one.

Gandila continued her explanation of the last region as we turned into yet another hallway, every step announcing my inevitable fate. "The Mountaî of the East, guardians of the highest mountain ranges on the planet and the first territory you probably saw on Nova Terra, is the last clan known to always attend our summit."