"I see you've invited everyone. A great initiative, I must say." After The Council initiated the meeting, none of us expected them to pull out laptops and projectors. Yet here we were, right in front of Council members all over the world whose worried expressions were glaring despite the grainy display of the screen. I caught a glance at Jack, who was lightly shaking his head in concern.
The head of the Council, whose name has escaped my memory, sheepishly smiled at Vera. "Well, as you've expressed earlier, this is a fairly serious situation, Grand Magus."
She, of course, had no choice but to shrug in agreement. "Right."
"And what justifies the suspicion?" A man from the rows of seated Council members spoke out of the blue.
"Always the straight shooter, Mr. Bernard." There was an edge to Vera's stance that told me that this guy was bad news.
"He's right. Did someone in your Temple summon someone for personal gain again?" A heavily-accented voice seeped through the speakers.
"As I've disclosed on the call, there are no other speculations to be made. Tell me, have you thought of other causes that we could link to this phenomenon?" Her question was met with silence and back-and-forth glances.
"Alright, I admit that we also have no clue as to why this is happening, but forgive me, you can't just pull something as big as this out of your ass. Although, it wouldn't be the first." The audience gasped at the tone of "Mr. Bernard".
I glared in retaliation to his lack of respect. "Hey, remember who you're talking to."
"Yes, I agree. Subservience, Stue." The Council Head cautioned, and the man in question scoffed in response.
"Thank you, Thomas." Vera nodded her head in gratitude.
"But," Thomas continued with a hesitant look. "Grand Magus, I also agree that this can't be based purely on suspicion. Is there any other reason why you think a demon could be causing this much amount of chaos?"
"Especially since hundreds, if not, thousands of demons enter into this realm with ease through rituals. And not one demon in our recorded history has ever attempted to get through because they have never wanted to, needed to, and it is out of their capabilities." The defiant man once again vocalized.
"But you're forgetting about powerful emperor demons." Jack intervened. His suggestion elicited a panicked reaction from everyone in the room.
"You can't seriously be suggesting-" Mr. Bernard rolled his eyes in suspicion.
"Are you suggesting-" Thomas asked, frightened.
Jack admitted immediately. "Yes, I am. And I apologize for speaking out of turn, but my only wish is to help solve the puzzle. I hope I didn't overstep, Grand Magus."
"No, not at all. Thank you, Magistratus." Vera masked her appreciation with nonchalance, but it was obvious that Jack realized that she meant the words more than she let on.
Mr. Bernard ignored all the commotion and went on with his blabber. "So, how come you think this one is an emperor demon, then? When I'm sure everybody knows, hopefully so, that emperor demons don't do the dirty work. They get the ones beneath them to do it. Rogwan was the exception, and the only reason he got loose was because of the former Grand Magus of this Temple. It always seems to come from here, hmm? Who's to say that history hasn't repeated itself?"
"You're getting too comfortable with that tone of yours, Stewart. Maybe you need a reminder as to why you need to stand down." Vera riposted. The smirk on his face irked her in ways that made her challenge him. "Come on, spit it out. Go ahead and tell me what it is that's on your mind."
"You killed Bitsy." The revelation bewildered the crowd.
Thomas puffed in shock. "Stue, are you quite certain-"
"Oh, I am."
"Now who's pulling crap out of their ass, huh? What proof do you have?" Vera mimicked, a laugh clearly wanting to escape her lips.
"She's always despised you for a reason, and it was only time until she took you down." He held his head high, condescendingly watching her.
"I'm sorry, but wasn't it Elizabeth that recommended that Vera remained our Grand Magus?" Someone from the table recalled.
"Which only proves my point!" Mr. Bernard extended his arms as if to express the certainty of his case.
"Which is what?" Vera continued their exchange.
"Vera blackmailed Bitsy, and then when she found a window of opportunity(Praxis), she finally went ahead and eliminated her greatest threat."
"And why would Praxis be a 'window of opportunity', if you would please explain? You, no doubt, have all the answers."
"You're getting too carried away by your emotions. I get that Bitsy was a dear friend of yours, and grief presents itself in different ways. But this is not helping." Thomas urged him to surrender.
He scorned the unspoken warning. "Vera Stone, you think you're so different from Edward. Well, you're right. You're even more sinister than him. There is no doubt in my mind that you have started Praxis yourself. You are behind all of this."
"That is a bold allegation." Another caller on the video call stated, reminding us that they were still there, listening.
"One that Bitsy propagated. For a reason." Mr. Bernard pushed.
It was ridiculous the scene that took place. A quick glance at Lilith was what finally compelled me to interrupt. "I think we've all lost our focus here."
"You'd defend her. She promoted you. Did you help her, too?" The man had the audacity to resume his nonsense, and it was worthless bothering to acknowledge.
"Look," I addressed everyone. "Instead of listening to bogus conspiracy theories, shouldn't we all get back to the matter at hand? There is a literal threat that has legitimate evidence that could haunt us any moment now. Isn't it about time we do what it is that we gathered here for?"
Murmurs were heard from all over. Most of the ones I heard were of approval to my sentiments. Vera clutched my hand beneath the desk, and I squeezed it right back. "Thank you, Temple Magus, for setting back the focus."
"Fine." The accusatory looks convinced Mr. Bernard to put a stop to his insistent rebellion. Vera beamed at the defeat of the man. "How come this one's an emperor demon?"
She shrugged. "The symptoms check out. The pattern of the disasters, the frequency, and the fact that this all occurred unprovoked. Plus, I have reason to believe this isn't magical. The wolves do not hear a ringing every time an earthquake takes place. Practitioners are not causing this, and no other creature has the ability to disrupt the natural order of the planet."
"If I may butt in?" Gabrielle inquired, which Vera allowed. "When Grand Magus asked me to do my research on this, I came upon a book that hypothesized what we are experiencing right now."
She paused to grab said book from underneath the table. "It says here that less powerful demons actually have access to our realm. They go unnoticed because no harm is generated. They carry out orders and then return. Some of the more powerful ones may cause several earthquakes but in smaller parts of the globe. It's completely possible to leave their realm without being summoned, but it takes a lot of effort in their part, depending on how powerful they are, and most of the time they have no reason to. And the Councilor Bernard is right. Emperor demons have no interest to be here, but on the rare occasion they do, with the intensity of their power, the Earth could never handle it. Thus access for them is more difficult, and the effects are more palpable and more damaging."
"Let me read that." Mr. Bernard grumbled. Gabrielle handed the book to Randall and they passed it around until it reached the skeptic's grasps.
Thomas peeked at what the other was reading, "So, what is the best course of action?"
"We have to get every weapon we have against emperor demons and demons in general. Since we know neither the demon's intentions nor their destination, all we can do is be prepared and hope for the best. If anyone has a recommendation, feel free. One idea could be our saving grace." Vera's speech was cut off by an alarm that she, no doubt, recognized. She was fuming.
"A demon alarm. You knew all along." She cited. "Was it really smart to grill me for as long as you did?"
The sound was only getting louder and louder which only signaled to one thing: Xzhuria is close.
"Well, we weren't really asserting the issue. Why we're here is more of an attempt to clarify a questioning character." Mr. Bernard explained smugly. It was unbelievable the guts of this man and how much he only cares for him and himself.
"And that's more important than saving the world, is it? I can't believe it. All of you should feel ashamed for yourself." Thomas did seem so and a bunch of others. He refused to meet Vera's bitter gaze, but it was too late for regret. Or was it actually too early? "Now we're all fucked."