Gasps and murmurs were heard from the crowd, as the man once thought dead had returned. Without a word Mordain pounced on top of the clan leader, forcing him to the ground, holding him down with a hand over his face.

"Over a hundred years ago you tried to kill me, now it's time I take back what is mine," Mordain said with a dark tone, loud enough so all could hear.

The clan leader struggled under Mordain's hold, but he wasn't strong enough. Mana could be felt surging, and smoke started to come from the clan leader's body as he let out muffled screams.

"There will be no resurrection for you," Mordain said as the air around him heated intensely as he burned the clan leader from the inside out.

By the time he was done the clan leader was motionless and his body looked intact, except for his eyes which looked like lumps of charcoal. As Mordain stood back up he looked at his clan members present that served the now former leader menacingly, daring them to challenge him. Instead they all went to one knee and bowed their heads. He looked behind him at his brethren whose loyalty never wavered as they did the same. His clansmen all now acknowledged him as the clan leader again.

Clapping was heard from behind the dragon guards. "Welcome back old friend," Kezess greeted from his throne as he clapped. Two of his guards stepping aside to create an opening so he could be seen. "Had I known you were betrayed..."

Mordain shot him a threatening gaze as he released the pressure from his core. "You think I didn't know you were behind all of this?" He then looked to the crowd. "At the time of my disappearance I had found evidence of Kezess' crimes. Genocide of the Djinn, only because of their superior aetheric abilities."

Gasps from the clans still loyal to Kezess were heard. Arthur could have presented all the evidence he wanted, but Mordain was a trusted clan leader. His word alone was enough to bring doubts to Kezess.

He shook his head. "We went to war with a race of pacifists, who cared for nothing more than the pursuit of knowledge and betting the lives of less..." he paused and looked to Arthur. "No, not lessers. The people of Dicathen and Alacrya."

"You dare spread your lies in my home?" Kezess said as he stood up.

Mordain and his clansmen took a battle stance and the guards readied their weapons. A battle between dragons and Phoenix was about to erupt, but Arthur placed a hand on Mordain's shoulder and shook his head. There would be no bloodshed between clans today.

"Kezess, you have proven that you are the only true threat to not only myself and my family, but to the people of Dicathen and Alacrya. Because of this, your reign ends here."

Immediately runes on Arthur's body glowed and he godstepped beyond the guards, and kicked Kezess in the chest, destroying his throne in the process. The guards turned to try and protect their lord, completely forgetting Arthur wasn't alone.

Regis pounced on one just as he turned around and ripped his leg off below the kneecap, while digging his claws of one paw into another's back to pull her down. Regis then ripped her right arm off while keeping a paw on her head. Sylvie sent three aether arrows through the chest of three of them, missing any major organs. These wounds weren't fatal, but they were enough to keep them from moving. The remaining three made a move for Arthur, who spun around with his aether sword and slashed in a wide arch, sending out a devastating wind blade that cut through their armor and left a deep gaping wound in all of their chests as they were thrown back.

Before Arthur could even turn around he could feel Kezess was summoning aether for a spell. During this past year Arthur didn't just train to get stronger, he also trained his aether arts. He already had the strength to kill Kezess without using fate, unfortunately Kezess using aether arts was too dangerous to risk. Thankfully Arthur had learned he could limit fate, to only access a sliver of its power as he needed so he could avoid the strain. He also learned he could combine it with a specific rune to give a new twist to an old strategy.

The fate runes glowed all over his body, as did Realmheart's. Combining the two allowed Arthur to see exactly what branch of aether Kezess was trying to use, and just like with using Realmheart with mana he could cancel the spell, or overload it.

A small explosion of aether occurred all over Kezess' body. He collapsed to his knees, his clothes in taters and smoke rising from his body.

"It's over Kezess. The gap between us is too great for even you to overcome," Arthur stated as he walked slowly towards Kezess like a killer in a horror movie.

He gnashed his teeth in an uncharacteristic rage, and held out his hands as two pristine white blades formed. Just like nearly every soldier in Epheotus, Kezess possessed one of Wern's weapons, but unlike the others, Kezess possessed two.

He lunged at Arthur and began swinging his swords in a furious rage. As Kezess tried to land a hit Arthur just dodged or deflected the swords with his aether sword using minimal effort, to a degree that Kordri would be impressed by his former student. With this Arthur confirmed what he always suspected, that despite Kezess' incredible power, he actually had no real skill for close quarters combat.

As Arthur made fighting Kezess look like child's play, the dragon dictator realized something. No one was coming to his aid. He backed away and looked towards the crowd of Asura. His own guards had already been subdued by Regis and Sylvie, with Mordain's return the Pheonixes had changed sides, and were now standing beside the Parthenon clan as they acted as a wall against the remaining loyal clans and his own.

This was an uprising against him, and he only now just realized his disadvantage. He saw Windsom with Myre standing behind him. He gave them an expecting look, expecting either his wife or closest aid to come to him. Windsom only scowled in response, or Myre gave a pained expression. He was truly alone, abandoned by everyone.

"You," he said, his voice seething in rage and he turned to Arthur. "You turned them all against me you lesser trash!" He roared. "This was your plan from the start wasn't it! The power of aether has gone to your head! But you are no god! They will not serve you loyally!"

Everyone was so silent, not even a breeze would dare make a noise.

"Pfffft, hahahahaha," Arthur laughed, breaking the silence. "You think I want to rule? Hahaha. I don't want that, I'm only here to stop a tyrant, and hand control over to those...more interested," he said gesturing to the other Asura present. "The people of Alacrya and Dicathen get just a little stronger with every generation. In a few hundred years we'll be able to reach the white core stage without the need of artifacts, and then instead of seeing us as an emerging people to see as brethren of this world," his tone and expression turned dark. "you will only see a threat you need to deal with. Based on your past I know that it's only a matter till this happens. Because nothing is allowed to exist that could challenge your authority. Just like the Djinn before, who possessed a greater insight into aether than the Indrath." His expression softened to neutral. "You have proven that you, Kezess, are the greatest threat to all life in this world. I'm just here to ensure future generations of all races have a chance to thrive and grow."

Kezess didn't believe him, he couldn't believe him. He was proving himself to have the power to control all life. To rule without question, a power that he once possessed but now lost to Arthur. Yet he just brushed it aside as if it were dirt on his shoulder, a nuisance and unwanted.

He charged at Arthur again, but this time Arthur was done playing. He was less than twenty feet away and wide open, so Arthur used burst step to close the distance in less than a breath, and thrust his blade into his abdomen and through his core.

Everyone present saw the move as a rough form of the first step of learning the Pantheon technique mirage walk, and looked to Kordri since he was once one of his teachers. Their suspicions were quickly dismissed however as Kordri wore a look of complete surprise, as the desire to train Arthur in the Pantheon martial arts grew.

Kezess dropped his blades and they clanged on the ground like ordinary metal. Asura weapons were linked to their owner by their mana core, allowing them to "hear" their will and change form as needed. With Kezess core now destroyed they were unable to ever change form again. Compared to conventional weapons forged on the other continents these were still far superior, but were still only a shadow of what they once were.

Arthur dissipated his blade and allowed Kezess to fall to the ground as blood poured from his body. Myre only now ran to him, and rolled him over as she tried to heal him.

"Leave me be. I'd rather die like this than a slow death without my core," he forced out.

"Now don't say that," Arthur commented as he pulled a beast core from his rune. "This is a C ranked beast core." He dropped it beside Kezess. "I don't know how many of these you'll need daily, but it should be enough to sustain you for a long time."

"What you say is impossible. Without my core the mana is leaving me, I will die in a matter of days."

"As you know my body is part Indrath now. Meaning I need mana or aether to sustain myself. When my core shattered and I found myself half dead in a relic tomb, I found I could take in aether from the remains of the aether beasts I killed to strengthen myself for a time. I'm willing to bet you could do the same with that core."

"Why do you want me to live?"

"I don't. But Sylvia told me you didn't have to die to bring the peace we're aiming for, and I've killed more than enough false gods to last me a few lifetimes. Just walk away and live a quiet life. Maybe take up a hobby, I've heard fishing is very relaxing."

Arthur then turned and began to walk away.

"Are you sure about this? For all he's done he deserves to die a thousand painful deaths," Regis asked.

"For a man like him, living like this after losing everything is a fate worse than death. If he chooses to die that's his choice, I don't know if there is anyone who would give him a mercy killing but if they do then they do. His main punishment was losing to me and losing all his power, so I don't really care what happens from here. But I doubt there's really anyone who would serve him now."

"So what happens now? Who will lead the great eight?" A clan leader asked.

"I will!" One announced.

"No, me!" Another argued.

Soon an argument erupted between the clans, arguing who was more deserving and who had no right to lead.

"Quite loud isn't it?" Wern asked from beside Arthur.

"Yeah." Arthur then released the pressure from his core and silenced all of them, then reigned in his core again. "Thank you. I know I have no place making decisions for Epheotus, but I do have a suggestion. For generations Epheotus has helped Dicathen and helped mold our society to resemble your own. However we've also done things on our own, we've grown on our own. I was told once that Epheotus is forever unchanging, frozen in time for all time. Perhaps it's time you do something different, and take a note from us." With that Wern conjured a round stone table complete with chairs with the emblem of clan at the head. "Dicathen is no longer a continent of kingdoms, but three kingdoms that have unified into one, and ruled by a council formed with equal representation of all three races. What I'm suggesting is that every clan has a voice, not just the great eight, but all clans of Epheotus."

"The Thyesyes clan supports this idea," Ademir announced and walked towards the table to find his seat.

"The Asclepius clan seconds this," Mordain states as he does the same.

One by one the other clans agreed and took their seats. The lower clans' seats remained empty, but everyone knew they wouldn't turn down a chance to have a voice.

"What about the Indrath clan?" A clan leader asked, pointing to the empty seat.

"With Kezess gone they need a new leader," another added.

"Lady Myre, will you do us the honor of leading the Indrath clan?" Ademir asked, as she had always been sincerely respected by all.

She shook her head. "No. My place is by my husband."

"Then who?" A different clan leader asked.

"Without Kezess and Myre, there is no one left to lead the Indrath clan," another pointed out.

"Excuse me," Arthur interjected. "I think you're forgetting someone." He then pointed to Sylvie. "May I present Sylvie Indrath, daughter of Sylvia Indrath, and Kezess granddaughter."

"That's right! She has a right to lead the Indrath clan!" The Grandus clan leader announced.

Sylvie walked up to her clans seat and looked up at it, then levitated up beside it. "I may have a right to this seat, but I am too young, and not ready." Murmurs were heard as the other leaders spoke to one another. Without Sylvie leading, infighting for the right to lead the clan was inevitable. "As I said I'm not ready, but one day I will be. So until that day, I will assign a proxy to be my voice until the day I am wise enough to sit with you all as an equal leader of Epheotus."

"Damn that sounds good. You two really worked had on that speech, and they seem to be loving it," Regis commented.

Arthur always knew he couldn't just topple Kezess and walk away. Without a proper plan the clans would just fight one another for power, and without a leader for the Indrath clan there was no telling what they would do. Sylvie asserting herself as the rightful heir to Indrath was the best way to stabilize her clan, and humbling herself would gain the other clan leaders approval and respect.

"Windsom," Sylvie called out.

He stepped forward to her and went down to one knee with his head bowed. "How may I serve you my lord?"

Sylvie looked at the other clans from the corner of her eye. Windsom had earned a great deal of respect with the other clans, so much so that some have taught him some of their own mana arts. As she looked at them, many gave approving nods.

"Until the day I return to take my place as leader of the Indrath clan, you shall be my voice. You shall lead and represent the Indrath clan with honor and integrity, until I return to do the same."

"As your humble servant I accept this great honor and responsibility you have placed upon me."

She then floated to the side as she gestured for him to take the Indrath clan seat. He then stood up and took the seat, receiving many approving nods for the other leaders. Sylvie then floated back over to Arthur.

"Did I do good?" She asked, still nervous after speaking to everyone like that.

"Yeah, you did very good," he replied as he patted her head.

"Ahem."

Arthur, Sylvie, and Regis turned around to see Wern standing behind them with an expecting look.

"You haven't forgotten your end of our deal have you?" He asked.

"I haven't, but we have to get back to Dicathen now, it's almost sunrise. Why don't you come over sometime later," Arthur replied.

"Hey, who the fuck is this skinny ass grease ball? Somebody get him a sandwich, he looks like he could keel over at any second," Regis asked.

"This is Wern Kain IV, and for all intents and purposes, he's essentially your father," Arthur answered.

Regis looked at Wern with a deadpan expression, then looked back to Arthur.

"No seriously, who is he? There's no way this ugly bastard is responsible for all this majestic awesomeness."

Arthur bit his lip and Sylvie covered her mouth as they tried to contain their laughter.

"I assure you that I did create you," Wern said as he appeared extremely close to Regis.

"Woah! What the fuck!" Regis said as he jumped back. "Personal space man!"

Wern looked intrigued as he gazed at Regis. "I'll arrive at your home tomorrow afternoon to begin." He then stood up and turned around to walk away.

"Which afternoon? Dicathen afternoon or Epheotus afternoon? There is a twelve hour difference between us."

"Whichever one works out better for me at the time," he replied as he left the room.

"What the fuck did you promise him?" Regis asked.

"Well, he was aware of you and the unusual form you took, and wanted to study you."

"What?! What in the hell did you get in return for this?"

"He promised to get the Grandus clan on our side."

"How did he do that?"

"No clue, but it happened."

Arthur then created a portal home, and the three walked in.

——————————————————————-

The sun rose in Dicathen, the light hitting Tess in the face causing her to stir. With her eyes closed she reached out for Arthur, they then slowly opened as a disappointed frown formed. The bedroom door then opened and in came Arthur wearing only a pair of shorts, while carrying a tray of food. It wasn't the smell of the delicious food that made Tess mouth water, but the sight of the Arthur's toned body glistening from the sun light entering the room.

"Good morning beautiful, I come with breakfast in bed," he announced as he walked over.

He placed the tray down, which had legs, making it like a short table. As he released the tray Tess leaned forward and kissed his lips.

"Thank you," she said happily as she looked him in the eyes. Unaware as to the danger that entered their home last night, or that Arthur even left at all.

"You're welcome."

"So what have you been up to this morning?" She asked as she cut a bite from her pancake.

"Not much, just made breakfast and had a quick warm up."