He continued saying: "It is our duty to inform you of the following... We did this to ourselves. We brought the storm, and we summoned the stones from the depths of the earth."

  He took out another document that was in the leather bag, and placed it on top of the other documents on the table. "Let me explain to you, gentlemen, the document you see before you is a historical document dating back to a somewhat interesting period."

  He pointed with his finger to a specific paragraph, directing the attendees' attention to it: "As the text appearing before you says, one year before the discovery of the stones, the Great War had begun to devour everything green and dry, leaving behind millions of dead. The world drowned in the blood of its sons, and all thirteen empires thought the end was near."

  He began to walk slowly among the attendees, carefully observing their gazes, then continued: "But we were given another chance when the stones were found. They were not just ordinary stones; they held energy that shook the balance of powers at that time. One shard of them gave us energy surpassing tons of traditional coal, and Even more astonishingly, using them in certain ways gave us power we never dreamed of. At that time, all the empires salivated. The world was on the brink of a multi-sided war, a global conflict whose battlefield would be one land only, which is Urok, which was rich in stones, not only in the mine but also in its deep soil."

  He returned to his place and pulled out another file: "But... if an empire wanted to control the land for itself, it would have to face the rest of the empires. Thus, the idea of 'forced unification' was born. All states were summoned to sign an agreement that made Urok a neutral land. It was the miracle that stopped the bleeding, and the world was unified for the first time."

  He was speaking honeyed words only... even the documents he showed did not present the true story... for what happened was more dark. They ended the existence of the Kingdom of Urok that day and wiped it out completely. A neutral state? This is something impossible to exist. They invaded it, overthrew it, then divided it among themselves, leaving thousands of victims, and creating provinces each belonging to an empire...

  Even the empires later fought among themselves for more of Urok's land.

  And today, a large part of them did not attend perhaps because of those enmities or simply because they no longer exist.

  The speaker continued: "The stones gave us the ability to unite again, and thanks to them, the world prospered and wars stopped for hundreds of years. But what happened after that? The power allowed greed to awaken again. Think of the Amazon Empire that decided to occupy Eldara and enslave its men, and by pure coincidence, the storm appeared a year later."

  He paused for a moment, then directed his gaze directly at the Empress of the Amazons, and spoke in a stern tone: "Isn't this a cosmic warning? Isn't it a clear sign, not just for you, Empress of the Amazons, but for all of us that our actions are what move nature against us?"

  The Empress of the Amazons jumped from her seat. And said in an angry voice: "Do you dare to blame my empire? Are you saying we are the cause of the storm?"

  Rona interrupted the empress's, directing her gaze towards the speaker with red eyes gleaming with clear challenge: "This claim lacks logic. Although I do not fully agree with the actions of the Amazon Empire, I wonder: If what we see is 'punishment' as you describe it, shouldn't the storm target women in this case? It is illogical for it to target men and leave the Amazons free to do as they please."

  "Your words are logical, Miss Rona," the speaker replied calmly: "But they are wrong at the same time. We know beforehand that women live longer than men. By taking the men, the storm leaves the women to wander alone in a collapsing world, where they watch the extinction of the human race creeping slowly before their eyes. This longevity is not a blessing, but a curse of waiting.. a curse of slow death."

  And he continued with all confidence: "If the storm took the women, that would be mercy for them. As for the men, they would follow them within years anyway. Therefore, doing it the other way would not be justice... And you may wonder: Why doesn't the storm take all the men at once? The answer is simple because it warns us. It gives us time to see the result of our actions time after time, but we do not listen."

  Rona was not convinced by these claims, so she responded to the speaker in a more challenging tone, having crossed her arms to her chest and raised one of her eyebrows:

  "Let me understand what you are saying correctly… Over two hundred and twenty years, perhaps more, the storm has been taking men from all over the world because an empire occupied another empire? Does this seem logical to you? By the same logic, what about the empires that fell at the hands of death in a white dress? Or at the hands of the revolutionaries and their masked leader?"

  Signs of tension appeared on the speaker before he answered in a stuttering voice: "Do-do you have another explanation....? For how the storm appeared a year after the occupation of Eldara, Miss Rona? The storm cannot have arisen like this without a reason."

  "The existence of two consecutive events does not necessarily mean that the first caused the second." Rona replied with high confidence: "You are putting us between two choices: either the storm arose because of the actions of the Amazon Empire or there is no reason for the storm at all.. Also, there are four countries that fell in the last century; there is no punishment specific to them."

  The voice of these two had overwhelmed the hall, which was waiting for a response from the speaker, before the speaker exhaled slowly, as if weighing his words with extreme care. He did not answer Rona directly but took her time and said:

  "Your objection is clever, Miss Rona… but it assumes something I did not claim at all. I did not say that every fall of an empire generates punishment, and if that were the case, no stone would remain in place in this world."

  He stepped forward, and his voice gained confidence:

  "What we say and what you are trying to refute is not a causal relationship, but a cumulative pattern. The storm did not appear after the first crime, nor after the second, nor even the third… but after the world crossed a certain threshold. What I am saying is that when the stones first appeared, the world was on the verge of collapse.. and when the storm appeared, an entire people had ended and the other peoples had begun to await the same fate."

  Then he turned a little towards the audience: "The empires you mentioned—those that fell at the hands of death in a white dress or the revolutionaries—were diseases within a collapsing system already. Internal conflicts, revolutions, coups… The world is accustomed to this type of bleeding. As for Eldara, it was something different. It was not just a war, but a legalization of slavery. Turning an entire people into a resource. Redefining the human as spoils, and goods that can be bought."

  He approached the table a step, and rested his palms on it:

  "You may be right, and I may be wrong. And perhaps... we do not yet have the full picture. But what we have now is a pattern. Events that repeat, decisions followed by disasters, and blood shed, and perhaps There may yet be a punishment for those people, one that remains unknown to us."

  He raised his head and looked directly at Rona:

  "And in front of this, we have only two practical choices: either we stand idly by on the pretext that causality is not proven, or we test what we believe is a warning, so let us try something simple."

  He turned a little, pointing with his hand towards the seat of the Empress of the Amazons:

  "Let us assume that the Amazon Empire stopped its expansion. Stopped its wars. Stopped enslaving men… temporarily. Not forever, but enough for us to see."

  He returned his gaze to Rona, and his voice became calmer and more confident:

  "If the storm stops, we will have approached the truth. And if it does not stop… we will be the first to admit that our assumption was wrong."

  Then he tilted his head a little:

  "Tell me, Miss Rona… Isn't this a logical test? Or is leaving the world to bleed, waiting for a complete explanation that may never come, what is the more rational choice in your view?"

  After hearing the speaker's words, the matter became clear: the real reason for holding this meeting is the fear of the expansion of the Amazon Empire…

  This in itself explains a lot. Fear has always been the fastest means and the most honest justification for wrapping interests in the language of collective survival.

  Nevertheless… I also cannot ignore what was said..

  Coincidences, yes... but without another explanation, there are not many options.

  Perhaps the speaker was not telling the whole truth…

  But he may not be wrong either.. especially in the matter of killers surviving the storm... for there are not many explanations that justify that..

  The Empress of the Amazons sat in her seat, leaned her body back, and closed her eyes for a short moment, as if thinking about all the arguments presented, then said: "No… we will not stop. When your empires were torturing us, stealing our souls, dispersing us, and considering us third-class citizens in our own homeland… there was no storm avenging us. There was no punishment. The sky did not utter a word that day."

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  She raised the intensity and firmness of her tone:

  "But when we liberated ourselves, when we began to reclaim what was stolen from us, and dared to take our revenge with our own hands… suddenly there became a punishment. Suddenly we became the cause. No, Valerian Empire. We are not the ones who awakened the storm… but you are the ones who could not bear to see us stand at last. And for this reason, we will not stop."

  The empress stood up and stood on her feet: "Let me tell you my theory.. Your sin was in thinking that you are an exception. You used the stones to become gods, so the earth summoned the 'storm' to remind you that you are mere dust. You are the ones who created the abyss that will swallow you, not us."

  She pushed her chair forcefully and intended to leave, causing a state of confusion among the guards. But before she took her first step towards the door, the voice of the Cobra King (Emperor of the Porcelain Empire) interrupted her, with a malicious smile on his face.

  "O Empress!" shouted the Emperor of Porcelain in a sharp tone, as he rose slowly heading towards her: "Do you know what is truly funny? That you think retreating for a single moment means falling. Your people were not born to be eternal fuel.... They also want to live, and to see an end to this bleeding. You have wasted the blood of your people, and the day will come when they demand life in a voice louder than the voice of your barking."

  The shoulders of the Empress of the Amazons stiffened under her armor, and she gripped the hilt of her sword with a force that made the hilt crack. "Your way of speaking exceeds the limits... You must know your place well, you snake. We do not seek to occupy you for power or to prove our strength or superiority, but to reclaim an old revenge that your thrones made us taste for centuries... But now I have come to know that the basis of this meeting was your fear of us."

  She approached him until her face was in his face: "The next time I see you, I will cut off your head."

  The Emperor of Porcelain did not tremble, but his malicious smile widened and he replied in a provocative calm: "Then, I advise you to be extremely careful... for the head of the snake remains capable of biting even after being cut off."

  She looked at him with indescribable disgust, then turned and left the hall calmly.

  With the withdrawal of the Empress of the Amazons, a clear state of confusion spread in the hall. The guards remained waiting for orders from the emperor, and some delegations exchanged skeptical looks. No one was sure anymore if what was happening was still a conference… or the beginning of a political collapse and a war bigger than before.

  In this charged atmosphere, the Emperor of Porcelain turned, then said in a clear sarcastic tone: "Well… it seems your lecture for today has ended, Your Majesty the King."

  Then he continued as he adjusted his cloak: "I will not burden this council any more. I will leave, and take my companions with me."

  And with a slight gesture of his hand, his delegation began to move behind him. And as they passed near us, one of his followers deviated from the line for a fleeting moment, barely noticeable, and passed by us as if by coincidence.

  At that moment, I felt a paper being slipped into my palm, quick, light, then the man disappeared among the delegations before I could even raise my gaze. He did not utter a word, nor did he turn.

  And as the rest of the emperors began to leave one after another, and everyone became busy exchanging cold greetings and arranging their withdrawals, I found myself for a moment outside the circle of attention. The hall was emptying slowly, but their noise was becoming louder… chaos befitting a meeting that failed to reach anything.

  I took advantage of that moment.

  I lowered my gaze to the message that was still folded in my palm:

  "Meet me at the false waters… where the city places its secrets in the alleys, so that no one sees them.."

  I stared at the paper for some time then stood up from the marble chair and told Baldur and Rona that we too must go. Then I pointed to them what was in my hand trying not to draw attention...

  Before everyone left, the speaker stood for the last time with a fake smile on his face: "You can stay as you wish in our city; we have prepared the best rooms for you so that your stay here is full of comfort."

  He did not wait for a response from us, but turned trying to take the documents that were given at the beginning of the meeting, before the Empress of New Pangaea stopped him and demanded her mine documents: "I think your possession of the mine papers is not a good thing, so it is better after the end of this session to return them to us now."

  The speaker raised his voice so that everyone could hear and said:

  "Gentlemen… these documents are not just papers, but a key to understanding what happened and what may happen. Any ignoring of them will have a high price."

  I stood stiffly, thinking about the matter carefully, and inside me a feeling of anxiety took hold: If I only scrutinized a little, if I read carefully, I might put myself in front of a clear fraud… If the numbers on the paper are correct, I might lose a lot of what I built; I had no choice but to retrieve those papers.

  The Empress of New Pangaea stood facing the speaker, blocking his way to leave.

  "Allow me, please," she said in a voice calm on the surface, but saturated with threat, confirming her previous words: "These files belong to our provinces and our mines… and it is better that they be returned to us now, directly."

  I advanced forward and stood beside her, imitating her. And Baldur and Rona followed me in an attempt to support me, I extended my hand towards the documents, trying to snatch them before the matter turned into an open conflict between me and the speaker, but he slipped aside, tightening his grip on the papers without raising his voice or losing his balance.

  Before we reached a decisive point, the Emperor of Marsa also came demanding the return of his documents: "Return them, for these matters do not tolerate any disagreement between the empires."

  Emperor Julius advanced from his seat, his face almost turning red and his stern tone suggesting the extent of his anger: "What is this absurdity?" he shouted as he looked at the speaker, "Have we become exposed to other disputes over papers that are no longer of value?"

  The speaker smiled a forced smile, then returned the documents to us. And he apologized for his previous behavior with immense coldness and did not look directly into our eyes but tilted his gaze, trying to ignore the matter..

  Emperor Julius continued, saying:

  "We will not continue interfering more in what you do; you have the freedom to leave or stay if you wish."

  The Empress of New Pangaea replied to him saying: "Well... if you have no other addition, I excuse myself to leave." The King of Marsa followed her, and one after another, the hall emptied completely except for Emperor Julius and Empress Aria and their assistants, who drowned in side whispers that I could not hear..

  I left with Baldur and Rona outside the hall, and we advanced towards the long corridor that leads us to the gate. When we stood under one of the stone arches, I opened the letter slowly and showed it to them again. Then I folded it again after they finished reading, adding: "It seems... he wants us to work for him again?"

  Rona and Baldur stood silent for a moment before Baldur added:

  "Perhaps we should check that... it might be something really important, but... where is that place anyway?" asked Baldur, his eyes scanning the place around us.

  We intended to leave after I told them that I thought I knew the place meant on the paper.

  Only a few minutes passed until we reached the stone fountain,

  Baldur stopped for a moment, staring at the place in astonishment: "Isn't this the same place we were in when we found you?"

  "Yes..." I answered, confirming his words.

  "From there..." I said while trying to remember the way, we turned several times, I was leading them away from the open square, and entered the same alleys.

  What helped me remember the way were the eroded stone walls leading to it, and the humidity clinging to the air, the feeling of unease and the sun's rays not reaching this place, here specifically... I met that little girl.

  My memory of the place aroused Rona and Baldur's astonishment, as Baldur asked me: "How do you know this way so well?"

  I answered him while recalling the face of that child: "When I lost you.. I entered this alley by mistake, and knowing the Cobra King, he was probably watching me the whole time."

  And at the end of the alley, we found the Cobra King sitting on an old wooden crate, surrounded by a group of his assistants who showed signs of anticipation and excitement. He did not stand up upon seeing us, but raised his head slowly as if recalling an image from his memory before smiling: "Hello... comrades."

  His voice contained something between absurdity and mockery.

  "I haven't seen you for a long time... let me remember well when was the last time...?"

  He paused a little and entered a state of deep contemplation, then said as if he suddenly remembered:

  "Yes... I remembered. Since you agreed to leave me..."

  Baldur took one of the nearby wooden crates and sat on it then said: "It wasn't personal... but your ideas were extreme.."

  Rona and I nodded in agreement. The Cobra King smiled a wider smile, and answered Baldur in an annoyed voice:

  "Extreme? Well, that's fair... I wasn't seeking to please anyone."

  Rona asked him hastily:

  "So... what do you want from us this time?"

  A slight smile appeared on his face, but it was not friendly.

  "Rona... you're always in a hurry... but actually this time you have every right to ask... for we don't have time for side conversations."

  His features changed completely when he said that, and the smile stepped aside to make way for seriousness:

  "I'll get to the point, the Kingdom of the Mutants is pursuing you... perhaps after your mine, Isimud... or perhaps it seeks to have a higher foothold in the food chain that has begun to crack."

  Baldur looked at the Cobra King, and raised one eyebrow before asking:

  "So... you want us to verify?

  Don't you have many followers, it's simply possible for them to do this work."

  The Cobra King replied: "Yes... I want you to verify. Not because I don't have followers... but because my followers don't have what you have in terms of intelligence, wisdom, and experience in gathering evidence and analyzing it under pressure... they are not as efficient as you. You are the best who worked for me. And at this moment... I have no choice but to use you; many of my followers were killed just to bring me information that the occupation of Urok will be within months, or weeks, so we don't have time."

  "Let me tell you something," he shouted at us annoyed: "If you really think that any of these countries will stand against the Kingdom of the Mutants to save you... then you are crazy. You are alone in this war; even I, when that time comes, will not hesitate to leave you... What I want to know is the goals of the Kingdom of the Mutants. They isolated themselves for many years... then suddenly decided to start an invasion, why now.. I won't be able to know that without you."

  The Cobra was not wrong... the matter is indeed strange. What drives the Kingdom of the Mutants to emerge from absolute isolation that lasted decades, to launch an invasion on a state with which it has no previous relation?..

  But what I don't like about the this... no matter who the victor is, the biggest beneficiary will always be the Cobra... but if I don't do something while I can...

  Then I won't be able to look at my wife and daughter's faces.....

  Everything stopped suddenly.

  "A sudden shock pierced through me, leaving me frozen."

  Wait... my wife... and my daughter?

  I can't leave them in Urok if it is really about to be occupied, but... if we leave, what remains? We will lose the home and the mine, and even everything I built.. and even the friends my daughter has made, we will lose everything.... No.... I can't allow that..

  For this, when I opened my mouth, the decision was not born of courage nor recklessness, but of conviction: If I am to be dragged into this game, I won't be a static piece in it.

  I called him: " Cobra, I agree, I will join but, we need real support, not just some trivial information."

  When I saw his smile, I understood that he was expecting this response. It didn't bother him. Rather, he seemed relieved; that alone was enough to make me more cautious.

  "The best way to defend is to attack.. I'm with you," said Baldur.

  Rona delayed in speaking, as she always does when the price is high. She was thinking deeply about aspects we weren't aware of at the time.

  And when she finally spoke, she didn't say she was convinced... she said she wouldn't leave us alone.

  I didn't ask myself if this decision was right.

  I only asked: Will I regret it more if I do it... or if I don't?

  And the answer was clear.