News spread rapidly from Nylenor. The chain of command of the Elven Armies that fought the rebels quickly relayed the news of the cease of hostilities with the rebels. At the same time, the news also spread through the rebel army.
Under the dark skies, the cheers of hundreds of thousands of soldiers resounded under the skies. Some of them could scarcely believe that they had achieved the goal that they had set out to accomplish. They had actually force the Elven Empire to buckle under their demands. It seemed surreal to them. Was this a joke that was spread just so the Elven defenders could catch them off guard?
While the rebels celebrated, there were many more unreconciled defenders that were dissatisfied with the surrender of their side. They felt that they could have eventually won if they had kept on fighting.
The armies of the rebels were welcomed into the Capital City, Nylenor, by the newly ascended Elven Empress to be addressed. However, it was not an immediate summons. First, there would need to be some preparations.
Vera hummed as she sat in the elevated seat that her father had once occupied. To her right, Leon was seated in his true form, making for an intimidating sight. To her right was Russo. The aged Elf had a simple and resolute expression on his face. After the official end of the war, he had been released from the custody of the rebels and sent to the capital.
Most of the High Council was also present. Aside from Elante, only one other High Council Member had perished in the war.
When everyone had settled down, Vera officially began the meeting.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat and everyone looked over to her. "I am happy that we are all able to gather together like this." She said when she was certain that everyone present was paying attention to her.
"While the change from enemies to allies is quite abrupt, it is necessary to ensure the continued prosperity of Rivera. Only when we band together can we project the proper strength outward to deter any enemies from setting their sights on our homeland." She said righteously.
No one spoke yet, as she had not finished speaking.
"I know that there is bad blood between those seated here, but it is necessary that we learn to move past all the bloodshed that has occurred in the past months..." Her speech went on for a bit longer before she finally stopped and caught her breath. It was only then that a High Council Member dared to ask the question that was on the minds of most people present.
"...Empress Vera... If I may ask, where is His Majesty, your Father?"
"My father is currently resting. He is in no condition to interact with the outside world for the time being, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future." Vera replied with a flat tone, showing that she would not be divulging any more information.
The man that had asked took the silent hint and dropped the topic. No one here was a fool. By now, they had figured out the fact that Vera had dealt with her father and ascended the throne only after taking care of him.
While this was a controversial matter, no one dared raise any objections with Leon seated at the table. His support for Vera was as clear as day.
"Now that the war has come to an end, there is a lot to make up for. The damage that Rivera has incurred is immense and will take many months, if not years to reverse." Russo spoke up after a few other matters had been brought up. As one of Vera's supporters, he had a much greater say at the moment when compared to the other High Council Members who had to hold their tongues because of their awkward positions.
Truth be told, Vera would rather replace every member of the High Council with her own trusted people, but the people who currently filled those positions were truly the best in their fields. They knew what they were doing and what the various regions they presided over required. With their help, the reconstruction and repair efforts that would soon start all over Rivera would be able to run much smoother.
People like Mirabel and others that had been the backbones of the rebel faction over the decades were people that she would much rather trust her back to than the current High Council Members, but it would be too abrupt if she were to replace them immediately. Instead, she would much rather adopt a slower method where she would be able to replace them with her own trusted people over time.
Leon absently listened to the talks that droned on in the meeting. There was no real exciting topic that made him want to focus more, so he split his attention and did something that he had not done before.
In the distant lands of the Central Continent, back in the once Desolate Lands that had now come to be known as the growing and blossoming Obsidian Empire, a black flame lit up in the depths of Fort White. The black flame grew and burnt until it reached a height of two meters before freezing and crystalizing. It then began to shrink and morph, until it formed a shimmering black skeleton that looked no different from Leon.
After reaching the peak of Divinity that was achievable by mortals, Leon also grasped the ability to form an Incarnation, albeit a weak one. While it still possessed great combat strength compared to normal people, in the face of Gods' Incarnations like Michael's and Atrox's his Incarnation was nothing but a fly.
A pitch black robe appeared and covered the Obsidian Skeleton Incarnation as Leon walked out of the depths of the underground fortress built by the White Millipedes. He had already contacted his summons and subordinates, so the sight of an Obsidian Skeleton that radiated the same aura as himself was not too shocking.
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