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  They could hear the clamor of voices long before they entered their destination. The building they were in was reminiscent of some ancient acropolis, or a temple, only larger. It was made of pure white magical stone that you could use as a mirror thanks to the smooth shine. Perhaps as a concession to the Draenei influence, you could see more modern magical technology at certain places, which somewhat stood out from the otherwise ancient-style ambiance.

  The voices were clearly arguing, though the echoes of the hallway were distorted enough that details were hard to catch. "You said Velen and the Exarchs are already here?" Seraphiel asked, mostly to pass the time.

  "Yes," Edirah responded. "They were called in while we were…discussing things. And the fact that we spent the entire evening and night just gabbing about things means that the planning for how to defend our world has already started. Or at least should have.” Edirah had never been one to spend too much time on gossip or small talk, but even she had wanted to reacquaint herself with Seraphiel and learn more about the rest of her crew.

  “Why am I not surprised that Akama and Maraad are still Exarchs.” Seraphiel made a completely rhetorical question.

  “Hah! Those two will never stop serving our people.” Edirah laughed. “I believe much of that is your influence. They might not have been with us when we came to see you, but they were also devastated when you disappeared. They felt responsible, and this is their way of repaying you.”

  “You’d think a couple thousand years of service would be enough, but I know how Draenei are," Seraphiel grumbled a bit good-naturedly.

  “They seem to be arguing.” Yoruichi suddenly pointed out, as the voices became clearer.

  "The relationship between the Angels and Draenei can sometimes get a bit…heated," Ophiel explained before Edirah had the opportunity to. "We're allies both out of shared goals and similarity of values, as well as pure strategic need, but that doesn’t mean we always get along.”

  "That's very true," Edirah confirmed. "The number of snobby Angel officials I've had to deal with is staggering."

  “And I’m sure you’ve always been a perfect paragon of politeness and patience.” Seraphiel laughed, knowing Edirah wasn’t really known for either quality.

  "It's good that you remember." Edirah decided to ignore the sarcasm and puffed her already rather prominent chest in pride. Draenei in general weren’t exactly petite, and Edirah was clearly in the more shapely end of the spectrum, even for her race.

  They finally reached the large chambers where the matters of state for both Draenei and Angels were decided. The room reminded her of an amphitheater, with the central part being the lowest level, with stone benches placed all around rising higher towards the exits, to allow everyone an unobstructed view of the center. The seating everywhere was identical, likely to keep things equal, but the distribution of people inside was interesting.

  One quarter of the chamber was filled with just Draenei, while another was filled with just Angels. It was not hard to determine those two sides represented the two extremes in political factions, and they even sat on opposite sides. They'd focus on the benefits and good of their own people. The two other quarters were more mixed, though only one truly had members of the two races sitting seemingly randomly, freely mixing with each other. The other mixed quarter still had a sharp division between the two races, and only an occasional member of the other race was sitting among their counterparts.

  In the center, a powerful-looking Angel with three pairs of white wings was arguing with Velen. "…I'm not disparaging the current holders of the title. They've done well. They've brought us plenty of glory and resources. I have no issue with their performance. I'm only saying, now there's a stronger candidate."

  Edirah spotted Maraad standing on the outer edge of the chamber, leaning against the wall, and guided the group towards him. Maraad noticed them approaching right away. It was hard not to. Their presence wasn't exactly subtle. "Seraphia. Or I suppose it's Seraphiel now. It's good to see you." The tall and broad Draenei wearing plate armor pulled her into a hug. "It's really good to see you."

  “You too Maraad, though I suppose we’ll have to postpone the reunion a bit. What’s going on?” Seraphiel gestured towards the center, where Velen was responding something.

  “…and we don’t decide these things. Light determines her Champion, not us.” The old Draenei was responding calmly and patiently.

  "Oh, that? The Angels are trying to pull a fast one. They want to make you the Champion of Light, what with you wiping out the Demon invasion almost single-handedly and all.” Maraad summarized hours of argument and discussion.

  “Bastards.” Edirah cursed. “Of course they would.”

  “Why, though?” Yoruichi asked, a little confused.

  “It’s because they feel slighted when the Champion of the deity we both worship favors Draenei over the Angels as Champions. Or at least that’s the short version. There’s a lot of internal politics involved as well.” Ophiel in turn summarized centuries of politics in a few sentences. “Just because we’re allies, that doesn’t mean there aren’t tensions.”

  “Who’s the current Champion?” Seraphiel asked, already suspecting the answer.

  “It’s actually Yrel and Akama both.” Maraad gave half of the expected answer. Seraphiel had expected only Yrel.

  “Two Champions?” Yoruichi asked with a raised eyebrow. The Soul Society wasn’t as experienced with that part of the System either.

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  "Yes. It's rare-ish for a god to pick multiple people, as they still count as a single Champion. Basically, that's only possible when the god is particularly strong, and having only a single member of the group would be too weak, so they have the power to include more than one person as a group. Groups like that tend to be individually weaker by necessity as they can only rival a singular Champion when working together, and when one of the members of the group gets taken out, they eventually lose. The thing is, they can grow. And when the same group has served as the Champion for thousands of years like in our case…” Maraad shrugged. “Let’s just say it’s a long-term investment.”

  “So, the Angels are trying to oust either Yrel or Akama, or both, and slot me in instead. That about the gist of it?” Seraphiel asked. “They’re not aware that both of them are actually my old…let’s say friends for now?”

  "That about sums it, yeah," Maraad smirked a bit. Draenei rarely smirked. They were generally too kind for that. Maraad was a paragon of virtue, but he’d seen more shit than the average Draenei.

  “And are they aware that I’m already a Champion?” Seraphiel asked the next question.

  Both Maraad and Edirah blinked in surprise. They hadn’t known either, despite her rather obvious display of power earlier. In retrospect, she hadn’t actually been shouting Charlotte’s name or anything, so it might have looked like she was the sole source of all that power when she'd used it. "No, they're not aware," Maraad stated.

  “Should we inform them?” Yoruichi asked with a teasing tone.

  “Nah. Let the Angels hang themselves first. I’m happy to keep providing the rope until they do.” Seraphiel decided. “Although, this looks like it might take a while.”

  They listened to the argument for a while, but it seemed to be stuck in going around in circles. They kept repeating the same arguments, simply rephrasing them in different ways. Typical politics in other words. It seemed the urgency of an impending invasion was suddenly gone. It felt like both parties were secure in the assumption that Seraphiel and her crew would help defend them, and that it would be enough to defeat the enemy still present, just like the Chaos forces earlier. The bitch of it was, they were right. Even if it annoyed her a bit, she wouldn’t abandon the Angels and especially the Draenei, just because they annoyed her with their presumption.

  She tapped a communicator that connected her to their ship. “Any news Ashredar? Any new ships in orbit, or movements from the enemy?”

  “No ships in orbit, and the other Locust race is proceeding just like before, but the group designated as Burning Legion seems to be behaving a bit oddly.” The AI responded.

  “Oddly how?” Seraphiel asked.

  "They were launching an all-out assault on several of the neighboring nations, using the one they’d already conquered as a base of operations. Those assaults have all halted. All their forces seem to be pulling back, as quickly as the orders can be spread at least. Their communications don’t seem as fast or efficient as ours and detaching from battle isn’t always simple. The whole thing seems to have started as soon as we appeared, so this is in reaction to us. What their new plan is, I have no idea.” Ashredar speculated.

  “They’re not moving forces off this world though?” She clarified an important detail. If they were, then they should be retreating. If not, they had something else in mind.

  “I can’t be sure. My ability to see into the core of their controlled territory is obscured by some sort of magic. If they are, they don’t seem to be performing a full rout at least. I would speculate that they are instead fortifying their position, though I must admit my tactical knowledge when it comes to Demons is limited.” The AI had little to no experience fighting them after all.

  “Either way, it’s uncharacteristic behavior.” She commented.

  In general, the Legion only knew one mode of operation, full attack. There were exceptions of course. Kil’jaeden, the other Eredar commander of the Legion was somewhat known for his longer-term schemes, and one of the demonic races, the Nathrezim, specialized in working from the shadows and subverting their foes against each other. They were very much believers in the ‘divide and conquer’ maxim. That said, they usually operated before an invasion and worked as field commanders once the invasion was already underway.

  She turned towards Edirah. “Any chance you have some sort of seer that can peer into the core of the Legion’s territory?”

  “Peer in, yes. Get truthful information…that’s another matter. If they’ve obscured the area, they have to know we’d try piercing the veil. And I have to give the Nathrezim enough credit to assume they are prepared to feed us false visions.” The experienced magic user speculated. She looked towards Seraphiel. “I can’t believe I’m even suggesting this, but couldn’t you just…” She waved her fingers as if casting a spell and then mimicked an explosion.

  “Theoretically. Assuming they haven’t figured out a way to counter it. Everything can be countered. There’s also whatever dark force has adopted the Legion. If that god or whatever force it is interferes directly, then things could get a bit dicey. Similarly, I wouldn’t want to pick a direct fight with the Chaos Gods. Those four are just unused to personally taking action. If that deity doesn’t care about the forces on this world, then I’d likely be fine, but if they do intervene…well, do you really want this planet to turn into a direct battlefield between me and a dark god? I’d win, but at what cost?” She pointed out. There was a reason why gods usually picked Champions instead of fighting directly. Even the highest-ranked Champions usually only fought in specially prepared events. She was already at a similar level of power.

  “That’s not to say we can’t help of course," Yoruichi added. "There's also the reason why Seraphiel allowed us to fight as well, instead of just clapping her hands and making all enemies disappear. We won't get any stronger that way." She could also read between the lines that there was something else bothering Seraphiel. "Let's get out a bit. This debate isn't progressing."

  As the two walked outside, wandering all the way to the doors, guarded by a pair of Seraphim and another pair of Draenei Vindicators, they looked over the city. The place was in many ways similar to the one Seraphiel had been born in. It was built more tall than wide. Even the streets were constructed on multiple levels, not to mention the countless walkways between the sturdy yet beautiful buildings. Half of the inhabitants could also fly without any magical help, which added verticality even more.

  “Something is eating at you. I rarely say this, so you’d better listen. Instead of swallowing, spit it out.” Yoruichi joked.

  Seraphiel took a deep breath as she looked over the city. “It’s just…I feel a certain amount of…lack of direction. I mean, we have an immediate goal of dealing with this invasion, and an intermediate goal of building our mercenary group, but I…don’t really know what to do with myself anymore. Before my recent change and regaining my old powers, I was driven by the need to get stronger, but now that need is gone. Once, in the past, I might have sought to improve the blight of those mistreated by this universe, but I’ve done my part already in all the other universes. I’m fed up. It’s time to pass that baton to others. I barely care anymore.”

  “Hmm, I see what you mean. I might suggest just enjoying things…” Yoruichi waggled her eyebrows.

  “Yeah, as much fun as that might be for a while, I don’t think pure hedonism will do it for me anymore, with the curse being gone and everything. I’d still enjoy it of course, but I need more than just pleasures of flesh and carnal delights.” She shot that down.

  “As I suspected. That’s not what I meant though. Something was bothering you in the meeting.” Yoruichi, sharp as ever, detected the misdirection.

  “Hrrmph. I don’t want to become a crutch. Not even for the Draenei, but especially not for the Angels. For many reasons. The most important reason though, is that just the idea of being used like that annoys me.” She revealed. “I’ve been used my whole life, and I suppose I’ve had enough. If this life is supposed to be my cozy retirement, then this is where I draw the line.”

  “Yeah, I could sense it too. They were so certain that you’d help them wipe out the invaders. Your friends in the Draenei have some reason to assume that at least, as I get the sense that you did something similar in the past, but the Angels? Just because you look like you’re one of them? That’s a bold assumption.” Yoruichi wasn’t pleased either. “This isn’t even a job we’re being paid for.”

  Seraphiel gave a sigh. “Just because I have the power to just will most of the problems away, I don’t think I want to. It’s not good for anyone involved in the long run, and most of all, it’s boring. I don’t mind helping a friend or saving my allies on occasion, but…”

  Yoruichi had a small genuine smile on her face as she ran her hand through Seraphiel’s hair. “I know. And as much as you denied it earlier, you do crave entertainment and excitement. And you solving everyone’s problems wouldn’t be either.”

  Seraphiel gave a small mirthless giggle. “I suppose that makes me somewhat similar to the gods of this universe. I have the power to help, but I don’t.”

  "Well, you do in places. And there's a difference between almost institutional apathy and the unwillingness to be a tool and a crutch. Yes, the line might be blurry at places, but the line does exist." Yoruichi considered for a moment. "I suppose that comes down to the conundrum that most powerful heroes eventually have to face. If you do everything for them, and protect them from the consequences of their actions, you effectively remove the consequences of free will. And without that, is it really free will, or just the illusion of one?"

  “Now you sound just like Father.” She retorted.

  "Perhaps. Perhaps your Father knew something you didn't at that time. That's not to say all He chose was right, or that you can't come up with a better solution. It's not going to be simple though." Yoruichi said while continuing to hold her.