Azar paced back in forth in the large, spacious room overlooking Azarath. The room had large open windows, carpets on the ground that would rival Persian carpets, and drapes made of silk that felt and looked like it was handcrafted by the gods. "Has anything changed?" Azar asked, doing her best to remain regal and calm, the perfect picture of grace and elegance. She was ringing her hands nervously on the inside. One of the four seers sitting cross-legged on the carpet answered her, "Nothing, Regina. Everything is the same. In every scenario we have seen so far, the end is the same. Nothing has changed. When the child reaches the age of 12, Azarath will be destroyed."
"And Earth?" Azar asked.
"The same fate," another seer looked up at Azar with her large, turquoise eyes.
"Who else knows?" Azar asked.
"Only you, Regina," a different seer said softly.
"Thank you," Azar bowed her head in respect. She turned and walked out the room. After exiting the temple, Azar stared out at the vast city in front of her. She stifled a sob. She only wanted to protect a child who had something thrust upon her that she didn't deserve. She didn't mean to doom all of Azarath. She inhaled deeply, and exhaled softly. She needed to gather all of the elders; she could no longer keep this to herself.
"I say we cast her out. Send her back to Earth. She's their problem," an elder named Alec said.
"I'm not going to do that," Azar gave him a reproving look. "That is out of the question."
"But the demon growing inside her –"
"We don't know what the babe will look like," a female elder named Alba interrupted him.
"Take a look at Trigon's other children!" Alec contested.
"This one may be different," a different elder named Cicero spoke up. "this is a first for us. For the first time, we were able to get one of Trigon's brides."
"And now Azarath will be destroyed!" Alec yelled.
"And Earth," Hadriana, the fourth elder added.
"How sure are you that the portal will be opened?" Alba asked Azar.
"The number of futures our seers have seen are nearing infinity. They have not rested. I am thinking of telling them to stop. It's no use. He's coming no matter what we do."
"So, we're doomed!" Alec said in anger. "You have doomed us all!" he pointed at Azar. Azar held up a hand. "We need resolutions, not accusations."
"You say that no matter what we do, Trigon will come," Hadriana said, tapping her lip in thought. "So, what if we prepare the babe for the father's coming?" she asked. The other elders sat back in their chairs in deep contemplation.
"That could work," Cicera said. "Do we know why the child decides to open the portal?"
"Other than the fact that it's a demon!" Alec spat.
"If you have nothing to contribute to this meeting, you can leave," Azar pinned the old man with a dark glare. He immediately closed his mouth. "We don't know exactly why the child opens the portal," Azar said calmly. "Hadriana, you said we prepare the babe for its father's coming. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, every child of Trigon draws his powers from emotions, mainly their own emotions. Trigon thrives on strife and chaos which is why his children are so…unpredictable. Also, he intensifies their emotions, making them nightmares to deal with."
"We know how Trigon works," Alec rolled his eyes.
"Again," Alba reminded him, "you are welcome to leave."
"So we teach him to control his emotions, to mask them, make it impossible for Trigon to get a hold of him through them," Hadriana continued.
"A him?" Cicero asked.
"No daughter of Trigon has ever survived the full gestation period. Or infancy. Also, out of all the women Trigon has taken, maybe three or four carried girls," Alba said. While they had been discussing Trigon's children, Azar had been thinking about Hadriana's idea. "Hadriana," Azar said, "That could work."
"How?" Cicero asked. Alec spoke up. "It is important for babies to see emotions on their mother's face," he began to explain. "They learn mainly about anger and sadness by watching people's faces."
"So, we separate the baby from the mother when it's born?" Cicero asked still unsure.
"Absolutely not!" Azar said. "Arella has been through too much. I could not do that to her. I refuse."
"Well…what should we do then?" Alec asked. A moment of silence overtook the elders and Azar, each lost in their own thoughts. "We can try full-faced white masks," Alec offered.
"And scare the child to death?" Alba retorted. "What is wrong with you?"
"It won't scare the baby if that is all he is used to seeing for the first two years of his life," he answered.
"That may work," Hadriana said. "If we keep the child separated from all other children, we won't have to worry about the baby inadvertently absorbing other children's emotions."
"That's good," Azar said pacing back and forth, a plan already forming in her head. "We need to make sure the child forms no emotional attachments to anything and anyone."
"That means we are going to have to separate mother and daughter," Cicero said. Azar turned to face him. "No, we can't. Let her at least breastfeed the babe," Azar pled her case. At the end of the day, the choice was primarily hers.
"She is going to have to wear a mask," Alba said. Azar nodded in agreement. She could live with that. "Also, we should teach her to protect herself," Hadriana said. "Sir Xander can teach the child," her eyes lighting up. "He has mastered every form of marital arts and weaponry."
"We teach the child all forms of relaxation and meditation," Azar said. "We hone the child's abilities. And maybe, just maybe, instead of the child being a tool of Trigon's, the child can become a weapon to be wielded against Trigon." The elders nodded in agreement. "One can hope," Hadriana said. Sensing the meeting was coming to an end, Azar said, "I believe we are agreed. We will expand on the details later. You are all dismissed." The elders bowed respectfully to her as they exited the room. Azar began the long walk to the palace where Arella was housed. This was going to be a difficult conversation.