Odyssey of a Mage Part III

by mootjeman7

Part III of Odyssey of a Mage. Post Grindelwald era. Atticus Sayre, reincarnated soul has chosen to carry the fate of all Magical-Kind onto his shoulders. A weight that bears heavy on his soul for all that must be done. And it is a weight he intends carry all the way to the very stars. Ruthless, Determined SI-OC. Fem Riddle. Pre-Halo Crossover.

15. Chapter 79 Part I

Without further adieu, please enjoy the post!

Ps: I'm glad you guys like the reunion with Theo and Atticus :)

Note: If you would like to read ahead, the next chapter is available on discord whilst at least the next three chapters after it are available on P^A^T^R^E^O^N / Boombox117

The discord channel is d^i^s^c^o^r^d^.^g^g^/^v^r^8^8^t^6^4^Y^e^7

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1st of July 1957 – ICW Mugwump Chambers

Cihan Aslan, Ottoman Mugwump POV

A loud thump of the Supreme Mugwump's gavel sounded out throughout the chamber, the signalling of the official initiation of the Assembly.

From within the walls of these chambers, a rippling golden wave of magic permeated throughout the chambers before meeting at the very centre of the circular chambers.

A faint signature of magic remained for a few short moments, a faint glow indicating to all that the room was now magically sealed and impregnable, and enshrouded the chambers with secrecy charms and anti-espionage magic that would keep all that was agreed and discussed within the circular chambers of the Assembly.

The usual low level conversations were non-existent and the tension that Cihan had felt throughout the day had risen to a palpable crescendo.

It was that thick, the tension, that it felt akin to waiting for a mountain top to tear open from the burbling molten pressurised fire that lay below the thin veneer and the slightest ruffling of robes across the circular chambers was enough to interrupt the total silence that suffocated all those who attended.

Not surprising, Cihan mused.

It was easier to deal with a 'Dark Lord' and his followers than it was dealing with a nation. It changed the dynamics of the game and it threw the ICW into a loop that it had not had to deal with since the Statute Wars.

A period that was even more chaotic than the last war and as he looked towards the full assembly of Mugwumps, he sensed that many of them dreaded such a time.

Well…nearly full, he thought as his gaze fell towards the Japanese seat that was unoccupied before he looked towards the Benin seat that was also left empty.

The news of Illos had sent shockwaves throughout the magical world, shockwaves that seemed to threaten to engulf the entirety of the magical world.

News broken by the British, he thought as he spared the British representative a glance, a man who wore a stoic face and radiated calmness that was contrary to most others within these chambers, news that was later built upon by the Americans and then later by the Japanese papers a few days after they withdrew from ICW membership, and the magical world had scrambled to understand this new element.

An element that had disrupted, threatening even to change, the balance of power and an element that twenty five thousand magicals called home, a home that was claimed to be free from muggles and their lands.

Sayre had a record of upsetting the balance of power. Defeating Vermeer. Genelum. Croatia. Slovenia. Grindelwald. Italy. His disappearance with thousands…

This time…this time, he'd outdone himself.

Founding a nation of tens of thousands outside of muggle lands…

Only the most isolated communities such as small islands or villages in South Asia or villages on small islands Aegean sea could claim such a feat and none could boast more than few hundred let alone the tens of thousands that could claim Illos home.

Such a number catapulted Illos amongst the top twelve nations of the world in terms of population alone and given what the images had shown of Illos, the spiralling and gleaming stones of a huge city that could only compared to magical enclaves only a few blocks wide in Rome, Alexandria or Constantinople, the message was clear…

Illos could contend as one of the most powerful nations despite its youth.

Cihan had no idea how so many magicals could have made their way to Illos without anyone knowing though with the peripheral mystery of communities of Veela and Balkan wizarding communities disappearing, in hindsight they should have considered the possibility that they might have simply left instead of…

Cihan turned his gaze towards Cullaica, the Bulgarian Mugwump and he almost unconsciously let his expression fall into dark grimness.

The man with shock white hair that seemed like it shouldn't belong to anyone living, hair that seemed to be lacking all colour as a consequence from dying of soul-gripping terror – though he and his people knew that it was likely him that induced such terror in others – with mauve eyes that seemed permanently set in a kind of coldness that rendered souls brittle and made them prone to shattering.

He and his government believed that they had been responsible for the disappearances of entire villages once the pattern looked similar as to how they seized control in Bulgaria.

He broke away his gaze and returned his eyes to the Supreme Mugwump and his attentions to why they were here.

Cihan had met the man several times starting from when Sayre had been nothing but a precocious boy attaining his Runes Mastery and ending when he'd come to visit Constantinople in '48 less than six months before his exile.

The man had changed from that boy he'd met in Alexandria less than a decade prior to their final meeting but the boy's precociousness in magic had only flowered to greatness and it was clear that such a mix in a man, a mix of greatness in magic and greatness in stature, could never remain away from the magical world.

No matter what some hoped he would do.

Still…

It caught him flat footed alongside the rest of the magical world to understand that Sayre had built a genuine nation with thrice as many people in less than a decade.

No doubt the ICW investigative branch was already looking into how so many people could have found their way towards Sayre in the years since the exile.

Despite the surprising number of people that called Illos home, it was not what caught his attentions, no, that had been the size of Celestis city.

A city that could fit easily twice or thrice the number of Illos' current population and it was not a message that he expected many of its enemies would fail to understand.

Illos expected to grow.

The ICW immediately reacted as an emergency powers were enacted that would grant the ICW the liberty to sanction any member nation that was seen engaging with Illos until a general Mugwump Assembly could debate and agree to a course of action.

It was an act that outraged several nations.

It was not the first time that the ICW had infringed on the sovereignty of nations but it was most reactive and aggressive act thus far in centuries and it was clear that the organisation of the ICW already considered Illos an enemy.

Notably Britain and Ireland were the most outraged amongst the Ministries around the world, two nations who had significant cultural and blood ties to Illos and two nations who escaped much of the binds that the ICW had placed on Europe.

His gaze went towards them.

Before the civil unrest that rocked Magical Britain and predisposed the country to a political and social overhaul, he would have expected them to be the leading proponents of harsh measures to be employed against Illos if only for fear of what they may do in retaliation of Sayre's exile.

The ICW had been the greatest losers in that affair.

All the intrigue and influence they'd gained with the British Ministry and the noble families were ripped away in one single devastation that spelled the end of a powerful ally for the ICW and now…

And now, it was only a question of how soon, not if, the British Ministry would follow Benin and Japan out the door and into the welcoming arms of Illos.

Ouroboros was the extension of Lady Slytherin-Sayre's will even in her absence.

That was without question.

For years, the ICW Assembly had not voted to act against Slytherin-Sayre for the economic crisis for fear of provoking the return of Atticus Sayre as so eloquently reported by the negotiators would happen should the ICW extend their hostilities to his wife.

The international players had incontrovertibly known that Slytherin-Sayre was a dangerous element yet despite that had thought she would be contained politically by the British Ministry and the powerful consortium of nobles despite the then growing influence of Ouroboros.

And for years, it seemed like it had been a decision that paid off. Until it didn't and until it was made obvious how much they had lost in that gamble. The Sayres' position was only further strengthened with a powerful Britain secured.

Many of the hawkish ICW Mugwumps and European Ministries who had called for action after the economic crisis were vindicated and Cihan knew that it would become more difficult to suppress more aggressive calls for action.

'Perhaps even impossible' he mused as he switched his attentions to the Irish Mugwump.

Ireland was in a similar situation.

The Irish had been vehemently resistant to the educational reforms and oversight that the ICW was rolling out throughout the world and resisted any incursions into the Seshet Institute of Magic and Science along with refusing any kind of restrictions into their vital magi-tech industry that was now the bedrock of the Irish economy.

The school and the industry had become points of pride for the prickling Irish.

It brought them prestige and placed them on the map.

And with the emergence of Illos, a nation that seemed to hold almost as many ties to Ireland as it did with Britain, there were few who didn't expect the Irish to be at least be somewhat partial to the new nation state.

It was no surprise then that they were subject to suspicion and distrust from fellow Mugwumps and were viewed the next 'colleagues' to bring word of their nation disentangling from the ICW and join in treaty with Illos as Japan had done and Benin sought to do.

The disentanglement of Japan had been unexpected but not to a significant degree. The only surprise had been how quickly they had joined in treaty with Illos.

It answered many questions with regards to their disengagement with most of their neighbours despite Magical Japan's economy historically needing their products.

Cihan had not paid much attentions to the Far East – not when his attentions necessitated him and his government to closely and grimly watch the rise of another dangerous foe in the Balkans and around the Black Sea – but he had idly thought that the Japanese might seclude themselves away just as they once upon a time had done in the thirteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

It seems like that was far from the case and had instead pivoted away towards Illos after likely having been in contact with the Sayres for years before the nation's emergence to the world stage.

In hindsight, it was an excellent move by both nations.

It gave Illos the immediate legitimacy it would need as a nation by being allied to a historically powerful – if beleaguered – nation such as Japan whilst for Japan it would grant them access to vast stores of Sayre wealth and resources that had gone 'missing' in the decade since.

In the years since the wars ended, Japan had been largely reduced in influence, both economically and magically despite their relatively large population.

Cihan and his government believed it ICW policy to weaken powerful nations in the aftermath of the Grindelwald war so that another Dark Lord would not have the resources available to fight as effectively as Grindelwald had whilst also centralising most of the magical world's power into the ICW.

Magical Britain's economic woes had been several orders of magnitude worse than the rest of Europe and had been neutralised for years whilst France had increasingly become economically isolated from the rest of occupied or ICW influenced Europe.

The withdrawal of MACUSA from ICW membership with most of their economy intact had only seemed to embolden the ICW to this course of action.

They did this through several different measures but the most insidiously clever policy had been to rebuild the economies of fallen or occupied nations through the ICW, to negotiate trade agreements with other ICW members on behalf of the member states.

The economic crisis of 1948 had only helped bind more and more ICW member states, particularly European states, to these trade agreements facilitated by the ICW.

It allowed the ICW immeasurable levels of influence throughout the Magical World.

The Ottoman Sultanate had not been able to resist nor did they fight against these policies but thankfully the trade agreements his people had were limited in scope.

Their Sultanate, from Constantinople to Aleppo, had the climate to grow or create their own needs. Once having been part of the Ottoman Empire before they were betrayed by the duplicitous Sultan Mehmed II, they had been able to get their hands on priceless artefacts, tomes and magical flora and fauna that allowed them to become nearly entirely self-sustaining.

Outside of the Crimean war that the Russian magicals had seen fit to attempt to use to win back Constantinople, the remarkably magical city steeped with ancient magicks much like Rome and Alexandria were due to its convergence on several leylines, the Ottoman Sultanate had not been involved in a war for centuries.

Unlike their muggle counterparts, the Ottoman Sultanate had remained out of the games played around the world, their strength and culture had made them mostly impervious to the games that mainland Europe often fell prey to.

Unfortunately, it seemed like this time the Ottoman Sultanate would not be able to be neutral, not if the ICW had any say in it. Or Sayre, he mused to himself.

The 'Wizarding Organisation of Trans-Regional Alliance' treaty of 1952 voted into international law with alarming two-thirds of the votes, made it clear that they could no longer provide only a pittance of their forces to an ICW-led force.

Even states like the German Ministry or the Danish Ministry had voted for it.

Their findings found that the ICW had been enticing the former Grindelwaldites closer to the ICW, giving up direct control of the Ministries under occupation and turning a blind eye to the nobility regaining their powers in return of the ICW retaining significant influence over the Ministries and alignment of foreign policy.

This was a measure repeated across ICW protectorates though with greater control to the point that it was getting harder to argue that these protectorates were anything but extensions of the ICW will.

Not even schools were free from the interference of the ICW when even Durmstrang, the bulwark school for the Dark Arts was neutered to 'acceptable' Dark Arts.

More and more, the ICW was turning into a senate more than what it was meant to be…simply a loose alliance entrusted to keep the magical world secret.

Many Mugwumps from Protectorates were former ICW persons and Mugwumps from Northern European nations had fallen in line with the ICW doctrines.

All of that along with the growth of the International Auror Forces, the expansion of the Administration Agency and other ICW bodies was an unprecedented signal that the ICW was changing at its very core.

His gaze swept across the room, the tangible feeling of wary anticipation rising.

It was no surprise then there was a growing divide in the past few years across the magical world though it was silent and watchful. But now…there was opportunity.

Benin had sensed it and taken it however sudden and shocking it was.

Benin notified the International Confederation of Wizards of their exiting from the supranational organisation three days ago and within that same day, rumours circulated that their diplomats had gone to Illos on a diplomatic mission shocking the magical world even further.

Benin had never been impressed by the ICW despite their peaceful admittance into the organisation. Not when it shattered their relatively harmonious relationship with the muggle world. Not when they conceded to the ICW lest they share the fate of dozens of other neighbouring tribes who'd refused and had been wiped out as a consequence during the Statute Wars.

Benin's exit might well be repeated by several other member states now that the precedent of a middling member state leaving the organisation has been set.

His eyes swept towards the South American wing of the chambers.

There were eight official South American Mugwumps with Brazil, Chile and Colombia were all in the top six of the most populous nations in the world, each boasting a population around fifty thousand, nearly two-thirds of the entire population of the Americas.

Only MACUSA and the Confederation of Chinese Mages were larger in population, both boasting populations of over a hundred thousand peoples. Though that figure was mostly likely significantly less now after the humiliation the Chinese suffered from the muggles as their population scattered into the northern regions of China.

The three South American nations were allied with one another, often working together to maintain peace with dark wizards who ruled regions in South America outside of governmental and international oversight.

He could see them leveraging Illos' emergence to demand support in destroying the powerful coalition of dark wizards that ruled like kings in magical enclaves all throughout the continent.

South America had always had problems with dark wizards going all the way back to the Aztec and Inca empires before the European migration to the continent.

The Statute Wars had inflicted great damage to both native and European magical states and to this day there were entire regions that were ungovernable, dens of regions where dark mages congregated and coalesced into facsimiles of nation states.

Brazil, Chile and Colombia throughout their history had tried to establish order but it was largely without success and often subjected them to decades long wars. They did not have the manpower nor the inherent power of archmages or high sorcerers to wipe them out and in the end always had to settle for a difficult stalemate.

The Argentines were the more successful of these 'nation states', having managed to at least create a semblance of a Ministry even if it was subject to the same coups and power struggles that a dozen other facsimiles of civilisation were subject to.

The introduction of Illos into the world stage changed the entire political game and for the first time in a long time, the ICW would need to be able contend with it.

South America, Africa and Asia were all regions susceptible to Illos' influence and the ICW would need to react quickly and decisively if they wished to retain their dominance throughout the magical world.

His own government would wait and watch and see what the ICW reactions will be.

The harsh measure they employed for even talking with Illos made it clear that the ICW undeniably saw the new nation state a threat but it felt…forced, as if it was meant to cause outrage at their overreaction.

The Supreme Mugwump was about to speak and Cihan returned his attentions to the old Italian man.

Every month on the first, the Mugwumps would assemble.

Almost always, it was a forgettable affair. Not today. Not when a clearer picture of what the Sayres had built had become apparent and had been verified.

"Honoured Members of the International Confederation of Wizards" The Supreme Mugwump began, his voice stretching into the furthest reaches of the room, and proceeded with the long winded ceremonial words before he finished with

"The three-thousandth and fifty-first session of the Mugwump Assembly may commence." The Supreme Mugwump's gaze roved around until they settled on Boutros who was keen to speak.

"Mugwump Boutros has the floor."

The Mugwump of Egypt stood up, the full attention of the room drawn towards him "Thank you Supreme Mugwump" the light skinned man said respectfully before he turned his gaze towards the room.

"Since the turn of the century, our world has seen tremendous change, in part as a consequence of the changing nature of our muggle neighbours. Agitators had been left to run rampant, unsettling nation after nation, peoples after peoples, and as an outcome we have fought in the worst single wizarding war since history began to be recorded over six thousand years ago." The Egyptian Mugwump began and Cihan could see the uneasy expressions of several Mugwumps with where this was going.

"The Sayres" The Egyptian Mugwump began, an indrawn breath drawn out to create gravity to his following words "Are only the latest set of agitators but they are a grave threat. This so called Illos is not a state!" Boutros exclaimed feverishly, his index finger rising into the air and seemed to almost stab at the air.

"No, Illos is an abomination, a mockery of the institutions and governments that govern our world. Thousands of peoples are indoctrinated and led by two dictators who have stylised themselves as monarchs –" Boutros seemed to turn purple in rage

"– in a perfidious gambit to obfuscate the fact that they are nothing but Dark Wizards. Dark Wizards who are a grave threat to the peace that we have so carefully forged out!" This led to several murmur in approval whilst a few held their tongue but not the derisiveness from their expressions.

Notably, this included the Croatian and Serbian Mugwumps who sat tensely only a few seats away from Cullaica. The ICW had refused to act against the Ravenites.

"I demand that we act against them to curtail them lest we face another devastating consequence!" Boutros said, his voice rising in volume and the room responded to the words with the explosive rupture of a pressured sealed bottle, jeers and approvals and shouts rippling through the chamber.

"What evidence do you have for this accusation?" The Mugwump for Portugal demanded much to the mostly approving murmurs of the chambers.

"Evidence?!" The German Mugwump Holtz said in an agitated tone as he stood up, a paper thrown towards the circular floor, the noise level of the chamber rising.

"There's your evidence!"

Cihan looked and could distantly make out that it was the issue had the Sayres as imperious as royalty.

"They have made themselves Royalty, Mugwump De Souza, an act that only despots and Dark Lords commit before they sweep across the magical world!" The German Mugwump exclaimed much to great approval of many of the gathered Mugwumps.

De Souza looked at Holtz with what he could only describe as contemptuous "Dark Lords are also called Lords. Does that mean every Lord is a potential Dark Lord?"

"Of course not." Holtz said offended.

Before he could retort, De Souza seized the stage again "Then by your own logic, we should not claim the Sayres as rising despots simply for what the people have voted them to become."

De Souza narrowed her eyes "As Boutros so eloquently stated, we have only just exited a devastating war that killed many. The last thing we need is another war with the very individual who rid us from the actual tyrant that wanted to initiate a war of survival with the muggles!" she said outraged before she sat down, the noise rising heavily as factions of Mugwumps shouted down or approved of her words.

"Order!" The Supreme Mugwump called out, his gavel banging and sending out a wave of silencing magicks that killed all the noise in the room.

"I will not have this session descend into anarchy." The Supreme Mugwump called out imperiously and after glaring down at several individuals, he cancelled the magic and spoke to Holtz "Mugwump Holtz, you have the floor."

"As my esteemed colleague suggested" Holtz said with a barely hidden sneer, one that De Souza coldly smiled at "we should do all we can to avoid another war however we must not be blind as we had been to Grindelwald for so long! I fear that should we leave the Sayres and this Illos unattended, it would spell the very end of our world!" Holtz theatrically exclaimed and Cihan scoffed as he looked at the man with derision amidst loud rise of angry murmurs and cheers.

The Holtz family had supported Grindelwald and his cause for nearly half a decade prior to the start of the war. In all instances, the Holtz family should have been penalised heavily in their actions in support of the Dark Lord and yet they were once more influential in Germany…and in the very halls of international power itself.

Cihan glanced to Boutros and saw that he had sat down, watching the gathered Mugwumps with a careful eye and Cihan resisted the urge to narrow his eyes in suspicion.

"What hyperbole! You would not be out of place in a theatre with the kind of dramatics you're speaking with!" The Dutch Mugwump said in a scathing yet mocking voice that caused a ripple of laughter and jeers to sound around the room.

The German Mugwump stared hatefully at De Fries.

The Dutch hated the German Ministry with a passion who made up a significant portion of Grindelwald forces working with the German muggles that ended up destroying the Amsterdam enclave and much of their commercial streets in 1940.

The resurgent German nobility was a slap to the Dutch – and Belgian – faces. Holtz' presence only seemed to poke at that wound.

"You claim we should learn from the past but I doubt the honourable Mugwump Holtz practices what he preaches in any particular manner!" De Fries said, generating a turbulent wave of noise amongst the Mugwumps before he continued

"Sayre has not committed untold number of crimes before his rise to power and neither has his wife. To compare him to Grindelwald is an insult to not only him but to those who suffered by Grindelwald's wand and that of his followers by cheapening the sheer madness of Grindelwald and of his followers! Madness that would have sought to make the final solution of the muggle Germans seem like a trip through paradise!" The Dutch Mugwump said angrily as he pointed towards Holtz who rose to his feet, fury etched on his face.

The room descended into chaos and it took the Supreme Mugwump threatening to throw out people for it to calm down.

"No one had known Grindelwald had such a mad plan in mind." the Danish Mugwump spoke up calmly after the room settled down and drew a wave of disapproving murmurs and scoffs from Mugwumps from nations hardest hit by Grindelwald and his collaborators.

He continued "Even to those who were coerced into supporting the Dark Lord and that is why we must be vigilant about the Sayres lest we face another madman who may very well spell the doom of the magical world. We all know now that the muggles are increasingly more dangerous than they were just a few decades ago. Another war leaking out into the muggle world would be disastrous! We must ensure that rebellious elements are brought to heel!" The Danish Mugwump finished with a flourish and drew applause from almost half of the Assembly.

It was worrying that many Mugwumps from Protectorates were seemingly in support of direct action.

"Honoured Mugwumps" a cultured, patient voice cut through the noise and Cihan directed his gaze towards the voice.

"Is that the only option we have available to us?" The Mugwump for Siam posed. "War?" The Siamese Mugwump asked before he shook his head

"What legal right do we have to vote for such a thing?" The Siamese Mugwump – Rotchanachan – posed to the quieted Mugwumps "They have not broken the Statute nor have they engaged with illicit activities in either world. Not even the Non-Interference Law of 1803 applies. I fail to see the reason why war or aggressive actions is needed at all." The Siamese Mugwump looked at Holtz with a deep frown.

"Even when Grindelwald was known to be Germany or in Austria, this Assembly did not vote for war with the Austrian and German Ministries. Only when the Statute had been nearly irrevocably broken and German, Austrian and Danish accessory to the crime had been determined had this Assembly voted for war against Grindelwald and the supporting Ministries.

I cannot stress how disturbing it would become if this Assembly voted for war against a non-belligerent nation for it would set a precedent that none of our peoples would wish to be set." The Siamese Mugwump said calmly to a listening crowd. It seemed like his words were having an effect as he continued.

"Is not the function of this body to discuss and find solutions to difficult problems and questions of the magical world? Is diplomacy not the medium through which we act and only as a last resort do we not vote to act with force?" the Siamese Mugwump shook his head amidst rising murmurs amongst the Mugwumps.

"Or have I misunderstood the purpose of this Assembly for a militant organisation uncaring for the rule of law and upkeep of common values and morality?" The Siamese Mugwump said with his arms moving behind his back, a solemn expression on his face as more than a few Mugwumps jeered at his insinuation.

"Mugwump Holtz, Mugwump Boutros, I protest heavily against the rash and harmful rhetoric that is being flung about and I ask from this Assembly for more careful and measured dialogue and to reject the rash calls for war" the Siamese man said, pausing briefly before he spoke again

"We barely know anything about Illos or their intentions and to act without understanding is to be foolish and without wisdom" finished before he sat down to a cacophony of twisting sounds of approval and disapproval.

Boutros had no discernible expression on his face whilst Holtz was far easier to read with his stormy expression. It was Boutros who rose to speak "Thank you honourable Mugwump Rotchanachan. I agree that calls for war is premature" Boutros said with a fixed glare at Holtz who bristled at the comment but kept his tongue

"However I do not believe it is premature to place measures against Illos to prevent them from plunging our world in chaos. They may not have broken any laws that govern civilised magical society but they have certainly skirted it.

They have retreated from the world only to resurface for whatever reason with a population almost thrice as high as the number that left with Atticus Sayre in '48.

Where did these people come from? Why have the Sayres decided to become wizarding royalty, something that has not happened for over a thousand years? Why have they decided to show themselves to the world now?

Why have they not made any attempts of communication to the ICW? All of these are valid questions that Illos must answer. Atticus Sayre is a dangerous man who has left ruin and devastation in his wake and we must be certain he will not return to the magical world only to continue where he has left off!" Boutros said amidst a deafening noise of approval.

"Ruin?" The French Mugwump silkily asked though the undertone of anger was not hard to miss "Had he led Europe to ruin when he fought for months alone with barely a hundred men in occupied France before practically liberating France with his men and the Resistance?" Maurinouix posed with heat in his voice.

The French public had not been happy with what they considered to be the 'abandonment of a national hero even if he was English' by their government, especially once it was known that Sayre protected France from economic recession.

"Had he led Europe to ruin when he liberated one nation after another all throughout Southern and Eastern Europe? Or did he leave devastation in his ruin when he practically ran to Belgium where ICW Forces were in the process of total annihilation arriving just in time to defeat the most terrible Dark Lord in history?"

Murmurs of approvals rang around the room, particularly the Belgian, the Dutch and several other Eastern European nations including Slovenia and Croatia, two nations that Sayre personally liberated.

Cullaica was silent, almost bored with the proceedings but Cihan knew the man was paying close attentions to the arguments. After all, the protections the ICW was giving to the Ravenites had to be relate to all of this.

"He was also personally responsible for leading the economic disaster that still plagues us today!" The Norwegian Mugwump said. "His own people exiled him for his radical ideas and actions that threatened to plunge Britain into civil war! Who is to say he does not intend for this to happen to all of the rest of us?!"

"His own people did not exile him" The British Mugwump interjected as he stood up, drawing the full attention of the chamber to himself.

Hodgekins continued "That was an act by a repressive Ministry not representative of the peoples of the British Isles. A repressive Ministry that has been found guilty of a swathe of crimes against the people of Magical Britain. The exiling of Atticus Sayre and that of the House of Sayre has been declared void and null."

Murmurs rang around the chambers before Hodgekins continued though not without look at the Austrian Mugwump reproachfully "Atticus Sayre is not a threat that some elements within this organisation make him out to be."

"Hear hear" Maurinouix said with an approving nod before he sat down.

"It does not change the fact that we still know nothing but what they have allowed us to know about Illos." The Egyptian Mugwump interjected "They may not be hostile – which I strongly believe they are – but we do not know of their intentions especially to the adherence to the Statute which is unanimous across the magical world irrespective if you are a member state or not. They must comply!"

"Their silence to our generous overtures is worrying and it should worry all of us." The Egyptian Mugwump finished and Cihan suspected that it was intentionally said to aggravate the representatives as fear once more was raised.

The Mugwump for India spoke up "It is highly concerning that grave accusations are being brought against a nation that is unable to speak for itself here just as the notion of a nation requiring to open itself to ICW scrutiny without due cause is which is effectively what Mugwump Boutros is advocating for!" This caused the room descend into argumentative shouts and jeers until a voice rose above all others

"Why should it be concerning when we know that Archmages like Sayre rarely seize power without nefarious means? When we know that throughout time Archmages have rebelled against the magical world to bring about their version of the world?" The Mugwump for Italy said causing the room to fall into more murmurs and noises of consideration.

"Wasn't that what he was exiled for in Britain? Because he was not content to be a hero to the people but instead wished to change the entire face of Magical Britain?" The Italian Mugwump, Carlo Totti, posed to the room.

"Who is to say that Illos isn't merely a medium to drive his radical ideals into the magical world? Perhaps we are wrong. Perhaps we are desperately wrong. But we do not know for Illos is unknown and as the honourable Mugwump for Egypt has said, Illos must respond to us to ensure we can understand what its intentions are!"

The Italian Mugwump received loud cheers and applause from many Mugwumps for his little speech that added nothing to the debate that hadn't already been said.

The Supreme Mugwump got things back into control before the Irish Mugwump rose to his feet "Our esteemed Mugwump for Egypt has raised some valid points, particularly as to why Illos has not returned ICW overtures for communication." The Irish Mugwump reached out to his pocket and brought out a piece of parchment.

"This is a note sent to me by our friends across the Atlantic. A note from Illos' Chancellor Saunders that seeks to answer this question and if I may, I can read this out to the chamber." Mugwump Kelly offered to the room.

Noise in favour of Kelly reading out the note was overwhelming and for the first time Boutros looked slightly alarmed and shared a look with the Supreme Mugwump who banged his gavel, silencing the room once more "I will allow it." The Supreme Mugwump said though his expression made clear that he was reluctant to do so.

"'Honoured members of the International Confederation of Wizards, I am Chancellor Saunders of Illos, the leader of the executive branch of our government.

I thank you for hearing my words.

I am sure that our return to the magical world has been unprecedented, not least in the manner we have returned however it was inevitable.

We left the magical world not because we did not want to be part of it but rather to build own home that embodied the best of all worlds and peoples.

And we have achieved that despite the challenges we faced, despite the many issues we had to resolve and in the end we have become a resilient people.

A people of many people who call Illos home and its people their people.

A people that wish for friendly, perhaps even fruitful, relationships with other peoples that we may call brothers and sisters. We mean you or your people no harm.

We are a peaceful nation and seek not to impose ourselves on others.

That is why I am willing to sit and talk with representatives from all around the magical world as potential friends or otherwise as people who understand neither mean the other any harm.

MACUSA has gracefully offered New York as a meeting site.

If you doubt our words, then please look to His and Her Majesties actions throughout their lives. Their values of equality, of integrity and wellbeing of all magical races and peoples is well documented and it is to those values that we as a people look to uphold.

We left Magical Britain because of oppression and inequality. It is the last thing we wish to impose on others and it is not what all Illosians wish to do, not when many had fought against such evils during the Grindelwald war.

The Chancellor of Illos, Sandra Saunders'

Silence reigned for a few moments before the Mugwump for Austria rose from his seat and spoke up "How do we know that it is genuine, the note? And even if it is genuine, what trust can we place in a mere note that may as well be worth less than the cost of parchment on which it's written on." The Austrian Mugwump, Lentz said

"It is genuine." The Irish Mugwump confirmed "I have statements written with blood quills to the genuineness of the note and from whom it stems from." The crowd of Mugwumps murmured, more introspective than aggressive.

"And what of the Sayres?" the German Mugwump asked sharply

"Will they be in this meeting?"

"I do not know. I know as much as you do now that I have read out this note." The Irish Mugwump said in a tone as dry as a desert, one that Holtz didn't appreciate. "But given that Chancellor Saunders seems to function much like a Minister would, I believe you would meet with her." The Irish Mugwump looked a little exasperated

"In the end, does it even matter who you meet if you get to learn of the kind of threat they represent? If diplomacy can win out or not?" The Irish Mugwump asked keenly and the German Mugwump sat back down, a displeased look on his face.

The session then turned more respectable, debates churned out and arguments sung and when the vote came, a more measured response succeeded albeit narrowly with 59% of the vote going towards suspending further action until this meeting with this Saunders was had.

It was hours later that he sat in a booth in a secluded private room in a well-known shisha bar. The hanging beads rustled and the booth opposite him filled.

"Mugwump Sina." Cihan greeted before he drew of his pipe and gestured the brown skinned man opposite him to take the spare pipe.

"Mugwump Aslan." The Persian man returned, a dip of his head allowed a few of his long silken black hair to fall in front of his shoulders.

They remained in amiable silence as both smoked, contently drawing onto the flavoured tobacco. Cihan took a moment to take in the man's features.

He was tall man with a slight frame, almost twig like but his face bore a kind of regal presence that men of his family line often held. The Sina family were amongst the oldest of all the Persian and Babylonian families remaining.

When some left for safety in Egypt or India, they remained.

They survived the Abbasids, the Umayyads, the Seljuqs and a host of other empires and caliphates throughout the ages. Even the Ottoman Empire.

A hardy people despite appearances.

"What did you make of the session?" Sina asked casually before drawing on the pipe

"Performative." Cihan said after breathing out the smoke.

"I couldn't help but see that our Egyptian friend was keenly watching some of our colleagues." Sina commented, his hazel brown eyes lazily studying Cihan's expressions.

Cihan made a non-committal sound before he drew another puff from the shisha, a larger intake this time. He blew out the smoke and sat back in his chair, his eyes set on the Persian.

"Guinea, Barbados and several states voting in favour of the meeting?"

Sina smiled dryly and it was a smile that said enough. Protectorates voting in opposite to the stance of the nations known to be deeply entrenched with the ICW?

"India this time of year is quite lovely." Sina said musingly after a puff of smoke, breaking the moments of silence.

"In particular Goa which is always a prime holidaying location."

Cihan said nothing for a few moments before he spoke "The turquoise waters are a sight to behold." He agreed before he drew in a smoke eyeing the man intently

"It's always surprising to find out that its white sandy beaches are far more different than those west across the ocean."

"Quite. I know a number of people who are quite envious of the beaches and ocean down south. So much so they like to visit the region more often than you'd expect." Sina said as he laid down the pipe and stood up.

"Mugwump Aslan." Sina said with a bow of the head and Cihan returned the formal goodbye and he watched the man retreat out of the private room.

The Persians were allies with a number of smaller nations around the lands between Persia, China and India. Many of these smaller nations were offshoots or mixtures of Arabic, Turkic, Asiatic and Persian magical peoples displaced throughout the ages.

Once enemies for thousands of years turned into centuries long allies and it seemed like the Ottoman Sultanate was invited to more…freely spoken dialogue.

He would relay this to his people and a weary sigh broke out before he drew on his pipe with a contemplative look on his face.

It seemed like this century would be anything but peaceful.

-Break-

6th of July – Illos

He stared out of the window, his gaze falling on the gleaming stones of Celestis.

At around midday, the light of the three orbs hit the stones just right, just perfectly, that it made it seem like they were composed of molten light with flickering shards of stars arrayed in all possible colours and intensity interspersed in its seamless form.

He always liked looking at the city like this, when it was midday and the city was at its most alive. People went about their normal lives, meeting with others, living life freely like little dancing fires across a plain of breathlessly hot fire, apart but united in the goals and values they all shared. He could see it plainly in the magic that coursed throughout Illos.

Magic that linked and connected all through magic and magic, ever since the Mithril veins began to run through Illos, that was at its most potent at this time too, and like a churning sun fuelled by the constant soothing hum of coursing Mithril it swept across his home with an intensity and potency that felt like searing warmth grafting itself onto his bones.

He allowed his eyelids to fall, his magic reigning loose as he left himself drift along the powerful currents of magic that coursed through Illos, and he simply stood in silence and at peace as he felt everything around him.

There was tangible sense of happiness, an immutable flavour of contentment that tinged at the magic that permeated through Illos, a consequence of so many thousands of people sharing such an outlook on their lives.

He never wanted it to end, he thought as his eyes breached open and he once more gazed upon the city. Yet he knew that the coming decades would become a challenging time for his people. A time that would forge his people into a hardy lot that would solidify their identity and culture into something as nearly indestructible as neutronium-adamantium alloy.

The corners of his mouth curled up, a strange feeling of pride and wonder and almost a mixed sense of loss came over him at what his people would become, what his people would set forth for future generations to look back on and emulate and better.

It was a curious notion, he mused as he broke off his gaze from the city and looked upon Celestis Mount.

Manifest Destiny.

The Americans had coined it the mid 19th century, proclaiming that the United States was destined by God to expand its dominion and spread Democracy and Capitalism and Americanism across the entire North American continent.

Hmm…

It was not an idea that was unique to the Americans…this sense of destiny. This sense of duty to a higher power. A mission given by God or Gods. Throughout human history, such lines of thinking had driven man to great heights and the lowest of low.

No matter if you were magical or muggle, this was a psyche that was built into their people, this framework, this mind-set that drove man as one unit into a common cause that could move mountains, heavens and earth, to achieve what they've set out to do with a sense of inevitability about them.

Was it any wonder, then, that he was cultivating such a psyche in his people, a cultivation of the idea, no, prophecy of a greater destiny for the people of Illos, one that would herald greatness for all that claimed it home and greatness of their civilisation beyond this beautiful but measly world, one that had a visible and great enemy in the image of Goliath, a hulking, bulking goliath of an entity that was intent on tearing them apart, intent on pulling down on their ankle as they tried to soar into the heavens to claim it for their own?

And it would work, he mused to himself, a little more introspective as he stared at the three orbs. The Men of Symbols were missing on this component in this war with him. They were so focused on him that they were missing the forest for the trees.

It was his greatest advantage. He allowed a hint of a smile to come onto his face. How odd it was, that people thought he was the greatest threat when in reality his greatest strength was his people, his people who would become the backbone of the greatest civilisation in the universe?

In time, of course, and he would build the foundations for it to happen. He'd come too far for it fall through his fingers and he'd done too much for it all to have been pointless.

And with that thought, he let himself sink into his mind, into his forged chamber within his consciousness and pulled alongside the threads of possibilities that existed simultaneously, that existed alongside one another only pulled into existence once events and reactions and choices were made and he learnt and watched as it all played out.

In the presence, in the future.

There was a kind of symmetry, in a way.

The way that despite knowing the course the future could take, it still needed him to act and change and interfere as he would always have done if he hadn't known the future at all. Only now, such actions were pre-actions, such interferences were pre-interferences, and such changes were merely written out of existence in this universe.

He had his opponents as he always would have done and they were almost as able as he was even if they were limited.

After all, did it matter if someone perfected one type of punch if it could have the same effect as a thousand different punches?

Once more, the future changed and other outcomes became more likely and once more it changed as he set about changing a detail here, a detail there, like twisting and solving a Rubrics Cube made out of threads of time that was always threatened to escape through the gaps of his fingers.

This time tomorrow, he expected another significant change, another change set to disadvantage him and to return to their desired yet fruitless future.

It couldn't continue, he knew this yet it was impossible for him to act. For now.

Their deaths in the 1970s was slipping out of his hands and any time he set the future for them to die now or soon, the future that he was carefully working towards became difficult if not impossible without having to become the very thing he did not want him and Emily to become.

Similarly, they were wizening up and were taking the long approach, one that seemed to suggest they intended to sap him, to weaken him into making a mistake that might win them everything.

He withdrew out of the streams of time and breathed out inaudibly as he reopened his eyes. How bothersome, he thought wearily. They were bothersome.

If he'd known more years ago, before they'd realised his capabilities, he'd have gotten rid of them all.

Still, he knew there were ways to retake the advantage.

The Monk had shown him the possibilities of such manipulation. He hadn't been able to succeed in the method but he was beginning to understand at least mechanisms behind the underlying theory.

He'd see how successful he was getting with a small demonstration…

The door to his office opened and his mind returned to more immediate matters.

"Sir?" Jennifer called out and he turned around, his arms behind his back.

"You may bring Chief Amadou in." Atticus said with an appreciating smile on his face and Jennifer nodded, quite familiar with his idiosyncrasies and his prescience.

A middle aged man dressed in west African garments was escorted in by the guards.

"Chief Amadou" Atticus said with the short nod, one of respectful acknowledgement but measured and restraint.

"Your Majesty" Chief Amadou said respectfully as he placed his closed fist on his chest and gave a light bow. It was recognition of his status as King or in their language Sinaboko, their equivalent of a royal monarch.

After a few more ceremonial greetings, Atticus spoke with more ease "It is good to see you again." He said with a smile as he gestured the man to take a seat.

Amadou chuckled, a broad grin that showcased his pearly white teeth gripped his face "It is! Much has changed, hasn't it…Your Grace?" Amadou said knowingly.

Atticus allowed a shadow of a smile to surface "Indeed they have. Have you enjoyed your stay here in the past week?" he asked of the man.

The Benin diplomats had been here for a week and had been in talks with Smith-Rowe and several other High Council members like Sassa Habbe in lieu of Sandra who was away to America whilst Emily was in South America.

This was the first time he was meeting a representative from Benin. There was always the chance that one could be too involved when others could take the load from you whilst simultaneously strengthening the perception of your trust in them.

"I have." Amadou said smilingly though there undoubtedly a question brimming in his eyes "I have not felt this invigorated for many years!"

Atticus smiled "Illos is a magical place, Chief Amadou. In more ways than one." Atticus said to the man who seemed to pick up some inference in his words.

Atticus clicked his fingers and two porcelain cups appeared before a coffee pitcher materialised and Atticus directed his magic to pour in the coffee in both cups.

Amadou gave Atticus a smile of appreciation as he took the cup.

They fell into a minute of silence as they enjoyed their cup of coffee and Atticus mind drifted towards the Benin diplomatic mission.

When he and Emily visited the African nation in '47, they'd established good relations with many of the tribes. Their genuine interest in their culture, the history of their peoples and in the multitude of different schools of magic – though similar in most ways – had earned them a measure of respect and greater warmth as they exchanged ideas and understandings of magic and the nature of the universe.

It was there that he learned more about the spiritual component of magic, a component that was tied deeply to the Domain as echoes of those who lived could be called upon just as the Resurrection Stone had been able to call upon echoes though with far greater restrictions than the Stone which had been able to call upon those not of any relation to him.

Much of the necromantic arts of the Vodun Shamans had been preserved and it was through that way that he'd been able to see his father again even if he had not been able to speak with him.

The 'ylɔylɔ' chant, which translated to 'The Calling' was tied to family magic and the connection the soul makes with the departed person. It drew on those two connections and they were able to communicate, albeit in a limited fashion, with an echo of their loved ones.

He knew that it was truly the Domain and truly an echo and not a clever trick of magic as he'd seen the strand of white light that connected the ghostly forms to beyond the atmosphere.

He was immensely impressed with them and it filled him immeasurable appreciation of the Voduns who were ahead of their times and may even had in some way inspired the creation of the Deathly Hallows.

Or perhaps just as civilisations around the world had in their own way cultivated plants into farms thousands of miles and years apart, both the Peverells and the Voduns had independently created magicks that was astounding and should have been beyond them.

In any case, the Benin people were a people that he liked a lot and he was pleased that at least this was going well without much possibility of it derailing.

The Illosian representatives had debriefed him and they were getting close to establishing a treaty of friendship backed up by a number of trade agreements.

It wasn't much, not yet but it was more because the Benin Ministry did not want overcommit when it wasn't certain they wouldn't be left in the dust if the ICW proved itself…less predictable.

Illos' emergence gave the Benin the opportunity to break away from the ICW which was growing into an organisation that was less a confederation accountable to its member states and more a federation where Benin's voice meant very little.

Plus, within the historical context, the ICW had never tried to improve its standing with the Benin tribes and it wasn't just the central position of Alexandria that the ICW chose to make it its headquarters.

Africa once could lay claim to as the producers of the most powerful mages in the world on a regular basis, far more than it was doing so now, and it had been a major problem as many tribes refused to adhere to the Statute in the late 1690s and early 1700s.

Whilst South America had been the most devastated continent, Africa had been the most to lose when it came to knowledge and power when the Statute Wars ended.

And with the rise of Christianity in many African nations, magic became intolerable further isolating many tribes into small enclaves all around the African continent.

Benin had capitulated early during the Statute Wars when they realised that they couldn't win, at least for long and any relationship founded on demands and threats of war never could settle into stability. Not if the more powerful did not approach with a carrot to assuage hurt pride and burbling contempt.

The exiting from the ICW was a measured response, one that the Benin Ministry calculated the ICW was willing to let go for fear for seeming of what they were growingly being accused of being – an authoritative organisation – but also because it was something they had wanted to do for a very long time.

In some more unlikely possibilities, he'd seen the Benin Ministry exiting the ICW years before Illos emerged and in most of them, they rarely came out worse.

In this future, they would not have to only rely on more clandestine trading with African nations and they would have, eventually, access to Japanese, American and Illosian economies that would seem them prosper and lead to a domino effect that would bring other smaller Ministries to the table.

Still, that was some way away and it would take some time to build a trusting relationship with the Beninese.

They were not going to jump headfirst in this tentative alliance, not without continuous displays of trust and positive action.

Illos was willing to do both and it wouldn't be long until Benin joined them and Japan into an alliance that one day decades from now would turn into a Federation.

Atticus started the conversation again, talking and questioning about his perceptions of Illos, the agreements that were made and what the thoughts of his people were and it would be hours before the diplomat left.

It wasn't long before he was joined by Smith-Rowe and Parkinson to discuss a few things from the diplomatic mission along with a few more…sensitive topics.

Smith-Rowe nursed his glass as he sat across from Atticus whilst Parkinson sat on Atticus' left. "If we're going to hosting many more delegates, it's going to be difficult to maintain secrecy on things that are well known amongst our people." Smith-Rowe said as he glanced at Parkinson.

"Particularly when a significant portion of our population are former squibs." Smith-Rowe added.

"We never expected our ability to turn squibs into magicals to remain a secret." Atticus said calmly. That was inevitable, that spread of information.

The Japanese already knew and had requested the treatment for their people. He refused but offered instead to turn them magical here in Illos in return for them keeping this secret for as long as possible. They agreed.

Despite there being much fewer squibs in Japan, they were still prone to marriages that were a little too close, cousins marrying cousins who already shared a number of relations in their recent family tree and so on. Whilst they didn't cast them out into the muggle world, they did however have a much lower status in Magical Japan, even if they were sons or daughters of noble families.

As a result, the treatment was very well received amongst the upper echelons of Magical Japan and it was serving to improve political relations even more.

Illos and Japan were well on their way to fashion a close social and political alliance. In time, it would become common to live and study in the other nation and in time, marriages would happen between the two peoples furthering the cultural ties.

As a bonus, a few hundred Japanese former squibs from working/common class families moved to Illos permanently and it was helping societally to establish commonality between the differing cultures.

"It is only a matter of it keeping it a secret long enough for it not to disadvantage us and put us in a position of leverage." Parkinson said and Atticus inclined his head slightly before returning his gaze to Smith-Rowe.

"The Illosian Guards are keeping an eye on things and most people know the importance of keeping what we can do secret. Making squibs magical is only one impressive feat we're capable of even if it is the more socially relevant one."

Smith-Rowe nodded before he looked at Atticus curiously "And Benin? Would we extent the same privileges to them as we do to the Japanese? Or even Magical Britain where we know there are many squibs who would jump at the opportunity?"

"Neither. At least for now." Magical Britain would likely be informed much sooner…and likely the medium through which this information was released in the first place as Britain and Illos grew closer. It would help begin the union.

There were a few British noble scions that were squibs and once it was known that Illos could treat the condition, it would appeal to the self interest of quite a few powerful Europeans who want to ensure they could discreetly 'fix' their children if they ever needed to. People who would secretly work behind the scenes to limit the negativity of the magic in return for a future favour if they ever needed to.

Of course publically they would make outlandish statements and deride Illos.

Politics.

Smith-Rowe nodded and Atticus used to opportunity to float a document towards him who seized it from the air with a curious expression on his face.

"They'll agree to the terms outlined in this treaty of friendship."

As Smith-Rowe read the document, Atticus spoke with Parkinson about the progress of his wife in South America. Emily had gone to South America with a few IO agents and a dozen Illosian Guards to understand the scope of what must be done there before she'd gain an alliance with Alvarez about a mutually beneficial proposition, one that would see him stabilise Argentina and that of regions bordering his nation.

Smith-Rowe took about fifteen minutes to read over the document and he looked up from the document with a quizzical look on his face "This is only a few steps from a military alliance." He looked down again, flicking over to the third page.

"Development of resources, access to the Gate system for trading purposes with other non-ICW nations, even assurances of assistance should either state find itself in a conflict not of their making." Smith-Rowe looked up from the document.

"They rejected several terms similar to what you're saying they'll agree to."

"They rejected more substantial terms." Atticus corrected "The assurance of assistance does not spell out what exactly it means only that either should give assistance of some kind – which may go as far as simply offering a few thousand galleons or the like – and that is what they're really after."

Smith-Rowe had a frown on his face before he got what exactly they were after. "They don't want to commit"

"They don't." Atticus confirmed.

"And they also will be testing our resolve to them as well." Parkinson added as he eyed Smith-Rowe "It would not surprise me if they'll expect us to take their side in any diplomatic arguments."

"Why do they not want to commit? Are we not their only option now?"

"We're an option. Not the only option." Parkinson explained. "After all, keeping us at arm's length puts them into a position that keeps them unimportant internationally."

"Arm's length yet within reach to pull us closer." Smith-Rowe mused.

"Correct. They did not leave the ICW because of us but because it presented an opportunity they could use an as excuse whilst simultaneously putting the ICW on the back foot and unable to focus on Benin." Atticus said as he leaned back, his gaze following towards the dimming lights of the three orbs.

"It is a move that will serve them well and it will be up to us to bring them closer to bosom." Atticus said before pausing for a few moments. It was a fairly well thought out plan, one that would see Benin rise whilst limiting their exposure to the tensions between the ICW and Illos.

By limiting their ties to Illos, they would have the opportunity to reach out to other ICW member states without the ICW immediately interfering and as time went on, if tying itself to Illos didn't seem worth it, Benin potentially could instead end up in a position that is uniquely placed in between them.

Of course, Atticus had no intention of allowing Benin in such a position. It would be drawn closely to Illos, the first among many to enter in a Federation.

Otherwise, other states would get the same idea to play off the ICW and Illos against each other and he had no interest of allowing such a thing to happen.

"We'll see much of this, won't we?" Smith-Rowe said cynically.

Atticus turned to him, a shadow of a smile on his face, one that bore traces of sympathy "Welcome to international politics, my friend. It'll only get more complicated here on out." 'And it would only get deadlier and more morally comprising than you can imagine' he thought with acceptance.

And hopefully…

Hopefully he could keep most of his people out of that morally comprising position.

After all, he thought, feeling Parkinson's intense gaze on him, that was something for him, Emily and Parkinson to bear.

-Break-

17th of July 1957 – Illos

Sandra Saunders POV

She flicked her wand at her feet and the shoes split apart into two as if they were being split from the seams before she stepped out them and they returned to normal.

Another flick of the wand sent the shoes into the rack and she breathed a sigh of tiredness before she grabbed the back of her neck, her eyes closing as she massaged out the little crinkle in her neck.

Merlin, she knew it'd be tiring but never this tiring. Physically and mentally.

"Sandra, I'm in the kitchen!" she heard her husband shout across their home. She smiled as she reopened her eyes and she made her way towards their kitchen barefooted. The noise of chopping grew louder as she waded through their home in near silent steps and sudden splashes grew more noticeable.

He stood over the kitchen table with his back towards her, wand in hand and vegetables – both cut and uncut – orbiting in the air around him, several knives chopping and dices red meat into smaller pieces.

Derek had officially resigned as CEO from the Sphinx Group a few months ago, the multi-industry group that operated within the muggle world. Most of magicals, be they squibborn or squibs, moved to Illos over the past few years and Derek was amongst the last few overseeing the process of ensuring no remnants of the use of magic was in any of their muggle companies.

She was glad he was back permanently now. She'd missed coming back every day to her husband and vice versa. Now that he was here, he was also part of the High Council as the Business Director who will oversee investments in domestic – and international – businesses in a drive to increase Illosian economy power whilst also improving its businesses.

"I didn't know it was your night" she said as she walked up to him and her arms wrapped around him lovingly and she felt his chuckle through her arms.

"I thought you might need it." He said to her as he pulled her around and brought his face down to her, a small kiss planted on her lips. They broke apart and she smiled at him, a soft noise of contentment escaping from the back of her throat.

"I always like that little noise of yours." He said chuckling as he returned his attentions to the food. "Always makes it clear I'm doing something good."

She walked around the kitchen table and sat on the raised stool by the kitchen table.

"It's why I do it." She said in a winning tone "It's positive enforcement."

"Ah" her husband said as he eyed at her with an arched brow "So what you're saying is that I am a trained pet?"

She smiled teasingly "I wouldn't say pet. Simply a trained husband."

Derek laughed and he flicked his hand at her and a sliced carrot flew at her. Her eyes widened but she adjusted herself and aimed her open mouth at the path of the carrot and managed to catch it, triumphant sounds of carrot crunching between her teeth filled the kitchen whilst she wore a broad grin on her face.

"Thanks" she said a little smugly and he laughed at her smugness.

"You're welcome" he said amused and he conjured a wineglass before he flicked his wand and a bottle of '37 red wine flew towards him, the cork unplugging mid-air before it poured itself into her glass. He looked at her questioningly "How was the meeting?" he asked her as he handed over the glass of wine.

Her expression soured and she fought a grimace as she picked up the glass and drank heartily from it. "As expected." She said miserably, her body sagging as she released tension she didn't know she still had in her body.

"Extortionate and uncompromising demands that they knew we would reject?" Derek asked resigned and she only nodded in confirmation.

The ICW wanted unfiltered access to Illos and 'observe' their home to make sure that what they were claiming about Illos was true. In addition to that, they wanted heavy compensation for what they perceive as 'economic sabotage of war crime proportions' and it was nearly sixty percent of the gold reserve they had which was almost the entire estimated value of the Sayre wealth which had been in the billions of galleons.

Paying it would not have been an issue as it would not have crippled them but it would severely limited many of their plans and the demand had been made entirely as an insult to Atticus and Emily and their family.

And an insult to them was an insult to every Illosian.

Failure to comply meant economic sanctions that spanned across every member of the ICW along with clear references and insinuations to something beyond that.

And she had never been as angry as she was then. She'd gone in good faith and hoped that Atticus was wrong, a desperate hope that she knew was pointless but she hoped that reason and maybe even self-serving interest might win out as Illos had so much to offer.

But no, they were absolutely against any kind of compromise to their demands.

To make matters worse, she could sense that not everyone followed the ICW diplomat for the Spanish Mugwump had barely able to keep an expression of appalment from appearing but nevertheless they'd all fallen in line to this…stance.

Derek swept his wand and the cut ingredients flew into the pan before he placed the lid onto it. He turned to her, a grim considering look on his face "Are they at least willing to consider that we do not wish for war?" Derek questioned after he sat down next to her.

"Zero diplomatic ties don't necessarily have to mean war right? The Americans don't have meaningful diplomatic ties to the ICW yet they have somewhat of a neutral relationship with the ICW whilst the ties they do have with ICW member states is permitted to some amount of trade."

"We made it clear we do not wish for war and that we would not commit the first act of war." Sandra sighed. She had even spelled it out as much as she could whilst reigning in her anger at the disastrous conference.

She looked up and met his gaze, a determined glint in her eyes breaking through "And I made it clear that war with Illos would mean war with thousands of magicals led by Archmages and that it would be seen as a war for survival as the ICW would seek to destroy an entire people because they were insecure." She said a little impishly though her determined look didn't fade.

It hadn't been hard to channel a lot of righteous anger at those diplomats when she lost her temper at them.

Derek studied her expression before he wrapped his arm around her "You did what you could." He consoled her.

"Thanks." She murmured. Atticus hadn't told them, not even her, if they would avoid war, only that in the end Illos would be fine and had asked to trust in themselves and in their people. It was why she wasn't despairing as she might have.

Still, the saving grace of the whole debacle even if the ICW didn't heed her words about how painful war would be, was that MACUSA may well side with Illos.

They were shocked at the sheer vitriol some of the ICW diplomats were spewing and no doubt were re-examining things even further. After all, they were already somewhat wary of the ICW in light of their growing authoritarianism.

"Do you think I should brush up on my duelling skills?" Derek asked half serious, half jokingly and despite herself she giggled a little bit. Derek had never been that talented with a wand, at least combat wise.

"Yes although I think we need to depend on you then I think we've already lost." She teased him and she felt him unwrap his arm around her and she looked up at him and saw a put on hurt expression.

"Your words cut me deeply. Deeper than a knife sunk in my flesh would."

She pushed him lightly as she laughed and he joined her before they settled down and a more sombre atmosphere settled back in. "I think we need more people." She said suddenly and after seeing his understanding but expectant look she continued

"The ICW directly influences almost a million magicals and maintains a direct Auror force that is well over ten thousand." Sandra said grimly and Derek nodded his understanding.

Not to mention, they could call upon thousands more from member states as per law, a marked difference to the voluntarily

"If we stand any chance of at the very least averting any kind of war, we need to expand heavily. I know that we've started to look for magical and even squib orphans around the world again but we have to do more." She said whilst biting her lip, her mind going astray as she began to think on how to do it safely over a number of years.

"Our population is young." Derek agreed. Most of the taken in orphans were only just beginning their teenage years and most of the former squib population were…not really the kind that could take up a wand and fight.

And it was still years away, she thought, before they were able to create magical war-machines that could change this disadvantage.

Whilst the measures of population growth were working and Illos was expected to grow to a population of 45,000 by 1970 without considering immigration, she didn't think it was fast enough given that war may well break out within years.

"You think we need to invite more people from the isolated communities?" Derek asked her.

"I do" she confessed before she expanded quickly "I think we can sustain a growth of several thousand a year for half a decade easily without opening ourselves up to problems"

"Wasn't that rejected years ago?" Derek asked with a frown "Because it would destabilise the community that was forming?"

Atticus had always been worried about their actions resulting in upsetting the delicate balance they were establishing but she was sure they could manage.

They need to if the absolute worst came to pass.

It seemed like he read what she was thinking from her expression and Derek grabbed her hands in his own "Darlin'" he said soothingly. He'd picked up a few American slang throughout the years and she had to admit she liked the way he butchered 'darling'…even if she'd never admit it.

"I think you need to think this over after a few days before you present it."

"You think I'm overreacting?" she asked a little upset and he squeezed her hand.

"I don't…" he stopped a little and smiled at her empathetically

"Maybe a little but it is understandable. I just think that we shouldn't have to change all that we're doing because we're a little afraid. It is what they want from us. Now that we know for certain that we're more alone than we thought, we need to protect our own more carefully." Derek sighed a little before he continued, his gaze meeting hers.

"We do have allies in the Japanese and maybe even in Britain, Ireland and MACUSA so we may not be entirely alone but you never know with allies." Derek said with a frown. It was understandable where he was coming from.

After all, they'd seen the betrayal of allies, of friends. In the end, you could only really rely on yourself. An idea that she knew that many in Illos believed to be true.

"Atticus is not infallible. No matter how many of our people think he is. He is prone to making mistakes and we've seen him make them before. It would only take one spy to make it through for unmitigated damage to be done and if we invite thousands that the ICW might be able to insert once they catch on what we're doing – they definitely will now, they are unfortunately competent – and it is the last thing we could ever want." He said to her gently.

She sighed before she looked down at their entwined hands. She squeezed his hand gently "Alright." She said acquiescingly before she peered at him from the corner of her eyes "You know…your rationality has never been more attractive than it is now."

Derek smile morphed into a slight grin with a slight twinkle in his eye. "I can rationalise like no other, woman. I may even show you exactly what I mean later tonight."

Her lips twitched at the poor flirtation. Still…it was adorably goofy. She narrowed her eyes and stood up, her hand still clutching onto his. She quickly waved her wand and turned the stove off before dragging him up. "Why wait tonight…" and the look in his eyes as their eyes met was wonderful.

-Break-

1957 – Rosario, Argentina

Enrique Chavez POV

Chavez poured the malted firewhiskey into two glasses as the door opened.

"Sir" he heard and he turned around.

"Sergio" Chavez said as he gave leave for his deputy to sit down and brought the glass to the man before taking a seat opposite him.

He took a mouthful of whiskey, savouring the burning sensation on his tongue before his gaze fell on the letter that had occupied his mind throughout most of the day.

He leaned forward and picked up the letter and offered it to Hernandez. "Read it. Tell me what you make of it." He said to Hernandez who, despite a questioning look took the letter and began to read.

Chavez watched his long time second in command, friend even, with an inspecting gaze. The slight widening of the eyes, the slackness of the corner of his mouth, the frown that threatened to form.

Hernandez looked up, this time his expression was twisted into cold seriousness "What are you going to, sir?"

Chavez remained silent for a few moments and decided to take another mouthful of the firewhiskey though this time he did not savour it. "I'm going to accept." He said, his eyes studying the man intently. "You don't approve?" he asked questioningly.

Hernandez shook his head "It is not for me to approve…I'm merely…surprised."

Chavez grunted softly as he waved Hernandez to continue which he did "To have her coming here…it invites scrutiny we've always wished to avoid."

It was true. If it was leaked…it would invite closer attentions from the ICW which he had for decades avoided from happening.

His rule had stabilised Argentina for thirty years but it had not always been so and Argentina had only avoided ICW intervention because coups had often settled within a few years at most and never granted the ICW the opportunity to craft out a protectorate out of Argentina like it had done in Ecuador and in Guinea where they interfered in the muggle world and consequently brought the full force of the ICW on their heads.

And that had been an ICW that was far from opportunistic as the current version was. He had little doubts that should he falter in his steps…

Magical Argentina had never been an easy nation.

It was a nation forged out of fire, through centuries of war with natives, amongst themselves and then later through ideology before it turned into a mess that barely was anything more than a free-for-all with powerful witches and wizards all deadly intent to dominate all others.

Intent to dominate others and intent to secure the wealth of near bottomless silver mines that the first magical settlers had hidden and secured from the muggles.

Argentina was a prize and had always been, whether your blood was native or settler or both. And it was exactly for that reason it had never stabilised.

Until Enrique Chavez, the Silver Matador who secured Argentina from within and without. And this…this threatened to cast undue attentions on his nation.

Still…

Outright refusal was not an option either.

Even if Argentina and most of South America had not participated in the recent war in Europe, he was not unaware of the supposed power of Atticus Sayre and the rumoured power of his wife. Nor was he unaware of the ambitions of the couple.

Even if there was no proof and their power most likely overstated, the Sayres dismantled their homeland and forged a new Magical Britain out of it.

It was impressive, he noted, the patience that they displayed in their ambitions.

That was a dangerous combination, he mused to himself with an internal frown.

Patience, intelligence and a little power and it was something that repeated itself again in the form of Illos which bore similarities to Atlantis which he believed was no accident.

Little was known about Atlantis but what was known was that it was the equivalent of Jerusalem, of Rome and of Mecca for the magical peoples.

A land lasting only in memories and a land recreated through myths and half remembered stories throughout the ages.

And throughout the ages, there had been a number of times of peoples attempting to recreate a mage only kingdom or nation.

The Greeks, the Norse, the Assyrians, the Koreans, they all tried it once upon a time and in the end war, may it be civil war or war with rivalling neighbours, destroyed it all before anything significant could be established and through time, such ideas had died and the myths faded into a forgotten crevice of the public mind.

And just as those nations were ripped apart through forces within and without, the ICW seemed intent to destroy it. Yet, he thought he was missing something.

For they could have remained in obscurity, in hiding from the magical world for decades more, yet they chose to emerge now. And the Sayres were far from lacking in calculation or smarts. No one could have accomplished what they did without both. After all, they crafted out legends that bore reminiscent of ancient stories.

So this meeting to discuss a 'proposition'…

"I will hear her out." Chavez said after a while. "It costs us nothing to do so." And whilst he had no intention of agreeing, it didn't mean he couldn't glean into useful information.

Hernandez eyed him "You intent to reject." He stated more than asked.

"Whatever proposition she has, it will not be worth the ICW coming down on us." Hernandez drank of his firewhiskey. He did not fear the ICW however he did concern himself with the thousands of wizards they had in their ranks.

Even a pack of wolves can be overwhelmed by a countless packs of jackals. Especially if they're allied with other packs of wolves.

Whilst he eliminated most of his rivals, he knew that a few of them had escaped to the Andes mountains with their families.

He brought his glass down, a dark look shadowing his face.

The worst of them was Rodrigo Enzo who had built up alliances with a number of enclaves in the Andes Mountains and in the Amazon.

The man was simply waiting for the right moment and the ICW would no doubt seek common cause with the foul man should he and his people be seen as allying with the Sayres. "You know the consequences of our failures." Chavez said as he side-eyed Hernandez.

Hernandez nodded mutely. Chavez had worked hard in racking up the fear of what could happen to Argentina should Chavez and his people be ousted from power.

Fear of Enzo, fear of their neighbours and fear of the ICW had worked well in making sure his grip on power had remained firm. It was a lie of course, the lie of what might happen to Argentina and its people but it wasn't a lie without some hints of truth.

Enzo was a brute and his family was known for being only slightly less than sadists.

Most often than not, the kinds of magic they dabbled with warped them into cruelty and it was both a weakness and strength for it gave them a fearsome reputation.

A reputation that in the end resulted in aiding his grip to power.

"No." Chavez said with a shake of the head "They will have little to offer what we don't already have." Even if the kinds of magic they have access to is reminiscent of Atlantis, it will not be worth getting dragged into the mess between Illos and the ICW.

Besides, there may even be an opportunity to obtain concession from the ICW. No doubt they would be interested in whatever Illos had to say…

Days Later…

He leaned back in his chair, his hands balled up on his lap with his right index finger pressed against the edge of his centuries old mahogany desk.

Hernandez was bringing the delegates into his presidential manor El Palacio de la Virtud (Palace of Virtue), designed by the same muggle who designed and built the Palace of Justice, which was some ways away from the busy administrative centre in Rosario that managed Argentina.

Six of his best men were on their feet, each of them vigilant as they stood around in a half circle around where he was seated, all in prime locations to strike hard and fast towards the array of chairs before him that were for the delegates.

He was not a fool. He knew that many of the Knights of the Mimpost had left with Sayre who were likely somewhat capable. He was not going to take any risks, especially as the pristine reputation of Emily Sayre ran contrary to what he heard from some of his contacts within the ICW which he was more likely to believe.

Still, it didn't hide the consideration that she was a dichotomy of sorts.

A near saint in Magical Britain whilst to the ICW she was a dark witch somehow as terrible as Maria Navarez, the witch who burnt priests, inquisitors and fought against the wizards who wanted to stop her from escalating the witch burnings even further.

Naturally, he was inclined to believe she was more what the ICW claimed she was.

The last Gaunt and Slytherin heir, two famously dark families whose won several international duelling tournaments and widely regarded as a prodigious talent in magic, even rumoured to be a supposed 'Archmage'?

Plus, he was rather certain someone like Atticus Sayre, a man who defeated an admittedly powerful wizard in Grindelwald, wouldn't be satisfied with a single woman unless she was worth it.

Emily Sayre was beautiful, he'd seen the images of her in those ridiculous clothing for himself, but there were a dime a dozen of beautiful women. And plenty of beautiful women who were more…plentiful in certain areas of their bodies. An unconscious smile threatened to creep on his face. Perhaps she was more like his first wife.

Most dark witches, especially the powerful ones tended to be…interesting. His first wife, Caterina, had him see God more than a few times. It was a shame that he had to kill her when she proved to be a little more unhinged than he could tolerate.

The doors opened and Hernandez walked in first. Shortly afterwards, a graceful woman with rich black hair that swayed like silken threads followed.

Her face was angelic, like it was carved out of a flawless slab of perfect flesh, her cheekbones and her chin were perfect feminine aristocratic qualities, the slightly sharp yet smoothed out jawline that framed her lustful blood red lips that drew all eyes to her lips. Her skin was porcelain white and from across the room it seemed to even radiate somewhat.

A whistle from one of the men sent them snorting and bearing smiles on their faces.

She seemed unfazed as the door closed leaving her alone with eight powerful men and she stood alone before him as Hernandez joined his right side.

The pictures didn't do her justice he mused internally as he drank in her sight.

She was more petite than he realised yet it only added to her allure. Zequid alive…

He glanced at Hernandez with a question in his eyes.

Hernandez shook his head, answering his question about whether or not she was here with anyone else and he returned his gaze back to her.

The arrogance…

And the arrogance of her husband to allow her to come here alone…

He could have her defenceless and stripped of clothing before she could even blink. To think she felt secure enough in her power – power that he couldn't even feel in any notable way – that she could stroll up here…

It was hard to believe that this woman was considered such a threat.

He stared at her with an expressionless look. He'd learnt to sense magic from his master in central America when he'd been barely a man. It had served him well throughout his life allowing him to gain the following he needed.

And it was serving him well now.

She was confident, that much was clear but why she would be when she felt nothing special, even weaker than half of his men in the room…

It seemed like his instincts were right after all. He never believed the dramatics from the soft Europeans. People who in their comfortable mansions and their elven servants knew nothing of hardship or power.

When he'd been a child, he'd been fascinated by power and legends of the past. Even more so when he'd been on the run after he'd been sent out into the wilderness by a family friend when he swore to rain judgement on them like Jupiter was said to have once upon a time done. He'd been obsessed with the legendary 'wizards' of the past.

Legends that claimed that wizards capable of literally scorch entire lands that stretched out into the horizon with fire and lightning, wizards that were capable of sinking and cracking entire islands with but a flick of their staffs.

Legends he found were as false as tales of Jupiter, of Neptune and of Mars.

Gods that Europeans claimed to have been wizards of incredible power, Archmages amongst Archmages. A feeling of contempt rose within him.

For years and decades, he toiled and mastered magic with feverish obsession, in revenge and in hatred, rising and defeating countless of wizards and witches across South America until he grew powerful with enough men to challenge Alfonso Moreira, murderer of his family and despot of Argentina.

The powerful Moreira, the man who butchered his father before killing the rest of his family, who had been all powerful in their own right had paled in comparison to him. A pitiful creature of magic that did not compare to him.

Not once had he encountered this purported quality of wizards anywhere in South America. Only exaggerations and lies intent to hide incompetence and weakness which he'd seen plenty of times in so called nobles of 'powerful lineages'.

Even Xavier Charleston who he'd observed during an American duelling competition had been nothing special in the end, barely on par with himself.

There was no doubt that Grindelwald likely was somewhat powerful but he did not believe he was overwhelmingly so, not even the 'images' he'd seen in the papers could convince him of that. Impressive light show that only stood to make the Europeans feel better about themselves about their weakness.

After all, Grindelwald had hid like a rat for decades at a time, even once captured in New York and that did not speak of the kinds of power fables and stories spoke of.

And as he looked upon the woman before him, this beautiful fragile woman that felt as common as any witch, he knew this was merely the latest overconfident European who did not know what power truly was.

Atticus Sayre was a fool.

To think he spent more than a second concerning himself with them…

"Mrs Sayre." Chavez said, his voice patient and charming as his expression broke into a smile "It is a delight to finally meet you" he tilted his head slightly as he said musingly "Though I expected to meet more of your people."

She met his gaze unflinchingly and merely smiled "I let them explore Rosario. After all, this is only simple discussions, no? So I deemed them unnecessary."

It garnered a few laughs from his men and he sent them a sharp look silencing them all before he returned his gaze at her. There was something off with her smile and it made him feel tense.

He glanced at Hernandez who gave him an unseen nod confirming that he had people watching them and he relaxed a little though neither tenseness nor relaxation showed on his unbothered face.

He stretched out his magic to feel more but he got the same result as he did when she walked in. He tapped the rim of the desk twice. "I see." He said dangerously yet slowly all whilst intensely staring at her.

She turned her gaze away and began to walk slowly towards the book cabinet on the left side and he continued to watch her as she walked without fear of anything towards the books. "Interesting collection." She said with a hum in her voice, one that was remarkable unconcerned about anything.

"Can't say I have seen a book collection that mixed Voltaire with Solumuntus before." She said as she turned her head slightly at them, a strange smirk on her face before she looked back at the books.

"I suppose in a way you can say Solumuntus was enlightened in the way he altered healing spells into curses. Congelo in particular" she said with a beautiful whistle before she continued "The arithmancy work in that spell is a work of art."

Chavez exchanged a look with Hernandez who looked uneasy. The collection of books that had Congelo within its pages could be counted at most with both hands. He gave Hernandez a nod, and the man palmed his wand before Chavez returned his gaze to the woman.

"As much as I would like to indulge a beautiful woman as yourself" Chavez said, this time his voice more measured and cold and it drew her attentions, the same easy smirk still on her face though it felt like he was being gazed upon by a hungry wolf.

"That is not why we're here, Mrs Sayre. You proposed to help us to deal with the rebels at the borders." Chavez waved with his hand towards the seats.

"Talk so we may wrap this up."

She inclined her head gracefully but she remained standing and it sent a wave of irritation over him. "That is correct, Minister Chavez. We did propose to assist you in absorbing the enclaves that surround Magical Argentina. A joint taskforce to bring order to the continent in exchange for a treaty of friendship."

"And what would this treaty of friendship entail?" He asked in a sharp tone, his patience waning.

"Assurance to assist one another in times of need. Promises of cooperation. Trade. Cultural exchange." She listed off easily, her voice carrying a pleasant hum.

A few of his men looked at each other with mirth in their eyes and Chavez leaned back in his chair, his eyes scrutinising her "You would offer to expand Argentina's power in return for nothing but assurances and promises?" he asked sceptically.

"Yes." She said with an easily smile, her arms rising in the air slightly as if to beckon him forth "We understand that Illos is not in a position to easily obtain alliances, not with a belligerent ICW. I'm sure you can understand." She said as her arms lowered.

He remained silent for almost a minute before he spoke again, his mind having considered everything, her expressions her words, her disrespectful arrogance.

It was all wrong. All of it.

"In that case then, Mrs Sayre." He began as he sat up a little straighter and his hands unfurling. "I will be straightforward. Thank you for offering to help us secure the ungoverned regions however I must decline. We will manage as we have done for decades." He gave her a colder smile.

"It is unfortunate you had to come all this way out for what could have been simple correspondence through letters but alas" he said with a small shrug of the shoulders before he set his hard eyes back onto her "It may be best for you and your people to leave within the day, Mrs Sayre."

"I see." She said, the same smile still on her face and he wanted to wipe it off her face. The hassle wasn't worth it, he reminded himself. Killing the woman after his men had sampled her would only gain him the enmity of Illos and Sayre.

Even if he didn't believe any of them to be powerful, he at least could acknowledge that they were at the very least a bigger threat than Enzo and his sycophants.

He made to stand up "Tha-" his eyes widened as a damning chill seized his spine with an arctic grip that paralysed him in his seat. Her expression changed, a subtle shift in facial muscles that moved slowly and downward like glacial ice drifting in frigid waters. It was primal, the fear that accompanied the chill, one that coursed through his spine like unwanted lightning, one that threatened to seep into his bones.

Her eyes, the dark but still perceptively blue eyes were now hollow, they were akin to a bottomless pit that led to nothing and nowhere and it kept him unmoving, fearful and fearing futility as she began to radiate a hungry danger that seemed as if it wanted to consume him through the hollow abys.

Her magic, magic that seemed to not worth his attention was now suffocated him, the sheer waves of magic that emanated from her threatened to wring him to death with ropes made out of darkness and spite.

The air changed, like it changed in weight for the air grew heavy and felt a blanket made out of air yet he couldn't move, no, he was pinned into his seat as if he had been screwed into place through flesh and bone.

Yet his people noticed the sudden change in the air but before any of them could move before he could warn them, a wave of terror inducing magic the colour of the darkest night poured out of her in greater volumes than he'd ever witnessed or heard before.

Velvety tendrils made out of nightmares and terror streamed out of her, her magic made alive as candles were extinguished and a haze of blood red tinged the room.

He couldn't move, he couldn't even look away as hollow eyes made out of the abyss met his gaze, unnatural eyes that spoke of horrors beyond what lay within this world even as sounds of choking and panic and cries rang around him like a drum march of men being dragged down to the pits of hell, their cries and calls for her to stop sounding more like the dying sounds of jackals and wolves that howled and yelped pitifully under the jaws and poisonous air of a mountainous nundu.

Never in his life had he met such unrelenting darkness, a darkness that somehow felt untainted like the magic of Eloy the Cannibal had been, no it was as she was a creature born of the darkness, born to the hollow abyss that her eyes so endlessly showed.

All he could do was push against the magic, to push against the terrible and utterly and magnificently horrendous dense and air chokingly dark magic that suffocated all of his men not only in body but also in spirit.

Zequid alive…

He had not believed. He'd believed the stories to have been exaggerated. Superstitious stories to drive fear into wizards and witches to keep them docile and fearful of change. He was so, so wrong.

The stories of Archmages of old who were said to be beyond all others, capable of feats that defied belief even for magicals, may not be as wrong as he once believed.

She stood there, her pale face and arms bearing an ethereal presence about it in the backdrop of velvety and fluid dark tendrils of seemingly endless magic.

It swirled and soothed around her, marching to a terror inducing beat of her making, one of such power that it distorted the world around them, so much so that the wooden floor creaked and the stone walls buckled under the maelstrom of her manifested magic.

He didn't know how this was possible, how such power disparity could exist.

Archmages…

How utterly unfair, he thought bitterly as the sounds of his men reduced to nothingness.

His men who were dark wizards through and through, powerful wizards in their own right, yet reduced to nothing but ashen statues that bore no resistance as she walked all over them without even lifting a damn finger.

Was this how others felt against Zequid, against Volterra, against Herpo? He wondered grimly. Three men who were said to have been able to shatter mountains and release plagues that decimated entire countries with mere flicks of their wands or staffs. He bitterly thought that Charleston hid his power and he knew he'd based all of his ideas on a mistake borne out of arrogance. Had he known…

The dark tendrils began to move towards him, creeping and swaying on the floor like vile snakes, their serpentine movement slow and measured as they rose and surrounded him and his desk.

She began to move towards him, almost as she was gliding on top of a black cloud, the whites in her eyes having disappeared into blackness set in a pale porcelain white face that called upon memories of tales of deceptive Tlahuelpuchi that were as beautiful as veelas but had rot and death in their hearts.

The tendrils wrapped themselves over his ankles and over his wrists and he was pulled from his seat up into the air. He wasn't the only one as all of his men, unconscious as they were, were picked by like ragdolls before the tendrils wrapped themselves around their necks.

He flinched slightly as a sequence of seven cracks repeated one after another and he saw her unfazed almost bored look on her face as their bodies dropped to the floor.

"I considered letting them live." She said conversationally and he knew the bitch was lying "Such thinking ended about a second after I entered the room." She said coldly as she looked at him and he couldn't help flinch under those cold black eyes.

He fought against the magic binding him "…Why?" he managed to croak as he looked to the door, hoping, needing his men to walk through the doors.

There were, at any given time, at least thirty men within the palace. They should have heard something. "No one will be coming to your rescue, Minister Chavez." She said, drawing his attentions again and the smile on her face caused him feel a haunting devastation. "By now, they're all dead at the wands of my people."

'Impossible. There could have only been four of them. It was impossible'. Someone must have helped. Traitors. He forgot his paralysis and for the first time in ages, he felt the same hatred he'd once felt so long ago.

"There it is." She said with a broadened smile as she tilted her head "The Silver Matador" she said with a mocking lilt to her voice before she looked him up and down "Perhaps once upon a time you truly were worth something. Decades of peace has made you weak, Minister Chavez."

He spat her and the ball of phlegm never made further than half a metre from his face. She looked at him unimpressed before she flicked her fingers and the spit transfigured into a rod of steel and with flick of her index finger it raced forward into his chest and he gasped and coughed as he felt the steel rod puncture through his robes and his lungs.

"You asked…" she continued, her expression more serious as she looked around the room "Why do this?" she posed before she turned to him again "Because Argentina has potential." She said with a haunting smile before she rippled into a soft laugh.

They were taking Argentina from him? The Argentina that he built?! He clenched his teeth, the metallic blood tasting bitter on his tongue.

"No" she said with a mocking smile directed at his surprise "I have no intention to rule over the Argentinians. At least not yet. No, I found someone to do that for me."

"Someone who will not betray us at the first chance should the opportunity present itself. What you would have done." She tilted her head slightly "And he's more respectful of course. Less delusional too." She said with a mocking smile.

He felt rage at her slights but all he could think was "Who." He managed to hiss out. He knew it was unlikely he was going to live, it wouldn't matter but he needed to know.

She leaned in closer and he wanted to nothing more than to gauge out her black eyes. "I'm sure you know Lionel Alvarez?" she asked with a curious look on her face and shock came over him before he felt a sense of resignation wash over him.

It was poetic that he'd be taken down by a man who he had treated wrong. There had been a number of assassination attempts on his life early in his reign and evidence pointed towards Alvarez' father as the traitor.

At the time, he hadn't been thinking clearly, hadn't thought of using the imperius curse or the various other means of extracting the truth from him and had instead killed him without a thought and imprisoned the rest of the Alvarez family, including Lionel, into El Grande Prison, the notorious prison built by De Santos.

The Alvarez family all died in prison and he thought young Lionel had died too. He wasn't sure when he could have escaped. Perhaps it might have been in the breakout of '32. It didn't matter.

"Good that you know him. Not that you didn't already. He is known as La Pedro." Chavez felt irony bubbling in his stomach. At least that explained why he kept refusing his approaches.

The doors opened and the small fire of hope died down when he saw they were not his men. They wore silver armour, armour that seemed seamless and moved like water as they moved. "Your Majesty, we have secured the building. Alvarez's men are now fighting with the loyalists in Rosario's Alleys." One of the men who he couldn't see the face of said.

"Excellent. Make sure all traces of our involvement is gone." She said before she turned her attentions back at him. "It seems like our time has come to an end." The tendrils wrapped tighter around his ankles and his wrists as one of the other tendrils wrapped itself around his neck.

She only stared at him for a few seconds before his gaze snapped to the right side of her face as a crack echoed in his ear and he felt himself fade as he managed to stare into her black eyes, and within seconds, he faded into the darkness, almost as if he was falling into those hollow abyssal eyes.