"So, England's still missing?" asked Hong Kong.
Singapore stared up from the computer screens. "Yup. No sign of him anywhere. America, Philippines and Japan are working on that end of the problem, so we have to help them instead"
"How, exactly?"
"Well, the Hegemony will throw a lot of its resources to capture those three, so we need to set up allies for them to meet along the way. Beings so ancient we have not contacted them for decades, centuries even."
Malaysia pursed her lips. "The Lireans?"
Singapore nodded. "Maria did a favor to the Queen of Lireo a few years ago, and I'm sure she will honor her debt by giving us support now. Can you send them a message?"
"Certainly. Kinabalu can go alone. I will fix a letter on him and enclose a few gifts as well"
"And Indonesia?"
"She hasn't come yet. I fear for her"
"Ah" Singapore nodded. "We need allies from the New World if we are to help the three make it through. I have a feeling England and Spain aren't being held in Europe, and neither is Germany. They must be somewhere far enough that their powers will wane and they can be restrained. Perhaps Africa or the New World. Canada tells me he hasn't seen any sign of them in his territory, so Mexico southwards is where we must look into."
"Who can we call from there?" asked Hong Kong.
"There's a family of syndrigasts in Colombia, though isolated. They're the nearest pocket of aid we can find. Colombia and Chile might be helping them now. Japan does have its own generation of syndrigasts, or Quirkers, but we can't really count on them now as they have their own problems to solve. The longer Japan is away from his land, the more unstable his territory gets: Monsters are attacking several prefectures and so the heroes are tied up. Same goes for America: I have gotten intel that even with all the hidden factions located in the USA, they've still got their plate full with problems: The Roman demigods report monster attacks along their borders, as do the Greeks and Egyptian sorcerers in the east. The Quileute skinwalkers are detecting monstrous activities along the Pacific coast, and the vampire covens are experiencing a few schisms. The SCP Foundation has not given any communications yet. They're probably waiting to see whether events will warrant their intervention, as they're a multinational organization and half of their assets are in Hegemony nations".
"How about across the pond?" asked Malaysia.
"With England missing, the wizarding community has reported a massive dropoff in power. They find it difficult to cast spells at the moment, as the soul of British magic has been taken away for a while. They are crippled. I can't contact Nicolas Flamel and Perenelle in France, though I am sure they are watching and waiting. Scatach would have been very useful as an ally to accompany the three but she too is not on the radar. Reports of increased Akuma activity also reported in Italy and France, with the Miraculous and the Winx having their own numbers tied up and even calling for the aid of the Stand-Users. It's as if the Hegemony wants them all too busy to notice the bigger problem looming. In Spain, the Mount Ebbott monster community reports no casualties from the fallout, having erected a magical barrier that also shielded several human settlements from the fallout in Lisbon. They also report some of their citizens defecting to the enemy. King Asgore has not given any assurances that the Ebbott community will assist in the coming conflict, given they're pretty few, but his blue-clad skeletal servant has been a useful contact. He gives me tips and intel, with a few bad jokes. He believes someone has made deals with Tartarus and is hiring monsters as mercenaries."
"Do you think so?" asked Hong Kong.
"It wouldn't really be a new thing, involving magical beings in a war: England's witches once protected him from an invasion from Spain with a powerful wind spell. In World War One, a soldier invoked the power of angels to save a British Regiment from an encroaching German force. Nazis tried to wield Atlantean technology, while Americans attempted to reverse-engineeer UFO technology. The only difference is scale: No one has ever weaponized magic on a global scale in warfare since the earliest days of man"
"What's that?" asked Malaysia.
"A story China used to tell me, of the war between the celestial beings that vied for control of the Earth: Crystal aliens, magical eldritch sorcerers from a reptilian world, and even conjurers from a mirror earth warred with the gods and the faerie in the days before modern man and Atlantis was still above the waves. China says he himself only heard it from others"
"Perhaps he heard it from Atlantis, and Atlantis is actually everyone's ancestor" suggested Hong Kong.
"Alfred entertained that theory with me one time. Some say the Garden of Eden was a natural laboratory in the heart of Atlantis, where the aliens created us as a slave species."
Malaysia shook her head. "That's a rather blasphemous notion, but so many strange things have happened in the past few days"
"If China's story is true, then apparently, massive bursts of magic were used in the war, fighting the technologically-superior aliens. Even the Shadowrealmers from beyond the Grand Line came in to protect the Earth: Ishgari wizards far more powerful than the Earth wizards today wielded their spells and their armies of dragons. The Mewnian Butterfly family, powerful shinobi and Pokemon trainers from Orre and Hisui. It was the most massive war in Earth's history. It created magical fallout that twisted and corrupted many lands for centuries."
"So if we see a repeat these days…" said Malaysia.
"It could, in tandem with traditional nuclear fallout, destroy civilization as we know it"
"Now, now. No need to jump on sobering conclusions," said a voice. A shimmer of sapphire light and emerald sparkles drifted across the room. A woman took shape from the light.
"Miss Palestine" said Malaysia.
"Miss Israel, rather," said Singapore.
She waved her hand. "Let's not waste time trying to find the right pronouns. I came here to link you guys up with Belgium. She's currently running the show in Europe, with all the major powers tied up at the moment."
"Esther, you were there in the old days. Is it really so dangerous for magic to be used on such scales now?" asked Malaysia.
"It may or may not be, Aisha. Even China was not there when the Old Ones ruled the world. But I have glimpsed the past before. I've seen a time when great, hairy apes ruled the world with magical technology, a time when alien gems ruled the world with teleporter pads and tractor beams. At least four other races have ruled the Earth before mankind."
"How come the Scriptures say nothing of them?" asked Malaysia.
"A child often does not need to learn of his siblings' lives before his birth until much later in his life. The Scriptures teach us what we need to know. The rest is up to us to learn, if we so choose."
"It all sounds so fantastical," Malaysia murmured,
"So it is. Aloysius, you plan on contacting the Hidden Peoples? Fight fire with fire?"
"Yes, Esther. Is it unwise?"
"It is strategically sound. Whether it is wise is usually only obvious in hindsight."
"But almost all of them are busy with their own problems"
"Ah, the mercenaries of the Hegemony have been unleashed."
"So you agree with Sans' observations"
"He may look like a silly skeleton at times, but there are few sharper minds on Earth. We corroborated our data on our last meeting. The Hegemony is using all the old strategies. Plans by villains foiled of old. This particular strategy, of a monster army, was attempted several times in the past: Grindelwald, Voldemort, Kronos, Gaea, Loki, Set, Apophis. John Dee used it in during the scuffle with the millennial twins, which reminds me, Sophia must be kept safe, and Joshua, or rather, Marethayu, must be contacted if possible. He may just be powerful enough to stop this entire mess before it starts rolling. They may even attempt the Impure Reincarnation Spell, or the Solarian spell, to raise powerful, invincible armies. There were monster uprisings in Japan as well, quelled by the Hero Association. The Hegemony will select the most violent monsters money can buy. They have an excellent middleman who contacts dealers from the Other Side, an expert trafficker on the dark arts market."
"Who?" asked Singapore.
"Why, you two were acquainted a few days ago. My insufferable ex-husband, Iran"