Esther Kopelman was meditating when the vision hit her.
Daughter of Zion, why side with the Westerners who stole your God from you?
"My God is God of all. He cannot be stolen. And if you think I don't see through this little Jedi mind-trick, China, you've got another thing coming."
Ah, but they didn't stop there. They made you out to be a thing of the past, a scheming slut, an abuser of the poor, a cannibal, and your own God's murderer!
"I did murder a god at one point. Child sacrifices were so last millennium in those days, but Molech chose to be an asshole, so I burned his altars and sent him to the Void between worlds, for the glory of Yahweh. And I'm supposed to believe life will be better for me under your rule? My dear, Yao, you must realize how many empires have come and gone, promising me things like that."
"I am not like those foolish empires. I am the inevitable conclusion of mankind, the beginning of something new"
"The Messiah is the conclusion of human history, not any empire"
"But if the West is correct, He will be in the camp of the Christians, not the Jews, with whom He made His first promise. Why accept your fate as a bit player in your own story, when I can give you a chance to alter fate to your favor?"
"You wield no such power, China"
"Ah, I see Iran has not told you? We do hold such power, now that the Book of Solomon is in our hands"
Israel lost composure for the first time. "A lie, obviously"
"When you're done batting for both teams, to use the American expression, a seat waits for you in the Hegemony. I know for a fact you're twice the mage Iran is. Why hold back? Why let yourself be an effigy for the West?" With that, China left her mind.
Esther let the shiver run through her spine and refocused. She headed to her kitchen for a much-needed caffeine shot. She let the warmth of the coffee course through her.
She decided she was wrong. She could not end this war sitting in her little sanctuary. She must get her hands dirty, again. Making the necessary preparations, she checked England's notes to her again, perusing them and studying his interpretations of the Prophecy, whatever it was, and how it applied to her and the other six nations.
She was most concerned about the Book of Solomon. The ancient tome had gone missing ages ago. If the Hegemony had really found it, and it was in Iran's hands, she was not sure if even she was powerful enough to stop them.
But you're not alone. She decided she could not stop the Hegemony by herself, but with the other six, it would be a cakewalk. But she was so used to doing things by herself. She had trust issues, and for good reasons. But there was only one way to stop Iran and the Hegemony if he really had the Book, and it was a plan that required a lot of players on the field.
She contacted Singapore, then she contacted Sans. Both had no idea about the Book nor its whereabouts. She made calls to her many contacts around the world. That friendly physician in Northwest America who had discovered a clever way to immortal life, the legions in the hills of California and the shadowy O5 Council. Yet would even they be enough?
Then she remembered the alchemist and his wife, and decided they were important in the plan, too. But she could not contact them, they might've gone into hiding.
She thought deeply about China's offer. Was he right? Was it time to throw in the towel, take back the story the West had taken from her?
She then began to laugh.
What story? She didn't give a flying fuck whose story it was, she knew who she was, and what her story was, and that's all that mattered.
And her story's next chapter will tell of how the Daughter of Zion brought the world to its knees in awe…
China was angered that he was not able to sway Israel to their side. He had much preferred her over the boisterous Iran, who despite being a fellow Great Ancient was too proud to evolve his magics, and had been outstripped in magecraft long ago by Israel.
We are Ancients, China thought, but she is the daughter of two Ancients. He knew her story. The daughter of the warrior king and the witch queen. She was ambitious, cunning, industrious and knew what she wanted in life, as if a tiny voice in her head told her all she needed to know. She learned all the magic she could from her mother and all matters of martial craft from her father.
And then, she killed them.
If the Daughter of Zion could not be swayed to join the Hegemony, China could take no risks. She was too dangerous, even for him, to keep around unchecked. She must die.
But first, he thought, turning to the monitors and seeing Japan's image, perhaps this weaker mind will be easier to break…