The war tent had never felt so full. The air was thick with the heat of too many bodies and the weight of what was about to be said. Magnolia stood near the center, sweat still drying on his shirt from the last battle. Poison lounged against a support beam, arms crossed, his sharp eyes flicking between everyone.
Luna was first to break the silence. "We can't sit on this any longer. We need to know what's happening. All of it."
Neitiqerty Siptah rose from his seat with a slow, deliberate grace, golden eyes sweeping across the group. "Then you will hear it. Everything we know, you will know. Egypt fights as one or it does not fight at all."
Emma stepped forward, her usual calm sharpened with urgency. "The children taken west are alive. My wind confirms it. They've crossed the shadow's veil into Greece, but they are not in immediate danger."
Sofia let out a tight breath, the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly. "Then we get them back. Now."
"Not yet," Saijew said sharply. The general's presence was like a drawn blade, ready to cut down the first person foolish enough to argue. "We move too soon, we die. We need a plan."
Ren scoffed. "You mean we sit here again while they're over there doing what? Waiting to be used as bait?"
Poison's lip curled. "Better bait than dead. You want to charge into unknown territory? Be my guest, hero."
Ren bristled but stayed quiet, his fists clenched.
Magnolia stepped forward, voice steady. "They're training the kids. Or at least, someone is. Valerie and Calix didn't take them to kill them. They want them strong."
"That doesn't make them allies," Saijew said flatly.
"No," Magnolia agreed. His eyes burned faintly, the echo of Ra's power still in them. "But it means they see something coming. Something worse than them."
Neitiqerty Siptah regarded him carefully, expression unreadable. "You've grown since the fight with Baron. Good. We will need that growth." He turned to the group at large. "Here is what we know. The Empire has lost two of its tools, and Baron has been wounded. Nero will not let that stand. He will come for us again, harder this time. Valerie and Calix are wild cards, neither allies nor enemies. And somewhere beyond our sight, other hands are moving pieces on the board."
Amelia folded her arms, thinking. "So we're surrounded. Good. Makes it easy to know which way to hit."
The Pharaoh's smirk was sharp. "Exactly. But we do not strike blind."
He gestured, and a servant brought forth a carved map of the Mediterranean, laying it across the table. "Our spies tell us the empire is mustering near the coast. Valerie and Calix's trail leads here" he pointed toward Greece" but we do not follow them yet. First, we fortify Egypt."
Kibo frowned. "Fortify? You mean hide?"
Saijew's glare could have split stone. "Fortify means live long enough to hit back. You think we win wars by throwing children into battle unprepared?"
Kibo flinched but didn't reply.
Emma's gaze softened slightly. "We prepare. Then we move. When the Pharaoh gives the order."
Sofia stepped closer to Magnolia, her voice firm. "Then we train until we can bring them back."
Magnolia nodded once. "And when we do, we bring them back alive. All of them."
The Pharaoh's golden eyes gleamed. "Good. Then hear my order: none of you are to act alone. You train. You learn. You wait. When the moment comes, we will strike together, and the empire will remember why Egypt still stands."
The group fell silent. Even Ren stopped glaring. For a moment, there was no doubt, no hesitation, only grim unity.
"Meeting dismissed," Saijew barked. "Training starts now. No excuses."
Poison cracked a grin. "Guess we're about to find out which of you are dead weight."
Ren rolled his eyes. "You first."
Despite the sharp words, none of them left the tent with fear in their steps. They had a plan now, and even if it meant waiting, it meant they were not powerless.
The war tent felt heavy, crowded with children of varying skill and temperament. Magnolia's chest still burned faintly from the last battle, his solar energy simmering under his skin. Sous leaned against a support beam, arms crossed, pale but alert. Even in restraint, he radiated danger, a storm barely contained.
Saijew's voice cut through the murmurs. "Sous. Speak. Tell us what happened during your… incident."
Sous's jaw tightened. "I lost control. Poison tried to stop me, but I couldn't. I'm done hurting anyone here. But if the Empire moves, I won't hold back. I will fight." He looked toward Pharaoh Neitiqerty Siptah. "That includes Nero."
The Pharaoh's golden eyes swept across the tent. "Your restraint will be tested, Sous. But your knowledge is needed. Speak honestly."
Sous nodded, voice low. "I saw their formations. The Empire is more organized than we thought. Baron's failure has made them reckless. They'll strike fast, and they won't hesitate to use the children as leverage."
Kahn stepped forward, his presence solid and imposing. "Magnolia, Saijew, my lord, if we act without strategy, we lose more than ground. Their supply lines are thin, but traps are set. Valerie and Calix are unpredictable, but cautious. The kids are learning, but if you misstep, it's over."
Asam added, voice steady. "We've identified weak points in the coastal defenses. Not many, but enough for a precise strike. Timing and precision are more valuable than brute force." He glanced at the children. "If you want to win, patience is your first weapon."
Ren muttered under his breath, "Sitting here while they train our future enemies isn't much of a plan."
Poison smirked, sharpening his dagger. "Patience, little hero. Rushing in is how you get yourself killed."
Magnolia's golden energy flickered faintly. "They're not our enemies yet. They're preparing for something bigger. If we strike blindly, we lose the kids and everything else."
Sofia stepped closer to Sous. "You've seen what they're capable of. Will you fight for us when the time comes?"
Sous's eyes softened slightly. "I've never stopped fighting for Egypt. But we act together, or not at all."
The Pharaoh's gaze swept across the group, then back to Magnolia. "Good. You understand balance. Strength alone does not win wars. Saijew, the children's training will continue. None of you act alone. You train, prepare, and wait for my signal."
Saijew barked, authority echoing. "Training begins immediately. Magnolia, Sous, Poison, you lead small squads. Teach control, discipline, endurance. Kahn, Asam, oversee combat readiness. Luna, Ren, Amelia, you assist with simulations and strategy."
Sous straightened slightly, ready to follow orders. Magnolia felt the faint heat of Ra's lingering power, golden threads weaving through his veins, reminding him of what he could become.
"Remember," the Pharaoh said, voice calm but cutting, "wars are not won by might alone. They are won by those who understand when to strike, when to hold, and when to bend the storm to their will."
Even Ren's usual defiance faded under the weight of the Pharaoh's words.
Magnolia glanced at Sous. "We'll get the kids back. All of them. And we'll be ready when the Empire comes."
Sous smirked faintly. "Then let's make sure they regret ever thinking they could touch Egypt."
Kahn and Asam exchanged a nod. "We'll make sure of it," Kahn said, voice low and deliberate.
The council ended, and the children moved with quiet focus. Each knew the coming days would test them, push them past their limits, and teach them what it truly meant to fight for Egypt.
The Egyptian training grounds trembled under the force of concentrated power. Saijew's voice rang out like steel. "Focus! Every strike, every movement, every breath counts! Today, you push beyond your limits!"
Pharaoh Neitiqerty Siptah, Asam, and Kahn observed from raised platforms, their eyes sharp, calculating every action.
Magnolia hovered midair, fire swirling like a miniature sun around him. Air currents spun under his feet, holding him steady. With a deep exhale, he unleashed a dome of blazing air, The Heavens magnified a thousandfold, incinerating the training dummies before them. His flames shaped into blades, shields, and spears that reformed instantly on his command.
"You're ready," Saijew shouted. "Now, push further manifest your fire, control the air, and shape it like an extension of yourself!"
Magnolia's eyes flared gold. He twisted the flames into a massive sphere, spinning it like a sun, then split it into rays that scorched everything in sight. Mastery radiated from him, his power flowing naturally, instinctively, a perfect fusion of fire and air.
Nearby, Sous moved like a storm incarnate. His sword radiated judgmental energy, a sphere of fear and control materializing at his command. Each swing sent tendrils of oppressive energy lashing toward the dummies, bending their "reactions" to his will.
"Asam! Focus the judgment!" Kahn barked.
Sous' attacks paralyzed, drained, and redirected force back into him, perfectly executing Corrupted Chains and Reality Breaker in tandem. He is now fully aware of the battlefield, every motion an extension of his judgment.
Ren's light shattered the air. He formed weapons, shields, and beams, compressing photons with exact precision. His Abstract Signals expanded: every movement, every beam, every weapon was perfectly calculated, nearly impossible to intercept.
"Ren! Control it like matter itself!" Pharaoh called.
Ren's mastery unfolded. He reshaped light into constructs that distorted perception, altered trajectories mid-flight, and struck with devastating efficiency.
Poison's figure swirled with blood and toxins, now completely integrated. Crimson Twister spun around him, combining heat and toxin, dense and lethal. Hot Thunderstruck ignited a zone of destruction, melting dummies, leaving nothing untouched.
"Poison! Push the toxins and blood as one. Shape the battlefield!" Saijew shouted.
He weaved in mastery, controlling every molecule in the mixture, spreading it to maximize both damage and strategic advantage.
Emma moved like the wind itself, currents bending and slicing, shielding and striking in perfect synchronization. Tornado-like bursts cut through dummies with surgical precision. Predictive gusts anticipated every strike, forming barriers and offensive vectors simultaneously.
"Emma, focus! Integrate tracking, shielding, and offense. Master it!" Kahn instructed.
Emma's awakening erupted. Every gust, shield, and slicing current flowed together flawlessly, her control absolute.
The younger children worked intensely, but their progression stopped under Saijew's scrutiny.
Matthew unleashed sonic pulses, Echoing Pulse and Harmonic Notes tearing through dummies. his mastery ensured destructive and precise attacks, but Threads of Reality remained out of reach.
Luna controlled winds with pinpoint accuracy, creating shields and whirlwinds. Her training gave her battlefield mastery.
Amelia reshaped terrain flawlessly, controlling rocks and earth with devastating precision. Her mastery provided advanced battlefield manipulation.
Sofia defended and counterattacked with energy shields, able to protect and strike simultaneously. Her training granted her great utility and timing.
Saijew clapped his hands, voice booming: "Magnolia, Sous, Ren, Poison, Emma, you've reached Total mastery.. Good. You all can do much more than you could prior, but this does not mean you are all at halt with your training. we mustn't stop.
Pharaoh Neitiqerty Siptah's golden eyes swept the field. "This is not just power. This is discipline, understanding, and awareness. You five are ready for the next step. The others, your mastery is solid. Push further in the field exercises, but know your limits."
Kahn added, "Today, you all grew beyond what you thought possible. Tomorrow, we test your control in live exercises. No mistakes, no hesitation."
The children, exhausted but exhilarated, took a moment to breathe. Fire, air, wind, light, blood, and sonic energy swirled across the field, the young contractors mastering forces few could imagine.
Magnolia flexed his fingers, flames dancing across them. "We're ready," he said.
Sous' sword glimmered with oppressive judgment. "Finally… control."
Ren's light bent around him like liquid complete."
Poison's toxins and blood shifted fluidly around him. "Maximum efficiency."
Emma's wind spiraled like a living entity. "Let's see what we can do now."
Saijew stepped forward, face serious. "Good. You five are weapons of war now. The others, solid. You will not falter when the Empire comes."
The field fell silent, the sun setting behind the mountains. Tomorrow, the children would test the limits of their mastery against Saijew, Asam, Kahn, and Pharaoh's simulations. But tonight, the power they wielded was undeniable.