"Why would this Magician help us?"
The man who spoke up, out of turn, was none other than Rand Twynam, a guest in the ongoing meeting and the future Association Chairman as well as future Grand Marshal.
The question was primarily aimed at Cauron Thorn, who sat at the head of the long, gilded table, opposite to Rand, his opinion far outweighing the three younger and weaker Kings seated by the sides.
The current Association Chairman, Marcus Twynam, sat on Cauron's direct right while Javier Flock sat on his left, neighbouring Alder and Smith respectively.
Immediately following Rand's question, Marcus silenced his son with a look; however, Cauron raised his finger into the air, stopping his silence.
"The boy has a point. There is no such thing as a free bag of Draughts in this world, and I think it wise to ponder his intentions."
He turned towards Javier with a stern expression on his face.
"Lord Flock, you were the Sea King on scene when he was in this city. Was there anything other than the information about the emblems that you extracted from the citizens?"
The shadows of the dim room covered the dark-haired man's face, only further highlighting the shine of his two-colored eyes.
He pursed his lips, replaying the memories in his head.
"He was tall, about 2.1 meters. Furthermore, he was said to have dark skin, perhaps a native of the Sea of Songs or Sea of Ancients."
There was a pause that came after his remark, the end of the description leaving them with not much to go on.
The orange-eyed man turned his gaze downward at the table, thinking of something, anything, he could say to contribute to the conversation despite growing rather tired of their meeting, which kept dragging on.
The cryptic message that the Magician left behind played out in his mind.
All you must do is hunt down what you wish to acquire. Then, you shalt know the true power of magic for the first time.
Gently, he shook his head, the movement barely perceivable to others, before addressing the men around the table once again.
"The frenzy after his words were leaked to the public left the Oni race extinct and their emblem lost forever. In the end, none of the hunters has gained what they hoped for. While I carry an emblem myself, it was granted to me directly from the God of Knowledge, and therefore, it cannot be replicated without him."
Watching the Sea Kings nod, he continued.
"Even if his words about emblems weren't entirely truthful, it does not mean they were incorrect. I believe that we are simply missing a piece that would connect us to the answer. Therefore, if we could investigate the Great Sea Wall and discover the emblems and seals he inscribed onto it, then perhaps we could figure out how volatile they may be and how secure the Wall truly is."
Ending his speech, he stood up, once again focusing his eyes on Javier Flock, who eyed him curiously.
The black-haired Sea King silently weighed his words for a moment before agreeing, the other men following his lead.
Marcus Twynam gazed around the room before slowly rising from his chair and hitting the table with a gavel.
"Then with that, we are done for this year."
The other three Kings all stood at once, some of their heads wrought with headaches, while others looked bored.
"As you know, for next year's Conference of the Seas, I will be stepping down as Association Chairman and passing the position to my son, Rand. I'll be in the meeting, of course, just not leading it."
Smiling, he hit the gavel one final time, dismissing the tired men from the burning hot conference room.
After all was said and done, Cauron was disappointed at the present state of the Association, with its entire military force consisting merely of the Sea Kings themselves.
Other than the Five Sacred Churches, the only other global superpower would be the newly founded Hunters' Guild, which had already amassed a large following, including Rand Twynam himself.
He was, of course, simply an honorary member due to his position in the Association; however, unlike the Oceanic Association, the Guild was truly rich in militaristic power.
Perhaps I should pose the idea of a fleet at next year's summit…
Nodding his head slowly, he saw Alder Belvedere about to exit the chamber, a thought quickly occurring to him.
At the funeral of Kauri, he had been so distant that he hadn't spoken to anyone other than Marcus and his sons, and therefore, he had yet to meet the new King.
Noticing his approach, Alder bowed his head to the respected older Sea King without hesitation.
"It was a pleasure to finally have you here after so many years of running the Association on our own, Lord Thorn."
The orange-haired man was immediately taken aback by the way he spoke, his speech pattern so similar to Kauri's that it made him jump.
"A-ah, yes…"
He paused, taking a breath and composing himself.
"I just wanted to congratulate you on your wife's pregnancy."
The blond-haired man instantly beamed with joy, an expression Cauron was used to from his father.
"Yes! And we've already picked out a name!"
Another dark memory flashed across the orange-eyed man's mind, a shiver going down his spine as he remembered saving a certain desperate woman's child.
It wasn't a happy memory for him, simply one he treasured for its significance in his life, a turning point in how he thought of his abilities.
They were a curse, without a doubt, and far worse than he could've imagined in his youth; however, they also came with the benefit of helping those who needed it.
"Will you name him Oak? Perhaps Birch?"
Chuckling at the famous naming convention of the Belvedere family, he noticed a frozen expression across the King's face.
"W-we're naming him Cedar…"
There was a long silence, neither really knowing how to carry on after that out-of-place yet weirdly accurate joke, an uncomfortable aura remaining around the two until they parted ways shortly after.
…
Five days later, the orange-haired man sat in an apartment with a baby in his arms and a 9-year-old girl trying to beat him in an armwresting battle.
Julius and Rand laughed as they watched their children torment the now 47-year-old Sea King, who was practically the men's uncle.
Their wives frolicked in the other room, discussing global politics, while the men gathered and played with the kids.
"How long until you have children of your own, Cauron? You might look to be the same age as I am, but you already act like some old grumpy man!"
Patting the shoulder of the man, Rand Twynam sat beside his young-looking uncle, taking his son, Tiberius, from his arms.
"You are full of jokes, Rand."
Julius spoke as he walked over and sat beside his daughter, Julia, who looked up at him with a strained expression.
Her entire body weight was pressed against Cauron's right pinky finger, trying to push him down towards the table.
"Cauron's already married to his research, and he's as faithful as it comes!"
The jest caught the orange-haired man off guard, and his grip wavered, allowing the little girl to move his finger half a centimeter.
She, of course, celebrated profusely at the small victory.
"You mustn't phrase it so harshly, dear."
Julius's wife, Angeline, peeked her head in and gazed at the irritated Sea King, who looked as tired as anyone could be.
"Thorn, you really mustn't listen to him. He's just jealous that your fan club of women in the Holy Capital didn't want him all those years ago!"
Laughing as she returned to her conversation with Mary Twynam, Rand's wife, one could see the color drain from Julius's face in real time.
"Haha! Mommy yelled at Daddy!"
Julia pointed and jeered at the man who reclined backwards on the couch, the conversation quickly getting back on track.
"You're not wrong, Julius."
Cauron spoke now.
"I simply cannot see myself ever falling in love, much less to the extent where it would hinder my research. I already only make time for the Twynams due to our long history, and if I were to marry and have children, well…"
He grimaced, hoping the point would roll across well enough.
Out of everyone in the room, Rand seemed to understand first, patting his uncle on the back and then leaning back like his brother.
"How long until you return to your castle, Papa!"
Julia looked up at Cauron with wide eyes and a smile, the middle-aged man giving in quickly.
"Ah… I'll take a portal back tonight if I can. All this sunlight makes me…"
He froze, his face covered in shadows thrown by a dark cloud passing across the bright sky in the distance.
Slowly, his glasses began to glow a deep orange, and the apartment building shook lightly as he looked down at the little girl.
Her expression had changed, confusion and hints of fear clinging to her face, and her wide eyes stared up at the now serious-looking Cauron.
"That room..."
His voice came out low and grave, causing both Julius and Rand to tense immediately, shaking off the sluggishness from before.
"What? What about it?"
Rand spoke first, sitting upright on the couch while Tiberius stirred in his arms.
The orange-haired man narrowed his eyes further, the pressure in the air rising ever so slightly.
"This is bad."
For one dreadful moment, silence swallowed the room as everyone waited for him to say more.
"The cookies are burning."
Processing his words, everyone stared at him with dumbfounded expressions before a panicked cry suddenly rang out through the apartment.
"Oh no—!"
Only a heartbeat later, Angeline burst into the room, rushing past the men and children before disappearing through the kitchen door on the opposite side, the very one Cauron had been staring at since earlier.
The smell hit them only moments later.
The baby boy began to cry, and he was quickly tended to by his father, who looked thoroughly displeased with the Sea King.
"You could've just said they were burning normally."
Cauron adjusted his glasses calmly before answering.
"That would not have conveyed the severity of the situation."
At that, Julia started laughing hard, her brilliant smile making the older man feel a warmth in his heart that he never knew he could feel.
Maybe… One day I might have kids…
Sighing, he stood up, wiping the crumbs from the snacks he had eaten earlier off himself.
Mary gazed over at him, standing, her brows furrowing as a sign of her displeasure.
"Already? We haven't even had dinner yet!"
The orange-haired man paused, deliberating her offer and weighing how likely it was for the dinner to be edible given the small incident he had just witnessed.
Then, considering that he didn't sense any other burning food besides the cookies, he sat back down without another moment of hesitation, never one to refuse the offer of free food.