Selistar steeled himself as Mythara's words attempted to shatter his confidence. He lifted his head and looked at Mythara, but made sure to avoid making eye contact with the boy-turned-primordial beast before him.

"I'd like to have a conversation about what we need to do moving forward. We only have a little over a year remaining," Selistar said, his voice carrying the weight of approaching deadlines.

"You don't need to worry. I'll be paying the UN a visit sooner or later. I'm just waiting." Mythara cut straight to the heart of Selistar's concerns without breaking his stretching routine. He'd expected any progress they might have made during his absence would have backslid by now.

"So you're aware that their progress with the UN has stagnated?" Selistar asked.

"Just stagnated? I would have thought it had gone backward." Mythara chuckled to himself as he continued his after-workout stretching.

"Is that what you wanted? Do you want this war to happen?" Selistar was becoming more agitated.

"I thought you wanted to have a conversation, not accuse me of sabotaging our efforts."

"Isn't that exactly what you're doing? I understand that you are powerful, and possibly you could defeat Zac… but…"

"Lord Cefketa to you… human. And I can't beat him… not yet." Mythara sighed as he looked over at the simulacrum that was very much still alive and well. He had made tremendous progress over the past two years, but it wasn't enough.

"Then please, dear cousin… help this lowly human understand," Selistar spoke sarcastically.

Mythara smirked at Selistar in derision and then turned away. As much as he hated to admit it, the only real sin Selistar had committed was believing in his parents too much. Mythara closed his eyes and sighed. Selistar had been trying to move past what happened and prepare for what was next. There was little reason for Mythara to trust him, but Selistar had done even less for him to distrust him when it came to this. He should throw him a couple of bones, if only so he'd stop breathing down his neck.

"I wanted to see how they would react. Unfortunately, they have responded only marginally better than I had anticipated. I don't know if it's because they have a little sense, or because Aunt Seren is good at politics."

"You're testing them? Why? To see how seriously they take this situation?"

"And how seriously they take Heka as a whole. It appears the answer to both of those questions is… not very." Mythara responded, visibly annoyed.

"Then why are you having meetings with Firmatha Sangaur?"

This agreement is to happen between two parties. How can I not have talks with the other party?"

Selistar didn't bother to ask why he hadn't included the rest of them on these trips of his. There was no way that he would reveal the location of Firmatha Sangaur to them. Selistar then asked,

"Have you had any success?"

"Yes… and I've suggested they meet the UN themselves. Unfortunately, they cannot come to a vote because Keta has been absent the last five times I've gone to meet them. He's dragging his feet… stalling." Mythara finished his stretching and lay down on the "ground" in this endless nebula, staring blankly at the "ceiling" above.

"Stalling? Are you sure he just doesn't wish for humanity's destruction?" Selistar asked halfheartedly.

"You've known him longer than I have… what do you think? Really?" Mythara asked, still not looking at Selistar. Selistar closed his eyes and said,

"He's waiting for the Twins and Sage to come out of Chrysalis Stasis. To judge how powerful they'd become. If humans who have undergone Chrysalis Stasis could be even a fraction of a threat to a dragon, then he would not be able to guarantee victory without substantial losses." Selistar reasoned.

They had come to terms with knowing their files would have been hacked and copied during the Fury of Dreams. If Dr. Hamilton's research was on their servers, then it was in the hands of the twins. With the tech available to them, it would be nothing for them to copy and even improve on the research. With this and the way Cefketa approached most situations, it was simple to deduce what he might be thinking.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Mythara validated Selistar's stance and sat up to look at Selistar.

"You don't find it strange that we came to the same conclusion so easily?" Selistar added.

"Normally, yes… but we are not currently in the position to threaten him. So there's no reason to hide his motives. And his hands are also tied. Even if he sees Chrysalis Humans as a potential threat, he gave us 3 years. There's not much he can do."

Selistar narrowed his eyes at Mythara. Those three years were a verbal agreement; nothing was stopping Cefketa from ignoring it. However, from Mythara's point of view, that wasn't even an option. Was this some unspoken trust between Dragons, or did the two of them have such a deep bond that they would not betray each other's trust? Whatever the case, it was a reprieve in this approaching storm.

"What exactly do you have planned, having them meet the UN?" Selistar asked.

"If we're lucky, two things will occur. We'll put the fear of god in them, and they'll begin to understand exactly what position they're in. Second, we'll convince them to send a delegation to visit Firmatha Sangaur." Mythara smirked.

Selistar's eyes widened with understanding. He hadn't seen the "holy land" of the Monsters, but from everything he had witnessed and the little he had heard from Mythara, Firmatha Sangaur was a technological wonderland. Their tech could advance human civilization by leaps and bounds. Selistar nodded slowly, pieces clicking into place.

"Is there anything else you want?" Mythara asked. The annoyance in his voice was bubbling up once again.

Stolen story; please report.

There was indeed more that Selistar wanted to talk about, but the dynamic between the two of them was… awkward to say the least. Selistar hesitated for a moment before he began to speak up,

"What do I have to do… to get you to treat me like family… because we are family."

"Then act like it." Mythara snapped back at Selistar.

"Because since the moment I met you, all you've treated me as is a tool." Mythara stood up and turned his back towards Selistar.

"You're right, and I've been trying to fix that."

"Are you trying to fix it because it's the right thing to do? Or are you trying to fix it, because you need me?" Mythara asked, not facing Selistar.

A long silence filled the Nebula. Selistar knew his answer immediately, but didn't know if he should speak the truth, or what he believed Mythara wanted to hear. He closed his eyes and spoke,

"Yes, I need you. We all need you. You are Auranthos Threnos'. You are the one to guide humanity through the coming storm. Not just the Theronites… humanity! Yes! I need you. Yes! I still see you as a tool! But I, too, am a tool! So use me!!! Help me, Lord Mythara!" Selistar let out his frustrations as he stared at Mythara's back.

"Mythara is fine," Mythara said as he looked over his shoulder at Selistar. The annoyance in his voice had faded, but his guard was still up.

"Fine… we'll start over on a clean slate. How about that?"

"That's all I can ask for," Selistar responded.

"As a show of good faith, I'll let you know something to get everyone excited," Mythara smirked as he turned around to face Selistar.

"On the day of Fury of Dreams, we'll be able to celebrate the birth of a new kind of human." Mythara smiled at Selistar.

"They are finally waking up?" Selistar smiled.

"Yes. Also, for now, only those who will be Theronites will be allowed to undergo the Chrysalis Stasis Phenomenon."

"What? Mythara, are you serious? This is a tremendous step forward for us." Selistar tried to reason with him.

"I understand that, and Theronites have always been the ones to receive the best, have they not? Why would this be any different?" Mythara asked.

"Because this holds us back as a whole. The Theronites will always house the best of the best. I have no issue with that, nor will I try to stop that. But…" Selistar stopped speaking when he saw the smile on Mythara's face.

"Calm down. I said for now. I can't waste my time teaching everyone how to use their new abilities. Until such a time as there are more who understand Vaylora enough to teach it. This is the best way. Besides, they will be out of commission for 2 years at a time. They won't be ready for what's coming anyway." Mythara explained.

Selistar nodded in agreement. The best way to shore up their numbers would be to continue with the Zero selection. They could worry about Chrysalis Humans after they dealt with the immediate problem. Selistar then steeled himself to ask another question,

"Speaking of teaching Vaylora, do you think you can give a quick demonstration or-"

"No," Mythara responded.

"At least not yet," Mythara spoke again as he saw the look on Selistar's face.

"I don't fully understand it myself yet. At least not enough to teach it. I want to test my teaching strategy on the others when they come out of stasis. If… if."

"If they can't comprehend your teachings, then there will be no hope for the rest of us?"

"Yeah…" Mythara nodded.

Over the past two years, his understanding of Vaylora had become deeper than he had thought possible. However, he had trouble putting that understanding into words that he thought would be understandable to others. It was a source of constant frustration for him. The Wanderer knew this was a problem, which is why he planned to come back and help them.

Mythara sighed. He had so much at his disposal now, but he still felt like he was powerless in this situation. He was supposed to be the legendary figure who would guide them all through some storm. He was barely able to keep his head above water. Selistar saw the look in Mythara's eyes. Even with all that power and knowledge at his disposal, he was still just a kid.

"This is why I came here. You've been holed up in this… place for almost an entire year. I figured you were trying to shoulder all this on your own. I tried that once… and everything is still shit." Selistar's mouth twitched as he thought about his past mistakes.

He had fancied himself the strongest creature on the planet until the events that happened two years ago, and to a certain extent, he was, but if he had learned anything, it was this,

"No matter how strong you are, or how strong you'll become. You're not a god. So don't try to shoulder everything on your own, learn from my mistakes." Selistar smirked sadly, thinking back on his own mistakes.

"You weren't alone. You just squandered what you had." Mythara responded.

"Ouch… heh." Selistar let out a pained sigh as he relived the truth of Mythara's words.

He had Zac, Shaila, and The Twins by his side for years. There was so much good that the five of them could have done. Where did it go wrong? Why did he never tell them? Selistar closed his eyes in contemplation.

"Jealousy and Pride are ugly things. They can bring ruin to everything we hold dear." Selistar realized his flaws long ago but blinded himself to them.

The Twins and Shaila were naturally drawn to Zac. He felt jealous of that fact. He was the leader, he was the most powerful, but those three seemed to always look to Zac for answers when things got heavy. Selistar shook his head in self-deprecation. That was why he subtly tried to create distance between Zac, Franky, and the others, so they would look towards him instead, even though in times of great crisis, he would look towards Zac.

"He…hehehehe. Perhaps I am Aron's son after all. Pathetic."

"Just you saying that makes you better than Aron ever was," Mythara said.

"Maybe you're right. I guess time will tell."

"Yes, it will… speaking of time. I think it's about time you get the hell out." Mythara smirked as Selistar nodded his head and began to turn away.

"I will inform the others that we will need to change the festivities for the Fury of Dreams festival. One more thing before I go."

"What is it?"

"If things do come to war, what do you think the chances of winning are?" Selistar asked.

"As things are now… less than 2% and that's being generous. Ask me again after the others are awake." Mythara commented.

"You do understand that they'll have Chrysalis Humans of their right?" Selistar added.

"Yeah… but we were trained by Cefketa. You think he'll have time to teach them?" A cocky smile stretched across Mythara's face.

"Fair enough." Selistar left, and the door closed behind him.

Mythara was left alone in the endless Nebula once again. The Simulacrum manifested at his side and asked,

"Will you be trying again today?"

"Of course," Mythara responded as he walked away and then turned to face his opponent.

"How many deaths will we be stopping at today?"

"30."

"A short session then?" The Simulacrum commented.

"Are you sure you don't have a personality? Because you're starting to piss me off." Mythara growled.

This thing was based on Cefketa, and that included its ability to get under people's skin with just a few words. Mythara took a deep breath and got into a fighting stance. The Simulacrum summoned a scythe and then vanished from sight. Mythara slid and stepped, avoiding instant death and sending a counter to the Simulacrum's side. His strike was blocked, and the two began to enter into a furious brawl in the middle of the endless nebula.

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