My Soul card is a Reaper

The clan leaders, gathered at the table, formally started the proceedings of the meeting without the presence of the Judge, who was supposed to sit on the throne. But for some reason, Azzy didn't want Qridus to attend this meeting and as a result, Qridus remained absent.

After Azzy dismissed the domain, they introduced themselves according to the number they sat on, leaving one throne empty.

"Moon Clan's Representative: Estella Moon"

"Representative of Asgardians: Fjor Odinson"

"Kuru Clan's Representative: Ayush"

"Minamoto Clan's Representative: Fujiwara Shuichi"

"Representative of Elves: Neymeryn Searvale."

"Representative of the Blood Clan: Francis Blood."

Raising to his feet, Azzy introduced himself calmly in the second clan meeting he was hosting. His face maintained impassiveness.

"Death Clan's Representative: Azrael Garcia."

Once he was finished, he glanced at the two ladies sitting away from the table, with their gaze on the floor. "Those with observer status may introduce themselves now."

"Yes…"

Taking a deep breath, the leader of the Sun Clan, who was attending a clan meeting for the first time, stood up. "Sun Clan's Representative: Qin Wuye."

It was followed by Lysandra, who attended before, although as an heir but not as a head.

"Representative of Dragon Clan: Lysandra Ravillon"

Nine clan leaders. Nine different legacies. Nine conflicting ideologies. And all of them sat down in the same hall to discuss the future of the world, laced with their own hidden agendas.

"I thank you all for coming," Azzy began, his voice calm, the way a quiet sea carries strength beneath the surface. "Some of you may wonder why I have primarily asked you to attend in person, not send your heirs or attend through projection. There are two reasons for that. One…"

He leaned forward. "The last time we gathered like this, we talked about various things and passed the notions, but none of them materialized. But then again, the last meeting was more like business rather than a meeting. I didn't hold up my end of the bargain and ran off somewhere. Some of the policy implementations had to be delayed. Nevertheless, I'm back now. So, we first talk about the things we discussed before."

Azzy's attention briefly shifted to the old man quite next to him, "But first, let's welcome a new member of the group. The Blood Clan." He gave a clap. The others clapped along.

The Sun and the Dragon Clan heads were forced to clap, too.

It was a light clap of formality, not the usual cheering clap or anything. Francis was slightly taken aback, but he composed himself and rose to his feet once again and nodded. "Thank you."

"We will discuss your Blood Clan's role as the Hidden Clan later, Clan Head Francis." Azzy passed off a comment and returned his gaze to the rest. "Let's talk about what to do with the Sun and Dragon Clans."

The respective heads of the two clans tensed up at their mention. This meeting will decide their freedom, after all.

Shuichi spoke. "In the last meeting, we made the decision that the Sun and Dragon Clans will be moved to a new country you proposed, along with the Minamoto Clan and the Elves to have a three-state system, where we take the responsibility of governing the Dragon Clan's territory while the Elves takes care of the Sun Clan." He gave a glance at Neymeryn. "I wonder if the Elves still want to abide by it."

Neymeryn Searvale plainly nodded. "18 years might be a long time of passage for you humans, but for Elves, it wasn't. We didn't forget our promise, and yes, we are still willing to."

Azzy nodded and then said. "Originally, the plan was to grant freedom to both hidden clans, but at the price of being governed by other clans until their hundred-year period of their sentence is over, and then leave them to their own devices. But, after Queen Ingrid's abandonment, we can't afford to just suppress our allies just for the sake of it when they can do much more. To bring in another power is just as risky. So, I propose a modification in the notion. Owing to the fact that the culprits are only their former clan heads, and their ordinary clan members had no role in it but have already served a 20-year sentence so far, I propose a reinstatement of the Sun and Dragon Clans back into the Hidden Clans, but each of them only gets a half vote instead and let their performance decide whether they deserve to be a full member or not."

"Half a vote?" The Clan heads exchanged their glances in wonder, and so did the Sun and Dragon Clan heads. Neither Qin Wuye nor Lysandra expected Azzy to grant them such a favor. They didn't have much expectation from this meeting, after all.

Even if it is half a vote, that's the same as restoring their dignity. For clans that have a hundred thousand years of history, it's worth much more than one might think.

Francis leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "I don't think this is even about Sun and the Dragon Clans. What's the idea behind this, Lord Garcia?"

Azzy shot a glare at him in response. "This is regarding the past notion, Clan Head Francis. I'm afraid your Clan isn't entitled to state any opinions regarding this matter. So, I hope you refrain from speaking."

Francis' facial expression changed subtly to a frown, but he retained his composure once again. He shrugged. "Alright."

"Let's Vote, then," Azzy said, raising his hand. "The Death Vote for Yes."

"Umm… Okay… I don't see any problem with it…" Ayush shrugged his shoulders. "Kuru Clan Votes for Yes."

"Minamoto Clan votes for Yes." Shuichi wants to vote no, but he reluctantly voted yes because he needed the cores, and of course, he wants to stay as close to Azzy as possible.

"The Moon Clan votes for Yes."

"The Asgard votes for Yes."

Surprisingly, the Asgardian Leader voted yes when they had rejected all of those notions in the last meeting. He doesn't know what Azzy plans, but he just took it as a fact that Azzy no longer needs even territories. The fact that he became a demigod and is still continuing to interfere in the mortal affairs only means that Gaia has approved him. That itself changes many things.

"The Elves vote for Yes."

With Neymeryn also voting yes, the decision became unanimous. Qin Wuye and Lysandra sat there in a state of shock, their eyes couldn't believe what they saw.

"With that said, the Sun and Dragon Clans are reinstated as Hidden Clans. The elders of the clans, imprisoned in our Citadel, will be released once the procedures are over." Azzy then raised his hand toward them and gestured toward the seats. "Welcome back, Clan leader Qin, Clan leader Ravillon, you may take the empty thrones."

Both of them rose to their feet. Following the tradition of his clan, Qin Wuye bowed to the table and cupped his fists. "The Sun Clan expresses its gratitude." Lysandra made a fist and placed it on her chest with a firm expression. "Thank you."

As they left their seats and walked to the round table, taking a seat and getting congratulated from the leaders sitting nearby, Azzy tapped the table to get the attention of others. "Now, let's talk about the promises I made."