Prologue 3 (The Talk)

For a moment, Bilanda stood still with his right hand still gripping the neck of Steven the thunder elemental while looking at Quentin.

He wore a stylish silver uniform with long sleeves, black belt and polished black shoes with not a speck of dust. Floating behind his back was a long red cape. He had the demeanor of a military man with his perfect musculature. He had the looks of a man not older than 40 but he was much older than that, as his body stopped aging.

His feet weren't touching the floor as he was gently floating with one hand behind his back and on his other hand, carried a small little girl.

Seeing his daughter, Bilanda simply crushed the neck he was holding and blood splashed out all over his body. He replied to Quentin calmly.

"And what do I care if you get angry ? Have I ever been scared of you ? Isn't it a bit too much for you to come into my humble ground and utter such things ?"

Quentin, watching his man killed after his threat simply utter a small laugh and replied.

"You're right, you can even call me shameless i won't deny it. I've never done such a thing in my life and i'm a bit ashamed of myself to use this underhanded tactic, but with you it's necessary."

Bilanda heart sank listening to Quentin, as what he feared the most since the beginning of this attack finally happened. His face remained expressionless while he spoke

"So it's blackmail after all. I could've believed it from everybody but not from you old friend. I prepared myself from all eventualities but not this one"

Quentin made a pained expression but rapidly regained his composure.

The 2 remaining men who fought Bilanda had long since taken refuge behind Quentin and they both made confused expression, not understanding what was going on or why these 2 titans were talking the way they did.

Tenko gave a confused look to his colleague when his eyes widened in horror as he was literally disintegrating into oblivion without leaving anything behind.

He only had the time to plead aloud "WHY??" when he too vanished completely of the surface of Beta-19.

Quentin replied without giving a single glance to his dying men "I'm sorry Tenks, though most of the council is aware of the operation, i won't run the risk of people revealing exactly what happened here tonight. My reputation will be ruined."

He continued softly "I will say it bluntly as you've already understood. You have a choice to do, your daughter or you. if you want us to fight to the very end, I have confidence in myself and i have enough fuel for this fight to last days even but the very first thing I'll do will be to kill her. It's dirty but I will live with it, then when we level down what's left of the mansion with our fight, I will also kill your son. I'm sure he's still there somewhere."

Bilanda listened to him calmly, Quentin continued. "But if you make the second choice, i am ready the make the binding contract that I'll take care of your daughter from now onwards, she won't lack anything and will receive the best tutoring. I won't go against your boy if he doesn't come against me, You have my word. He might bear a grudge so i can't take him."

Bilanda replied "And that's the choice you want me to make ?"

Quentin didn't immediately answer and then sighed

"Why did it have to come up to this Onana ? You are one of the few people I respect. We participated in many battles together, we had a common global vision, the same dreams ! why are you against the authority now when we are trying to fix a rotten civilization ?"

"Not like this" Bilanda said calmly "What the central authority is trying to do will cause billions of deaths, you all want to remove the last thing left to the least affluents of our society, how could I be content with it ? For us, elementals time as a currency is inconsequential. We have the means to replenish constantly, the different crystals are available to us. What about the trillions of people living daily?"

"Oh please don't come up with the deaths count card, the Nembus system is a harsh place already. Wars are waged here and there causing millions of deaths, just the Kandu uprising caused more than a billion."

Quentin replied dismissively flaunting his unloaded hand in front of his face like he was chasing an annoying fly.

He continued "Yes, billions might die but it's the necessary price to pay for change. Why are you only seeing the downsides? the benefits clearly outweighs them, who wouldn't want to live indefinitely so long as he is willing to work for it?

I don't agree with this lie that Humans are equal, there are people who gives more and bring forth the society compared to others. They can't be placed in the same brackets as failures. Meritocracy should be placed back at the center of our civilization.

You know, i didn't want to come here. When Collins told me the religious fanatics agreed, I looked for alternate outcomes but you didn't made things easy with your repeated interfering. You have too great of influence. Most of the great houses agreed to end it."

"You coming here tonight means I was betrayed by someone i had full trust." Said Bilanda, he continued "I won't ask who as it won't matter much anyway. We've had this talk for a long time and we will never agree, i don't understand why you said at first we had the same dream with reasoning like this. what about our values as people?

Is it morally right for billions to die because they couldn't afford a decent wage? I know how this works, you might have all the willingness in the world but you'll never change human greedy nature. societal protections should be made."

Quentin replied simply "We had some differences but we want the same thing. Humans should be placed back in the center of everything we do. Opportunities with this new world we're putting in place will be better than what we've been used to up till now."

We were in the same room when the precog revealed that we are living in a f**king sentient living system (** By saying system all the time, I mean star system. Like our star system is the solar system**). Everything is going to be reshaped !

Why do you want to stop progress ? Anyway, everything is already done, things went too far and it's too late now." Quentin stopped speaking and just looked at Bilanda.

Bilanda who had already made his decision said with the same indifference. "Indeed, it's already late now, let's make the contract then but first I have a condition. Never remove the chain on her neck"

Quentin then looked at the chain of the sleeping child on his arm and nodded.

"Good, i am ready" Bilanda Onana said decisively.