A heavy, oppressive aura filled the chambers of Eclipse's headquarters, the polished marble walls reflecting the dim light of the torches that lined them. The massive double doors to the legislative chambers creaked open, and the Lion strode in with a furious intensity. His energy seemed to ripple across the room, silencing even the faintest whispers.

  The Lion: "Sit down. NOW."

  The council members scrambled to take their seats, the urgency in his tone brooking no delay. The chamber grew quiet, save for the faint hum of magic lingering in the air.

  The Lion: "Nox have drawn first blood..."

  The room froze.

  The Lion: "... One of us has been murdered. The Leopard is no longer among us."

  Gasps rippled through the chamber, followed by stunned silence. For a moment, no one could speak. The weight of the revelation sank in like a stone plunging into deep water.

  The Lion: "His city is lost. It now falls entirely under Nox’s jurisdiction. We have not only lost our allies and informants within..."

  His voice faltered slightly, his usual commanding presence tinged with quiet frustration.

  The Lion: "... but also our path to Virno von Virtus. Reaching him is far too dangerous now. After deliberation, I must inform you all --"

  He paused, reluctant to say the next words.

  The Lion: "-- we have no choice but to abandon him."

  The silence shattered. The chamber erupted into chaos as members began to argue, their voices rising over one another. Some protested, others mourned, and a few simply sat in shock.

  Amid the turmoil, the Owl stood silently. He didn’t shout or argue. He simply rose, his tall, imposing figure commanding attention.

  The Owl: "We must not, Lion. Virno is our chance to turn the tide and achieve what we have fought for all these years... Abandoning him is tantamount to surrendering to our enemies!"

  The room fell silent again. The Lion’s jaw clenched, and he shook his head.

  The Lion: "Owl, I understand your passion... But we cannot afford to risk anyone else. If one of us is captured, they will stop at nothing to force a portal to our headquarters. I will not endanger this organization!"

  The Dragon stood abruptly, slamming his fists onto the table.

  The Dragon: "Damn it, Lion! Are we cowards now? One of us is gone, and we run with our tails between our legs?!"

  The Fawn rose next, her voice softer but no less resolute.

  The Fawn: "There has to be a way we can help without risking everything... Isn’t there something we can do?!"

  The Lion’s gaze hardened, his patience thinning.

  The Lion: "We are doing something, Fawn -- living. And Dragon... be mindful of your choice of words. It is not cowardice, it is ensuring the survival of Eclipse. Would you two rather we march to our deaths, leaving no one to carry out our mission?"

  The Owl’s feathers ruffled under his cloak, his blood boiling as he stepped forward.

  The Owl: "I expected better of you, Lion. A leader should not act so cravenly...!"

  The Lion slammed his hand onto his energy gong, the reverberating sound silencing the room.

  The Lion: "ENOUGH! This arrogance will not be tolerated... Our hands are tied! Any attempt to retaliate would only get us all killed. As your leader, I am responsible for ensuring the survival of this organization."

  The Owl: "Survival is not enough, Lion! Our purpose is greater than our lives...! One of us has died, and you choose to abandon the only chance we have to see our mission through?"

  The Lion rose from his seat, his ice-blue eyes piercing the Owl with a chilling authority.

  The Lion: "You old fool. You would send us all to our deaths!"

  The Owl: "I would sacrifice many of us, myself included, if it meant victory! Sacrifice is the cornerstone of what we stand for, Lion. Our lives are SECONDARY to our cause! YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN OUR PURPOSE!"

  The Lion: "AND YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR PLACE! SHUT UP THIS INSTANT AND SIT DOWN, OWL, I WILL SAY THIS ONLY ONCE!"

  The Owl: "I WILL NOT! I DEMAND THE COUNCIL VOTE ON THIS!"

  The Lion: "YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE, OLD MAN! I AM YOUR LEADER, YOU WILL OBEY ME!"

  The Owl: "YOU STUBBORN FOOL! YOU ARE TOO SCARED OF DEATH TO DO WHAT MUST BE DONE!"

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  The Lion left the center of the room, approaching the Owl with measured steps.

  The Elephant: "He’s not -- ?"

  The Snake: "Clear the room!"

  The Fawn moved to intervene, but the Owl raised a hand to stop her.

  The Owl: "Do not interfere... This is between us."

  The chamber grew deathly still as the Owl stepped forward, meeting the Lion halfway.

  The Lion: "Your disobedience will be punished, Owl."

  The Owl: "I swore obedience to a leader worthy of respect -- not to a frightened rat."

  Both cast glyphs simultaneously. From the Owl’s palm materialized a gray sidesword, elegant and sharp. From the Lion’s hand came a gleaming scimitar, its warped edge shimmering with magical energy.

  They clashed with a deafening ring, sparks flying as their blades ground against one another.

  The Lion: "I never expected this from you."

  The Owl: "Nor I from you."

  They pushed apart, their glyphs glowing brighter as they prepared for their next moves.

  The Lion: "You would defile these chambers with your recklessness?!"

  The Owl: "And you would defile the very principles of Eclipse with your cowardice!"

  The Lion slashed his scimitar, sending a wave of energy missiles arcing toward the Owl. The Owl responded by blowing into his casting hand, conjuring a bubble of gray energy that enveloped them both. The missiles’ trajectories warped within the field, flying harmlessly past him.

  The Owl floated upward, manipulating gravity to his advantage as he charged toward the Lion.

  The Lion: "You know you cannot win! Surrender, and I will make your punishment swift..."

  With a sharp motion, the Lion’s scimitar sliced through the bubble, severing the Owl’s control over the room. The Owl fell but landed deftly, his gravity glyph still active.

  The Owl: "If only our past leaders could see you now... they would be just as ashamed as I am."

  The Lion: "Ashamed...? Who will be left to fight our enemies if all of us are dead, Owl?! How will we accomplish our mission then?! TELL ME!"

  The Lion’s eyes glowed brighter, altering the gravity of the entire room. Council members and furniture floated into the air as the torches flared with gray fire.

  He raised his scimitar overhead, its blade twisting and expanding with chaotic energy, imbued with a strange property that displaced time and space around itself. Its movements become impossible to predict, with light itself seemingly warping and shifting erratically around it.

  He starts walking toward the Owl, who is held almost nailed to the floor by an enormous gravitational force. The room seemed to be in perfect sync with the Lion's intentions, greatly amplifying his powers as the leader.

  The Owl: "By choosing to abandon the sword of greed, you are forfeiting any chance of victory... Nox have already effortlessly begun to capture settlements and cities across the globe. One of us has already perished...! It is not the time to hide, not the time to wait. It is the time to go all in, to join all our efforts into helping the boy claim the deadly blade. That is our only chance of victory. Our only way to tip the scales...!"

  With much difficulty, the Owl manages to stand up straight. He didn't seem interested in continuing the fight.

  The Lion: "We will manage without him... We are stronger than they are."

  His eyes dim. Gravity seems to be slowly returning to normal.

  The Owl: "Stronger...?! We are delusional, if we choose to believe that."

  The Lion: "ENOUGH...!"

  Then, they burn brighter than before. The room quakes as gravity itself is inverted around the two of them, sending other people and objects crashing into the ceiling of the chamber. The torches' flames expand violently, forming a circle of grey fire all around them. The Lion raises his scimitar high overhead, its unnatural blade twisted and warped to expand its size to twice its original length.

  The Lion: "This is your last chance, Owl... Obey your leader and stand down!"

  The Owl dispels his sword, raising his hand to his mask.

  The Owl: "I know I cannot best you. And I know I have disrespected you, as our leader, and in turn Eclipse itself..."

  The Owl dispelled his sword, raising his hand to his mask.

  The Owl: "... But understand, Lion, that I do as I must. I cannot stand behind you any longer."

  As he cast a glyph upon his mask, it disintegrated, along with his robes.

  The Elephant: "No... H-he forsakes us!"

  The Lion: "You wouldn’t -- !"

  The Owl: "I already have..."

  The torches dimmed. Gravity returned to normal as the Lion lowered his blade. The room fell into stunned silence.

  The Owl: "The Owl’s place in this council is now vacant... From this moment forward, I am no longer a member of Eclipse."

  The Lion: "OWL! How dare you do this...?!"

  He turned to the council, his voice resolute.

  The Owl: "I forfeit my role, as well as my membership, in Eclipse. I am the Owl no longer. You may all call me by my name... Ballo."

  The other members could not believe it.

  Ballo (The Owl): "I return my uniform, as well as my ability to come to and from these headquarters... This will be the last time I set foot in here."

  The Lion dispels his sword, sighing as regret flickered across his face.

  Ballo: "You may have chosen to abandon the future wielder of the sword, but I have not. I bid you farewell, my friends... It is time this old man makes himself truly useful once more. I will guide von Virtus to the sword to the best of my abilities, even if it's the last thing I do. I give you my word."

  The Lion: "Are you certain this is what you want...?"

  He asked, even though he knew there was already no turning back.

  Ballo: "It is what the leaders who came before you would want, too... I hope that, in time, you will learn to see this."

  The Lion takes a deep breath. He then raises both of his hands towards Ballo, as a banishment glyph is cast underneath the old man's feet.

  The Lion: "Then by the power vested in me by my fellow members of Eclipse... I hereby banish you from these headquarters and from our organization. Thank you for all that you have done for Eclipse, over the long years you were with us..."

  The glyph underneath him shines brighter. Everybody else in the room seemed saddened by his departure, some struggling with themselves, blaming his departure on their inaction. But Ballo smiled.

  Ballo: "Cheer up, everyone... Though this is the last time you see me here, I dearly hope this isn't the last time our paths will cross. Stay true to what you believe in. Always...!"

  The glyph shines its brightest, casting a portal that instantly banishes Ballo from the room. After the portal closes, the room grows deeply silent. The Lion himself seemed at a loss for words.

  The Lion: "... We have lost much lately. This meeting is adjourned. Mourn what you must for today... Tomorrow, we will discuss our options again. We are dismissed."

  Everyone leaves the room quietly, now littered with broken objects and upside-down furniture.

  Alone in the ruined chamber, the Lion stared into the dim torchlight, his thoughts a storm of doubt and resolve.