"You don’t have to convince me, sweetie." Jirni cut her daughter’s pitch short. "You did the right thing by not bringing them here sooner, and I thank you for your thoughtfulness.

"We needed time to grieve your sister and these creatures to turn into useful weapons." Nobody missed the implications of her words, but no one said anything either.

"My only question is, why did you have Protheus come to us while pretending to be you? What were you trying to achieve?"

"I wanted to show you how good he is before you had the opportunity to kick us out in a fit of rage." Friya blushed a bit, bringing her left hand to her womb. "I also hoped that seeing his shapeshifting skills in action might give you a few ideas, Mom."

"That’s a wonderful thought, pumpkin, but useless." Orion sat down as well, trying to keep the edge off his voice. "Doppelgangers were so effective during the War of the Griffon because normal humans couldn’t distinguish them from the people they impersonated.

"The Gernoff, however, are all Awakened and cautious sons of a dog. They won’t ever attack someone just because they look like your mother. Having one or more body doubles is an old trick the Gernoffs will expect, and they can expose Protheus just like I did."

"I know he can’t take Mom’s place." Friya replied. "Yet with his ability, he can hide in plain sight and shadow Mom around. He can protect her."

"He can do so much more than that. They all can." Jirni waved at the nine Divine Beasts, gesturing for them to stand up. "Yet there are too few of them, and once the Gernoffs discover that Thrud’s generals are still alive, they won’t be more than a deterrent, like Lith or Tista.

"The Gernoffs have time, numbers, and resources on their side. They will dig up the information about our new allies from the records of the War of the Griffons and find a way to get rid of them long enough to get the job done.

"We have only one chance to end this conflict on our terms. If we fail, we won’t have another." She looked around the room, weighing her options and how much she could rely on the same monsters who had led her Little Flower to her death.

"Are you willing to stake everything on this one chance?" Jirni walked up to Protheus. "Do you realize that if something goes wrong, the entire Mogar will come after you to study and replicate your abilities?

"I know plenty of mages who will make you wish for death if they get their hands on you."

"I do, and I’m not afraid of that." The Doppelganger nodded.

"We are not friends. You owe me nothing." Jirni continued. "Why should I believe that when the time comes you won’t hesitate to risk your millennia-long life for a mere human woman you barely know?"

"We owe you a lot." Ophius replied. "We have a heavy debt of blood with the entire Griffon Kingdom. Faluel has shown us the consequences of our foolish actions and how many lives have been destroyed because of us.

"Thrud orchestrated the events that led to Phloria’s death, but we carried them out. You are just collateral damage. We can’t bring your daughter back from the grave, but we can at least take responsibility for the impossible situation we have put you in."

"It sounds nice, but words are just words." Orion sneered. "Give me one good reason I should entrust my wife’s life to a bunch of cowards who have fought their whole lives knowing that death wouldn’t stick thanks to the Golden Griffon."

"I can give you one excellent reason. My brother Valeron the Second." Protheus replied. "When he grows up and reads about the War of the Griffons, I want to be able to look him in the eye when I tell him that I’m not the person described in history books anymore.

"I want to become an older brother that Valeron can be proud of and look up to. Yet just saying sorry will prove nothing. Only by deed can I forswear the crimes I perpetrated in Thrud’s name.

"I don’t expect your forgiveness or that by saving your wife I can erase one of my past mistakes, Lord Ernas. I just want to do something I don’t have to be ashamed of. Something that the old Protheus would have never done.

"If I have to risk my freedom for that, so be it. I’d rather live the rest of my life in chains than disappoint Valeron more than I already did."

"Protheus speaks for us all." Leari said. "The blood that runs in Valeron’s veins will bring him misery and hardships. Everyone will hate him for what his mother and we did. He will be forced to lie and hide his real name, forever ashamed of his heritage.

"We want to ease his burden, even if just by a little bit. We want Valeron to see more than the blood on our hands when he looks at us. Please, let us help you. If not for us, do it for that innocent baby.

"Give me one chance, and I swear on my liege that I’ll follow your orders, no matter how crazy they might seem, until your life is safe and the Gernoffs are no longer a threat." She said, dropping to one knee again.

"We swear." The other eight Divine Beasts followed suit like one.

"I accept your oath." Jirni nodded. "Yet I don’t trust you. I’ll share with you only the parts of my plan you need to perform, and only minutes before we take action. I can’t afford leaks, doubts or hesitation."

She said, and the Divine Beasts nodded for her to continue.

"Before I assign you a role, however, I need to know everything you can do. Explain your bloodline abilities, skills, and weaknesses to me, and leave out nothing."

***

Verhen Mansion, a few days later.

"How much longer before the Fusion Reactor is full?" Lith asked.

"A few hours." Solus replied. "That thing charges slowly, and every time we use the Firing Range to practice our Blade Spells, the tower needs most of the world energy it can absorb to neutralize them."

"Still, it was worth it." Lith appreciated Ragnarök’s smooth mana flow and perfect balance with a few practice swings. "After Grandma reforged our weapons according to our new Forgemastering technique, we couldn’t afford a caravan of Desert merchants spotted us and tattled about it to the rest of the world.

"We only have one chance to surprise our enemies with our newfound prowess. After that, all it takes is one witness, and we can kiss our advantage goodbye. How do you feel, little buddy?"

"I..." The angry blade used latches and seals to form words, yet it stuttered. "I feel weird. Things are much clearer now. I learn faster and understand your world better, Master. It’s like I’ve always been half asleep, and now I’m fully awake."

"Big Bro too whiny!" The Sage Staff snorted. "We feel great! We smarter now. We better, Mom. Just like me promised. Me good kid, right?"

"Yes, little one, you are great." Solus patted the Staff’s head, obtaining a high-pitched squeal in reply.