Later in the evening, in the assembly hall, the king called only his most chosen and trusted persons to hold a meeting in a narrow circle with his daughter, the vampire king and representatives of the werewolf race and one witch. It was a complete compote of a mixture of races, but united by one aspiration.

Thea was sitting next to her father and he was gently stroking her hand.

- I greet each of you and thank you for giving me your time. – she began. – I believe that you are already aware of what is coming and I will not focus on it again, but I just want to say that I will be with you and on a par with you. We must act as partners and allies to succeed. I ask you to put all differences in the past and approach our common cause with full seriousness.

The military leaders and battle magicians of the upper class were waiting to hear something from the princess that they could not yet know.

- I’ll start with what I found out about myself relatively recently and what I couldn’t believe until a certain moment. – out of nervousness, she pulled her hand out of her father’s hand and fingered it. – Even before I was born, there was a prophecy that spoke of a great race war, a war of good and evil. But this is not the evil that we are always used to hearing about, but something more ancient and powerful that can sow chaos on the whole earth. And that evil is my stepmother.

She was talking so fast that she was out of breath.

- I will probably surprise many people present now, but my stepmother has been living for centuries, prolonging her life with the help of black magic. In return, it requires colossal sacrifices. We could never know about it, we never paid attention until I met a good woman who, by coincidence, also turned out to be a witch, but on top of everything else, a prophetess. I learned a lot from her.

Everyone listened to her with ecstasy and it was so radically different from the bedlam that took place at the council with the king, as if the princess had a stronger word and a higher authority.

- I learned from her that... - she grinned and shook her head, as if her thoughts were absurd and ridiculous. – that I am the central link of this prophecy. A magician, a witch... I don’t know... a person who will mark the "Light of Riliya", a light that will help cut through this heavy haze, the darkness that will soon hang over our heads.

She paused briefly, catching her breath and casting a casual glance at Raphael for support.

- I know it’s hard to believe in what hasn’t happened yet and maybe won’t happen, but it’s better to be safe than to be in despair with your hands tied. I spent a significantly long time among witches, practicing witchcraft, which arose in me completely by accident and I was forced to hide it all. But now I am ready to fight... to fight for each of you, for our peaceful future and I want to believe that we are on the same wavelength.

Her speech was full of motivation and fueled those present with her strength and energy. Shouts of support rang through the hall, which melted Thea’s heart, flooding it with warmth.

- But, another thing we need to remember is the creatures that, as you know, my stepmother cultivated. They are called bliars. They are a danger to all races without exception, they are powerful and poisonous. And first of all, we must develop such armor that can protect against a direct attack of these creatures. Before the start of the war, we must be all ready and armed.

- I ask all military commanders to convey this information to their soldiers and raise their morale to the maximum. In particular, it is worth giving priority to the training and retraining of archer magicians, since fighting from afar will give us some advantage while werewolves and vampires will engage in hand-to-hand combat with witches. Is everything clear to you?

Aizen, who was focused on every word of the princess, came forward and knelt down.

- Your Highness, I am the Marquis Aizen de Pierre, General of the Army of Riliya, I swear my allegiance to the throne of His Majesty Horel Rivaldi and the heirs to the throne of Her Highness Teanna Rivaldi and His Highness Terrence Rivaldi. I promise that every warrior will be your shield and striking sword. We will not lose this war.

Thea nodded convincingly and walked over to the man kneeling at her feet. She put her hand on his shoulder and his armor lit up with a bluish sparkling veil that spread over his body like a viscous liquid.

He felt an unprecedented surge of strength, such as he had never experienced before. Thea herself was surprised at how her body reacted. Approaching Aizen, she only wanted to express her gratitude, but it turned out that her feelings spilled over the edge and her power got out of control, splitting into particles on the Marquis.

It was another manifestation of her powers, which she still could not fully appreciate.

The Marquis was so inspired that he could not utter anything more than a simple dry gratitude, although his insides were bursting with deeper feelings that, due to his masculine callousness, he simply could not express.

- I want to make a final statement so that it will be put on everyone’s mind. Vampires and werewolves are now our allies. And a wizard, one wizard too. - she darted a glance in the direction of Raphael and he answered her with a wide smile full of support and love. She felt it with goosebumps on her back.

- A wizard? - Horel stared at the vampire in open dismay. – I thought that the race of wizards...

- Yes, your wife took care to destroy all my people. - Raphael finished, regaining his stern expression. – And now I will be more than happy to repay her the same after three hundred years, which she skillfully hid from my eyes.

- I understand. - The king’s reply was dry and concise. It was no longer his dilemma.

- And so, now we are one single entity. One army, one goals and one priorities. - Thea finished her monologue and bowed to the audience, expressing her gratitude for the time and attention.