The Council of Two Races

The Grand Hall of Concordance stands silent, though filled to capacity. I can smell the anxiety in the air - a mixture of human sweat and the subtle acidic scent my kind emits when tense. Two hundred years since we last gathered like this, demons and humans in the same chamber, and the weight of history bears down on us all.

I adjust my ceremonial robes, the fabric rustling against my obsidian skin. Around the circular table, five other demon lords sit with me - Vazreth the Spellweaver, her horns gleaming with stored magic; Kralex the Unyielding, his scaled armor still bearing scars from the Abyss War; and the others, each as ancient and powerful as I.

Across from us sit the human kings and queens. So young. The eldest among them couldn't have seen more than fifty winters. They fidget in their seats, adjusting crowns and smoothing ermine-trimmed cloaks. None of them were alive when the Pact was forged.

Above us all, the ethereal light of their ascended God-King shimmers through the crystal dome. A reminder. A witness.

"Let us begin," I say, my voice carrying the gravelly undertone all my kind share. "We are here to address the growing... tensions between our peoples."

High King Aldric - a boy of perhaps thirty summers - straightens in his chair. "With all due respect, Lord Malkior, what tensions? Our kingdoms are prosperous. Trade flows freely."

Kralex growls, the sound like rocks grinding together. "Prosperity built on broken promises."

I raise a hand to quiet him, though I share his frustration. "Your Majesty, in the past decade alone, three mixed settlements have been abandoned. Demon residents forced out by increasingly hostile human neighbors. Our mages are no longer welcome in your universities. Human merchants demand triple bonds to trade with demon cities."

Queen Elara of the Eastern Realms leans forward. "But surely you understand our people's concerns? Your kind live for millennia, accumulating power and wealth. You can work magics that our greatest sorcerers can barely comprehend. How can we ensure a fair society when such... disparities exist?"

I close my eyes briefly, remembering a similar conversation from centuries ago - but then, it was demons arguing against cooperation with "short-lived, magically stunted" humans.

"I was there," I say quietly, opening my eyes to meet each of their gazes in turn. "When your God-King made his promise. When he rose into the heavens, his light blessing demon and human alike. I fought beside your ancestors against the Abyss Invaders. I held dying humans in my arms as they held dying demons in theirs."

I gesture to the massive mural behind me, depicting the final battle against the Abyss. "Your histories speak true. We were enemies once, and terrible ones. But we chose to be allies, and then more - we chose to be neighbors, friends, fellow citizens of a shared world."

Vazreth speaks up, her voice melodious despite her fearsome appearance. "We do not deny the challenges our differences present. But your God-King - who was once our enemy before becoming our savior - saw a path forward. Are his descendants wiser than him? Do you know better than a god?"

The silence that follows is deafening. Some of the human monarchs have the grace to look abashed. Others appear thoughtful. A few remain stubbornly defiant.

Young King Aldric finally breaks the silence. "What would you have us do?"

I reach beneath the table and produce an ancient scroll - the original Pact, signed in blood and magic. As I unroll it, the God-King's light seems to intensify.

"Honor the promise," I say simply. "Renew the Pact. Let us form a council - human and demon together - to address these issues. Let us show our people that we can still stand united."

"And if we refuse?" one of the younger queens asks, though her voice trembles slightly.

Kralex laughs, a sound like avalanches. "Then we all lose. Look around you, young ones. Look at what we built together. Are you so eager to tear it down?"

I watch the humans whisper among themselves. Two centuries ago, I sat in this same chamber, watching humans and demons put aside millennia of hatred to face a common threat. Now I wonder - was the Abyss truly our greatest enemy? Or is it our own capacity to forget, to let fear overwrite wisdom?

The God-King's light pulses gently overhead as we wait for their decision. I find myself hoping that some fragment of his wisdom lives on in his people.

For all our sakes.