The transport ship pierced through the clouds, descending toward Lirien City as Myra stood on the deck, watching the world she once thought she knew become a stranger before her eyes. Her mind replayed the words that had been exchanged, the intensity of the conflict, and the unmistakable disdain that had clouded every interaction during the failed Tianjin delegation. But it wasn't just the words—it was something deeper, something primal.
Tianjin had been the adversary from the very start. There was no diplomatic misstep or misunderstanding that had caused this. It was written in their very DNA. The men of Tianjin were born with one singular purpose—to dominate. To lead. To be the best. They didn't need to be raised to believe they were superior; they had been born that way, forged by the divine forces of their ancestors to hold the world in their grasp.
And now, Gaia—a society that had bred women to be the supreme force, where power, intellect, and magical ability were woven into their very being—stood opposite them. Gaian women, born with a strength that rivaled gods, had always ruled. And as Myra's ship touched down on the soil of Gaia, she couldn't help but wonder: Could there ever be peace between these two worlds, two societies so deeply entrenched in their superiority?
---
As Myra walked through the grand halls of the House of Elyssan, her mother, Valeria, stood waiting with a hard, unyielding look on her face. There was no softness, no welcoming embrace. The failure of the delegation loomed over them like a storm cloud. But it wasn't just the failed diplomacy. There was something else in the air—a simmering fury that had ignited the moment the two worlds collided.
"The Tianjin delegation has failed," Myra said, her voice flat, the weight of her failure hanging heavy on her shoulders.
Valeria's eyes narrowed. "It's not just that, Myra. The conflict goes deeper. They were never going to bow to us. Do you understand? This wasn't just a matter of negotiation. We were always destined to clash."
"Two tigers cannot live on the same mountain, as they say in Tianjin," Myra muttered, recalling the phrase Zhen Wei had thrown at her during the final exchange of words.
Valeria's gaze grew more intense. "Yes. Exactly. They were born to dominate, just as we were. This was never about diplomacy. This is about power, control, the very core of who we are." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And we were naive to think otherwise."
---
Back in the palace, the situation was no less grim. Tessa, Myra's most trusted advisor, watched her as she walked in. The delegation's failure had reverberated throughout the kingdom, leaving its mark on the hearts of the people. But it wasn't the people who worried Myra—it was the underlying resentment that had taken root in her own heart. Something had shifted, and she could feel the weight of it in her bones.
"The tension between us and Tianjin is not just a matter of cultures or pride," Tessa remarked, her voice heavy. "It's in the very fabric of who we are. We are born to be superior in our world, Myra. The same way the men of Tianjin are born to rule theirs. There is no middle ground here."
---
Across the sea, in Tianjin, the Emperor watched as his generals gathered around, their faces grim. Zhen Wei, the young general of the Tianjin army, stood tall, his posture as rigid as the mountain that bore his name. The failure of the talks had come as no surprise to him, though it was still a bitter pill to swallow. It wasn't just the treaty that had been denied—it was the Gaian women's arrogance that had fueled his anger.
"The women of Gaia are goddesses to their people, no doubt," Zhen Wei said, his voice calm but filled with disdain. "But they are not the rulers of our world. And they never will be."
His words were sharp, and his generals nodded in agreement. Zhen Wei's genetic superiority was unquestionable, and the same could be said for the men of Tianjin. They had been born to lead, born to command. The idea that Gaian women, with their strength and magic, could ever rule over them was a threat to their very existence.
---
Back in Gaia, Myra stood alone in her chambers, staring at the map of Tianjin hanging on the wall. She thought of Zhen Wei, his pride, his overwhelming sense of destiny. Tianjin had not just failed to accept their world—it had rejected the very idea of it.
And Myra felt the rift growing deeper. She could feel the biological divide between the two worlds expanding, a chasm that could not be bridged by words or treaties. Both sides were born to dominate, born to lead. And the idea of sharing power? It was a fantasy that had been shattered the moment the gates opened between the two worlds.
"Two tigers cannot live on the same mountain," Myra whispered again to herself, her voice filled with a mixture of determination and regret. "But we must try, no matter the cost. If we don't, this conflict will consume us all."
The treaty had failed, but the fight was far from over. The biological inheritance of power, etched into their very beings, had only just begun to show its true nature.