Two more years passed. It was 1927. The world was changing fast. Nicholas found it strange, watching the modern age being built. Carriages were becoming rare, replaced by more and more cars. Technology was sprouting everywhere, a new world growing over the old one.
While Nicholas's true self remained deep within his sanctuary, his avatar, the public face of Nicholas Aldridge, became a fixture in Washington, where he orchestrated his rise.
The Order of Eternity was his invisible army. Its members, clear-sighted mortals and low-level magic users, were embedded everywhere.
A clerk in the opposition party's headquarters would "misplace" a key piece of opposition research.
An influential newspaper owner, whose chronic illness had been mysteriously alleviated after a "charitable donation" to a certain foundation, would run editorials praising Nicholas' strategies and mind. It was thousands of such small moves, all guided by the Book of Probability and the Order.
The Book was his ultimate weapon and every day he was more and more glad he made it. Nicholas would consult it daily. "Show me the fate of Senator Walsh's re-election campaign. Where is its weakest point?".
The Book revealed an image of a specific donor, a man with a hidden gambling addiction. The Order would then provide a nudge, an anonymous tip to a rival, a sudden call of the donor's debts, and the campaign would falter, creating an opening.
When the same sitting Senator from New York announced his unexpected retirement due to "health reasons", a decision was made after a series of vivid, terrifying nightmares engineered by Marcus' delirium spells, Nicholas and his avatar was perfectly positioned to seize the opportunity.
His war record, his intelligence background, and his "inspired" policy positions made him a formidable candidate.
The Order ensured his primary opponent was caught in a compromising situation with a lobbyist, the evidence "discovered" by a diligent reporter who was a devout member of the Order. Nicholas Aldridge won the Senate seat in a landslide.
His work, however, was just beginning. He needed allies in the chamber.
Marcus performed perfectly. Charming, well-connected, and now freed from the mental fog that had limited him, he was a natural politician. But he lacked a position. The Order fixed that.
Using the Book, they identified a vulnerable House Representative from a wealthy district in Virginia. The man had a secret his election team had always helped him hide: a secret family stashed away in Maryland.
Julian, now a junior diplomat being fast-tracked to the British Embassy thanks to his father Jonathan's old-world connections and the Order's discreet pressure, used his growing information network to acquire irrefutable proof.
The evidence didn't go to the press. It went to the Representative, along with a simple message: retire gracefully and endorse Marcus as your successor, or your reputation collapses.
He retired, and Marcus, running on a platform of "youthful energy and pragmatic solutions," alongside the previous candidate's endorsement, won easily.
Getting him into Congress was one thing. Placing him on powerful and influential committees, the Appropriations committee, and more importantly, the emerging committee overseeing intelligence and military readiness, was another.
Here, yet again, the Book was indispensable.
Nicholas would sit in his sanctuary, the floating tome before him. The pages would swirl, showing a complex web of connections, favors, and secrets. It revealed that the committee chairman, a gruff old hawk, was secretly terrified of his legacy being tarnished by a grandson involved in an illegal racing ring.
The Order didn't blackmail the Chairman. They solved his problem. A "concerned citizen" (an Order member) provided an anonymous tip that led to the ring being busted, with the grandson's name conspicuously absent from the police reports.
The Chairman, eternally grateful to the Order for solving his problem, suddenly found Marcus Demain's insights on military morale and veteran affairs deeply compelling and he found him a seat on the committee.
Julian's ascent was more international. His posting to Britain was the first step. Officially, he was a diplomatic attaché.
Unofficially, he was Nicholas's eyes and ears in the current heart of the West. His mission was twofold: use his Hermes-born talents and magical training to gather intelligence on the gathering storm in Europe and position himself as America's leading expert on the region.
He used his magic not for flashy effects, but for subtlety. A minor charm of overlook ensured he could be present at conversations he wasn't invited to.
A whisper on the wind, a spell he was mastering, allowed him to catch fragments of discussions in closed rooms. He learned of the rising tensions, the strange movements in the children of the Underworld Gods, the whispers of a charismatic, bitter voice rising in Germany with the assistance of the Chthonic Gods.
His reports back to the State Department were brilliantly insightful, predicting geopolitical shifts with uncanny accuracy. He was building a reputation.
The Order, meanwhile, worked on its home front. They cultivated the narrative in the media and in the circle of the elites of Julian Pierce as a visionary diplomat, the man who understood the international politics and could navigate its complexities.
The goal was clear: when the time was right, he would be the fantastic choice for Secretary of State.
Back in his sanctuary, Nicholas watched the pieces move. His avatar was a Senator, amassing influence.
Marcus was embedding himself in the machinery of war funding and military policy. Julian was becoming the master of international politics. They were the core of what he was building.
One evening, with Marcus and Julian's consciousnesses projected into the sanctuary for a council, they stood over a map of the world that glowed with shifting lights representing faith and conflict.
"It's accelerating," Julian reported, his projected form flickering slightly.
"The energy in Europe… it's dark, almost angry. My father's messages have become more urgent, less about gathering information and more about… positioning me. He's anxious."
"Good," Nicholas said, his voice calm. "The shift is starting, and we are almost in position." He looked at Marcus. "The military budget?"
"On track," Marcus replied. "The committee is leaning towards a massive expansion. I planted the required fear over the tensions in Europe. When the war starts, the faucet of funding will be turned on."
Nicholas nodded. "Continue. Julian, dig deeper into the German situation. I want to know who the Underworld is backing, which of the most important generals and politicians are their pawns. Marcus, solidify your relationships with the generals. Be their favorite Congressman."
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