What should the Council be called?
For a moment, Noah almost rolled his eyes so hard that the assembled Master Mages might have been able to check them for traces of Dark or Light energy while they were at it.
If he were good at naming things, would he really have gone this long without giving his Angel clone a name?
Maybe he should call it Nephalem.
...No, that needed more thought.
Honestly, compared to Nephalem, Tyrael or Imperius sounded much better.
Nephalem did fit his current condition somewhat-the fusion of Angel and Demon-
Wait. No.
He wasn't a fusion of Angel and Demon.
He had nothing to do with demons.
He was a fusion of powers, not an offspring, and at best, he could be considered half mortal now.
If he were ever going to name that Angel clone, he would definitely separate it from his identity as a Sorcerer.
To be blunt, in a pinch, the clone could serve as a convenient scapegoat.
Just like the Dragon clone.
Even though that had been an accident, it had successfully misled that Naaru into thinking the attacker was Deathwing.
Shaking his head, Noah pushed those thoughts aside.
The Angel's name could wait.
Right now, his attention was on the formation of the Council.
As for the name, Noah proposed two options.
Shadow Council.
High Council.
The name "Shadow Council" was, in truth, a nod of appreciation to Gul'dan-whom Noah had personally killed.
Under Gul'dan, the Shadow Council had been a secret organization of warlocks, composed of the highest-ranking members of major factions.
They pursued only one thing.
Power.
Breakthroughs.
In the Shadow Council, power was everything.
In Noah's case, the concept could be adjusted slightly.
Every Master Mage of Kamar-Taj had drawn power from that "portable battery," Dormammu, then purified it to remove its inherent will.
In other words, every Master Mage already possessed Dark-element power.
From that angle, "Shadow" fit quite well.
Moreover, the reason these Master Mages gathered was also power-power that led to future paths.
However, the true core of this organization was not "power above all," but safeguarding the Sorcerer Supreme's authority and protecting Earth's safety and interests.
Unfortunately, even after Noah explained that "Shadow" merely implied operating behind the scenes, none of the Master Mages were willing to accept the name.
That left Noah with little choice.
He personally thought the name was fine.
But if everyone else objected, it didn't matter.
There was a backup.
If Shadow Council was rejected, then High Council it was.
Simply put, an organization composed of Kamar-Taj's strongest mages, led by Noah, the Sorcerer Supreme.
It also perfectly reflected the pride of Kamar-Taj.
In their eyes, other magical organizations were powerful, yes.
But when it came to supremacy, Kamar-Taj stood above all.
Calling themselves the strongest was hardly an exaggeration.
High Council was far more practical.
Noah could roughly guess their thinking.
The elders might not care much, but "Shadow" sounded too much like an evil cabal lurking in the dark.
With the name settled, the rest was easy.
Noah had already made it clear that he would remain stationed at the London Sanctum.
That wouldn't change.
The remaining task was assigning Master Mages to their respective posts.
Fortunately, Noah didn't need to micromanage.
They could handle assignments themselves, based on location importance and personal preference.
Take Kamar-Taj.
It required four Master Mages to guard it.
And they had to be exceptionally strong.
Eighth Rank was the minimum.
If they couldn't protect Kamar-Taj, there was no point discussing anything else.
As for the London Sanctum?
Frankly, Noah alone was enough.
But everyone understood that this Council existed largely for Noah's convenience.
So stationing three Master Mages there made sense.
After all, the Sanctum couldn't be left unguarded whenever Noah left.
Overall, none of this required Noah's attention.
These Master Mages could handle the details themselves.
That realization made Noah feel extremely comfortable.
Capable subordinates really did save a lot of trouble.
They might argue with him occasionally, but Noah didn't want puppets.
He wanted people who could speak up and offer reasonable advice.
"By the way, Sorcerer Supreme," an Asian man suddenly spoke up, "do the small groups we've formed count as Council members?"
Noah tilted his head.
He recognized him immediately.
Lin Xi.
A High Mage who had passed the Master Mage assessment alongside Victor.
Westerners usually called him Xi Lin.
Facing the question, Noah nodded without hesitation.
"Of course they count. However, they can't become Councilors unless they pass the Master Mage assessment. Only then are they eligible."
"Understood." Lin Xi nodded, then continued.
"One more question. Do we need something... distinctive? So we can clearly identify who belongs to us?"
Distinguish their own?
Noah thought for a moment and understood.
He already knew that the Master Mages would recruit from among their own apprentices.
That was natural.
Among everyone present, Wong was probably the only one without many apprentices.
The others all had sizeable followings.
So the simplest solution was to create something easily recognizable.
"Is that what you all think?" Noah asked, glancing around.
"A badge? Something for identification?"
"Worth considering," several Master Mages nodded.
"It would be convenient."
Noah rubbed his chin.
It was feasible.
But one issue remained.
What about those who studied at Kamar-Taj without choosing a mentor?
Not every mage had a master.
To some extent, they were considered disciples of the Sorcerer Supreme.
That title was a stretch, of course.
Even the Ancient One hadn't known every student personally.
Those with good talent but no direct master usually became disciples of High Mages.
People like Noah, Mordo, Wong, and Casillas-who became personal disciples of the Ancient One immediately-were rare exceptions.
Then there was Kamar-Taj University.
Its structure needed reform.
Not reduction.
Enhancement.
Noah wanted students to feel a stronger sense of belonging.
Even if Kamar-Taj wasn't their primary affiliation, it should at least be their secondary one.
The old system was chaotic.
Now, Noah planned to divide everything into four districts centered on the Sanctums.
Naturally, those districts required four Houses.
Just like Hogwarts.
Each House would be overseen by the Master Mages of its district.
They would be responsible for the students.
If possible, Noah even wanted a House Cup.
Competition bred motivation.
As for the winning House?
Honor was guaranteed.
And benefits could be arranged.
Even without rewards, the Houses would still compete enthusiastically.
But Noah wasn't stingy.
Even if the Master Mages didn't need rewards, their disciples certainly would.
"Let's do it this way," Noah said after a brief pause.
"Four districts. The High Council consists of you Councilors."
"Outstanding subordinates under you may serve as Senators."
He used the terms casually, unconcerned with perfect accuracy.
"You'll choose directors for each district yourselves."
"As for the remaining mages in Kamar-Taj without mentors, you'll divide them among yourselves."
"Understood?"
"No problem, Sorcerer Supreme." The Master Mages nodded immediately.
Still, one question remained.
"Once divided into districts, shouldn't all Master Mages be equal? If everyone is a Councilor, why choose a director?"
"Because I'm changing Kamar-Taj University."
Noah smiled.
"The university was my proposal. I was young then, and the current system is messy."
"Since we have four districts, the Houses must be restructured."
"There will be four Houses."
"You will oversee them."
"The director you elect will serve as the Dean."
With that, Noah stopped.
He didn't need to explain further.
Everyone understood.
He wanted to keep students in Kamar-Taj as much as possible.
That benefited Kamar-Taj immensely.
There was no reason to oppose it.
In fact, they would fully support it.
Even if it meant they would be far busier while Noah grew increasingly relaxed, they were willing.
The prosperity of Kamar-Taj mattered more.
"However," someone finally spoke up, "there is one thing we must ask."
"Since there are four districts and four Houses, the districts can wait..."
"But the Houses need names, don't they?"
"..."
Noah fell silent.