"No way…"
"Are you for real?"
"Then the monsters really were sentient?"
"So Earth really is in this Crucible war thing? Why have the Big Three lied all this time?"
Even from where Elian stood, he could hear them. The doubts, the whispers, and the thoughts very few would have spoken out loud before. From small embers, it slowly grew into a raging fire.
Along with it came a sound.
The sound of walls crashing down. Whatever the Big Three built to keep the rest of the population ignorant has come to an end. And the one at the center of it all is Elian Reed.
Bianca, who was beside him, squeezed his hand. Her voice echoed in his mind.
"Elian, the Big Three will not just sit quietly while you do this," she worried. "They will strike back at you."
And we will be ready. I will never let them hurt you ever again, Bianca.