Location: Tavara – Skywatch Intelligence Base
The base was in a state of high alert. After the battle in the Crimson Wastes, Damien's return with an unconscious Ronan had shaken even the most stoic among the ranks. Not because of the wounded brother, but because Althea had finally spoken—her threat no longer veiled in shadows.
Inside the war room, a holographic map of the globe hovered in the air, glowing red in several critical zones—evidence of Althea's influence spreading like a disease.
Nora stood with her arms crossed, eyes locked on the markers.
"She's accelerating her timeline," she said. "We thought we had six months. We might not even have six weeks."
Damien, his jaw still tight from the events in the desert, didn't respond immediately. He stood by the tinted glass, watching the sun rise over Tavara's skyline—a city on the brink of global entanglement.
"She's not just targeting us," Damien finally said. "She's targeting every family, every bloodline tied to the Council of Heirs. If she can corrupt one… she can control them all."
"I've already dispatched contacts to Europe and the East Coast. Our allies in Kyoto are reinforcing their vaults," Nora reported. "But Damien…" she hesitated. "We're outnumbered."
Damien turned to face her, the fire of command in his eyes. "Then we do what we do best. We improvise."
Just then, the door slid open and Serena, his cousin and head of intelligence operations, entered. She wore a serious expression.
"We intercepted a coded transmission ten minutes ago," she said, tossing a tablet onto the central table. "Encrypted in Althea's dead language. Took everything we had to crack a line."
The message displayed in crimson letters:
"Legacy shall crumble. Blood will break blood. The chosen must awaken."
"What does that mean?" Nora asked.
Serena's voice was grim. "There's more than one sleeper like Ronan."
Damien's chest tightened. "You're saying… there could be others already turned?"
Serena nodded. "High-ranking heirs. Sons and daughters of the old bloodlines. She's been recruiting in silence, possibly for years."
A wave of silence passed through the room. The kind that precedes a storm.
Damien stepped forward and tapped the screen, highlighting three locations: Madrid, Hong Kong, and Toronto. "Then we split our forces. If Althea plans to burn the world, we'll be there with water—or fire."
"And the ones already turned?" Nora asked quietly.
Damien's face hardened. "We try to save them. But if they've given themselves to her willingly…"
He left the sentence hanging in the air like a guillotine.
As orders were given and teams began deploying, Damien retreated briefly to the medical wing. Ronan remained unconscious, pale but alive.
Damien placed a hand on the edge of the bed.
"You were the first," he whispered. "But you won't be the last."
He stood tall again, armor of resolve fully locked in place.
The war wasn't coming. It was already here.