One by one, the regional heads descended from the safety booth, approaching the elder. The Godfather, clad in his cultural attire, waited—his huge, grey-haired frame radiating open disdain.
Amid the distraction, at the superintendent's subtle command, Vatican officers closed in on the group, cuffs ready.
Valtor watched an officer sweep past him toward his friends, who were already struggling against their restraints. He turned to protest, but Elder Kanzaki spoke first.
"Put your hand on those kids, and you will face consequences even your leaders cannot rescue you from," he said firmly.
The soldiers withdrew at once. Across the room, the superintendent stared at the Godfather in shock.
"Esteemed leader of the Convening Godfathers," the Vatican president called, stepping forward with a slight bow. "The council pays homage."
Unmoved, Elder Kanzaki let his gaze sweep across the chamber. "So this is the real council?" he said coldly. "This is what your power has been given to—oppressing the weak?"
The Vatican leader forced a polite smile.
"Great one, please join us in a private dialogue."
"I am not here for dialogue," Kanzaki replied. "I came solely to ensure justice and fair play—something clearly absent in this place. The Godfathers have been informed of your unruly acts toward innocent lives, and your desperation to conceal your… personal errors."
The youths exchanged uneasy glances before turning to the council, whose faces tightened with a tension they could no longer hide.
Elder Kanzaki continued, "Your shared ambitions of studying a different life source beyond our world led to all of this…"
"Elder—" the Vatican president cut in. "There are topics meant for distinct ears. I insist that you—"
"I would advise you to desist from interrupting me," Kanzaki replied coldly, before continuing.
"As I was saying, your prolonged studies of a newly discovered foreign habitat rendered it uninhabitable for its inhabitants. You displaced an entire species."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
"You therefore triggered the migration of strange creatures—aliens—into our world in great numbers, bringing danger and chaos with them."
"What?" Zara muttered without realizing it. Her friends mirrored her shock.
"You kept this truth to yourselves," Kanzaki said, his gaze sweeping across the council, "masked it as an unprecedented outbreak, and sought a solution that would protect you while innocent lives were placed at risk."
He paused.
"Even I would never have known, had the professor not revealed it to me."
All eyes shifted to Malcolm at the entrance.
"The same goes for me, Elder," Malcolm said. "The truth was hidden from me as well… until a friend—who wished to remain anonymous at the time—exposed it."
He nodded toward the Zairan president.
President Zha'rik returned the gesture with a faint smile.
Superintendent Jeremy scoffed in quiet understanding. "The informant," he muttered. "Of course."
The Nexist president cleared his throat. "Elder Kanzaki, now that you've been enlightened—"
"Now that I have been enlightened," Kanzaki cut in, "consequences must follow. For all those involved in this cause. You brought harm to our world, then multiplied it in your attempt to conceal your guilt."
The Vatican president stepped forward.
"Elder, we respect your judgment. However, the council received full support from the Convening Godfathers long ago. Our authority to act toward this remedy was approved."
Kanzaki studied him for a moment.
"It is true that the Godfathers approved your ambitions," he said calmly. "But did you seek the consent of your own people? Did you inform your citizens of your solution… and the irreversible cost required to achieve it?"
Silence.
"Because if you did not," Kanzaki continued, "I already have."
Jeremy's eyes snapped toward him. Unease spread across the council.
The Cyrian president—a woman—spoke for the first time, anger rising in her tone. "Elder Kanzaki, you may be a respected Godfather, but you are still a citizen of a region, are you not? Are you truly prepared to walk this path?"
Kanzaki inclined his head slightly.
"For the sake of the young ones among us, I will refrain from reprimanding your disrespect," he said. "But you forget something important."
He looked around the chamber.
"Though the Godfathers elevated you to power, it is the people who granted you the right to rule. They possess the true authority—to raise you… or to bring you down."
His gaze hardened.
"If you feel wronged, Madam President, then I suggest you challenge the crowd waiting outside."
"Crowd?" the Vatican president repeated.
"You heard correctly," Kanzaki replied.
"While you pursued your wrongdoings, citizens of every region were rallied in support of your individual impeachments, and the judgments that accompany them. Some of them are already gathered at the entrance of this facility as we speak."
"Impossible," the president scoffed. "You've made a mistake, Kanzaki. If we fall, every Godfather who supported us falls with us."
"Like I said," Kanzaki responded calmly, "all those involved in this cause will face the consequences. No one is above the law."
With that, he brushed past the stunned leader and walked toward the wide-eyed youths.