The Council chamber in Geneva was filled with silence.
Not peace.
The silence of exhaustion.
Screens flickered with reports from every battlefield—Rio's flooded streets, Berlin's torn skyline, Paris's broken bridges, London glowing faintly under Sophia's light. Each image told the same story: victory bought with blood.
But none of it felt like triumph.
---
The Survivors
Rehan leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his sharp eyes locked on the screens. Ishita sat beside him, fists clenched tightly in her lap, knuckles pale. Akira stood in the center, his blade across his back, face unreadable as ever.
Li Wei, calm and solemn, broke the silence first.
"They are pushing us too fast. Each demon was chosen to counter our wielders—designed battles. Not random."
Arashi, the Council's leader, nodded gravely.
"Yes. The pattern is clear now. Low and Mid ranks… they're not fighting to win. They're fighting to bleed us."
Ishita's scarlet aura flickered faintly, betraying her frustration.
"Then why do we wait? Why not send all of us? If we joined them—Maria, Sophia, Klaus, Amélie—they wouldn't have to fight alone!"
Rehan placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice low.
"And what if that's what the demons want? For all of us to be in one place? If they're waiting, we'll give them the perfect chance to finish this in a single strike."
She bit her lip but didn't argue. She hated that he was right.
---
The Strain of War
On the screen, Maria was collapsing to her knees, storm aura sparking faintly as paramedics rushed to pull survivors from Rio's wreckage. Sophia sat against a wall in London, her glow dimmed, her body trembling from overuse.
Akira's eyes narrowed.
"They're strong. But not unbreakable."
Li Wei folded his arms, his tone quiet but sharp.
"And when they break… who will replace them? We've lost many already."
At those words, the chamber grew colder. They all knew it was true. The first wave of wielders—those who had fought in smaller skirmishes before the coordinated strikes—were gone. Dust in the wind.
---
Ishita's Restlessness
Ishita rose suddenly, unable to sit any longer.
"They're dying out there, and we're here, watching screens like helpless children."
Her voice cracked, scarlet aura flaring around her. The Council members shifted nervously, sensing the dangerous pulse of her power.
Akira stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"Control yourself. Anger without focus will only hasten your end."
Ishita glared at him. "You speak as if you've never lost anyone."
For a moment, silence hung heavy between them. Then Akira looked away, his jaw tightening. He didn't answer.
Rehan stepped closer to Ishita, his tone softer.
"We'll fight. Soon. But right now, we need to hold… until the real enemy shows himself."
---
Council's Revelation
Arashi spoke again, drawing their eyes back.
"Reports from Cairo confirm it—Zahir faced not one, but three demons alone. Each battle across the globe has followed the same rule: two low-rank, one mid-rank. They fall… but at a cost. Our wielders cannot last at this pace."
He pressed a button, bringing up a new projection. Dark energy readings pulsed like heartbeats across the map.
Li Wei's eyes widened.
"…So that's it. Each battle isn't just random slaughter. The demons are harvesting aura."
Arashi nodded grimly.
"Every wielder who dies leaves behind remnants of their aura. Normally it fades harmlessly into the world. But these demons… they're capturing it."
The chamber froze.
Rehan's eyes narrowed.
"And if they gather enough…?"
Li Wei closed his eyes, his voice almost a whisper.
"Then the seal on the Upper Demons will shatter."
---
Shadows of the Future
The words hung heavy in the air. Even the Council elders had no response.
Ishita swallowed hard, her anger replaced by dread.
"Upper… Demons?"
Li Wei turned to her, his expression grave.
"Low and Mid ranks are nothing compared to them. They are calamities—beings sealed away a thousand years ago, when humanity first inherited aura. If they awaken… even ten wielders together may not be enough."
Rehan clenched his fists. "Then we make sure they don't awaken."
His determination was like steel, but the unease in his eyes betrayed the truth: the path ahead was darker than anything they'd faced.
---
A Warning in the Wind
Suddenly, Klaus's face appeared on one of the live screens. He was bloodied, standing in the ruins of Berlin, but still alive. His voice was faint, carried through static.
"…Council… listen carefully…"
Arashi leaned forward. "Klaus, speak."
Klaus coughed, his coat tattered. Behind him, civilians were being evacuated. His eyes, however, burned with focus.
"They're not just killing. I felt it. Each time one of us falls… the demon that lands the finishing blow grows stronger. They feed on us. They… harvest us."
The line cut to static, leaving only his warning.
Li Wei's face hardened.
"Then it's worse than I thought. They're not waiting for us to fall… they're making sure we do."
---
End of Chapter
The chamber grew colder. Ishita's scarlet aura flickered, Rehan's fists clenched tighter, Akira's hand rested on his blade.
And above them all, unseen through mortal eyes, the rift pulsed darker, like a heartbeat counting down to the moment chains would shatter.
The Upper Demons stirred.