Ashura strode into the grand hall of the Continental Guild Conference, the Amethyst Guild banner trailing behind him. His presence alone drew uneasy glances; the sheer aura of power, the barely contained violet and black lightning wraiths that hovered discreetly behind him, caused even seasoned guild leaders to shift in their seats.
"Esteemed guild masters," Ashura began, his voice calm but carrying the weight of storms. "I come with a warning. The outer gods… their soldiers are already moving. They will not appear themselves, but their forces will descend upon this continent, and countless lives will be at stake. If we do not prepare, entire nations will fall before their might."
A murmur swept the hall. Some guild leaders exchanged skeptical looks, others chuckled quietly, and a few bristled at the audacity of a young guild leader lecturing them.
One of the older, more traditional guild heads, a man with deep lines carved into his face and a proud posture, scoffed. "Ashura Bellet, are you suggesting that the gods themselves are mobilizing armies against our continent? Do you take us for fools? Your warnings are dramatic, but there is no proof."
Ashura's eyes narrowed slightly, the faint crackle of purple lightning along his form flickering like fire in the air. "Fools? Or blind? The evidence is already here. Do you truly think the hunters and the other guilds will remain untouched? Countless sources have already sensed unnatural energies gathering. You can continue to ignore the signs, but when the storm hits, you will have no allies to blame but yourselves."
Another guild leader, younger but highly respected, leaned forward. "And what proof do you have, Ashura? This is serious talk. Can you show us?"
Ashura's lips curved into a faint smirk. "Proof is often irrelevant until it's too late. But if you wish for proof… you will see it soon enough. The first casualty has already fallen."
A tense silence filled the hall. Before any could question further, a messenger ran into the room, breathless, holding a parchment sealed with the emblem of the Continental Hunters' Association. Ashura's violet wraiths flickered, sensing the surge of danger before anyone else could react.
"Report!" Ashura barked, his voice cutting like a blade.
The messenger handed over the document. One of the senior scribes quickly unsealed it and read aloud:
"Hunter Commander Kaedus of the Northern Plains—continental level—was found dead. Beheaded. His body discovered outside the Hunters' Guild headquarters. The head is missing. No witnesses. No traces of the perpetrator except faint traces of energy matching neither human nor known magical signatures."
Gasps and shocked whispers erupted across the hall. Even the older guild head, who had scoffed moments ago, paled.
Ashura's eyes glinted, his aura flaring subtly. "And there it is. The first. If a hunter of his level can be eliminated so easily, imagine what will happen when their soldiers begin taking human vessels and hunting at will. This is no threat that can be ignored. I have warned you. Your choice is yours, but remember—the consequences will not wait."
A few guild leaders shuffled uncomfortably in their seats. "We… we need time to investigate," one said, voice shaky.
Ashura's smirk deepened. "Investigate? By the time you investigate, it will be too late. There is no time for politeness, no room for hesitation. You either prepare… or die."
The messenger handed another scroll over, trembling slightly. Ashura took it, eyes scanning the contents. The energy signature of the death was unmistakable—otherworldly, lethal, precise. Not even a top-tier hunter could have matched it without being augmented by divine or celestial power. His violet lightning wraiths hissed faintly, reacting to the invisible threads of menace weaving across the continent.
Ashura's voice lowered, cold and dangerous. "Mark my words. This is the beginning. Do not be the next blind guild to fall. Take heed now, or be crushed before the storm truly arrives."
Even as the council murmured and debated, Ashura's senses were elsewhere—scanning the horizon, the currents of energy beyond the mortal plane, the subtle disturbances that hinted at the arrival of soldiers from worlds beyond. The outer gods were not yet here, but their hands had already begun to reach.
And Ashura knew, without a shadow of doubt, that soon, no one would have the luxury of disbelief.