In the hall, at the very back, Squad Ten remained perfectly still.
The silence stretched between them, broken only by the chaos erupting from the main crowd ahead.
Then Helena's whisper cut through, high and desperate.
"T-the King?!"
Her hands clenched at her sides, knuckles going white.
"He's supposed to become our King?! What does that even mean?! We don't have kings, we have the Chairman and the Council and the–"
"Don't you understand, Helena?!"
One of the Hollow sisters interrupted, her voice rising with urgency.
"Not just Earth's King! The Ruler of ALL human realms across the universe!"
Her breathing quickened, words tumbling faster.
"Every world humanity calls home, every settlement scattered through the cosmos, all of it under–"
RING RING RING
Sicar's communicator exploded with sound, cutting through everything.
His hand shot to his pocket, fingers fumbling with the device, nearly dropping it before bringing it to his ear.
"Father, what–"
His face went pale.
