Point of View: Gorilla Tribe Chief
After hearing that news… the world seemed to stop for a moment.
I said nothing.
I couldn't.
My subordinate's words echoed in my mind again and again, as if they refused to settle into reality.
Abominations… attacks… cities…
I clenched my teeth.
I didn't want to believe it. But I knew him too well to doubt him. He would never lie about something like this. Not in a situation like this.
And yet…
Why didn't he tell me sooner?
Why now?
The questions piled up quickly, colliding with each other without giving me a clear answer.
And above all of them…
Was the tribe safe?
That was the first real concern strong enough to override everything else.
I stared at him.
If something had happened… if they were truly in danger…
He wouldn't be here.
Or worse… it would already be too late.
But he stood in front of me.
Breathing.
Whole.
That could only mean one thing.
The tribe was safe.
I exhaled slowly, only then realizing I had been holding my breath.
It wasn't complete relief… but it was enough.
Enough to think.
Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at the other leaders.
Each of them was in the same situation. Their subordinates spoke to them in low voices, but I didn't need to hear the words. Their expressions said everything: tension, discomfort… restrained anger.
Some didn't bother hiding it.
I did.
I took a deep breath.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
"May I continue, leader?"
His voice pulled me back.
I fixed my gaze on him.
"Speak."
My tone was low. Heavy. Dangerous.
"But choose your words carefully," I added. "Because if this has been going on for a while… you'll need to explain very well why I wasn't informed."
His throat moved as he swallowed, but he nodded.
"This… only started a few days ago."
I frowned.
Before I could interrupt, he raised a hand cautiously.
"Please… let me finish."
The urge to strike him was there.
Strong.
But I restrained it.
"Continue."
"The tribe is safe," he said first. "There were no direct attacks. That's why I didn't inform you earlier… I didn't want to distract you during the conquest."
I didn't take my eyes off him.
It made sense.
But it wasn't enough.
He knew that.
It showed in his posture.
"The situation is more complex than it seems," he continued, now more serious. "In reality… only four cities across the main plane are being besieged."
I blinked.
"Only four?"
"Yes."
There was a brief silence before he added:
"Outside of those four… everything is normal. The system is still functioning. The abominations aren't attacking other settlements or tribes."
That…
That made no sense.
I felt something inside me tighten.
I raised a hand, signaling him to stop.
I needed to think.
Around me, the other leaders had fallen into the same silence. No one spoke anymore. No one reacted.
They were all processing.
Why only four cities?
Why was the rest of the world unchanged?
And since when did the system… fail?
I clenched my fist.
No.
It wasn't a failure.
It couldn't be.
That would imply something far worse.
I exhaled slowly.
No matter how I looked at it… I couldn't find a logical answer.
Finally, I looked up.
"You've been investigating this, haven't you?"
"Not just me," he replied. "Everyone has."
I frowned.
"Then why didn't I notice anything when I returned to Dalaran?"
Everything had seemed… normal.
Too normal.
He hesitated.
That irritated me.
"Speak."
My voice didn't rise.
It didn't need to.
"No one dares to investigate it openly," he whispered, stepping a little closer. "They don't want to attract… its attention."
…Its attention?
The words lingered in my mind.
Four cities…
Four…
I repeated them silently.
Once.
Twice.
And then…
I understood.
My eyes widened slightly.
"Arcadia…" I murmured.
He nodded.
"Ursaia."
Another nod.
"Atlantis…"
"And the Mother Nest."
The silence that followed was different.
Heavier.
Denser.
As if something invisible had settled over us.
Now it all made sense.
That's why no one spoke.
That's why no one investigated openly.
That's why I hadn't noticed anything.
Everyone knew.
And everyone was pretending not to.
Because investigating that…
Was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The lords of the plane.
The four dominant forces.
If anyone even interfered with them—or discovered something they shouldn't…
They could become a target of their wrath.
A faint chill ran down my spine.
Facing one of them was madness.
But still possible.
In the worst case… you fled.
You migrated.
You survived.
But offending all four at the same time…
That wasn't madness.
It was suicide.
Slow.
Inevitable.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Our world was cruel.
It always had been.
Strength mattered.
But intelligence…
Decided who lived.
And who disappeared.
We had seen that recently.
The world we conquered…
Had greater numbers.
Some individuals were even stronger than some of our alliance leaders.
But they didn't think.
They didn't adapt.
And because of that…
They vanished.
I opened my eyes.
The answer was clear.
This wasn't a coincidence.
I looked at him again.
"Tell me something," I said, my voice lower now. "Do you have any idea what's causing this?"
He didn't hesitate this time.
"Yes."
That surprised me.
"We believe it's not a system failure."
I felt my body tense again.
"We believe… someone is causing it."
A bad feeling settled in my chest.
Cold.
Heavy.
Slow.
I already knew the answer.
And yet…
I had to hear it.
"Who?"
My voice came out quieter than expected.
More… restrained.
He hesitated for a second.
Just one.
But it was enough.
"Baroness Lysera."
The world seemed to stop again.
There was no surprise.
Not really.
Just… confirmation.
And that was worse.
Much worse.
The air in the room grew heavier.
Harder to breathe.
I clenched my jaw tightly.
The little calm I had gathered…
Disappeared.
Nothing related to her could be taken lightly.
We knew almost nothing about her.
And we didn't dare investigate.
"This… is not good."