The grand ceremony had concluded, but the atmosphere in the Main Hall remained electric. As the celebratory music faded into the background, a heavy silence fell as Dock Von, the Supreme Leader of the Xenocides, and Zane, the Second-in-Command, signaled for the Captains to follow them.
The massive, reinforced obsidian doors of the War Room hissed shut, leaving the rest of the soldiers in the lobby. Some divisions began to filter out, but the Aegis Prime (1st Division) didn't move. They drifted toward the 10th like a predatory pack.
Valerius Flare stepped forward, his eyes burning with a cold, aristocratic fury. He looked at the medal pinned to Elias's chest as if it were a personal insult.
"Elias," Valerius spat, his voice low. "Don't think you're a big shot just because they handed you a piece of gold. You got lucky."
Elias didn't flinch. He let a slow, mocking smirk pull at the corner of his mouth. "Hmm... maybe I was lucky, Valerius. But at least I didn't get beaten into the floor like you did. Being a 'Prodigy' didn't seem to help much , did it?"
"Watch your—!" Julian, one of the Aegis Prime elites, stepped forward, his hand twitching toward his weapon hilt.
"Shut up!" Jaxen barked, stepping into Julian's personal space. Jaxen's knuckles cracked loudly in the quiet hall. "If you're looking for a fight to settle your bruised egos, I'm ready to go right here. I've been in a hospital bed for two weeks and I'm dying to hit something."
The air pressure in the room shifted. Both sides stared each other down—the "agris " against the "10th."
After a long, suffocating silence, Valerius turned his back. "Enjoy your moment, Elias . It'll be your last." The 1st Division marched away in perfect, synchronized steps.
As they left, Rook noticed Kaelen staring at the floor. Kaelen's breath was shallow, his hand hovering over the massive scar on his chest. His eyes were unfocused, lost in memories of a childhood spent in the shadow of the Flare name and the terrifying power of Skull.
"Kaelen? You okay?" Rook asked, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.
Kaelen blinked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah... yeah, I am. Just thinking."
Inside the sanctum, the mood was even darker. Dock Von sat at the head of a massive holographic table, his face weathered by decades of war. Around him stood the elite:
1st division captain
Reid Gedion swallow
Vice captain - valerius flare
2nd division captain -
Liora
Vice captain -cryo (male)
3 division Kaizen flux
Vice captain - lady Ness
4th division - Zarek Solis ( male)
Vice captain -Zorin Lyx
5th division -Zainab Virel
Vice captain -Temi Nova
6th division -Zarek Myron
Vice captain - Arix Calder
7th division - Lenny d mic
Vice captain - j j (Jane jorren)
8th division -Torin Kez
Vice captain -alina icter
9th division - shadow
Vice captain - Dr d
10th - drakye void
"Results," Dock commanded. His voice was like grinding stone.
Drakye Void stepped forward, projecting a series of chemical structures onto the holotable. "The serum we recovered from skull, is a nightmare, sir. Our medics and scientists examined the core compounds. It's designed to boost alien, it can also bring them back to life, but it has a primary catalyst."
Drayke paused, his jaw tightening. "It's made of processed human DNA. Which is about 80% of the serum, the remaining 20% can't be identified it's probably a compound which isn't on earth. They are harvesting people for this
The room erupted into a low, angry murmur.
Liora added, "We also believe there are high-level traitors working with the aliens—especially the one known as Valkhyre.
The 10th reported an entire underground civilization, but the space had vanished.
It was as if the tunnels were erased from reality."
"We have two enemies now," Reid Gedion Swallow (1st Division) noted, his voice sharp and cold. "The aliens at the border and the rats living among us."
Kaizen Flux (3rd Division) slammed a fist onto the table. "If humans are the fuel, then every missing person in the Sectors is a potential weapon against us! We need to fortify the production hubs!"
Zainab Virel (5th Division) shook her head. "Fortifying isn't enough., we need a solid plan,
"The border is the real mystery," Zarek Solis (4th Division) added. "We have a global force field. Nothing larger than a microbe should be able to cross without triggering an alarm. How are they getting the raw materials out and the serum in?"
Shadow (9th Division) spoke from the darkest corner of the room, his voice a mere whisper. "It means the breach isn't in the shield. The breach is in the leadership. Someone is opening the door."
Dock Von rubbed his temples, the weight of the war pressing down on him. "The war is coming to an end, one way or another. We need to be ready for the final battle. But first. We have to find the creator of this serum and kill them. If we don't stop the production, the aliens will eventually over power our ability to kill them."
After the meeting adjourned, the Captains filtered out, their faces grim. Zane stayed behind, standing on a secluded balcony overlooking the city lights.
The air behind him stirred. A figure in a heavy black hoodie materialized from the gloom, their face hidden in deep shadow.
"Has he made a move?" Zane asked, not turning around. "Do you have any information
"No, sir," the hooded figure replied, his voice muffled. "I'm sorry. He hasn't made a move yet. He's being careful.
Zane stared out at the sprawling metropolis" keep tabs on him, let me know if he makes a single move".
"Alright, sir,
" the figure whispered, before vanishing back into the shadows.