Chapter 557: The Storm Behind Closed Doors Part Two

A soft click echoed through the chamber, and the voices dulled. The heavy doors shut again, and from their shadow stepped a woman in a black and blue Union uniform.

Her hair was jet black, falling straight down to her shoulders, but her eyes—violet, cold and piercing—commanded the room more than her presence alone. The faint glow of the crystal sunlamp reflected in them like twin shards of amethyst.

"Director Selene Veyra," Aelira whispered at Renard’s side, as if reminding herself of the name.

Selene crossed the chamber floor, heels striking the obsidian tile with a steady rhythm that silenced even Garruk’s growl. She stopped at the head of the table, letting her gaze sweep across the guildmasters one by one before she spoke.

"The matter of the Dragon Lord is important," she said firmly, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Massively important. But it is not the reason I called you all here tonight."

Her words landed like a hammer. For a breath, the guildmasters stared at her in disbelief.

Lian Seraya raised a brow, amber eyes narrowing. "Not the reason? Then tell us, Director, what could possibly outweigh the fact that a monster has claimed one of our megacities?"

Marrec Veynn leaned back in his chair again, his grin widening. "Aye, I was wondering the same. If the Dragon Lord isn’t the priority... then what storm are you hiding from us?"

Even Varrow Kestrel tilted his head slightly, his pale eyes gleaming with interest.

Selene didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she raised one gloved hand and snapped her fingers.

The walls of the chamber shuddered, and the crystal sunlamp dimmed. In its place, the ceiling unfolded, revealing a massive holo-display that bled across the room like living light. Holographic screens shimmered into being, each one displaying different sectors of Magecity VI.

Each of the eyes narrowed sharply. Towering, ancient-looking structures—jagged spires of stone and steel, etched with glowing runes that pulsed like veins—stood where yesterday there had been nothing.

One screen showed a structure erupting from beneath a plaza, shattering pavement and swallowing hovercars whole. Another flickered to the outskirts of the city, where an enormous ring-shaped ruin hovered silently above the fields, casting a shadow that stretched for miles.

And then the worst image: a spiraling tower that had appeared inside the industrial district, so tall it pierced the clouds, its surface crawling with glyphs that seemed to move if stared at too long.

Selene’s voice carried over the flickering light.

"These are not isolated anomalies. They appeared within the last seventy-two hours. Some inside the city. Some outside it. Reports describe them as... alien, ancient, and unnatural. Citizens speak of whispers. Of voices. Of people vanishing near the sites."

Her violet eyes swept the room, lingering briefly on Renard before turning to the others.

"The Dragon Lord may be a threat we must one day confront. But these structures? They are here now. They are changing the city as we speak. And unlike him, they do not negotiate."

The chamber fell into a stunned silence. Even Garruk’s fury faltered, his scarred hands clenching against the table as he searched for words.

Renard leaned forward slightly, eyes glimmering in the dim light. For the first time that night, a flicker of true interest passed across his calm features.

Garruk Thorne was the first to break it. He shoved back his chair with a scrape loud enough to echo through the hall, his scarred arms tense as steel.

"Don’t you see? It’s obvious! The Dragon Lord is behind this. Who else has the power to raise towers out of nothing? He claims a city, and suddenly the ground spits out ancient ruins? It’s all part of the same game. Defeat him, and the rest of this vanishes with him."

His fist slammed the table, making the crystal lamp tremble. "We waste time gawking at walls and floating rings. Cut off the head, and the body falls. Send my Berserkers, and we’ll end this at the root!"

Lian Seraya’s amber eyes narrowed, her crimson silk collar shifting as she leaned forward.

"Your logic is as reckless as ever. If these ruins were his doing, then why place them outside his domain? Why scatter them through Magecity VI? A ruler claiming dominion does not dilute his power—he consolidates it. No, Garruk. These are not his tools. They are something else, something older."

Varrow Kestrel’s pale lips curved faintly as he traced the holographic tower with his eyes. His voice slid into the silence, quiet but sharp.

"Older indeed. Whispers. Disappearances. Such things carry a signature, and signatures can be followed. If these ruins are tied to the Dragon Lord, then he is more than a sovereign—he is a herald. And if they are not... then someone else moves under his shadow."

Marrec Veynn chuckled, rocking his chair back with boots propped on the table. His grin was lazy, but his eyes stayed fixed on the floating ring above the fields.

"Herald or not, you’re all missing the real topic. These ruins are choking trade already. My ports are bleeding coin by the hour, rerouting shipments to avoid these things. The Dragon Lord doesn’t even need to lift a claw—he profits from this chaos whether he made it or not. And coin decides wars faster than blades."

Their voices crashed against each other, argument turning like a storm.

Through it all, Renard Callius sat unmoved. His red eyes gleamed faintly in the shifting light, watching the spires flicker across the walls. When the noise rose to its peak, his voice cut through, smooth and steady.

"All of you are right. And all of you are wrong."

The chamber fell silent.

Renard’s gaze moved across them one by one.

"Garruk, if you’re correct, striking the Dragon Lord may solve this—but if you’re wrong, you’ll bleed your men against two enemies instead of one. Lian, your logic is keen, but speculation without proof is air. Varrow, your shadows are sharp, but a blade cannot cut what it cannot see. Marrec, your coin counts well, but even trade cannot buy time if the city itself crumbles."

He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.

"What we need is not another argument. What we need is truth. And truth comes only from those willing to walk into the shadow of these ruins and return."

His gaze shifted at last to Selene Veyra.

"And I assume, Director, that is why you’ve brought us here."

Selene’s violet eyes caught the glow of the projections, and for the first time that night, she allowed herself the faintest smile.