"Anyway, you’ve met everyone now, Aurora," I said, cutting off their chatter. "There are a few more people close to me, you’ll meet them later. For now, I’m sending all of you back."
Lyrate stared at me with pure betrayal.
"What? You summoned me out just for introductions?" Her voice dripped disgust and disappointment, as if I had personally insulted her lineage.
"Kind of," I admitted. "But I’ll summon you again soon. There’s going to be a fight, and I’ll need you to put some fear into the demons."
She scoffed, flicking her hair dramatically.
"Fine."
Her body dissolved into crimson mist and vanished into the core. One by one, the others followed.
Knight remained, seating casually on the chair, arms folded.
"So what’s next?" he asked.
"Next, we go after the Del Reys," I said. "I’ll speed things up with Primus."
Knight nodded slowly. "And Plan B? The one Lana mentioned?"
"Well," I sighed, "if we attack her family, Lana will have to react. Either she rushes back here or she reveals something about Plan B to the envoy. If that plan involved phantoms or abominations, then I might have already crippled it by wiping out one of their bases. But we’ll see."
Knight pushed himself off and finally stood up.
"So where am I going?"
"To the capital," I said. "Follow the envoy. Listen to every conversation he has, especially with Lana."
He nodded once.
"And the old demon?" he asked, meaning Romothese.
"Kill him," I replied simply.
Knight gave a small nod, shadows climbing up his body like ink. He vanished into the darkness.
I didn’t waste a second more. I shot into the sky flying straight toward the Ronic capital. I needed to find Primus. And I needed to see exactly how much chaos was already unfolding.
*****
I arrived above the Ronic capital not long after and immediately spotted Primus and the others gathered in the meeting hall. But something else caught my attention, every few seconds, the teleportation circle at the city’s entrance flashed, bringing in more demons in groups of ten or twenty. Reinforcements. The city was preparing for war.
I sent a mental message straight to Primus.
’Can you update me on what’s going on here?’
Primus’s eyes narrowed for a heartbeat as he heard my voice in his mind.
’We demanded Romothese,’ he replied, ’but the envoy claims he’s gone missing. The envoy came here himself. He confirmed soul energy was used to kill the Ronic ancestor but he keeps insisting it wasn’t Romothese.’
’Why is he so sure?’ I asked.
’He wouldn’t say. He was just... stubborn about it. But I could tell he was shaken. He can’t locate Romothese anywhere, and it’s making him nervous.’
’So what is everyone planning now?’ I asked.
’Declaring war on the Del Reys,’ Primus answered. ’If we do that, the main battle will start in the Valley of Warriors. But we don’t know how the envoy will react. He already warned us against an all-out war.’
The Valley of Warriors, a vast ancient battleground where the seven families once fought full wars without touching each other’s cities. If the Bloodreavers and Ronic declared war, everything would be settled there.
’Leave the envoy to me,’ I told him. ’I’ll make sure he can’t interfere.’
Primus hesitated for only a second. ’So... we go ahead?’
’Yes,’ I said firmly. ’Go ahead. I’ll send my summons too. Win overwhelmingly. Make the Ronics fear your strength and your name. After that, the summons will help your family clear the abomination zones under your territory. Your influence will grow even further.’
A spark lit behind Primus’s eyes, full of fire and ambition.
’All right,’ he said. ’We’ll begin."
The hall of the Ronics was packed, grandmasters, masters, elders, every important demon of the family standing shoulder to shoulder. The air was hot, tense, vibrating with barely controlled fury. The moment Primus stepped forward, every eye turned to him.
He simply lifted his chin and let his aura rise.
"All of you have said many things and given many rational points but we all know why we’re here," Primus began. "Ancestor Orobas was the target but he survived but Ancestor Modrin is dead. A transcendent killed inside his own chamber. Soul energy was used. That can only mean one thing: Del Rey involvement."
A low growl spread through the hall.
Primus continued, "We asked for Romothese. The envoy claims he’s ’missing’. Convenient, isn’t it?"
Several demons muttered in agreement. A few snarled.
Primus pointed toward the entrance where more troops were arriving through the teleportation circle. "The Bloodreavers came with open hands. We wanted answers. Instead, we were met with excuses and delay. The envoy insisted it wasn’t Romothese, even though the evidence says otherwise."
"If someone dares kill your ancestor or try to kill them, invade your halls, and then hide behind excuses—what do you do?"
"Kill them!" someone roared.
"Make them pay!" another shouted.
Primus nodded. "Exactly. We cannot sit quietly. We cannot wait for the envoy to finish his meal and give us permission. The Del Reys have crossed a line. If we hesitate now, they will strike again with whatever they were planning. They will not stop until they rule Armus."
Murmurs turned into angry rumbling. Flames flickered across several demons’ bodies.
Primus’s eyes burned. "The Bloodreavers have already decided. We will go to the Valley of Warriors. We will declare war on the Del Reys. If the Ronics have any pride left, any honor, you will join us."
That was when Orobas stepped up beside him.
The old ancestor’s presence filled the hall. Scarlet flames swirled around him. His voice echoed like thunder.
"Primus speaks truth," Orobas said. "And hear this clearly, Armus is our world. Our land. The envoy is only that, an envoy. He does not own us. He does not command our lives."
Demons roared in approval.
"Let the envoy come," he said coldly. "If he tries to interfere, we will deal with him. This is the matter of clans, of Armus not Dragos." His eyes hardened. "Besides, it is clear he is taking the Del Reys’ side. Every word from him stinks of bias. I say before they finish whatever they are planning, we strike first."
"Platius," Orobas said, his voice heavy with expectation, "what is your decision?"
All eyes turned to the Ronic family head. Platius lowered his head, closing his eyes as the hall fell into complete silence. Every demon held their breath. Whatever he chose now would decide the dawn of the next day.
A few long seconds passed.
At last, Platius lifted his head. His voice echoed through the hall.
"We go to war... for vengeance."
A shockwave of flames and roars erupted.
"WAR!"
"KILL THE TRAITORS!"
"TO THE VALLEY OF WARRIORS!"
The hall shook with the fury of two demon families choosing violence without hesitation.